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A Galaxy of Magic
Chapter 1
AN - Based on Sword and Magic by bluminous
"Are you all set, Harry?" he heard the very familiar voice of his very long-time friend, Hermione Weasley, formerly Granger. Harry turned to her and smiled kindly.
A smile formed on her withered face. Her skin was slightly discolored in places and was full of wrinkles. The wild and bushy hair from her youth was thin and flat. Instead of brown, it was now a silvery gray. She was hunched over a little from years of back pain, but even though an old woman now looked back at him, Harry sometimes still saw her as the beautiful, young woman that she used to be. He did have to admit that she was in decent shape for a woman nearing the age of two hundred. Her husband and Harry's best mate, Ron Weasley, died almost twenty years before. Only Percy was still alive among the Weasleys of Harry's youth, and he wasn't long for this world.
"I think so," he answered, hefting his backpack over his shoulder. It was made from some space-age muggle material that had been invented sometime over the last decade. Hermione found that it held enchantments very well. Even in her old age, she still enjoyed experimenting and trying to push the boundaries of magic.
Hermione walked up to him and attempted to smooth his messy, black hair. For him, not much had really changed since reaching his majority. He continued to look as though he was a young man in his late teens or early twenties. Sure, he was much fitter thanks to almost two hundred years of exercise, but he still looked the same in essence. The only real difference was that he no longer had to use those awful glasses. His vision had cleared upon magical maturity. That was also when his life had completely changed. Harry remembered it well.
It took a few years before a vigilant Hermione realized that something was wrong. He wasn't aging like everyone else, or at least it didn't appear that he was. Intrigued, she spent the next few years researching it in her spare time while periodically running tests on him. While she couldn't be one hundred percent sure, she suspected that it had something to do with the fact that he had both Basilisk venom and Phoenix tears in his system. As far as they knew, no one had ever found themselves in a similar situation. It was decades later that he realized it wasn't just his physical appearance. When everyone else began getting the normal aches and pains as they aged and their bodies wore out, Harry still felt fine. Better than fine, actually. The older he got, the better he felt.
His life hadn't been easy. Early on, Hermione warned him that people wouldn't take kindly to his lack of aging. Some would question whether or not he had done some dark, evil ritual to remain youthful. Some might think that he had acquired the Philosopher's Stone. If those rumors persisted, it was only a matter of time before some criminal tried to take it from him, likely through violence. The more intelligent among wizardkind might catch on to the fact that it was happening naturally. Then, it would only be a matter of time before he found himself locked in the Ministry while they studied him in an attempt to replicate his accomplishment. Hermione had recommended using Glamours to hide his appearance. That worked for many years, but eventually, the truth came out.
When his secret was discovered, Harry had no choice but to go into hiding. He wasn't sure if anyone was actually hunting for him, but he couldn't take the chance. He didn't want his friends to be harassed or put into dangerous situations over him. That was when his life got especially lonely. It was hard being away from them for so long, but there was nothing to be done about it. He simply waited and traveled the world under different aliases. He saw far-off places that he never dreamed of seeing. He studied magic from every corner of the world, all the while keeping in secret contact with his friends over their magical mirrors. Eventually, as time passed, those who knew him began dying off … some through accidents or illness … some from old age. It was only then that Harry decided to come home.
With Hermione being the last, his tether to this world was quickly fraying. Seeing this, Hermione dedicated the last decade to her friend. She wanted him to have a new life … a new adventure. She didn't want him to have to hide away and always look over his shoulder. The thought was crazy but also tempting. He wouldn't trust anyone else if they had been the ones to suggest it, but Harry knew that Hermione could actually pull it off. She had spent most of her life as an Unspeakable, and though she refused to tell him the secrets of her years of work, he knew she was incredibly smart … beyond Dumbledore's level of intelligence even. So, after finally agreeing, she got to work.
Many times, she tried to explain what she was doing, but most of it went completely over his head. She was on another level. Harry would just nod his head and silently agree while listening to her long-winded explanations. Hermione knew that he didn't understand, but she enjoyed teaching, so she didn't care. Eleven years later, Hermione made the last breakthrough. Now, it was time to go.
He would miss his friend. Harry even told her that he wanted to wait until her time had passed. He didn't want Hermione to be lonely after all. In his heart, he knew she wouldn't be. She had her children, grandkids, and great-grandkids to keep her company. In the end, she thanked him for his concern but still declined. Harry couldn't go without her help. He needed her to start the ritual.
"You should. I packed everything myself," she teased him. Harry chuckled.
"Then I trust that everything's in order," he replied.
"You know … Anastasia is going to be heartbroken," she teased him again. Anastasia was Gabrielle Delacour's great-granddaughter, and she had a bit of a crush on him.
"I imagine she'll get over it in a day or two," he joked. Anastasia was a bit boy-crazy, and he had no doubt that the gorgeous girl would find another handsome boy to swoon over. Hermione shook her head and laughed. She found the girl's antics quite amusing.
"I suppose she will," Hermione smiled. She stood there silent for a moment before giving him one of her patented Hermione Hugs. She wrapped her arms around his waist and squeezed tightly while burying her head in his chest. Harry hugged her back and kissed the top of her head. Hermione sniffled and released him, wiping her eyes.
"Sorry … I'm being silly," she gave him a watery laugh. Harry just smiled and wandlessly conjured a white handkerchief. She took it from him and wiped her eyes.
"Of course, you're not. I'm going to miss you as well—more than you know," he honestly told her. Hermione nodded her head while wiping her eyes.
"I transferred all of my gold and assets to you, Hermione. I obviously won't need it. I kept a bit of gold and silver just in case it's worth something … wherever I end up," he explained.
"Harry … I …" she began, but he cut her off.
"I know you don't need it. Spend it on whatever you want, just as long as it makes you happy," he said. All she could do was nod and accept his generous gesture.
"Then I guess it's time," she told him. She held out her hand, and Harry took it.
She Side-Along Apparated him out into the middle of nowhere. Harry wasn't even sure exactly what country they were in. He could tell that there probably wasn't a magical or muggle for hundreds of miles in any direction. Harry easily spotted the ritual circle that Hermione had prepared.
"Are you sure that you haven't forgotten about anything?" Hermione asked him one last time.
"I made a list and checked everything off as I packed it away," he promised. "Are you sure I'm not going to be dumped on some barren, lifeless planet?" he asked. That definitely wasn't something he wanted. Hermione shook her head.
"I specifically set the parameters of the ritual to place you near humans. That way, wherever you end up, the environment will be suitable for living, and you can find companionship," she told him. Hermione had thought of everything.
"Good enough for me," he smiled at her.
"Alright, then let's begin," she said, suddenly sounding very professional.
A Galaxy of Magic
For his part, Harry didn't have to do much. All he did was stand in the middle of the circle in the designated spot. Hermione did the rest. She began chanting, and with every word, the wind grew stronger. Soon, it was howling, and the trees were dangerously swaying from side to side. A loud crack made him look to his side. A tall tree broke in the middle and tumbled into the woods. Hermione didn't miss a word. She was wholly focused on her goal. Her long, gray hair was whipping furiously in the ferocious wind. A bolt of lightning cracked through the graying sky, making him jump from the loud noise. Then, a soft sprinkle of rain began. Before long, a torrential downpour was soaking poor Hermione to the bone, but Harry remained dry. There was some type of magical bubble around him, blocking the wind and rain. Harry kept his eyes on Hermione, and when she finally stopped chanting, she smiled warmly at him and waved goodbye. He barely got the chance to wave at her before another bolt of lightning split the sky and struck the top of his magical bubble. There was a blinding white light, and he felt himself get sucked through an unseen portal.
A maelstrom of flashing lights blinded him, and he raised his hand over his face to try and block it out. It was so bright that he could easily see the light through his closed eyelids. His body tumbled what had to be a thousand times a second. Strangely enough, it didn't make him feel sick. By all rights, he should have been puking his guts out by then. The temperature was freezing, and within seconds, his body was shivering from the frigid cold. He couldn't begin to guess how long his journey was. The only thing he could say was that it was a miserable ride. His mind felt raw, and he was just about to pass out when there was another sudden crack of thunder. His body hit the ground, or at least what he thought was the ground. Whatever he landed on had some give to it. It felt like a very firm mattress. Still, it wasn't pleasant. He grunted from the hard impact. 'At least it's warm,' he thought as he continued to shiver. Harry just lay there with his eyes closed, trying to reorient himself. Slowly, the heat warmed his chilled bones, and he finally felt that he was able to stand without immediately falling over. His green eyes fluttered open, and once again, he was nearly blinded. This time, it wasn't from anything magical. It was the intense sunlight that was now baking his body. He shakily got to his feet. It was then that he gasped and stumbled slightly. He wasn't on the ground as he had previously thought. Instead, he was a hundred feet in the air atop a giant purple mushroom. All around him were similar purple mushrooms the size of trees. It appeared to be some kind of strange mushroom forest. This definitely wasn't Earth, Harry thought.
"Well played, Hermione," Harry praised her. He never doubted that she would accomplish her goal; he only hoped that she was okay.
Harry stood there for a moment, taking in the sights. There were a few mushrooms that were taller than the one he was standing on … but not many. He couldn't get a good lay of the land due to the fact that the mushroom tops were incredibly wide and blocked his view of the forest floor. One thing was certain, it was very hot and humid. Now that his body had warmed, he quickly found himself sweating. Waving his hand over his body, he placed a Cooling Charm on himself. It wasn't the best fix, but it would keep him from overheating. High above him, something was flying by. At first, he thought it was a plane of some sort, but upon closer inspection, it was some type of animal in the shape of a manta ray. Harry watched it until it was too far to properly see.
Now that the shock of Hermione's apparent success had passed, Harry sprang into action. The first order of business was to take stock of the situation. He was alive and unhurt. That was good, he thought. Pulling the backpack from his shoulders, he set it down on the giant fungus and opened it up. Everything was exactly where it should be. Harry pulled out his trusty pair of Omnioculars and his enchanted cantina. Zipping it back up and slipping the straps over his shoulders, he began the next phase of his plan … finding shelter.
Harry had a magical tent with everything he needed to survive, but only a fool would erect it out in the open in an unknown land. Judging by that weird bird thing, this planet was likely filled with other strange creatures, some of which might be dangerous. He couldn't risk being attacked when he was sleeping and most vulnerable. With nothing left to do, Harry apparated to the top of the furthest mushroom tree he could see through his Omnioculars. Again and again, he did this, moving huge distances in only seconds. Every so often, he was forced to take a break when the constant apparating made him dizzy. Sitting down on one particularly tall mushroom tree, Harry removed the top of his cantina and drank greedily from it. Harry had enchanted it himself to be ever-filling. He could also make the water ice cold or boiling hot by pumping magic into specific runes etched on the side. After drinking his fill, Harry poured a copious amount of freezing cold water over his head to cool down. Wiping the water from his eyes with the back of his hand, Harry got moving again.
He moved from tree to tree for several hours, taking breaks occasionally. Even with his Cooling Charm, he was drenched in sweat. The humidity on this planet was insane. Thankfully, it began raining, which cooled everything down significantly. Unfortunately, he couldn't see as far through the heavy drops of rain, and his apparating distances were shortened. Eventually, he reached the edge of the mushroom forest, which ended when a long strip of spiky rock formations began. The rock formation ran in a long, thin line like a noticeable scar on the land. Harry adjusted his Omnioculars and found a decently flat spot to land. Apparating over, he nearly lost his footing on the uneven surface of the rock. Placing his hand on the side of one of the spiky formations to keep his balance; a piece of it chipped away. Harry correctly deduced that the rocks had likely eroded over millions of years until they finally reached this particular shape. They were reddish-orange and had a very faint smell of sulfur. Harry moved between the tall, rocky spikes, taking care not to twist or break his ankle. After half an hour of slow, methodic moving, he reached the end of the rocky strip. What he saw was quite stunning.
Stretching before him, as far as he could see, was a field of giant flower-like plants as tall as a three-story house. Most were fluorescent blue-green with slightly transparent petals, though a few of the same type were semi-transparent purple. Their yellow stamens were long and protruded from the tops of the open petals. 'A bloody nightmare for anyone with allergies,' was Harry's first thought.
These long, ribbed, tentacle-like things burst from the ground here and there and curved through the air even higher than the tallest flower. Harry wasn't sure exactly what they were, but they appeared to be a plant of some kind despite looking similar to a giant Ibex horn. In the distance, Harry spotted some of the flowers swaying, so he aimed his Omnioculars and zoomed in. It was difficult to spot what was moving, but eventually, he saw something that looked like a massive grub slowly undulating across the ground. Once it was gone, Harry looked at it again with the replay feature. Upon closer inspection, he saw that it had little stubby legs like a caterpillar and a large hump just past the head. It had two black eyes, one on top of the other in the middle of its head. The main body was forest green, but it had a splotchy patch of glowing blue on the hump. Just seeing this creature made the fact that he was no longer on Earth really hit home. Suddenly feeling tired and mentally worn out, Harry decided to set up camp. The temperature was slightly dropping as the sun lowered on the horizon, and he knew that nightfall would soon be upon him.
One thing he quickly noticed was the size of the Sun. It was bigger than it should be, which meant that this planet was closer to its star than Earth was to its Sun, or maybe its star was just bigger than the Sun. That surely was the reason why it was so stifling hot. It also meant that he was definitely in a different part of the galaxy … or possibly in another galaxy altogether. Neither Mercury nor Venus had life on them. As far as he knew, he might have even been in another reality, but he didn't have time to think about that right now.
He moved a little further back into a rocky valley between four of the rock formations. Harry pointed his hand at the ground and Transfigured the uneven ground flat. He then went to the largest of the formations, magically chipped away, and Transfigured it until he had a man-made cave large enough to erect his tent inside.
Harry stood away from the entrance and added as much magical protection as possible to the cave. Muggle Repelling, Creature Repelling, and several other diversionary wards were quickly added to the area. Harry even placed an illusion over the entrance to make it look like solid rock.
Going inside and out of the sun, Harry slipped his backpack from his shoulders and placed it on the ground. He pulled out the tent and set it down right in the middle of the recently created cave. Grabbing his backpack, Harry stepped back and pointed his hand at the tent. Instantly, it sprung to life. The small, folded square of material began unfolding itself and inflating until it was roughly a 6x6 foot square with a double-sloped roof. Cords and metal rods burst out in every direction, and the metal rods buried themselves into the stone ground. Nodding in approval, Harry entered and sighed happily.
The cool, dry air was refreshing after hours of trudging through the heat and humidity. Harry was very glad he had paid extra for the temperature regulation feature. The entire tent was made from the same material as his backpack. He purchased a large bolt of the Muggle material and hired a specialized craftsman to create the tent for him. Harry could have just purchased a tent from a magical shop, but he wanted something a bit more durable and rugged.
There wasn't much to the tent's inner layout. The overall space was quite large, but most of that space was used for storage. He had a decent-sized bedroom with a large bed that he had enchanted himself to be extremely comfortable. There was a bathroom that was almost twice as big as his bedroom. The reason for that was the bathtub, which was the size of a small swimming pool. Harry designed it after the Prefects' bathtub at Hogwarts. He liked keeping in shape, and one of the ways he did that was by swimming. The tub was big enough to accommodate this. There was also a shower and everything else one would imagine a bathroom having. His tent contained a small kitchen and sitting area where he could relax and read. The only other room was the storage area, which was almost as big as the Great Hall in Hogwarts. In there, Harry had everything he would need to last him for over a decade, and he had plenty of room to keep adding.
Harry dropped his bag on the couch and removed his wet, sweaty shirt. Harry immediately went to the magical washer/dryer and tossed the shirt in. He then stripped down and threw the rest of his clothes in. He hit the start button and went into the bathroom.
Cold water rained down on him, cooling his heated body. After standing there for a few minutes, he washed up and exited the shower. A few minutes later, he felt refreshed and went straight to the kitchen, fixing himself a muggle MRE. MREs were Meals Ready to Eat, and they had been around in the muggle world since Harry was a child, but they had only gotten better over the centuries. Harry had enough of the packets to last him over a decade. Within five minutes, he was eating a piping hot bowl of pasta. Once done, Harry cleaned the bowl and yawned loudly. Too tired to do anything else, Harry went straight to bed and fell asleep almost instantly.
His night of sleep wasn't particularly restful. Harry had several dreams that he couldn't exactly remember, but they made him feel uneasy. Getting out of bed, Harry stretched and went about his morning routine. Not feeling very hungry, Harry skipped breakfast and exited the cave. He looked around for anything that might pose a danger to him but found nothing. He stood out there for half an hour, taking in the sight of a whole new world. Harry was so caught up in his thoughts that he didn't notice something large passing overhead until the sound hit his ears. The loud roar of what sounded like a rocket engine made him instinctively duck down. He immediately looked up and saw something that made his jaw fall open. Right above him was some kind of massive ship that was slowly sailing across the sky. Knowing a thing or two about aerodynamics, he knew there was no way that ship could slowly cruise through the air without immediately crashing to the ground. He was even more shocked when it suddenly tilted upward and accelerated to mind-numbing speeds. It was out of sight within seconds. It had completely left the atmosphere.
"What the hell?" was all Harry could say as he stared up at the empty sky. Less than a minute later, another smaller ship went overhead. It flew over the flower forest and into the far distance. Excitement bubbled up inside of him. Not only were there intelligent beings on this planet, but they appeared to be even more technologically advanced than the muggles of Earth. Harry made a mental note of the direction the ship was flying, shot back into his tent, and gathered his backpack. Within minutes, he was traveling in the same direction.
Traveling through the giant flowers wasn't nearly as easy as the mushrooms. There was no way he would try and stand on top of the petals to see if they would hold his weight, and as far as he knew, those flowers could very well be toxic. His journey was more miserable than the day before. Now, he not only had to deal with the heat but also the swarms of stinging insects. Some of them were as big as his fist. After the first bite that made the top of his hand swell and itch, Harry learned his lesson and added a Bug Repelling Charm to his clothes. They left him alone after that. He continued on until his stomach growled in protest. Harry then took a quick break to eat and regain his quickly diminishing strength.
Later on in his journey, Harry spotted a very large creature that looked quite similar to a Praying Mantis walking through the thick vegetation. His hopes that it was a peaceful creature were shot down when it charged one of those giant slug-like creatures and hacked it to death with its long, lethal mantis blade appendages. Harry quickly moved one when it began devouring the poor dead slug. He definitely didn't want to end up as that creature's dessert. He made sure to keep his eyes and ears open for the rest of that day's journey. When the sun began going down, Harry found a good landmark to use as an apparition point and apparated back to his tent. He returned to that spot the following morning. By midday, Harry had already grown sick and tired of the cursed flower forest. The heat and bugs were miserable, and the dangerous creatures had him on constant edge. He had to take more breaks due to the shorter apparition jumps. The flower coverage was so dense that he couldn't see very far ahead. Harry then began climbing up the horn-like plants to see further into the distance. It was nearing the end of the day, and Harry was just about to head back to the tent for a much-needed rest when the sound of an engine roar made him jump. Not far away from him, a ship shaped like a wedge with wings sloping downward from the roof lifted up and flew past him. The sides of the ship were cut out, and Harry spotted what appeared to be humans wearing white, full-body armor bunched up inside. They didn't spot him and flew out of Harry's sight. Rejuvenated, Harry pushed forward.
It took another hour of slow traveling before he reached a clearing. By then, the sun was low in the sky, and it was getting hard to see. Harry snuck up and looked at the clearing after making himself invisible. The first thing that drew his eyes was the hulking machines that looked like tanks with legs. Each one had a wickedly large cannon attached and was obviously a weapon of war. Dozens of armored men were out and about, doing various activities. One of them was using a flamethrower to burn back the brush and expand the clearing. Harry heard them speak, though their voices sounded like they were talking through a speaker. Their language was one that Harry had never heard. Some of the soldiers had colored stripes on their helmets and chest plates, and Harry guessed that they were of higher ranks than the ones without. Almost all of them were holding rifles, though Harry couldn't get a good look at them due to the waning sun. One of the soldiers even rode by on top of one of those weird, grub-like creatures.
From behind one of the walking tanks, a woman stepped out with some kind of tool in her hand. She said something to one of the soldiers and handed him the tool. He disappeared around the back of the machine from where she had just come. As soon as he saw her, Harry was in complete disbelief. The woman, if he could even call her that, had deep blue skin and a bald head that split into two long tentacles that draped down her back. Her body was obviously feminine. She had large breasts, a slender waist, and wide hips that many men of Earth would lust after. She walked with an innate sense of confidence and sexiness that not many women had. Her face was quite beautiful, and she spoke in the same strange language, though her accent was different. It really hit him that he was no longer on Earth.
Harry watched the strange woman and noticed that she continued to look in his direction. Standing still and being perfectly invisible, Harry knew she couldn't see him. The soldiers looked particularly on edge, which wasn't surprising. They were setting up camp in a very dangerous area. At least one of those giant mantis creatures was nearby and screeching menacingly. As he watched, he learned that the blue woman was clearly the leader of this group. She was giving orders, and the armored men immediately followed them. Then, the blue woman looked at him again. She slowly walked toward him, her eyes sweeping left and right. Harry's heart began to beat faster. Did she somehow know he was there? She stopped several feet away from him and scanned his standing area. In her hand was a metal tube of some sort, which she tightly gripped. Her eyes looked in his direction, though it appeared she couldn't see him. Just then, yells of panic broke out behind them, and the woman turned her back on him. On the opposite side of the clearing, a creature Harry hadn't yet seen broke through the border of the clearing, knocking over two of the tall flower trees. It opened its mouth, revealing a row of sharp, plated teeth. The roar made his eardrums protest, and his vision filled with flashing light as the soldiers began firing their strange weapons at it. This only enraged the creature, and it roared again and charged into the clearing.