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

He found himself amidst a cluster of trees, and the distant murmur of a river reached his ears. As he attempted to shift, he realized his body was rather rigid, and his joints resisted his movements.

"Harry, you're finally up!" Artemis shouted happily through their bond.

Harry groaned. "Ugh, what happened?"

He raised his head and met Artemis' concerned blue gaze.

"I'm alright," Harry attempted to reassure her.

Artemis snorted, and a puff of smoke wafted toward him.

"You've been out for two days," Artemis retorted. "That's not what I'd call 'alright'."

Harry looked around. "What happened? Where are the others? The last thing I remember was falling and then everything went black."

Artemis took a step back and spread her wings. Her white scales glistened in the sun.

"I was hunting with Saphira when I suddenly heard your scream. Saphira and I split off, while she flew after Eragon, I flew towards you. I just managed to catch you from the fall." She said, her voice clearly laced with worry.

"I don't know what happened to the others. You were unconscious, and I didn't know if you were fit to fly. I could feel your exhaustion. Whatever you did, it nearly killed you." A single tear escaped her eye and traced a path down her cheek.

Harry felt miserable. "I am sorry. This will never happen again."

Artemis bumped her head hard against his. "Don't say that. I know how danger always finds you."

Harry rubbed his forehead, leaned back onto the grass, and chuckled.

"That is true. Where are we anyway?"

"We are in a small forest a few miles from Teirm. With you unconscious, I didn't want to carry you any further and I did not want to leave you alone."

She lifted her head and looked into the distance. "We were lucky that it was morning when it happened. Teirm was surrounded by heavy fog, and I doubt anyone saw me leaving. But we might have to be more careful from now on."

Harry gently caressed her between the eyes. She immediately began purring, clearly enjoying the attention to her favorite spot.

"Thank you for saving me," Harry whispered and tried to share his thankfulness with her.

Artemis turned her head and looked at him.

"I will always save you. No matter what. I love you, Harry."

His heart was bursting with joy and despite his body's protests, Harry stood and hugged Artemis in the tightest hug he had ever willingly given.

He despised himself for putting others in danger, and silently vowed that he would do everything in his power to protect Artemis from harm.

"What do we do now? Brom and Eragon could be miles away," Harry frowned.

Artemis was displaying an unusual level of nervousness. Her claws dug into the ground as she fidgeted.

"Brom told me the name of a man who might take us to the Varden," Artemis explained slowly.

"I see… When did he do that?" Harry asked slowly.

She avoided looking at him. Her behavior reminded Harry heavily of Dobby when he knew something but couldn't speak about it.

"Are you under an oath?" He asked with narrowed eyes.

"Yes."

Harry's eyes flashed with anger. "I have told you about oaths from my world and you still made one? You know what happened in my fourth year at Hogwarts! Why would you do that?"

Artemis felt a rush of shame and attempted to turn away, but Harry firmly held her head with both of his hands, preventing her from avoiding his gaze.

"Tell me why you did that," Harry pressed gently.

"I was curious," Artemis admitted quietly, her gaze shifting to the ground.

Harry blinked, surprised. "What?"

"Just a bit," she added, looking sheepish. "You and Eragon were sleeping. It was right after we left Yazuac, and Brom took the chance to speak to Saphira about something important. He realized that I was eavesdropping through Saphira, and I had to swear an oath in the ancient language to him."

Harry playfully flicked his finger against her snout. "Never do something like that again. How are we supposed to have complete trust if you hide things from me? Is what he told you dangerous?"

Artemis staggered back and shook her head in irritation. She shot him a glare, but under his stern gaze, she relented and considered his question. "No. It's about someone dear to him. He's not a threat to us."

Harry let out a relieved breath. "Well, at least it's not dangerous. But seriously, never do something like that again, alright?"

She nodded her head. "I will only do it if it will save your life. But you have to promise to tell me how you're feeling. When you're using your Occlumency shields, it's hard even for me to know how you're feeling inside. And I would prefer you telling me than me always looking for it."

Harry looked guilty as he met her gaze. "Alright, I'll try to be more open. I promise. but you know the reason that I have to keep them up."

She looked him into his eyes. "I know, but sometimes it would be easier to talk to a wall than to ask how you're feeling, Harry. I would hate having to sit on you in the future until you would give in."

Harry chuckled and stood slowly up.

"Sitting on me aside - What was the name that Brom gave you?" Harry asked.

"His name is Dormnad. He lives in Gil'ead and can take us to the Varden. We will have to fly there." Artemis was obviously excited to fly such a long way. It would be the first time that the two of them would have such a long flight together.

"Gil'ead? Do we have a map of Alagaёsia?"

Artemis frowned. "We don't. Do you remember the one from Jeod?"

Harry scratched his chin in thoughts. ""Roughly. I think we need to fly east until we hit a big lake. Are you ready to go?"

Artemis straightened herself and nodded. "Are you healthy enough to fly?" She asked him concerned.

" I might be a bit stiff, but there's no other option. We shouldn't stay in one place for too long. There could still be soldiers looking for us. I just wish Ares was with us."

Harry thought of his trustworthy horse that had accompanied him for so long. He would miss him wherever he was now and hoped that he and Eragon were able to get away in time.

He stretched one last time and, with a little help from Artemis, settled down in the saddle. He fastened the saddle straps to his legs. "Are you ready?" Artemis asked.

Harry nodded. "Let's go."

It has now been a week since Harry and Artemis set out for Gil'ead. They had to take frequent breaks in between as Harry was still recovering. He felt relieved that he could finally use his magic again. It was like he was himself again for the first time in months.

The only thing he couldn't use yet was the magic with the ancient language. Something inside him seemed to prevent him from doing so. He had an idea what it could be, but for the moment he had no choice but to trust his own magic.

Something else that bothered Harry immensely was, that he kept having dreams about the black-haired woman, as it reminded him of the visions that lured him into the Ministry Department in his fifth year at Hogwarts.

The dreams showed her in great despair and Harry desperately wanted to help her, but he didn't know how. He didn't know of any magic that could track anyone through dreams, and he didn't even know who she was.

All Harry knew was that she was beautiful.

Currently, Artemis was nestled close to the campfire that Harry had set up.

"What are you thinking about?" Artemis inquired, basking in the comforting heat of the fire.

"Of my past," Harry replied, immediately feeling Artemis's seething anger.

"If I ever catch someone from your past, I'll rip them to pieces." Artemis promised and pulled Harry closer with her wing.

"Thank you, Artemis," Harry said with a soft smile. "I'm really glad you hatched for me...I don't know if I would have ever left Carvahall if your egg didn't appear in front of me."

Artemis rested her head on Harry's lap, who absently began to scratch her favorite spots.

"You needed time to recover Harry. After all you've been through, you needed time to process everything that was done to you. "

Artemis opened one of her ice-blue eyes. "You were never allowed to mourn for the people you lost and who were close to you. Something you've never been able to do before. I am sure you would have joined the Varden at some point. You are not one to sit around when there are other people suffering."

Harry sighed. "I guess you're right... When I see Eragon ready to do whatever it takes to defeat Galbatorix in revenge for what the Ra'zac did to Garrow..."

Harry leaned back and gazed upwards, his eyes fixed on the sky adorned with myriad twinkling stars. The clarity of the heavens was a stark contrast to the skies of London, where such a spectacle would have been nearly impossible to witness.

"Could things have turned out differently, if I had supported the Varden in their fight against the Empire sooner? Maybe the Ra'zac wouldn't have come to Carvahall if I had acted earlier. But I chose to stay out of the war...I'm unsure whether it was the right decision to stay hidden from the conflict."

Harry sensed Artemis' tail gently curling around him.

"And how would that have changed anything? We don't know how Saphira's Egg came to Carvahall, nor how the Ra'zac knew about it. When you arrived in Alagaёsia, you were in a foreign land that had no connection with you," Artemis explained.

"In a way the wizarding world was the same for me," Harry argued, crossing his arms above his chest. "A new world but I still helped them."

"That is not true, and you know this. Your parents and ancestors were wizards and witches. Even if you knew nothing about the wizarding world, you were still part of it. Alagaёsia is a completely foreign land for you, and you had no responsibility to help the land and its people, while Voldemort killed your parents and the people dear to you. You had no choice." Artemis grumbled while she enjoyed the pats from Harry.

"That might be-"

"Harry!" Artemis displayed her formidable teeth, which protruded like sharp daggers, and emitted a thunderous roar that sent birds scattering from the trees.

Harry made a wry expression. "Fine, fine! You're right. Are you happy now?"

"Yes." Harry felt the smugness from her and burst out laughing. He ate his piece of bread in peace and enjoyed the warmth that Artemis and the campfire emanated.

"Do you think we can reach Gil'ead tomorrow?" Harry asked after conjuring himself a blanket from scattered leaves.

"I think so," Artemis mused. "There are more and more animals, which would mean that we are getting closer to the lake. It is the only source of water in the area."

Harry's exhaustion finally caught up with him. He yawned widely and leaned against Artemis' warm side, feeling comforted and safe.

"Sleep, little one. We have set up wards around the camp. Nothing will bother us."

"What's the name again of the guy who's supposed to help us find the Varden?" Harry asked.

"Dormnad, I think... I don't like you going into that town alone," Artemis growled. "Especially after what happened in Teirm."

Harry sensed her worry. They had been having a discussion for a long time now about exactly how to proceed, and Artemis rejected almost every plan he had suggested.

They weren't bad plans per se, but mostly they revolved around Harry walking around the town alone. Something she did not agree with.

"I won't be away for long. Two days at the most, then I'll come back, and we'll talk about what we're going to do."

He looked Artemis into her eyes. "You know that I can take care of myself." Harry adjusted his sword, that he had conjured earlier this morning.

He wished he had a sword like the Sword of Gryffindor or one like Zar'roc, because he couldn't always just conjure a sword... It was not easy thing to do, and they were not known for being particularly strong and sturdy.

Artemis looked at Harry at eye level. "Fine. Go ahead, Harry. The quicker you walk with your little legs, the sooner you'll be back, little one."

"I am not that short!" Harry huffed.

He gave his partner a big hug and began his journey towards Gil'ead. He descended down the path of the small mountain they had discovered a few miles away from the town and soon found himself on the road leading to Gil'ead. It was the only place Artemis could conceal herself in plain sight. As he reached the base of the mountain, he slowed his steps.

It was unusual how much stamina he had gained in the past few weeks. Something he had not fully realized until now.

On the way to the town, he met some traders who looked extremely battered.

Harry could see details of the city from afar where others would have seen a fuzzy point at first. He was glad that he no longer had to wear his glasses.

Since he bonded with Artemis, he could see even farther than before, and his reflexes, already quick by nature, became even faster.

He did not know why that was, but he liked the changes.

After just two hours of hiking around the lake Isenstar, Harry arrived at the town gate and was promptly halted by a soldier.

"You must pay entry into Gil'ead, stranger," the soldier said in a grim voice.

Harry arched an eyebrow and shrugged.

"How much do you want for the entry?" Harry asked as he took out his pouch.

"Three crowns. No less." The soldier shifted his spear towards the sunlight, blinding him.

Harry glared at the man and took the bag of money out of his pouch and counted out the three crowns.

"Here you go," Harry said as he handed over the entry fee, muttering under his breath, "greedy git."

"What was that?" The soldier asked with his raised spear.

"Nothing. I didn't say anything," Harry replied with a cheery smile.

The soldier accepted the money with a deep grunt and let Harry through the town gates.

It was probably market because the streets were full of people and trade. Harry asked an elderly woman where he could find a place to stay for the night.

She gave him the name of the Silver Rooster, which would be one of the cheaper ones.

"Just down the road," she told him.

Harry nodded in thanks and began his search for the Silver Rooster.

On the way Harry met many different people. Some were dressed in expensive clothes, and at the same time poor people with torn clothes who had to haggle with the merchants for every crown.

Harry found the Silver Rooster near the main road. The building looked a bit run down, but it would suffice for one night.

He opened the door and saw various people sitting at the tables.

"Welcome to the Silver Rooster! What can I do for you, sir?" greeted an elderly, balding man with a warm smile from behind the counter.

Harry returned the smile and walked over to the man.

"I'm looking for a room to stay for the night," Harry watched the man's smile grow. "Your tavern was recommended to me by an elderly lady, and I have to say so far it exceeds my expectations."

That might have been too much, Harry thought with a wry grin.

"Thank you, sir. I'm glad you came across my little treasure. If you want a room, it will cost you five crowns a night. Seven crowns with breakfast," the innkeeper answered, and Harry gave him seven crowns for the night.

The innkeeper put the crowns in his side pocket and told Harry to head up to take the third room on the right. Harry thanked him and headed up the stairs to his room.

The room held a simple design, which was what Harry had expected. A bed with a white sheet and a modest window that offered a simple view of the backyard.

Harry pulled his black glove from his right hand, which was covering his Gedwёy Ignasia.

He sat down on his bed and immediately felt the few feathers in the bed.

"Better than nothing," Harry grumbled, pulling his wand from its holster.

He tapped on the door with his wand and several wards went into effect. One that would alert him if someone entered his room, and one that would muffle all noise.

Satisfied that all wards were in place, Harry walked down the stairs and sat at one of the tables in the corner from which he could overlook the whole room.

It wasn't long before the innkeeper came to his table and brought the potato soup Harry had pre-ordered.

"Thank you very much-" Harry began.

"Egor, son of Elgar," the innkeeper introduced himself.

"What brings you to Gil'ead?" Egor asked as he sat down with Harry at the table.

"Name's Dudley," Harry introduced himself, shaking hands with the innkeeper.

"Dudley, eh? A strange name," Egor laughed.

Harry shrugged, but internally he was laughing. "My father was no genius when it came to naming. But give him a bow and he was one of the most feared archers in all of Alagaёsia," Harry lied and took the mug in his hands and drunk a large gulp of water.

Egor gave a short nod and fell silent.

Harry took advantage of the moment to ask his questions. Who better to ask than a local innkeeper who overhears all the gossip in town?

"Egor, I'm looking for someone in Gil'ead." Harry paused for a moment. "I'm supposed to deliver a message from my father for someone with the name Dormnad."

The innkeeper lifted his mug and took a large shot of mead.

"You are in luck then. He is a regular of ours." Egor rubbed his chin as he was deep in thought. "If he comes at his usual time, you can wait for him here. He should be back in a few hours."

"Then luck is on my side," Harry said with a smile.

"Old man! Give us something to drink!" Yelled one of the men seated at a round table across the room.

Egor took a last gulp from his mug and went to get the drinks for the men.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming," Egor grumbled annoyed.

Harry spent the remainder of the day gathering information. His wallet was a lot lighter at the end of the day, but it was very much worth it. The soldiers in particular were very easy to elicit information once the gold loosened their greedy tongues.

A special piece of information cost him a lot of crowns.

Harry found out from a soldier that the king had captured a member of the Varden. The soldier even mentioned that there was a rumor was among the soldiers that it was a female elf.

A group of soldiers pushed open the door of the tavern Harry was staying at. Harry wrinkled his nose as the soldiers walked towards the main table, where two young women of the same age were sitting.

The two women didn't seem to have noticed the soldiers and only looked up in surprise when the ugliest of the soldiers threw their mugs off the table.

"What do we have here, men?" He asked through wide, yellow teeth.

"Young flesh! It's been a while since I had such young ladies in my company," the soldier said and grabbed his crotch in excitement.

The woman looked aghast at him.

"I've had really bad luck for the past few weeks." He barked and turned to the other soldiers and laughed out loud.

Oh, this was not happening, Harry thought with a frown. He looked towards the innkeeper, but he had disappeared behind a door.

Coward.

Clearly, both women were disgusted and frightened of the men and tried to leave when the one with the yellow teeth grabbed the two of them tightly by the arms.

"Wait, where are you going? You do not want to spoil the fun of the king's bravest soldiers, would you?"

His eyes wandered over their bodies.

One of the women managed to free herself from him. "Please, we don't want any trouble. Just let us leave," she looked around, seeking for help. None of the other soldiers moved, except for one.

"Brave, Gareth, eh?" One of the soldiers muttered. His blue eyes were blazing with anger.

He was about Harry's age and clearly the youngest of them.

"We are abusing others and neglecting our duties. We are just a bunch of idiots and a waste of air." He helped the woman free themselves from Gareth and the women quickly ran outside.

"Kent, you bastard! Now it's your fault those two pretty birds are gone!" He swung back and struck the one called Kent under the chin with his fist.

Wood splintered as Kent fell onto another table. The other residents jumped up and quickly left the inn. The last bits of soup dripped down the young man's blond hair. The other soldiers laughed uproariously at the humiliation of their comrade.

Just in time, Egor arrived with a barrel of mead.

Harry flicked his wand and whispered, "Confundus."

The soldiers looked dazed for a moment and then turned towards Egor and immediately started to cheer when he placed the barrel in front of them. The soldiers turned their attention away from Kent, and each grabbed a seat to sit around the table. The only one who didn't was Gareth.

"You really think you're something special, don't you?" He stepped on Kent's ankle with his foot.

"Ugh," Kent groaned in pain.

"Oh! Does it hurt?" Gareth taunted with a smirk.

"You should be glad that Lord Durza kept you as a soldier after butchering your father like the pig he was."

"Shut up! You don't know anything!" Kent shouted, his anger boiling over.

"Oh, I know quite a lot," Gareth smiled. His yellow teeth made his face even more disgusting than it already was.

"More than you can ever imagine. I've been a soldier for the past 20 years, serving under Lord Durza. I've seen things that would haunt your dreams and you would piss yourself in your bed at night!"

"And the best part is I can do whatever I want as long as I don't direct Lord Durza's wrath on me." Gareth sneered, his smirk growing wider as he increased the pressure on Kent's ankle.

"Please, stop!" Kent screamed in pain.

"You want to be brave and make something out of your life? Run away and go to the Varden, where the scum from Alagaёsia gather. This is the wrong place for a hero like you."

Kent gasped in relief as Gareth stepped off his foot.

The man turned to the other soldiers, his back to Kent. He grabbed himself a mug, filled with mead, while Kent was looking at Gareth, his face full of hatred.

"Do you think Lord Durza will let me get close to the elf later?" Gareth asked no one in particular.

The other soldiers howled with laughter. "Don't you know what happened to the others who tried? The last one who tried something with her hasn't been able to get 'it' up since..." He waggled his eyebrows.

"If you know what I mean…"

Harry leaned his chair against the wall and was glad Artemis didn't know about the elf, yet. He didn't claim to know much about the relationship between dragons and elves.

But he knew from Brom that the elves and dragons did have a very close pact with each other, and Artemis' anger would know no bounds when she find out about the elf.

And then there was the whole Durza thing. The shade was powerful, and Harry would have to be very careful, when he attempted to free the elf.

He did not want to get caught.

Fortunately, the soldiers didn't stay for long and disappeared after making a big mess.

Harry kept waiting at his table for another hour until he the door opened once more. He heard the innkeeper greet the man who, he judged by the greeting, was a frequent visitor.

"Egor, what happened here? Who was it this time?" The man growled in disgust.

Egor just shook his head. "The same as always. It was Gareth and his bunch of idiots. They really went out against young Kent this time."

The man shook his head. "The boy just can't hold his tongue, he is exactly like his father."

They continued to talk for a few minutes, until the newcomer sat down at one of the empty tables near Harry. The innkeeper glanced towards him, and Harry quickly understood.

Harry got up from his table and walked over to the stranger.

"Is the seat still available?" Harry asked politely.

The stranger looked up and said something unintelligibly. The man obviously wanted him to leave, but Harry just shrugged and sat down anyway, to the man's displeasure.

Harry looked closely at the man opposite of him. He was a middle-aged man with brown hair. You could see many scars on one side of his face, indicating the man had been through quite a few battles.

Harry called for Egor for two mugs of mead, which promptly came.

"What do you want?" the stranger grunted, and Harry watched as he gleefully gurgled down the mead.

"I am looking for a man named Dormnad," Harry replied truthfully.

The man's eyes went wide for a second. That was answer enough for Harry to continue poking.

"I was given the name by an old friend," Harry continued.

"Is that so?" The man's eyes glanced towards the door.

Harry hid his grin behind the mug of mead when he noticed the man's interest to leave.

He waited for the man to put the mug of mead to his lips.

"Yes, his name is Brom. Ever heard of him?" Harry was glad he put the muffliato and around the table beforehand, as the stranger started coughing violently as he choked on the mead.

It took him a few seconds to calm himself down and he stared at Harry in disgust, "You did that on purpose."

Harry shrugged his shoulders.

"So, are you Dormnad or are you not?" Harry asked.

In an emergency, he would simply obliviate the man and start looking outside the bar.

But today he seemed to be truly fortunate.

"My name is Dormnad. Why are you looking for me?" Dormnad asked with narrowed eyes.

"I was traveling with Brom. I need to find the Varden."

Harry watched in amusement as Dormnad's eyes widened.

"And why do you want to find the Varden? Not that I know where they are," Dormnad whispered hesitantly.

He looked around to see if anyone would be eavesdropping, but there was no one in the inn, save for the innkeeper.

"You don't need to worry. No one can overhear our conversation," Harry shared with Dormnad.

"You use magic?" Dormnad asked in amazement, relaxing noticeably when Harry nodded.

"That makes things easier. There has been a rumor going around for a few days that Durza fought a dragon rider in Teirm. Do you know anything about that?" Dormnad asked.

Harry's eyes widened. "That was fast. I did not think rumors would travel that quickly."

"You mean you were there?!" Dormnad exclaimed.

"Yes, we were ambushed by Morzan and this Durza fellow. I was able to fight him off, but we were split off from each other." Harry scratched his chin.

"That explains why the soldiers behaved like this. Durza will not have been pleased that you beat him in Teirm," Dormnad remarked quietly.

"Yes, but what about the soldiers?" Harry asked.

Dormnad sighed. "Everyone knows that behind the soldiers is Durza. Which means they can do whatever they want. After Durza returned from Teirm, the soldiers were even more violent." He gestured with his hand around the room where the apparent destruction was evident.

"Was Brom the one, who told you about me?" Dormnad asked after a moment of silence.

"Yes, in case anything should happen to him, we still would have a way to find the Varden."

The man nodded at him.

"I can help you, but I need proof from you, more than just empty words. It's a well-kept secret how to reach the Varden and I am not sure I can trust you with everything you have said." Dormnad narrowed his eyes at him.

Harry rolled his eyes. "Fine, I can show you something that will make you believe me, but not here. We will have to go up to my room."

Dormnad frowned. "That is fine with me. If you try any magic tricks, I'll kill myself before you can do anything, got it?"

Harry swallowed when he saw the determined fire in the man's eyes.

"Yes…I've overheard some rumors in conversations with the soldiers from earlier - Is there any truth to them?" Harry asked, looking serious.

Dormnad picked up his mug of mead and took a quick sip before answering.

"That the king has captured someone of the Varden?" Dormnad asked.

Harry slowly nodded his head.

Dormnad's face darkened. "Unfortunately, I can't deny that. You just have to listen for the gossip from the soldiers at the prison."

Dormnad drained the mug with one last gulp and banged the mug on the table.

"The rumors speak truth. Durza has imprisoned one of the elves."