Chapter 7 - The Wall
Harry appeared on the beach across the water from Dragonstone, Gendry in tow. The young man bent over and hurled after the quick Apparation, the magic only making the stress pile higher on his mind.
"You alright?"
Gendry caught his breath, and nodded, "Who are you?"
"Ah, Hadrian Peverell, good to meet you," Harry said holding out a hand to shake.
The smith grasped his wrist, "Gendry, thanks for the save."
"Well then, I have something to take care of so I will send you to my camp for now. Is that alright?"
He nodded, "I have nowhere else to go."
Harry nodded, "Good man. Take this."
He handed him a random rock, which Gendry looked at with all the confusion in the world.
"Make sure to tell the Hound that I don't want him to kill you, yeah?"
"What?"
Harry activated the Portus spell, having Gendry and his stuff appear at the camp where his trunk and the Hound were on guard.
"So, my champion," Death prompted, "You have a saving people thing, saving people of worth left and right."
"People of worth?"
"Would you save someone who is worthless?"
"Worthless how?" Harry asked, feeling another strange teaching moment from Death coming.
"The lowest of the low, a woman that has been bent and broken by the cruel world you find yourself in. A whore that is currently being tortured, a woman being devoured by the incestual spawn of the Lannisters, the King of the Iron Throne. Would you save the lowest of the low?"
He sighed, "Where?"
"The chambers of the King, within the Red Keep," Death said, giving him an image of the place.
He appeared within the disgusting city of King's Landing. A wretched place where the level of corruption was only equal to the smell. The city was overloaded, not enough room for all the refugees of war. People lived in the streets, ducking and hiding as Gold Cloaks passed by. They didn't bring safety and protection as a city guard should but were instead the bringers of injustice.
Another Apparation and he was within the keep, searching for the person. He felt someone's soul reaped and he teleported to the location, Invisibility Cloak firmly in place. King Joffrey, the psychotic little shit, just killed a whore, and had another one strung up and filled full of bolts. She was still alive as she whimpered in pain.
Harry immediately put her in stasis, freezing her body to keep it from bleeding out. A quick stunner let the shit King hit the ground. He strode over to the psycho and erased the last few hours of memory. He then laid the King on the floor, none too gently, deciding whether or not to kill him.
"You could probably save more lives, if you ended it now," Death said.
"I want to, make no mistake," Harry said. "But even I can tell that doing so would mess up things for others, including Sansa Stark."
Death laughed, though she expressed her pride in her Champion's ability to read fate.
He wasted no time and Apparated after that, appearing within Peverell Manor. Showing up at the infirmary startled a pair of elves that were brewing potions.
"I have one in need of serious help! Blood Replenishing Potions, Wiggenwald, and some pain relievers for her, please!" Harry ordered.
His two medi-elves were ready to help, "Yes Master Harries!" They said simultaneously. One of them snapped and the potions were frozen in time.
"I count 5 bolts, one in each forearm, one in her right knee, and two in her...privates, the sick bastard," Harry said. He waved his wand, transfiguring the bolts into a smaller and skinnier shape and removing the barbs, then dissolved them into dust when they were out of the way.
Milly began by removing her clothes and summoning a sheet to protect her modesty where she could. She was the more empathetic of the two medi-elves.
His healer's mind took over, ignoring the naked flesh and instead focusing on the injuries.
"The bolt missed her femoral artery by a hair, she would be dead already without that small mercy," Harry said. He magically imbued the potions into her body, having them get to work while she was unconscious.
Tilly was all business as she helped Harry with cleaning the wounds in her pierced forearms. She applied her favorite blend of Wiggenwald and dittany, mushed into a paste with some thickening agents. It appeared in each wound on her arms and right knee, stopping the bleeding, while Harry went to work healing her torn internals.
"Get me a total status on her Tilly," Harry ordered.
"Yes, sirs!" She snapped three times a parchment appeared floating in Harry's eyeline, listing all injuries, diseases, and other ailments.
The list was much longer than just a few bolts and the injuries that come with them. Harry put the horrible state of the girl to the side of his mind and he went to work.
"Start on the diseases while I heal her internals. We will work on the broken bones after she is stabilized. Then we take care of the rest," Harry said.
It took a few hours of work, but she finally appeared to be in good health once again. Harry sighed as they cleaned up everything.
"Great work you two, I am going to go rest. Let me know if something changes, yes?"
"Of course Master Harries!" Both Milly and Tilly said.
As he appeared in his room, Shimmer popped out of his magic. He waved over to an open spot by one of the massive windows in his bathroom, where a tall length of smooth and lacquered oak appeared, followed by a portion transfiguring into a perfect stand for the phoenix. She promptly flew over and landed on her perch.
"Thank you, Harry," She said.
"Mhm."
A few seconds went by as he took his robes and armor off with a removal spell. Chancey appeared and cleaned up his laundry and hung the armor and robe in their proper spots. She then filled a bath with scorching hot water with a few eucalyptus leaves floating around for the scent. She disappeared and a cup of his favorite relaxing tea appeared on the edge of the bath.
Harry got into the bath and sunk with a sigh.
"Harry?"
"Yeah?" He asked his familiar.
"You didn't ask for my tears...why?"
"What do you mean?"
"I know it crossed your mind, using my tears to heal her instantly, but you didn't ask," She said.
Harry waited, "And?"
"Why?"
"I was fully capable of healing her with the resources on hand," Harry said.
"But-"
"You are not a resource Shimmer, you are my familiar," Harry said, feeling strangely protective of the bird despite only being tied to her for a few days. Thinking about it now, his worries about holding Shimmer within him had been sort of alleviated. The differences between her and Voldemort's old soul fragment were polar opposites.
The feelings he got from Shimmer were powerful and visceral in their positive nature. Her magic soothed his soul, the phoenix song seemingly able to echo throughout him. It was a silly thing to compare her to Voldemort, as they were only alike in that their souls had touched Harry's.
"Thank you, Harry," Shimmer said.
He opened an eye and looked over at the sunbathing bird, "Of course."
As he fell into deep relaxation, he ran over why he put so much work into saving her when there were thousands constantly dying. Was it the injustice? Was it the possibility that she could find a new way of life?
Or was it only because Death challenged him to?
~~o0o~~
Harry fell asleep late enough that dawn came and went while he remained in the Dream. With the dawn, the realm was illuminated with the burning rays of the sun. Nightmares were quashed as the light struck them, showing them to be not but rocks and trees. The Dream was a strange place, and Harry had been entering every night to meet with Daenerys.
She once again met him there, in the manor. The two talked for a time, getting comfortable in each other's presence, "Take me somewhere else today. Show me this realm of dreams."
"Well, I wouldn't be showing you, would I? As I haven't been to this Dream for much longer than you have," He said.
She frowned, "You said that you have had plenty of experience diving into the Dream. You wouldn't be lying to me, now would you?"
Harry laughed, "I suppose it was more of an omission than anything. In truth, I am not from this world at all. I don't mean the Dream, but the real world, you see."
"I don't understand," Daenerys said, "You mean another continent? Such as Westeros?"
"No, my lady. I mean the world that you are born in, is an entire world in and of itself, with all of its continents on it," Harry explained. "I am from another world entirely, one with its own continents and countries. Both magical and mundane."
She stared at him, "Explain."
"Perhaps before we leave the Manor, I could show you a bit of my memories of the old world?"
"Show me your memories?" She asked with a smile. "I don't think there is anyone I know that every time he tells me something I must ask more questions just to understand what he says, much less decipher the entire meaning or respond to it. Lord Peverell, I don't often find myself feeling intimidated, you wouldn't be doing this on purpose, would you?"
Harry laughed, staring into glowing purple eyes, "I didn't mean to, but magic is an incredible thing. To be the only one in the world able to see things from my perspective-"
He was cut off by a loud and outraged cry as Shimmer appeared long enough to protest.
"From our perspective, thank you, Shimmer. Well, it's an incredible thing."
Daenerys laughed, "How can you show me your memories?"
"Ah, sorry, I meant to clarify a bit by the way. It's just that you said that you are having trouble understanding my meaning, but I would argue that it is my fault for having not explained it better. I have never been the best at communication, regardless of age it seems," Harry said. "As far as showing you my memories, I can do so in the real world with a device called a Pensieve. An extremely powerful magical item that can be used by a properly trained wizard to both store and rewatch memories, to get a better idea of how things happened."
"That is incredible, and in the Dream?" She asked.
"Here is different, I can just manifest the images for you in the proper room, no Pensive needed."
They arrived in a domed room, 10 meters to the very top from the center, where a crystal ball floated.
"This is it?"
"It is...let me show you," Harry said.
He placed his hand on the ball and the room changed as he put a memory in, "You might feel a bit of the emotions that are a part of this memory. It is just trying to send you all the information, magical included, so emotions are a part of it."
A small neighborhood appeared and Daenerys' eyes went wide. The houses, clearly made of some form of brick, were perfectly identical, like rows of soldiers as far as the eye could see. Strange carriages and perfectly green plots of land were all surrounding some sort of smooth black tar.
6 strangely dressed people, including one with an eye that seemed to look everywhere, were walking towards the banks of the smooth black road.
A deep voice was already speaking as the people walked closer, "-Pending a formal hearing."
"A hearing?" A familiar and much younger sounding Hadrian Peverell's voice replied.
Daenerys just then understood the emotions she was feeling, not just from being in a strange place, but also from the young man in front of her. He was anxious, nervous, outraged, and frustrated beyond belief.
A beautiful woman with the most vibrant pink hair leaned over, "Don't worry Harry, we will explain everything when we get back to headquarters."
"Shhh!" The crazy-eyed man continued, "Not here, Nymphadora!"
The woman with pink hair suddenly changed, her hair going as red as her fiery anger, "Don't call me, Nymphadora!"
The man just nodded, then slammed his walking stick on the ground twice. 6 brooms flew from nowhere into their hands, "Stay in formation, everyone!"
The crazy-eye was obviously the one in charge, "Do not break ranks, even if one of us is killed."
Daenerys couldn't stop watching to question everything she had seen, it was too incredible. Too magical. Everything was so real, but she stood firmly on the frozen river as though she weren't even there.
She yelped and nearly fell at the sheer speed as they lifted up into the sky. Harry grabbed her to stabilize her and she held on gladly.
"This is England, my home country. That was my childhood home and we are headed to a place called The Order of the Phoenix. This is one city from my world, one of thousands."
Her eyes drank everything in like a sponge soaking up water.
The unwavering fires illuminated the night, like the surface of a lake reflecting the starry sky. An uncountable number of lights seemed to reach from the ground up. Buildings looked like blocks of illuminated metal and glass. The ability to create something like this city seemed to only rival the great castles of Westeros.
The fliers dove down near the water and seemed to take joy in skimming near brick-shaped ships with no sails that had no trouble moving through the water.
"What do you think?" Harry asked, as they stood still it gave the illusion of them sliding along the surface of the dark river that passed below them.
"I don't understand what I am looking at, it's like your people build with sunfire and metal frames. It is beautiful and terrifying at the same time."
"Sunfire?"
"It doesn't flicker, does it?" She said, nodding to the many lights that illuminated the city. "It's like you captured the light from the sun's fire and it is now within your buildings."
Harry smiled at how she thought. Everything came back to fire, "Let me show you a place that still uses normal fire for light then."
He pushed a new memory into the crystal ball and their surroundings changed again.
"You are so young here!" She said, immediately catching sight of the young Harry Potter exiting a beautiful and long carriage that seemed to have tracks of a sort to hold it in place. He was walking toward the largest man she had ever seen, a dark lake stood behind him as if he was protecting it.
"Right then, Firs' Year's over here! Hullo, Harry!"
"Hey, Hagrid!"
Harry had a huge smile on his face as a red-headed boy followed him. They walked down to a dock house and boarded tiny boats, four little wizards or witches per boat. Harry and his friend sat together. The boats all seemed to magically float together, no other forms of propulsion were visible.
Hagrid had a boat to himself as he led the group of "firs' year's" across the black lake. Hadrian and Daenerys floated along the surface of the water, staying near the younger Harry. They looked up at the illuminated castle, where the Everlasting Flames had ignited with the darkness of the night. Large swaths of open stone was illuminated by yellow-orange flames and backed by a starry night sky.
"Beautiful."
"It is called Hogwarts, my school. The first place I felt free, even if it was the opposite after a while."
"Hogwarts?" She laughed.
"The best part of magic is the whimsy, that is one thing many wizards could agree on. I am related to pranksters, after all."
"Prankster's is it?" She asked with a laugh.
"It is," he flashed the smirk she liked so much.
The memory sped up until they were approaching another boat house when massive tentacles popped up and seemed to wave at the students.
"Ah, that is the Giant Squid. She's very nice, I gave her toast once."
"It's a she?"
"I don't honestly know, but she has always felt like a caring mother to me. She pulls students out of the lake when they fall at night, even plays with them when it's warm out," Harry said.
"What a strange world you come from."
The last part of the memory he showed was just after McGonagall gave them a small speech. The tall doors to the Great Hall opened up revealing the beautiful room. A starry sky covered the ceiling of the hall like it was open to the very sky she had just admired. Candles floated around, bobbing up and down in the room like buoys in the sea. Four long tables filled with curious faces were decorated in different colors, two per side. They were lined up perpendicular to a smaller table at the head of the room. Adult wizards and witches sat up there with fantastical robes with beautiful colors.
"Do you want to see more?"
She smiled at him, nodding. Harry began a slide show of different memories from his times at Hogwarts and even some of his fairly brief travels. Eventually, it came to an end, and he still hadn't shown her the most important memories, the most significant. Those could wait until he was closer to her.
After a time though Daenerys spoke up, "This is incredible, but I would still like to venture out into the dream world a bit. Would you be interested in guiding me?"
Harry smiled, "Sure, but if something too intense happens then would you mind if I led you away?"
"You mean teleport me somewhere?" She challenged.
"Apparate," He corrected with a nod.
"I accept these terms," Daenerys said, a smile sliding across her lips.
He nodded and offered an elbow. She accepted and they left the Peverell Manor Dream Projection for the wider world of the dream.
"Where to?" She asked.
"It's only like that for anchored places, like the manor, or other landmarks like temples," Harry asked.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean that you can go anywhere and it doesn't matter, there are no actual directions, just ideas of places, people, and things. It's strange, but if you don't have anywhere to go then you might as well go anywhere."
Daenerys blinked at that, "Oh, alright then."
"I have a special means of transportation if you would like to try it?"
"Of course."
He suddenly had a rolled carpet in his hands and he unrolled it only for the carpet to rest at about knee height, sitting solidly as if on stone.
"A flying carpet?"
"I have a real one too, but it's slower than the broom so I usually just take that."
"Incredible," she said as she sat down gracefully on the carpet.
They took off in a random direction, their spiritual bodies, a manifestation of their will, sitting comfortably on the carpet as the strangely vibrant dreamscape flew past them.
Texture, color, and material all constantly shifted. A kaleidoscope of images constantly shifted as they moved, and Harry got the distinct impression they were headed north.
The Dream is strange and directionless to some degree, but powerful landmarks hold gravity from the real world to the Dream. Influence even. They were both drawn in the direction where Harry had first faced the White Walkers. Eventually, they came upon a massive structure. It was the first structure that didn't shift, unaffected by the unreality of the Dream.
It was a mountain of ice. A vertical glacier of unyielding magical power. It was warded with powerful if strangely undirected magic, yet Harry could feel the lingering Will Power that had anchored this structure in both reality and the Dream.
"It's the Wall, far to the North Westeros...How did we get here so fast?" Daenerys asked.
"I told you that there is no physical reality or directions here, we are as close to anything we can picture and just as far as everything we can't. I haven't seen this before, but have been beyond it," Harry explained.
The longer they remained near the wall, the more the domain behind it stabilized. The dawn illuminated the forested hills to the south as white snow turned to green flora. The mountains were sporadic in the distance, white-capped tops brushing the clouds.
Harry turned to the North as the valley beyond the wall slowly woke up. The harsher landscape was covered in sharp mountains, frozen trees, and deep snow.
On the wall itself, two people stood, black and red hair entwined as their lips met. It was a magical sight, one that he will not forget.
Death spoke, "Kissed by fire, indeed."
"What?"
She just laughed, her presence concealed from Daenerys who sat on his carpet with him, watching the couple.
Daenerys gasped, "Who are they?"
Harry shrugged, "The man has a lot of magic about him, both frost and fire...as well as some sort of strange bond with the North."
"You got all that from them kissing?"
He turned and smiled at her, "Actually, none of it was from the kiss. It's beautiful though. I will have to make a copy of the image and put it into a painting. But no, I got it from his magical signature, just like I got fire and blood from yours."
She raised an eyebrow, silently demanding a better explanation.
"Reading magic takes time, but once you get the hang of it, you will find yourself analyzing all sources of magic as soon as you sense it," Harry said
"Hmmm," She fell into her mind but spoke again, "Are they here?"
Harry shook his head, "It is like an afterimage of them, resonance in the Dream like the wake of a passing ship. There is magic in love, and that kiss had plenty of it. This might be happening now, but they are not here. Focus on their image, and see how easily it blends into the realm. The projection of the Wall?"
She nodded.
"It's the magic of the Wall itself that enabled us to see this I think. A beautiful sight."
Other figures began to stand, shadows rising from the shallow divot that ran along the top of the ice.
"Who are they?"
Harry shrugged, "They are going south, so people from the North?"
"There aren't supposed to be people beyond the wall, just the Night's Watch that guards it. They have been doing so for thousands of years," Daenerys said, the information coming out of the recesses of her mind. "I studied much of the Seven Kingdoms, but the Wall always interested me. After, I reclaim the Iron Throne from the Usurpers...I will have to fly my dragons here."
Harry side-eyed her, "You plan to retake the Seven Kingdoms?"
She turned back to him, her purple-fiery eyes searching his, "I do, Hadrian. Since my mad father died, King Aerys the 2nd, Westeros has been in shambles. Each of the kingdoms constantly vying for the throne. It is a wheel of constant destruction that tramples on the backs of the small folk who suffer at the hands of the rich and powerful."
Harry finally saw her passion as her words were filled with it.
"I mean to break the wheel that rolls over the families and everyday people of this kingdom," She began but Harry interrupted her.
"How?"
She frowned, "With blood and fire."
Harry returned the frown, "The same way the rest of them have? At the expense of those without power?"
Daenerys fully turned to face him, floating hundreds of feet in the air, "No, Lord Hadrian, I will not sacrifice those who rely on me for protection. I will not abandon those who have been left to die in the streets by those who care for nothing besides power and wealth. I will bring blood and fire, but only to those who would continue leaving the world as it is."
"You are a change bringer, yet you are far from Westeros. How do you plan on doing that?"
She sighed, "I will soon be attacking the City of Yunkai, one of the slaver cities on the eastern coast of Slaver's Bay. Once I capture it, we will move on to Meereen, further up the coast, capture their fleets then I will leave for Westeros...reclaiming my rightful place on the Iron Throne."
"You plan to move on after you capture it?"
"I must."
Death spoke in his ear, "Yunkai slaves are cheaper than the swords they wield in battle."
Harry could understand that "You just want to conquer and leave, but you will be subjecting those people to the horrors of war. The moment you move on will be the moment they recapture the city."
Daenerys didn't pout, but it was close. She was frustrated, the fires within her magic stirred in response to the emotions.
Her defiance wavered as she moved her gaze away from Harry, "I am nearly out of choices at this point. I have no one that I could leave to run the place, and I have only enough forces to take the city and move on, something that would be impossible without hiring more troops as well."
Harry's mind began to spin, thinking of what he could do to help her. She needed armies, workers, peacekeepers, and most importantly - trusted leaders. Food, supply lines, and protection for all of those would be needed for the bare minimum to survive. This didn't add up, "How big is your army?"
She gulped, "I have 15,000 Unsullied Soldiers...and three dragons."
Harry knew that wasn't exactly right, "Three adolescent dragons, you mean?"
"For now."
"And you have 15,000 troops, but how many does it take to hold a city? An entire bay?"
Her frown grew more frustrated.
"Why don't you slow down a bit, take things over, and learn to rule properly? Then, go to Westeros. I don't mind helping you either, but if what you said is true, about helping those that truly need it, then how can you call yourself anything but another spoke on the wheel if you leave them?"
Her jaw clenched at his harsh words, but she didn't speak.
Harry looked down at his lap, his fingers running over a set of scarred letters on his right hand, 'I must not tell lies.'
She noticed but didn't speak about it.
"If you want my opinion... I am willing to offer it."
"It seems you have no problem offering it, Lord Peverell."
He nodded, "Forgive me for my harsh words, but it is only harsh truths that can shine light into the darkest of corners. If you lie to yourself about this then how can you face the people you wish to save?"
Her anger broke at that, "What would you do if you were in my position?"
He smirked, "Well, that wouldn't be fair to compare."
"Oh? Just wave your wand and you will magically fix everything? If it's so easy for you to do what you wish, why do you not become a conqueror yourself?" She asked, but didn't leave room for him to answer as she continued to speak, "Of course, you aren't in that position, you are just wandering around doing whatever wish aren't you?"
He let her get her fire out.
"I have fought my whole life. I have been sold, raped, attacked, and betrayed. I am still here. Still fighting for what I believe in. You wish to help me? Prove to me that you won't betray me the moment I give you that trust. The moment you see my dragons will you continue to try and help me and my people, or will you enslave me with your magics? PROVE TO ME, LORD HADRIAN PEVERELL, THAT YOU ARE WORTHY OF ME!"
In her anger, she grabbed onto the thread that tied her unconscious mind to the Dream and she pulled, instantly disappearing into the real world. She didn't realize that she had ignited the air around her with her fiery magic.
Death spoke up, "She has fire within her."
"That she does," Harry said, a smile appearing on his face. It seemed he had found something worth living for here. Someone worth fighting for.
He turned back to the couple that had broken away from kissing one another, isolated on the wall.
"I guided you both here because he is her cousin. Aegon Targaryen, rightful heir to the Iron Throne," Death said.
"You brought us here?"
The visage of his mother appeared nearby, smiling her deathly smile. She nodded.
"And want me to put him in charge?"
"He wouldn't want that, but he does wish to save the realm."
"From the White Walkers? Has he seen them?"
"Not the masters, but he has seen wights, fought them even. His dire wolf at his side."
"Dire wolf?" Then he realized why he sensed both Ice and Fire from him, "He's a Stark and a Targaryen?"
"Most certainly, Lyanna Stark and Rhaegar Targaryen were his parents. Rhaegar died at the Battle of the Trident, while Lyanna died shortly after childbirth.
"Will he help Daenerys?"
"He won't leave the wall without good cause, the army of wildlings flee from the frost. He infiltrated them but fell in love with the woman who was kissed by fire."
"What does that mean? You have said that twice now."
"Those of red hair are said to be kissed by fire beyond the Wall. A sign of great beauty," Death said.
"How big is the wildling army?"
"Around 100,000 capable of fighting, nearly 20,000 more that aren't. They also have giants, mammoths, and wargs like Aegon here."
"A hundred thousand..."
"Led by an ex-night's watchman, named Mance Rayder. They mean to attack the wall in less than a week or so, potentially losing thousands to the unrelenting Wall."
"Huh...now that IS interesting."
~~o0o~~
It was raining hard enough for a man to feel unwelcome upon finally returning south of the wall. And Jon Snow did feel unwelcome as if the oaths he had taken to the Night's Watch made the very weather disgusted by his actions.
It was just Jon, Ygritte, Tormund Giantsbane, Orel the Warg, and a handful of others who had made it over the wall from their group. One of the hardest things Jon had ever done in his life was climb that face of ice.
Now he was looking down at the farmer who tried to run and warn the Night's Watch of their presence, kneeling in the mud and rain, a bloody and broken nose to show for his efforts.
Under the shadow of a grain tower, not three days south of the Wall and into the Gift, Tormund walked up to the broken man. He defiantly brandished a knife, "That won't help you, Grandpa."
Tormund nodded accepting the knife. The farmer's death was inevitable, only confirmed as Tormund spoke, "Where were you riding?"
"Doesn't matter now, does it?"
The massive man shook his head, "No, it doesn't matter now."
Orel spoke up, the bitter Wildling ready to throw Jon to the mud the second he could, "Cut his throat, or he'll tell the crows we're here."
Tormund stood, drawing a poorly made wakizashi-style blade from his makeshift scabbard. He opened his arms, "You understand."
"Let me stand at least. Go with some dignity."
Tormund nodded and helped the old farmer to his feet.
Orel found his chance, "Make the crow kill 'em."
He paced forward, staring down Jon, "You're one of us now...prove it."
The rain was loud, but it wasn't hard to hear the sound of bodies hitting the ground.
The four turned to see the rest of their party, nearly 5 other men, lying in the mud. Lifeless eyes staring into falling rain.
"What the fuck!?" Tormund yelled.
"I wouldn't worry about all that," A clear and strangely accented voice said.
They turned again, seeing a man with long and straight black hair staring at them. The rain seemed to fall around him as he remained perfectly dry.
Tormund readied his blade and Ygritte pointed her arrow at him.
"I wouldn't bother with that either, love. You won't be able to hit me," Harry said, flashing a terrible smile.
"I don't miss," Ygritte countered.
Harry laughed, "Take your shot then."
The arrow flew before he finished speaking, yet to everyone's shock, the arrow stopped mid-flight. It didn't fall to the ground, it just stopped in the middle of the air, like it was frozen solid.
Harry shrugged, "Sorry about that, you are just outclassed. All of you are. Except you, Jon Snow. There is fire and ice about you."
"What does that mean?"
"It means, that you are going to help me defeat the White Walkers, as a Stark and a Targaryen, but we can speak more on that later," Harry said. He made his left glove disappear and the tattoo of Shimmer came to life.
The eagle bonded to Oren dove from high above, hoping to strike at Harry but it was met with flames.
Shimmer flapped once and connected with the eagle mid-dive. She didn't weigh nearly as much as the large eagle but was stronger in every way. Her talons tore through the bird and the moment she connected a burst of black and silver twilight fire turned the pouring rain into steam, explosively. The eagle ignited and was nothing by ash in seconds.
"NOOOOOO!" Orel screamed as he charged at Harry.
He had a short sword drawn and he slashed with reckless abandon.
Harry stepped once and a black sword slashed through the neck of the now partnerless warg. He crumpled.
"Ah, tough business, that," Harry looked down and shook his head as Shimmer landed on his shoulder, "How about you big man? Want to waste your life here, or fight for something real?"
Tormund spat on the ground, "I am fighting for my people. How could that be a waste!?"
He also charged at Harry, the spartan-style blade slashing with more force and power than Orel had, precision as well. Each strike was enhanced with the full force of a grunting Tormund, but it was futile in the face of Harry's prowess with the scimitar.
10 strikes and Harry parried or side-stepped everything.
20 strikes and Harry began to speak, "You know, when I killed the rest of the Wildlings who climbed the wall, I felt great about it. You know a bunch of them actually ate people? No better than the White Walkers as far as scum goes."
"WHAT?" Tormund yelled, as he stopped attacking, his fury only sated momentarily.
"Oh? Did you think I would let them rape and pillage with no consequences? Of course not. The next problem, however, is convincing your leader to let me move your army away from the North."
Tormund just stared, along with Jon and Ygritte.
"Tough crowd here..." Harry coughed. "Look, it's simple really, you have people on the other side of the Wall, I have the means to move everyone far away from here. Far from the Walkers, and from the perils of attacking the Wall. Know that I can slaughter your 100,000 as easily as I slaughtered the rest of your Wildlings that decided to climb," Harry felt guilty about the harsh nature of his words, but he could save a lot of lives if he could convince them to go along with his plan.
"What are you saying?" Jon asked.
"I am trying to convince this proud warrior, that he best help me, or his people die trying to pass the Wall. Simple as that."
"And you can do that?"
"I can...in fact, I have a whole plan in which to do exactly that. I needed to acquire your help as well, Jon."
"Why? Who are you?"
"Forgive me, I am Lord Hadrian Peverell, Wizardm, and Master of Death," Harry gave a bow that would make any pureblood proud.
They just looked at him like he was mad, a man standing in the rain and mud, but none of it sticking to him, offering them a courtly bow.
"I am only going to offer this once, Tormund. Surrender to me, and we can go visit Mance right now before he wastes thousands of lives attacking a Wall that is made to be impervious. They will die as horribly as the rest of your forces did as they tried to repel down the wall last night. The Thenns I believe they were called."
"Prove it."
"Prove what?" Harry asked Tormund.
"Prove that you can do what you say...that you can take people beyond the wall," Tormund said.
Harry held out a hand, "I accept."
Tormund didn't like that at all, staring at the offending appendage with more hostility.
The hesitation only amused Harry, "If you want to save your people, then what are you scared of?"
Tormund actually growled, "I didn't say I was scared."
Harry raised an eyebrow and gestured to take his hand.
"Why would taking your hand mean shit, eh?"
"I just need physical contact for the next bit to work. You can stay here if not, wasting your life away as your people die...or you can come with me and convince them to let me take them to another place, one where you can live away from the White Walkers until they are defeated and gone."
Tormund's jaw clenched and unclenched, trying to figure out the best thing to say, "Fine."
Jon followed Tormund and they grabbed onto Harry.
Ygritte latched onto Jon but stared nervously at the wizard.
A quick twist and they appeared on top of the Wall once again. The three non-wizards doubled over and stumbled after the sudden shift in locations.
"There we go," Harry breathed the cold wind into his lungs, "Apparation, a fantastic way to travel. What I will do for your people is create a doorway to a different location, where they will walk through and end up far away. I have other terms of course, but it will be much safer for your people to do that."
Tormund stumbled, only staying steady enough not to fall as Harry put a stabilizing hand on his shoulder. "Right then, his name is Mance Rayder, your leader?"
Tormund shook himself, while Ygritte watched Harry with fear in her eyes, holding onto Jon like she might fly away if she let go. Harry had dismantled the group of wildlings with magic and blade in seconds, toying with one of the strongest fighters she had ever fought with.
Jon spoke, "Aye, he's an ex-Night's Watch member, but he knows that there is no surviving between the Wall and the dead."
Harry nodded, "True enough. Oh, I saved your brother's life the other day, and brought Arya to him and Lady Catelyn as well."
Jon's persona changed, suddenly desperate for news, "Which one? Robb?"
"Indeed, the Freys and Boltons tried to trap your brother's forces and betray them... but I stepped in, wiped the Freys out, and helped your brother bind the Bolton's forces via magical contract. Roose Bolton and his house are dead and will be wiped out. His former forces serve your brother now, and if they even think of betraying, they are dead. Quite a bit of powerful magic, that."
"Magic..."
Harry raised an eye at the skeptical statement, "You doubt magic is real?"
He looked over to Tormund and Ygritte, "I have seen the dead walking...I know it's real."
Harry smiled, "Good man. Now, here is what is happening."
Harry explained his plans and Tormund, Jon, and Ygritte while establishing a timeline for his plans. Mance Rayder would send his first forces of around 30,000 out of the 100,000 fighters made up of Wildlings, Giants, and Mammoths in a week against any resistance the Wall could muster.
"Lord Peverell?" Jon asked.
"Yes?" Harry responded, staring north of the wall as he arranged his plans in his mind.
"There is a place we should go before we find Mance. Craster's keep, it's called."
Harry turned to look at him, but Death spoke in his ear, "His wolf waits for him there."
Harry mentally thanked Death for the information and questioned, "What makes you want to go there?"
"Just a feeling. I had dreams about the place the other night," Jon shook his head. "Something is important about it."
Harry stared at him, curious about the connection a warg and their bonded partner works.
"He is touched by the magic of the Starks, the old magic of the men of the North," Death explained.
Harry could picture his mother's face, worn by Death, as she explained the source of Jon's feelings. She also went on to explain how Bran and his party of Hodor, Jojen, and Mira Reed, as well as his dire wolf, Summer, would meet with Sam and Gilly at the abandoned keep of Greyguard. This would be the last event to happen with Bran's party before going beyond the Wall for some mysterious destiny that Death didn't speak about.
Osha, Rickon, and Shaggydog were ready to head south as soon as the coast was clear, splitting from Bran's party. Harry could go grab them and take them to Winterfell right now, which was held by Sir Rodrick Cassel and Maester Luwin after they took it back over from Theon Greyjoy not two days prior.
"Alright, I need to make a quick stop first, you two wait here, Jon come with me," Harry said. The rest of the people on the Wall were watching him as he stared off into the distance while Death spoke to him.
Once again he held his hand out, but this time Ygritte let go of Jon before.
"We will be back in a few minutes," Harry cast warming charms on the two Wildlings as they stood on the Wall, then Apparated with Jon to where Death guided him.
A startled gasp, an aggressive growl, and a spear tip all reached Harry and Jon in seconds. The spear would have taken Harry in the chest if it were capable of piercing his basilisk hide armor.
He looked down at the spear and then back up to the wide-eyed warrior, "That probably won't work as well as you wish it would."
She eyed him nervously, but it was ignored when Rickon ran at Jon, "Jon!"
"Rickon!" Jon replied, catching his little cousin in a hug.
"Osha, was it?"
She looked at Rickon as he hugged Jon, tears streaming down his little face, "Aye, maybe it is, what's it to you Southerner?"
"Ah, as I am not actually from this world, I wouldn't be a Southerner, but that doesn't matter. We are here to take you to Winterfell, now that it is back under Stark control."
She licked her lips nervously, "And who the hell are you? Some kind of wizard?"
"Indeed I am!" Harry said brightly.
~~o0o~~
Shimmer took pity on the poor Stark boy and his wolf, deciding that she would teleport all of them instead of letting Harry force his way through the backdoors of reality. The difference between Apparation and Phoenix Teleportation was that it was much smoother, if slightly warm. The flames didn't hurt, but they still covered everyone briefly, transitioning to the realm in between.
The flames scored a hole in the freshly fallen layer of snow within the courtyard of Winterfell as the group arrived.
Harry got a good look at the castle of Winterfell, a marvelous structure of frozen stone and wooden struts. It seemed to be in fine condition, regardless of changing ownership to Theon Greyjoy and back to Rodrick Cassel. Death didn't explain how they were able to oust the traitorous Greyjoy, but it must have happened for it to be back under Stark control.
Jon took Rickon by the hand as they walked into the main hall. Jon was wearing the grey fur of a wildling and patched-together armor that he grabbed before climbing the wall.
Ser Rodrick Cassel, Castellan and Master-at-arms of Winterfell was eating lunch with his daughter, Beth, and Maester Luwin when they entered. Harry knew these men, and even the girl, were originally supposed to die, but it was difficult to determine how much had changed from his intervention in the world.
Luwin gasped at the sight of the boys, while Ser Rodrick stood and spoke, "Jon! Rickon! My eyes deceive me!"
Jon smiled at his old combat teacher, "No deception here, Ser Rodrick. Just us."
Rickon ran over and hugged Maester Luwin while Rodrick walked to Jon.
"Those aren't black furs, Jon," he said worriedly.
Jon nodded, "Aye, much has changed."
He spent around 10 minutes speaking with them, but Harry got him moving again. Jon ran to his original room in the keep, finding his old set of high-quality brown leather armor. It was castle made, and fit properly after his time ranging beyond the wall. He slipped the dark brown chest armor and matching bracers on. He also slid on his last pair of boots that were there and left the extra Wildling gear on his bed.
Jon finished off the set with the grey fur cloak Ygritte had given him to fight the cold, along with his belt that held Longclaw.
"All ready then?" Harry asked.
Jon nodded.
"Good, we have another stop, then we will go pick up your lady friend and Tormund."
"Right, then."
Harry Apparated them over to his Trunk, startling the Hound and Gendry, "Alright lads, let's get moving. Hound get ready to fight if we need to. Gendry, you interested in doing a bit of forging?"
"Forging? Out here?" The young man asked. He had been sitting across the fire from the Hound and it was clear that talking hadn't been something that had taken place between the two.
"Not here...but if I showed you to a forge you could use it?"
"Definitely, would be glad to."
"Do you know how to reforge Valyrian Steel?"
"I know the process, but I admit my old Master hadn't let me attempt it. Hard stuff, Valyrian Steel. If you can't get it hot enough then it won't break down at all."
Harry nodded, "Alright, come with me. Jon, Hound, stay here for a second."
He waved at the seemingly mundane brown trunk, which while it looked to be made of solid construction, gave no signs of being magical until Harry activated it. The trunk morphed into a large archway and Harry walked towards it, "Come on then."
Gendry followed as the Archway turned into a shimmering veil that resembled water as seen from underneath the surface. Passing through felt like walking through a still waterfall, yet he wasn't wet after he opened his eyes again.
The sculpted rock on the other side gave way to a huge valley and a lake, all below a clifftop castle that would be right at home in any major city within the seven kingdoms. It only had 2 large towers, yet the structure of stone and metal spanned a large distance and even had pathways of perfectly built stone going off in different directions.
Gendry turned back to the portal and found a similar archway as the one the trunk morphed into, yet it was big enough for a giant to walk through.
"It's something, isn't it?" Harry asked.
"Where are we?"
"Within my trunk! Don't worry about it, just think that it's magic, and the good kind, not the suck-your-blood kind."
Gendry shivered at the memory of the red lady and her vile blood leeches.
Harry put a hand on his shoulder and they both Apparated again.
"Gah! Would you please tell me when you are doing that?" Gendry asked, once again trying to acclimatize himself to the strange transportation method.
Harry laughed, loving the looks of disorientation on others after Apparation.
"Willis?" Harry asked into the stone room and Gendry only just realized that there was a dark forge of sorts at the far end, along with one massive anvil and several smaller ones.
"This is your forge?" Gendry asked.
Harry nodded as a crack split the air and a tiny grey person in a brown apron appeared, "Aye, Masters Harries?"
"Hello, Willis, how are you today?"
The little elf grumbled a bit, "Just fine, thank ye. The basilisk scabbard and Lamentation is done, Master's."
Harry hadn't forgotten about the task that he had Willis take over, creating a basilisk-hide scabbard that would hold the great sword Lamentation and its strange shape perfectly. The sheathed blade sat on a display bench for finished works. The blade was sheathed but the new crossguard, handle, and pommel were all visible.
The crossguard was simple, almost like the profile of an axe that lifted away from the handle. It was capable of catching blades, but was all function. The handle was a strip of basilisk leather, wrapped in such a way that it would hold a hand and a half before it extended into more black steel into the pommel. It was a great sword that easily accommodated two gauntleted hands, but the second would be on metal.
The pommel was just a beautiful knob of black steel, just as polished as the rest of it. He pulled the blade a bit, leaving it mostly sheathed, getting a good look a the glowing runes. Willis had even finished the enchantments by fullying injecting his magic into them.
"This is perfect, thank you, Willis. Oh, by the way, this here is Gendry, and he knows how to reforge an interesting type of metal that I want to work with," Harry began and pulled a box from his Moleskin Pouch. "For now though, run him through the ropes to see what he can do and we will move on to more difficult metals later."
10 ingots of Valyrian Steel were within the box, their rippling surfaces gleamed in the torch-lit room. Harry set the box down and the Elder Wand appeared in his hand. He pointed at the box with ingots within and used a version of the Gemino Charm that interacted specifically with metal objects. This was a spell he had found within the Peverell Library that was originally designed to double people's gold. It mixed permanent transmutation, conjuration, and alteration to make the copies.
The downside of the spell was the obscene amount of magical power that had to be used to permanently copy metals and items of value. It was enough to drain an average wizard with just a single casting. Harry was different though, being many times more powerful than the strongest wizards from Earth and connected to the force of Death, he had no problem casting the spell a few times. He created 250 Valyrian Steel Ingots and floated a hundred of them into his moleskin pouch. Grabbing the sheathed Lamentation he got ready to leave.
"Alright, you two have fun, and Willis, make sure they know to get him a room when you are finished forging for the day," Harry ordered, making sure that Gendry didn't work himself to death.
"Yes, Master Harries, sir's!"
"Try for longswords Gendry, make a few of them with Willis here so we can see your level, alright?" He waved again, another box appeared with strangely colored ingots as well. The box that he had found on the ocean floor. "We will save these for later."
Gendry stood there, wide-eyed with the little elf already getting to work.
Harry didn't waste any more time and appeared at the entrance of Peverell Manor. The Hound was still waiting, eyeing Jon Snow carefully while he sat and stared at the fire. The tension in the air was thick enough to cut.
"Alright Hound, I have your new weapon here, but first...I'll need your blood," Harry said with a devious smile as he partially withdrew Lamentation from its new scabbard.
The Hound took a step back, "The fuck you mean?"
"Well, this sword is enchanted and it just needs to be bound to you. You will see the difference when it is connected to your blood, making you much more powerful when acting in my service."
Skepticism was written across his freshly unscarred face but he still sighed and unbuckled a gauntlet.
"Good man! Just a drop on that rune there," Harry pointed.
The Hound sliced his thumb along the edge and pressed it to the rune but nothing visible happened.
Harry flipped the blade over, "And this one here."
He did it again, and that was enough to tie the dual-sided enchantments together and bind them to the Hound, causing them to light up in bloody light.
"When wielding this blade in my service, you will be faster, stronger, and more deadly. It has other abilities as well, such as increasing momentum and weight mid-swing, but you will have to get used to that. As far as your old blade...if you don't want it then leave it," Harry said.
He waved at the archway that the trunk had turned into and it folded up and shrunk down to the size of a matchbox. He replaced it within his moleskin pouch.
"Jon, are you ready?"
"Aye," Jon said, his stoic demeanor making him seem as steady as a rock.
"Good, on we go. Get ready Hound, we might have a fight on our hands," Harry said.
Sandor just grunted and he put his enchanted sword on his back and the snarling helmet on his head.
The three men Apparated beyond the Wall to Craster's Keep, picking up Tormund and Ygritte on the way.
~~o0o~~
The party appeared outside of a shoddy wooden barrier and a section of burnt wood. A fresh layer of snow did its best to smother the remaining embers from the largest of trees. They had been slowly burning, but now looked like husks of themselves with smoldering interiors. No human souls were remaining.
"It seems we are alone here," Harry commented.
Jon walked forward towards the husk of a keep and looked around. There were no bodies anywhere, but everything had been burned to a crisp after being looted. He didn't walk inside as it appeared to be on the verge of collapse. The shoddy construction was seemingly held together by hopes and dreams as much as anything solid.
Jon spoke about how the Night's Watch usually stopped here on the way out and back from long ranges out beyond the wall. The huge group that had left had apparently stopped through here, at least according to the dead men in black cloaks.
Jon asked for help burying a few of them, one man named Mormont who was the leader of the Watch before he died. Jon couldn't find Sam or the many women that lived there.
There were no visible tracks as the ground was covered with snow and ash. Harry opened his senses to the surrounding forest. It was dark and cold and black and white. The darkened woods were revealed by the clear canopy, where snow had covered the ground. The usual contrast of vibrant green leaves on pure white snow was absent as the forest landed further into the greyscale.
Death whispered to Harry, "His wolf approaches."
"Jon, come here."
Ygritte wasn't sure what he was doing but walked with him the whole way. She was surprisingly quiet in the presence of the wizard, preferring to watch his actions than speak on his words.
Harry gestured into the woods with a nod.
Jon's stoic gaze was matched with Tormund and Ygritte as they also watched curiously. A white form, that seemed to appear out of the snow like a specter, turned his red eyes at the party of people.
Jon broke out in a smile, "Ghost! Come here!"
Ghost trotted forward and let his tongue lull out from his mouth. He had blood around his muzzle after a fresh meal and looked healthy like he had been able to find food in the harsh climate of the North.
Before they moved on to Mance's camp, Harry was able to convince Jon to accept the Familiar Bond with Ghost. It took less than 5 minutes to complete and when it was finished, an image of Ghost appeared on Jon's back, a tattoo like what Shimmer had to Harry. Their connection was immediate and powerful, building on the experience they had together as Jon raised him from a pup.
Jon was breathing hard, looking at where Ghost was just a second ago. He could feel the emotions and will of the Dire Wolf within him.
Harry smiled, "Pretty neat, huh?"
"I can feel him! It's...incredible."
"You are a Warg as well as a bonded partner now, don't be afraid to learn more about your connection with Ghost."
"That's incredible, Jon Snow. A warg as well as my man," She smiled. "Our children will be blessed, indeed."
Jon turned as red as Ygritte's hair as she spoke on that, but Tormund just laughed.