A pillar of flames burst to life, whirling in heatless blue. It only lasted a few moments before fading away, revealing…

  A figure crouched over, with one hand near the floor. They were dressed in what appeared to be chainmail over a leather tunic and breeches, along with leather boots. Even more notable was the exceedingly long ears, similar to a House Elf, only thinner and longer. Most notable were the glowing green eyes that turned up from the floor to sweep over the room, finally settling upon the Headmaster.

  Slowly straightening from their crouch, the figure, a young man even with those ears, towered over their surroundings. Easily over two meters tall, though nowhere near Hagrid’s own lofty height. He was broad shouldered, with black hair that cascaded down to the small of his back. Held in one hand was a massive bow that seemed to be made out of living wood, if the blossoming flowers were any indication.

  Albus offered the new arrival a grandfatherly smile while darting his eyes to the young man’s forehead. He suppressed a sigh of disappointment at the lack of a scar though he didn’t let that show on his face. “Greetings, stranger. It is not often that we get non-human visitors at Hogwarts.”

  The visitor inclined his head in greetings. “You speak common. That is fortunate. I know not all human colonies do so.” He secured his bow over his shoulder, then offered a short bow. “Elune adore, humans. I am Harry Potter of Darnassas.”

  Dumbledore couldn’t prevent his eyes from widening at the name. Before he could ask though, he saw Harry’s eyes narrow and he spoke up.

  “I see you recognize the name. That means you’ve either heard of my exploits or you know of my past. Given the way I arrived, I’m inclined to believe it to be the latter.”

  The Headmaster smiled. “Oh Harry, my boy. It is so good to see you. It has been too many years. However, the middle of the Great Hall is no place to discuss what happened to you and why you look like that! Come, come, let’s go to my office.”

  Harry inclined his head and motioned the Headmaster to precede him. As Albus started walking towards the doors, he heard the excited and confused chatter from the gathered students. Between the name and the appearance, there was much for them to chatter about. Hopefully he would have an explanation shortly concerning the young man’s strange appearance and whereabouts for over the last decade. Perhaps once Harry understood how important he was to the wizarding world, he would agree to let Albus curate how they presented that information to the general public.

  As they walked down the hall, Dumbledore noticed that Harry moved in near silence, even adorned as he was in chainmail. No scuffing of his boots, or whisk of leather on leather. Even his breathing was silent. What environment could have taught him such skills? Even Filius, one of the greatest duelers the Headmaster had ever seen, made more noise and the half-breed was less than a third of Harry’s size.

  That very size was another matter as well. What could have happened to give the boy that type of appearance? The height was strange enough, but the glowing eyes and long ears? Had the boy actually been taken by the fae and only returned because of the Goblet?

  Those questions and more wandered through the Headmaster’s mind as they traversed the castle. No one seemed inclined towards small talk, even though three of the four Heads of House had followed the duo. Only Minerva had stayed behind to wrangle the students back to their beds and finish officiating with the three champions.

  Once the group was settled into the office, Dumbledore leaned back in his chair behind his desk, getting a better look at the young man claiming to be Harry Potter. It was impossible to put an age to him. Not only did he look nothing like what Albus had expected from the son of James Potter, he didn’t even look human. Between the ears and the eyes there was an otherworldly feel to him.

  Harry suddenly spoke up. “You’re fortunate that it was me that was brought by whatever summoning ritual you used. Some of my brothers and sisters are far more volatile in their first encounters with humans. No matter that we have been at peace for many years. There was a time when your kind hunted all that were different from you. Many of us still remember those times.”

  Albus blinked at the sudden admission. There was a lot of information in that statement. However, they weren’t as important. “Are you truly Harry Potter? Where have you been all these years?”

  Those glowing green eyes seemed to weigh the Headmaster before the young man nodded. Even sitting he towered over everyone else in the room, save for Severus, who stood in a shadowed corner. “According to the rangers who raised me, I was found at the base of Teldrassil in a basket with only a blanket and a note with my name. Not one to allow a babe to suffer, they brought me in and cared for me, even teaching me a trade.”

  “And this Teldrassil is where you have been for over the past decade?”

  Harry shook his head. “I was only on Teldrassil for the first twenty years or so. Once they were convinced I had enough training, I was allowed to travel all over Kalimdor and the Eastern Kingdoms. Though for the past few years or so I’ve been mostly operating out of the Dragon Isles.”

  Albus blinked again. “I beg your pardon. Did you just say you were in there for twenty years? But you’ve only been gone for about thirteen years!”

  “Thirteen years? Then I don’t think I’m the Harry Potter you’re looking for. It’s been almost two centuries since I was found.”

  “The boy is obviously lying, Headmaster.”

  Harry turned to regard Severus, then shrugged and turned back to the Headmaster. “I don’t care if you believe me or not. I’m not here to convince you of anything. I’m here because I was hoping that you could explain how I ended up summoned here.”

  Albus ignored the scowl from his Potion’s Master and focused on the Harry Potter before him. There was no reason for the young man to lie, though two centuries was a bit much to accept. Especially since Albus himself was only in his early hundreds. Albus looked his age, while it was becoming even more readily apparent that Harry had been taken by the fae, who hadn’t been seen in centuries as well. Why would they have been in Little Surrey and why take Harry?

  “I’m not sure how you got summoned here, Harry, only that the Goblet of Fire is the likely culprit, given that you appeared in a pillar of flame near the Goblet. As for why you specifically, I know not. It will take some time to investigate what spells were used and who was responsible.”

  The fae Potter nodded slowly. “You didn’t seem to recognize the places I mentioned earlier. I could see the confusion on your face.”

  The Headmaster returned the nod. “Indeed, those names were not ones I recognize and I traveled extensively in my youth. I can only surmise that the fae took you to the other side and your time spent there explains the difference in our perspectives.”

  Glowing green eyes widened before narrowing. “I believe we have even more to discuss, as there may be more differences between our worlds than either of us think. I know not what fae you refer to, but my people are the night elves. I sense only one race other than humans in the castle, save for the goblin over there, so I wonder if you might be a bit more isolated than I first surmised.”

  Filius squeaked though otherwise kept his peace.

  Albus simply smiled. “Fascinating. There are truly more things under the heavens than we shall ever know. I would love to learn more about the night elves you claim to be a part of.”

  “Surely you are not going to humor the boy?”

  Dumbledore turned to face Severus. “If you do not want to listen to our conversation, you are free to go.”

  Severus scowled before turning in a whirl of his robes and striding from the room.

  Albus returned his attention to Harry. “I’m sorry, dear boy, for the interruption. Perhaps we can continue our conversation about these night elves you say raised you? Do they look like you?”

  Harry smiled. “I look like them, actually. I was originally human. It was only as I grew older and closer to death that I sought a way to become like them. Before that I had no need as they tolerated my being human and it didn’t interfere with my abilities as a hunter. However, as my body started to slow and the thought of leaving my loved ones behind, I started searching for a way to live longer. In partnership with some scholars we were able to devise a ritual that combined my unique magic and the donations of several of my precious people, granting me the body you see before you. Thus I have been a night elf for the past several decades.”

  “Fascinating! Truly fascinating. Was there anything about your human body that gave you issues? I seem to recall the Harry Potter I knew having a scar above the eye as a child.”

  The self-proclaimed elf reached up and traced a lightning bolt shape over one eye. “There was a scar that might have interfered. There was apparently a partial possession that lingered in the scar from something that happened before I was found. Fortunately our priests were able to perform an exorcism and banish the spirit.”

  Dumbledore leaned forward. “They were able to banish the spirit? You are certain?”

  “As certain as I can be without having been able to do the deed myself.”

  Albus leaned back, raising a hand to cover his face for a moment. The others in the room were silent, seemingly content to let the Headmaster gather his thoughts. Settling his hand back in his lap, he offered Harry a gentle smile. “Thank you for taking the time to tell us about yourself, Harry. I imagine things are rather strange and exhausting for you right now. Why don’t you take one of our guest rooms for the night and we can talk more on the morrow after we have all had some time for rest.”

  The Headmaster called for a House Elf. When the Head Elf popped into the room, Albus instructed him to take Harry to a room.

  Harry inclined his head in another short bow before following the House Elf from the office.

  Dumbledore looked over the two remaining Heads of House, Pomona and Filius, and nodded to them. “Harry has certainly given us a lot to think of. I would appreciate your insight into what he told us and what we should do with him going forward.”

  ***

  Harry followed the little person that the Headmaster had called a House Elf. He felt no connection to the elf, wondering if this is what the local elfs had evolved into over the millenia. Without a source of powerful magic like the Sunwell or Moonwells, they must have developed other means of sustaining themselves.

  There was definitely a lot of mana in the air. The walls seemed saturated in it. Or perhaps it was the entire building. The construction reminded him of some of the fortresses of the Alliance, usually those built by the humans. Dwarves tended to build larger, for all their shorter status. He had yet to see one of their buildings that didn’t feel cavernous. Humans on the other hand leaned towards efficient, cosy construction.

  The House Elf seemed content to talk in silence and Harry was inclined towards silence in general. There were times where he spent days or weeks by himself, with only his pets to keep him company. They weren’t the best conversationalists but at least they always listened. He could still sense their connection so whatever method was used to bring him here did nothing to separate him from others.

  For a moment he considered just using his hearthstone and returning to Valdrakken. However, that wouldn’t explain how he had been summoned and there was no telling if he would get resummoned by whatever ritual or method had brought him in the first place. Fortunately, he hadn’t been in the middle of anything important. The campaign within the Emerald Dream was going well and the new home for the Night Elves should be ready in just a few months. Nothing that couldn’t wait. He would have to see about sending some messages though to assure people that he was okay.

  Once the duo had arrived at what was being called the Guest Quarters, Harry bade the House Elf a good night, though he did ask for a chance to talk to them later on. It would be interesting to see how elven culture looked in this world. After getting confirmation, he entered his room and looked around.

  Fairly standard configuration, similar to what he had experienced in his travels from some of the more well situated establishments. Definitely more luxurious than his usual camping under the stars.

  Nodding to himself, he then reached through the nether to call to his companion. Seemingly stepping from the shadows was a massive grey and black striped nightsaber. The massive cat came up to Mathyx’s hips at the shoulders and was longer than he was tall. Massive fangs gleamed in the light of the room. Harry’s smile grew wide as he reached down and ruffled the fur on her back. “We find ourselves in a strange place, Moonshadow. Will you keep me safe?”

  The cat huffed and butted her head against his waist, nearly knocking him over. Fortunately his mount wasn’t like that. Considering that Moonswallow was a grandsaber who could nearly swallow him whole, he was grateful that the larger cat had been so well trained.

  After taking a moment to properly admire the nightsaber, he moved to the bedroom and sat down on the edge of the bed. Moonshadow settled her head into his lap and he idly stroked her head as he thought. They were in a strange land with a strange people. These people were possibly connected to his past though it was a tenuous connection at best.

  The most concerning part was whatever ritual had been used to summon him. To reach across the nether and drag him here was no easy thing. Warlocks took several people to accomplish the feat and they had to know the person ahead of time. Harry hadn’t seen a summoning portal when he arrived and the old human and mentioned a Goblet of some sort as people the most likely culprit.

  All things to figure out on the morrow. For now it was time to get some sleep.

  Heading to the entryway, he secured the door and placed several frost and tar traps. No one was sneaking in while he slept.

  Finally, he made his way to the bed. Looking down, he realized he wouldn’t really fit, so instead settled onto the floor, leaning against Moonshadow’s side. Lulled by the familiar purr, he was soon fast asleep.

  ***

  Harry looked down at the little armored molten cat with a fond smile. “You’re sure you’ll be able to get the Garrison Stablemaster’s attention? This letter is for her to give to the Guild Master. They need to know what happened to me and can inform the rest of the people who need to know.”

  The little cat nodded seriously before accepting the letting into the special carrier that had been attached to her armor. After giving the cat a quick scritch on the top of the fiery head, he sent it back into the nether. Even after all these years he still hadn’t figured out how the system worked with his Garrison or how his pets and mounts were able to manifest themselves there. Most likely something in the magic of Draenor or maybe the Garrison itself. Either way he planned to take advantage of it to get his message out there.

  Heading to the door, he carefully dismantled the various traps he’d set up the night before. Soon he was through the door in search of food, Moonshadow padding along beside him. Fortunately the structure seemed scaled large and he had no problems navigating the hallways. There had been times in some human habitations where he’d had to stoop. He couldn’t imagine how hard things were on the Draenei at times.

  Sending his senses through the area, he found that the humans had congregated in a number of places, most of them separated into four larger groups, while some individuals seemed to have their own accommodations, including the goblin from the night before. Sensing a number of the house elves in one place, Harry decided that he would make his way to them. Given that one had been a guide they would be able to direct him at the very least.

  Trying to navigate through a building with only a direct direction to go off of was never a precise science. Fortunately he had lots of practice over the centuries. Eventually he arrived before a wall, adorned only with a painting. He could feel the house elves on the other side of the wall and had circled the area as much as he could, but hadn’t managed to find an entrance.

  Harry felt one of the House Elves arrive beside him just before a voice called out. “Is the young sir hungry? Breakfast be not for another hour yet.”

  Harry could feel Moonshadow tense beside him and placed a hand on her raised hackles, gently stroking the fur. He offered the short elf a small smile. “I’d settle for some ratios. Bread and cheese if you have it, meat too would be great. I’ve got gold.”

  The house elf shook his head. He was an older specimen compared to the one last night, though Harry had no notion of what ages were like with the unfamiliar race. “No need to be paying. You be a guest. Come, we will get food from the kitchen if you not be wanting to wait.” The house elf then walked forwards and tickled what looked to be a fruit of some kind on the painting. The painting then swung open to reveal a passageway.

  Entering a massive kitchen, Harry was greeted by the sight of hundreds of the diminutive house elves moving about, preparing food. Several broke off to make their way over, chattering excitedly, asking how they could help. The older one who had shown him the way in organized the lot of them and soon a platter was produced with sliced bread, cheese, and some kind of sausage, already cut to fit on the bread.

  When Harry tried to offer them some coins to pay for the meal they seemed to get offended, so he took the food as a present for a guest and left, storing the food in one of his bags. He hadn’t had a chance to stock up before whatever summoned him. Hopefully he would be able to head out and do some hunting so he wouldn’t be completely reliant on his hosts.

  ***

  “This version of you is far too large. Perhaps in another life. Ah well…”

  Harry watched as the little blond human skipped away down the hall. He had been on the way back to his room when he ran into the human child. She had looked up at him with a faraway look in her eyes before offering him a smile. He had returned it and greeted her. Her response was not what he had expected.

  Was that normal for the humans at this location? Were they a group of seers? There had been far too many at the summoning though, so perhaps it was an isolated thing?

  Once he was back in his room, he decided that it was a good time to go through his inventory and see what exactly he had in terms of resources. There was no telling how long he was going to be in the area and he hated to be reliant on others. Except for the cats though. They had never let him down.

  ***

  Harry looked up at the sound of a knock at his door. Spread all around him on the floor and bed were the contents of his inventory. Some of the stuff he hadn’t even known he had. A lot of it really should have been put into his bank, or at least the guild’s bank. Sighing, he stood up and made his way to the door. There would be time enough to replace and reorganize everything in his bags later.

  Outside the door was the goblin from last night. “Oh my, you really are quite tall. I hadn’t realized how much so until I was here standing before you! Oh, do excuse me, I’m Filius Flitwick, Professor of Charms.”

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  Harry nodded. “Elune adore, Professor Flitwick, I am Harry Potter, a hunter of Darnassus.” A grimace crossed his face before he could banish the thoughts. “Formerly of Darnassus, I should say. Though we’ll have a new home soon enough.”

  The goblin looked like he wanted to say something, then changed his mind. “Ah, indeed. A pleasure to meet you, Harry Potter. Does your profession have a title, Hunter? Or do you prefer your name?”

  “You can just call me Harry. Never really picked a title, though I’ve been given my fair share by others.”

  “Very well then, Harry. The Headmaster would like to speak to you more in his office, if you please accompany me.”

  Harry glanced back at his inventory for a moment before turning his attention back to the goblin. “Of course. A moment please while I clean up.”

  When the door was closed, he glanced over at Moonshadow. “You stay here.”

  ***

  “Ah, Harry my boy, thank you for coming. Thank you for bringing him, Filius, you can go now.”

  Harry looked from the old human to the goblin, suppressing a frown. He itched to draw his bow. He didn’t like being unarmed in such a strange situation. However, there hadn’t been any hostile movements made towards him, other than the initial summoning.

  Settling into a chair, he decided to give the man the benefit of the doubt. Professor Flitwick had called the man Headmaster Dumbledore and described their location as the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. An interesting title for a mage academy. He idly wondered what the mages of Dalaran would think of the place.

  “Tell me Harry, how are you settling in?”

  “With all due respect, Headmaster, I would like to know what you asked me here for. Have you made some progress in determining the circumstances surrounding my summoning?”

  The Headmaster looked at Harry over the rim of his glasses with what seemed to be a disappointed look. Harry mentally scoffed. Compared to some of his colleagues that look was nothing. He was used to dealing with people thousands of years old, not to mention facing off against forces of darkness and madness. The last few decades had been absolutely wild.

  “Very well, Harry. While I have not yet determined how or why the Goblet summoned you, I have determined one consequence of that event. You have been bound to compete in the Tri-Wizard Tournament.” The human then went on to describe the event and what Harry’s role would be in it.

  Harry looked down at the old human with a frown. “That sounds like some dark magic at work. You would keep something like that in a school and use it for the purposes of a game? Do you not value the lives of your students?”

  Dumbledore frowned. “I assure you the students are quite safe.”

  “And yet something that can steal your magic was allowed into the school and somehow used to drag someone from across the nether. How can you sit there and assure me things are safe?”

  “Hogwarts is the safest place in all the British Isles, my boy.”

  “I’m not your boy. I have a family and even they don’t call me a boy. I’m nearly two hundred years old and would appreciate if you kept that in mind.”

  The Headmaster closed his eyes for a moment before sighing. When he opened them he seemed to look even older, if that were possible. “Forgive me, Mr. Potter. It is sometimes hard to change when one reaches my age. I am used to being older than everyone I meet, with rare exceptions. I shall endevour to remember that you are not the Harry Potter that I had hoped to one day see again. Well, perhaps you are, but the circumstances…” He trailed off for a moment before nodding to himself.

  “Very well, let us return to the subject of your stay. While we research what has happened with the Goblet and how you came to be embroiled in things here, Hogwarts will of course accommodate you.”

  Harry shook his head. “I’m more than capable of taking care of myself in the wilds. Point me in the direction of a well provisioned forest and I shall fend for myself. I’d rather not stay in the place where I was summoned, as that seems the most likely place for whoever orchestrated this to be lurking.”

  Dumbledore shook his head. “I’m afraid I cannot allow you to stray from the castle. In addition to the Tournament, there are other elements that could be a danger to you.” The man then went on to explain about a Dark Lord and his followers, who say Harry as an opponent, due to having vanquished said Dark Lord as a babe.

  Harry chuckled softly. “I do not think we shall have to worry about those looking for your Boy-Who-Lived, considering my current appearance. They would have nothing to link me to the past incarnation, if that’s truly who I am, or was.”

  The Headmaster sighed and nodded. “I suppose you are correct. I just worry over your safety, Harry.”

  “I’m quite capable of taking care of myself. I’ve been hunting and making my own way in the world for over a century. Trust me, Headmaster, I’ll be fine in the woods and I feel that your school would be safer were I not around as well.”

  Dumbledore merely nodded. “I suppose you are correct in that. Very well, I’ll have Hagrid, our Groundskeeper, show you to the Forbidden Forest. There is plenty of game. Do be careful of the centaurs and the acromantulas. However, there is still the matter of your participation in the Tournament, as well as your appearance.”

  Harry frowned. “What is wrong with my appearance?”

  “We do not have Night Elves in our world. Very few of the fae remain in this day and those that do often keep themselves separate from the wizarding world. Your appearance would cause confusion and panic among the populace. However, there are some simple charms and glamours that can disguise your appearance. Give you the appearance of the Harry Potter that everyone is expecting.”

  Another frown creased Harry’s brow before he nodded slowly. “I suppose it wouldn’t do to cause unneeded panic. Very well, teach me these spells and I’ll see if I can cast them. I know that I’m not any good at most of the arcane spells that the mages of my people try to use, though I have been able to work out some approximations.”

  The Headmaster’s eyebrows rose at that statement. “Truly now? Wondrous. Simply wondrous.” The man then drew a wand, one unlike those that Harry was familiar with. He then proceeded to demonstrate several different spells, all of them different than the magic Harry was used to. The hunter found himself fascinated at the possibility of learning those spells. Dumbledore offered to let Harry attend some of the classes once he learned to keep himself disguised if he wanted.

  Harry decided he wanted the chance to learn this strange magic!

  ***

  Harry looked at the yew wand in his hands. It had taken a few days to convince the wand crafter that yew was the wood that he would prefer, as well as to get it custom crafted to match the bow that Harry would craft on his own. The two men had met together to find the tree that would eventually become the paired wand and bow.

  Discussing the theory behind the dual creation had been a delight for the both of them, as they each had extensive experience in their chosen crafting profession. The man, Olivander, had been delighted to see some of the magical reagents that Harry had happened to have in his inventory. Sinew from the tallstriders had been used as the core, the same reagent that Harry used in crafting the bow.

  Figuring out how to properly integrate the two had taken some time. Harry had originally wanted the wand to be a permanent part of the bow. Olivander had argued that they would need more proper testing before they could make a bow that could be used as a wand by itself. The current idea was to model one after the older staff designs, only modified to work as a bow. That would compromise some of the strength of the bow so they were still working out designs for that.

  The first design had the wand as a separate entity that would be docked into a slot on the bow. It would prevent some of the precise movements that were critical to some spells, but with enough practice those spells could still be performed through the bow. It would also leave the wand free to be used independently for times when the bow was not needed. They were still working on prototypes for the integrated design though. Harry would test them over the coming weeks and months.

  Once Harry had given into the idea of testing the bow and wand combinations, he knew he was stuck in place for a while. Not to mention learning the new form of magic in the first place. He was having a great time learning though.

  The glamours made him look like one of the humans, shortening his ears and dampening the glow of his eyes. They still shimmered an otherworldly emerald green, though they no longer shone in the dark. The ears had taken some getting used to, as was being a little shorter. Dumbledore himself had cast the spell that reduced Harry’s height. That was the strangest one of all, but one that he looked forward the most to mastering.

  Convincing Moonswallow that he was still himself had taken some doing. Fortunately his scent was still the same, even though his general appearance had changed. The grandsaber had been with him for over a century though and eventually accepted that Harry was still Harry.

  Together the trio had entered the so-called Forbidden Forest. After one night exploring in his new appearance, Harry decided to convince Dumbledore to allow him to access the forest in his night elf form.

  It was in that form that he originally met the Centaurs. They reminded him of the Maruuk Centaurs of the Ohn’ahran Plains in temperment, though not in size. The ones of the forest were considerably bigger as a whole.

  Discovering the large spiders in the forest had been nostalgic. Teldrassil had been home to such large creatures and they had been one of the first things he’d learned to hunt. Sadly, they weren’t nearly as tasty as the ones back home. Maybe it was a question of diet? Or maybe he needed to prepare them differently than the spider legs he was used to. Something he planned to explore later on.

  One thing he didn’t not expect to have to deal with was notoriety. Apparently the Boy-Who-Lived was big news in the Wizarding World. People were constantly coming up to him and introducing themselves, thanking him for something he either couldn’t remember from when he was a babe, or was completed by another version of himself. Either way he tried to deflect the praise, at least until the Headmaster was able to convince him that it would be better for morale if he could at least pretend to be the Harry of yore, even if he had been gone far longer than anyone suspected.

  It was only a week into his new adventures when he finally heard back from Guildmaster Mathyx. The molten kitten had popped into his room and nearly onto his lap while Harry was practicing some of the new magic. The kitten had looked at him for a moment, cocked her head to the side, then flopped onto his lap, presenting the side of her armor with the letter carrier in it. After giving the kitten the attention she deserved, he extracted the letter and read the contents.

  The Guildmaster had assigned various guild mages to the problem of locating him, along with the help of some of the warlocks. Archmage Typhonus had apparently been grumpy to be dragged from some of his other projects, but had been conjolled into helping, especially as it allowed him access to certain research that had been pushed back for various reasons. Aestria and Dyanessa, the two most powerful warlocks in the guild, had both been happy to help. That brought a smile to his face, seeing his friends working together to try to find him.

  Mathyx had mentioned sending Snowflake to keep him company for a while. Harry had wondered how that was going to work when the massive frostsaber stepped into the room somehow. The cat was barely smaller than Moonswaller, yet wasn’t a mount. Just a cat. At least, that’s what Mathyx kept telling people. Harry was reminded of a time he had seen that ‘simple cat’ dragging a dragon off somewhere. Considering how easy it was for the various cats to cross the Nether gave him hope that the Guild would be able to figure things out.

  Unfortunately, the frostsaber barely fit in the room with Moonshadow. The two had eyed one another for a moment before Snowflake huffed and shouldered his way through the doorway and took up a place in the antechamber. Though it was more like taking up most of the antechamber.

  Harry decided to let the frostsaber do as she liked and focused on learning magic.

  ***

  “There is something we must tell you, Harry Potter, before your journey in the Forest this night.”

  Harry looked up at the large centaur and nodded. “Good evening, Firenze. What does the Centaur Clan have to tell me?”

  “Mars is bright in the sky this night, shining down on new denizens of the Forest. Careful, lest they be stirred.”

  The night elf hunter nodded before offering the centaur a shallow bow. “I thank you for your worlds and will take them to heart. Elune adore, Firenze.”

  Firenze returned the nod and bow and a farewell of his own before bounding into the Forest. Harry watched him go with a slight frown. The Centaurs of the Forbidden Forest that he had encountered, while peaceful for the most part, were rather cryptic in their communications. He knew they meant well, especially when they realized he wasn’t one of the humans.

  Something new in the Forest was troublesome. Environments like the Forbidden Forest had their own equilibrium, one that was currently in turmoil due to the presence of the acromantula. He was working on fixing that balance as much as he could along with his pets and mounts, though he was only one person. The fact that something else might be disturbing that delicate balance was quite worrisome. He set out through the forest in search of visitors, Moonshadow at his side, Moonswallow and Snowflake bounding out to the sides, and several of the smaller cats wandering behind him.

  ***

  As Harry neared the castle, he drew his wand from the bow and cast the spells to change his appearance back to that of the Boy-Who-Lived. He took a moment to stretch and get used to the difference in height and reach. Once he was satisfied, he looked at the two bigger cats with a raised eyebrow. Moonswallow padded over and butted her head against his chest, nearly knocking him over. With a smile he gave her the love and attention she demanded, then sent her off with a pat on the flank. She faded into the shadows.

  Snowflake on the other hand just looked at him with a smug expression. It seemed to be the default look for the giant frostsaber. With a flick of her tail, she turned and vanished around a corner. No doubt she would make it back to the room before him.

  Moonshadow brushed up against him as well, once the other big cats were out of the way. While she tolerated the other cats, she knew who was most important in the pack. The other kittens and smaller cats had already scattered to wherever they went when he wasn’t spending time with them.

  Walking back to his suite, he paused a moment when he felt someone out of place. The presence was one he had only interacted with once though he couldn’t forget the strange nature of it. Making his way through a hallway, he came upon the petite blond human from when he had first arrived. She was huddled on wandering barefoot with an outfit that appeared far too cold for the time of night.

  The child turned to look at him with those wide silver eyes. A faint smile came to her face and she nodded. “That is a much better size for you, Harry Potter.”

  Harry shook his head, having no idea what she meant. “Come child, let us return you to your dorm. It is far too late and cold for you to be out and about as it is.”

  Moonshadow padded over and nudged the girl gently. In return, the girl wrapped her arms around the cat and nuzzled her face into the cat’s fur. A gentle smile overcame Harry as he reached out to take the girl’s hand. “Let’s get you to bed, little one.”

  “Not for many years yet, I think.”

  Harry cocked his head to the side as he looked at her before shrugging. He would figure it out later.

  ***

  The day of the first task dawned. Ever since finding them in the Forest, Harry had been studying up on this world’s dragons. Fortunately, they did not seem as formidable as the ones from Azeroth. Unfortunately, they appeared every bit as fierce as the drakes and protodrakes that he had encountered in his time on the Dragon Isles. Most of them required teams of people to handle. Harry had gone over all the options on what he could do against a dragon. Almost all of his options were limited due to the rules not allowing him to bring any gear other than clothing and his wand. No bow. No inventory of potions. Not even his traps.

  However, Harry felt himself relaxing as he heard that rather than fighting and slaying a dragon, they were only being tasked to retrieve a golden egg from the nest. Even selecting the Hungarian Horntail did nothing to dampen his spirits.

  He had a plan!

  ***

  The Hungrarian Horntail was certainly more intimidating when it wasn’t in a cage across a clearing in the forest. The spikes looked particularly unfriendly. The fire even more so.

  Stepping close to the center of the arena, Harry locked eyes with the beast. Were he to have all of his gear, he would have made an effort to tame the creature. Dragontaming was one of the skills he had learned during his time on the Dragon Isles. Certainly it was meant for the smaller versions of the drakes. However, there was nothing about the ability that said it couldn’t be scaled up to something larger. Especially as the dragons here weren’t on the same level of sentience as the ones back home.

  Looking down at the wand in his hand, Harry thought about some of the spells that had been taught to him over the past month. None of them were able to combat a dragon. Fortunately, he had something even better. He slid his wand back into the wrist holster, ignoring the murmurs from the crowd.

  Reaching out with his magic, he called forth his most powerful ability. One that would leave him feeling mostly drained.

  From the shadows all around the arena appeared dozens of cats all of a size with Moonshadow. Even some the size of Moonswallow. Hundreds of smaller specimens popped into existence as well. They all turned as one towards the dragon, then stampeded across the arena.

  Dragon’s breath took a few of them out before the rest swarmed over the beast, knocking it over with sheer volume.

  Harry dashed over to the nest to snag the egg before the dragon could right itself or take out more than a mere handful of the cats.

  He would be spending the next several days resurrecting many of his dearly departed friends, but he felt it was mana well spent.