The Gifted Sons

By: Ryu Katanna

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Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

READ ENDINGS AND BEGINNINGS FIRST!

Chapter One

'Damn it! What is happening?! This... Teddy!' Harry thought worriedly as he tried to look down at where he could feel that his godson was still held against him by the carrier.

He could feel his godson's breathing, but he didn't know if he could trust his senses. He felt two the rope at his waist tug when he stepped through the archway into darkness as the bit of green light from the fires faded as soon as he'd stepped through the archway into complete darkness. He reached for Darco and George as the rope loosened only to find them there, but unresponsive as he tugged on their sleeves and blindly felt up their arms to their faces to pat worriedly at their cheeks. He tried shaking them but still received no response as the rope tugged as they seemed to drift weightlessly in the dark void.

Harry pulled the two as close as he could to keep them together. Whatever happened, he didn't want to risk losing one of them though he knew the rope should keep them close. He couldn't understand why they now seemed to be unconscious after just stepping through the archway. He only knew they were still alive because he could feel the rise and fall of their chests.

Harry didn't know how long it lasted as he held onto the other two wizards and tried to breath through his rising panic. It could have been seconds, minutes, hours, or even days as he waited and tried to breathe as his lungs constricted. It burned to breathe and he fought to stay awake through the pain.

Harry couldn't even scream as the feeling of foreign magic slammed into him.

Harry felt every bit of it as the foreign magic burned itself into his core. He didn't know how long it lasted. The concept of time had been burned away with the agony of it. It wasn't just his magic, but his very being that he felt shift as if something was reforming after being burned away. He wasn't sure what as all his mind could comprehend was pain even worse than the cruciatus even as his grip tightened in a desperate attempt to keep Draco and George with him to remind him that they were there.

They needed him. He didn't know what was happening to them, but they would need him to stay awake. Whatever happened. Wherever they ended up. They needed Harry to stay awake long enough to get them somewhere safe.

It was with that worry that Harry blacked out.

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Harry woke suddenly with a shiver as he gasped deeply for air. Sitting up quickly, Harry braced Teddy in the carrier as he looked around in alarm. His shoulders sagged in relief at finding Teddy sleeping soundly and appearing unharmed though the palor of his skin worried him. His skin was pale with a grey hue. and his hair had shifted to a shade of icy blue that Harry thought may be his metamorph magic reacting to the cold. He appeared fine otherwise as his breathing was even and slow in slumber as it had been before they had entered the veil. He was still worried for him, but knowing they needed to move, he looked around for his two companions.

"George! Draco!" He called out in alarm at finding them a few feet away from him.

They both still appeared to be unconscious as they laid on the snowy ground in odd positions. Harry grimaced at the stiffness in his limbs, and soreness that he felt all over his body, as he pushed himself to his knees and crawled to the other two wizards. His clothing was wet from the ice and snow, and he had no idea how long they had been there. He felt a slight chill from the cold, but nowhere near as much as he knew he should.

Harry didn't allow himself to think about that as he shook first Draco and then George in an attempt to wake them. They were both breathing steadily, but neither were responsive. They were pale, paler than he'd ever seen either of them, the healthy shade of pink absent. The shade worried Harry as his eyes scanned them, seeing a grey hue to their skin as he had seen on Teddy. He would have thought this only to be a symptom of the cold, but even the freckles on George's cheeks were a light grey speckling across pale skin.

Their hair, too, had also not escaped these apparent changes. Harry could feel that his hair had grown longer as he brushed inky black strands out of his face, but so too had Draco and George's. Draco's long hair blended into the snow with how white it now was. George's hair, which had always been a red that bordered on orange, now resembled the same shade of blood red as when drawn from a fresh wound.

He called out to them several times but they were out cold. Harry sighed when they refused to wake before looking around to get an idea of where they were. What he could see didn't tell him much. The ground was covered in snow and ice. The area was barren of life as far as Harry could see though there looked to be some mountains a distance away and a few sparse trees that wouldn't be enough to provide any sort of cover.

"What happened?" Harry mumbled as he pushed himself to his feet to look around for the archway they had stepped through, but found nothing.

He almost staggered but managed to remain on his feet as his eyes scanned over the snow around them to see no trail. They had just appeared there somehow. Harry shook his head and decided to concentrate on the others as he tried to grasp what had happened after his last memory of passing out. They needed to wake so they could move. There was no cover here and Harry worried about lingering too long. There was no telling where they were and what kind of creatures lived in this place.

His skin itched like it didn't fit quite right, and, looking at his arms, Harry could see that his skin had taken on the same pale shade of grey that he had seen on his friends. He found himself feeling lost at the strangeness of it. Harry tried to shake off the feelings as he stumbled back over to George and Draco. He supposed that it was a blessing that they hadn't been deposited in the middle of a group of muggles, but that didn't ease any of the worries that were sending off alarms in his mind.

"Enervate." Harry cast the spell with a wave of his hand over them as he directed his magic only to gasp at the feeling of his magic surging with the spell.

His gasp was echoed by two others as Draco and George awoke with a jolt like they'd been hit with a bolt of electricity.

"Finally. I had to use an enervate spell. I couldn't wake you any other way. How are you both feeling?" Harry asked as both Draco and George sat up with groans.

"Bloody hell, I'm sore. What happened? Is everyone alright?" George asked with a grunt as he pushed himself to his knees with Draco following soon after.

"Where in Merlin's name is that bludger? I feel like I've been hit with a few of them. What happened to my hair?!" Draco almost shrieked as he pulled the long strands in front of him to look at the change.

"I don't know. I'm fine, and Teddy looks like he's alright too. We've all gone through what looks like the same changes. My magic feels strange, too. My skin feels like it's stretched too thin. It itches, I'm sore, and feel like I could sleep for a week. I would hazard that you both feel the same." Harry replied as he helped steady his friends and George's blue eyes widened as he looked at Harry before turning to look at Draco who also froze at the sight of them.

"Merlin's beard. Are my eyes like that too?" George muttered the question before they were all distracted when Teddy whined in his sleep.

Harry looked down to see the little one was shivering lightly. His skin held the same light grey hue as the three older wizards, and Harry cursed as he took a blanket out of the bottomless bag. He wrapped it around the little one. He moved to cast a warming charm before he stopped himself as he remembered what had happened when he'd cast the spell to wake Draco and George. The other two, of course, noticed his hesitation.

"You said your magic feels strange? Try testing the spell on the snow before casting toward Edward." Draco said as he untied the rope from where it had been secured around Harry's waist before doing the same to the end tied around himself.

George, seeing what Draco was doing, untied himself and started winding up the rope. It was only once they were all free of the rope that he was able to store it away in his bag. They would save it in case it could be useful later. Their attention never wavered from Harry even as they did so.

"Yeah, good idea." Harry replied before focusing on the ground a few feet from them and casting a warming charm at the snow near his feet.

George shouted with a curse while Draco's eyes widened, and Harry jerked in surprise and stunned disbelief as the ground exploded in flames. Luckily, George had ducked away, Draco was on the other side of Harry, and Teddy was covered with the barrier of the warding magic Bill had imbued into the carrier. The same couldn't be said for Harry's leg as the smell of burning flesh hit them when the fabric of his trousers caught fire. Harry cursed as George rushed to douse the flames. Everyone cursed once more as George's wand exploded as Harry tried to shield Teddy and Draco turned his face away from the shards of wood flying everywhere. Harry hastily cast a wandless aguamenti on his leg to douse the flames.

The pain was intense for only a moment before it dulled as they both watched a grey mist of magic spread over the wound, and George gasped as the same grey mist sluggishly spread across his shredded hand. Draco gaped in shock along with the other two as the stinging wound on his cheek that had been sliced open from a shard of the wood of George's wand also went numb with the mist of magic. The magic faded after several moments to reveal each of the wounds on all three of them had healed though the cloth around Harry's leg was missing and charred at the edges.

This was a more familiar sight as Harry had seen it happen every time he had been injured since the day he was stabbed in the heart. What wasn't familiar was the sight of it happening to anyone else. He stared between his leg, Draco's cheek, George's hand, and the charred ground with the others before his attention was drawn back to the baby bundled against him and his friends who were staring at each other with wide eyes.

'We really need to figure out what happened to us, but we don't have time to think about that right now. I don't know what is happening with us, but it's way too cold here for Teddy without a warming charm. Whatever happened after we passed out must have done something to our magic as well as our bodies, but we can't test it right now.' Harry thought as he reached up to brush a long strand of hair away; eyeing it dubiously as it seemed to have grown down passed his shoulders.

"We don't have time for this right now. Draco... Probably best you don't try to use your wand at the moment. If the same thing happened to you then we don't need your wand exploding right now as well. Do you both have winter cloaks in your bags?" Harry asked, and his voice seemed to pull them from their thoughts.

"Yeah… Right." George said as he shook his head to clear his mind and reached into his bag for his cloak as Draco did the same, Harry tucking the blanket around Teddy to keep him as warm as he could, and then turning to search through his bag for a cloak for himself.

"I don't feel the cold. It makes no sense. What about you? Are either of you even feeling this?" Draco asked once he'd pulled a thick cloak out of the bag and clasped it around his shoulders.

"I can't really feel it either. I mean, I feel a chill, but I'm not cold. Harry?" George asked and Harry shook his head.

"I only feel a chill. Still, we should wear our cloaks in case it's only because our bodies have adjusted to the temperature. Plus, if we come into contact with anyone it would appear odd if we're not dressed warmly in this climate." Harry replied and got nods of agreement from the other two.

"We need to find somewhere safe to set up camp. We need to get our bearings and figure out what happened to us." Harry said quietly as he tucked the cloak he had put on around Teddy as well.

"Perhaps you should practice a few spells as we move, Harry. It'll take us a bit to learn to do it wandlessly. If we can..." George said as he stared down at the pieces that were left of his wand, and Harry nodded before attempting a levitation spell on a nearby rock only to stare in shock as the rock shot into the air before coming down so quickly it left a deep hole in the snow.

"That's going to take some practice. I held back but my magic didn't like it. It's like a tidal wave being channeled through a straw." Harry explained once he'd regained his breath.

Harry glanced down at Teddy to find that he'd stopped shivering and shifted into a more comfortable position. The blanket and his cloak had warmed the baby, but Harry frowned as he glanced at the cloak he was wearing. He could feel the chill of the cold, but it wasn't affecting him as much as he knew it should be. They should all be freezing with this much ice and snow. He felt the chill in the air, but his cloak was enough to keep him comfortable even without warming charms.

What had been done to them?

They would have to wait until they had found somewhere to camp to figure it out.

Harry wanted to set up camp right there with how tired and sore he felt, but thought better of it. He could feel that they had made a powerful magical footprint in the area, and he didn't feel they should linger. If there were others in this new world who could sense it then Harry didn't want them to be there when whoever or whatever came looking to investigate.

"We should get out of this area and look for somewhere safe to set up camp as soon as possible. We've just sent out a massive magical signal to anyone or anything for miles. We shouldn't stay here if it was sensed by the locals." Harry said as he adjusted the carrier with the sleeping Teddy until the blanket covered him completely to keep the cold off of the baby.

"I agree. We should try to avoid anything that could lead to a confrontation. There's Teddy to consider, but our magic is another. It seems like you'll need to practice to get your control back while we figure out what we can do." George replied as he eyed the scorched ground close to where Harry stood from the warming charm disaster.

"Which direction should we go then?" Draco asked as he looked around the barren land and not finding any real coverage.

"We should head toward the mountains. With any luck, we'll find somewhere to set up camp where our tent won't stand out so much. It shouldn't be as open an area, at least." Harry replied and received nods from the other two in agreement.

"What do you think happened? I mean, my wand exploded, then Draco and I healed like you did. That is not normal." George stated as he started walking with Draco and Harry once he'd chosen a direction.

"Don't forget how we look. I've always been blond, but my hair is white now. Not to mention our skin." Draco grumbled as he tugged at a lock of long white hair.

"We can talk more about it once we've found a place to camp. We should move quietly until we can make camp and set up wards. I don't want to draw attention, and we'll be able to hear better if anything gets too close in the dark." Harry said quietly and George nodded in agreement as he understood while Draco scowled.

"Yeah. Just try to step softly so we're not walking through snow and leaving a trail directly to us." He replied as he hoped the falling snow and darkness of the night would help conceal the trail.

Harry took a deep breath as he tried to ignore both the fatigue and itching and pulling of his skin as they turned toward the mountains and started walking. They made their way quietly through the snow for over three hours before slowing; coming to what appeared to be a rock ledge and the base of one of the mountains. It took a few minutes for him to decide where to set up camp, but when he did, George helped him pull the wizarding tent out of his bag.

"I'll try setting up wards without my wand. I have a feeling it'll just explode if I try to use it." Draco grumbled while Harry and George nodded.

"I'll do the same with setting up the tent. Any tips Harry?" George asked and Harry bit his lip before replying.

"Try to direct your magic into your hands and focus on what you intend to happen. That's the best I can explain it." He said before laying the tent on the ground in a defensible position between the rocky wall and the trees and stepping back to watch George and Draco's attempts at wandless magic.

It took them both several tries and a bit of time, but George managed to get the wizarding tent set up, and Harry could feel the wards surrounding their encampment as they formed. He smiled at the two before turning to carry Teddy inside with Draco while George followed behind after ensuring the spell to camouflage the tent had activated. Harry carefully unstrapped the carrier as he wandered over to his room once George had pointed him in the right direction. He was too tired to look around to see how his friends had set everything up as he passed through the tent's main area. Harry's room was partially open to the living area, but he didn't take much notice as he laid Teddy in the crib next to his bed. He cast finite on the sticking charms layered over him before undoing the rest of the straps and dropping the carrier onto the floor.

Feeling the chill in the air, Harry made sure that Teddy was covered by the blanket. He was exhausted but knew that Teddy could catch ill easier with the weather outside. Magic would only do so much if they didn't heat the tent properly. Turning, he made his way back into the living area and over to the woodstove where he was joined shortly by George and Draco.

The woodstove was already set up with wood inside, but Harry hesitated to try wandless magic. He was unsure of using an incendio while his magic was acting so strangely. Still, they needed a fire to warm the tent and so he cast a warming charm with the same strength he had earlier and it was enough to spark fire to the kindling. They would all need to do some testing to get a feel for their magic again, but he was too tired to do so tonight. The last thing they needed was for one of them to set the tent on fire or worse when even a simple warming charm had exploded the ground and set fire to the snow.

"Go to bed, both of you. We can talk in the morning. We're all exhausted. I'll stay up for the first watch. We can take it in shifts until we've learned more about this new world." George said and Draco huffed as he spoke.

"Don't trust my wards, Weasley?" He sneered and George frowned as he looked at him.

"It's not that. I just think it's safer if one of us stays up to wake the others just in case. We don't know if any of the wards we know will work on the inhabitants of this place." George replied evenly and Draco flinched before nodding as he conceded his point.

"I'll take the next one. Harry needs to get up with Edward in the morning so it'd be better if he gets the most sleep." Draco mumbled before he turned to go into his room on the other side of the tent next to George's.

"Alright. Thanks." Harry replied tiredly before returning back to his room.

Harry unstrapped the sword from his side, and set it up next to the bed where he could reach it quickly before collapsing onto the mattress. The itching had faded, but Harry still felt sore as he kicked off his dragonhide boots and struggled out of his cloak. His bag followed after as he left it to fall to the floor next to his bed. He huffed as he realized he hadn't even had the energy to pull back the covers. Instead, Harry used his foot to pull the thick knitted blanket up from where it had been folded and laid across the foot of the bed. The scent of the Borrow soothed and taunted him equally as he spread it over himself, and he knew instantly that Mrs. Weasley had been the one to make it and place it there.

In a few days he might feel better about Teddy sleeping in his own room of the tent, but Harry couldn't bring himself to allow his godson to be that far away from him right then. His room was partially open to the living area, so he would be able to see Teddy's bedroom just fine if he left the flap open, but having his godson on the other side of the tent didn't sit well with him right then even knowing George and then Draco would be keeping watch. They were in unfamiliar lands, in an unfamiliar world, with all of them suffering the effects of whatever had happened to change them after stepping through that archway. The sleeping charm would wear off on its own by the morning and Harry was already tense and alert even though he was exhausted.

'I'll see if there might be any information on what happened... in... the... morning.' Harry thought with a yawn as he was pulled into a light slumber to the sounds of wood crackling in the woodstove, George shuffling around, and Teddy's light and even breathing close by.

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That's all for the first chapter. I have had this idea rattling around in my head for over two years now, and it just won't leave. I'm not very comfortable with writing Hobbit/LOTR fanfiction, but this idea wouldn't work any other way no matter what I tried. I finally resigned myself to writing this, and then it took on a life of its own. Updates may be set far apart as I am dealing with real life, and I am struggling with familiarizing myself with all of the information that has to do with this new world beyond what was covered in the movies. (I couldn't get into the books.) More tags and pairings, if any, will be added as chapters are posted.

I do hope you enjoy it though!

~Ryu