Categories > Books > Harry Potter > Beyond Grave Peril
Chapter Three: Into the Summer's Heart
9 reviewsAn accident sends Harry Potter into Dresden universe and soon his talents are needed more than ever before. The question is not whether he can win, but can he survive?
5Exciting
Beyond Grave Peril
By Random Shinobi
Summary: An accident sends Harry Potter into Dresden universe and soon his talents are needed more than ever before. The question is not whether he can win, but can he survive? Insurmountable odds have never been this insurmountable for him. [HP/Dresden Files crossover. Not DH compliant. Starts before Grave Peril.]
Genre: Action/Adventure
Rating: R
Disclaimer: If you recognise it, then it might well belong to Ms. Rowling or Mr. Butcher. I only claim my OCs and plot.
Special thanks to snuggle the muggle for her help.
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Chapter Three: Into the Summer's Heart
"...and then I had a nasty encounter with a bunch Death Eaters," Harry said, spinning his tale of half-truths, "which pretty much forced me to leave the country. I'm lucky I found this place before I ran into any troubles with local Muggles."
The raven-haired woman tilted her head and spoke, "I have been wanting to ask for a some time now, but what exactly are Muggles?"
Harry's smile fell and he blinked. The young wizard suddenly knew he had made a cardinal mistake. Despite that the woman believed in and knew something of magic and, according to her word, worked for Midwestern Arcane – a paper he had originally assumed being American equivalent to Daily Prophet – she apparently wasn't a witch.
And now Harry had foolishly blabbered some truths she wasn't supposed to know. Minor, almost meaningless truths, yes, but truths nevertheless – truths that would soon appear in a bloody Muggle newspaper! That is, unless he did something...
Harry sighed tiredly and gave the wand holster strapped to the underside of his right forearm a mental command. The charmed holster reacted immediately, shooting a wand out into his waiting hand and the young wizard pointed it at the woman sitting opposite him, his hand hidden under the table so that nobody could see the movement.
”James,” the woman started, calling him by the alias he had given her a few minutes earlier. James Black was the name he usually used when not wanting to use his real name for a reason or another. While it was pretty easy to track back on him, it had an useful benefit of not setting off any lie-detection charms; James was his middle name and as Sirius' heir, he had the right to use the name Black. ”You look distracted.”
With a little effort Harry managed to smile wearily at her. It was a decidedly fake smile, and he didn't expect the female reporter to be fooled for a second. ”It's nothing– Obliviate.”
There was a faint flash of pure white light and a blank look spread over her pretty face, her eyes glazing for a moment as the spell washed away her memories of the conversation. The Gryffindor wizard casually re-holstered the holly wand and rose from his chair before the Obliviated woman managed to recover from her magic-induced stupor, leaving the table in hurry.
He stopped in his tracks barely a second later, his heart missing a beat and his emerald eyes widening in surprise. He sucked in a breath, the act releasing a faint hiss. ”Bloody hell,” Harry exclaimed to no one in particular, his voice barely audible.
A large man stood in his way, having apparently just walked in, and pointed a thick wooden rod at his face, the smoking tip hovering mere inches from his nose. Dozens of small runes covered the rod's surface, blazing with a fiery-orange light and releasing wisps of white smoke, like an overly large cigarette. The sharp smell of something burning filled his nostrils.
Harry slowly lifted his hands in a placating gesture, showing his palms to the other wizard. “Um... Can't we negotiate this?”
“I don't think so, Warlock,” the tall man snarled and more light coalesced around the offending rod's tip. Harry could feel the searing heat radiated by the weird wand-imitation against his face and he almost gulped in his nervousness. The thing was like a branding-iron. “What the hell did you do to Susan?” the other wizard asked after a second of uncomfortable silence, his tone telling Harry that the man was desperately trying to control himself.
“I didn't harm her,” the young wizard said in a rush, not wanting the enraged wizard to get antsy and accidentally blow his head off. “I just Obliviated her. I thought she was our kind and accidentally told her something I shouldn't have, but then I noticed she's a Muggle and I had to do something. I didn't know she...” Harry trailed off at the blank look of the other man. “You didn't get a word of what I just said, did you?”
“I got enough,” the older wizard said angrily and the rod tip, held far too close Harry's face for his comfort, seemed to ignite, a thick rope of black smoke curling towards the low ceiling and joining and mixing with the white wisps rising from the burning runes. “You did something to her mind, didn't you. Are you fucking insane? Don't you know what messing with people's minds does to them and you?”
“Eh?” Harry said and blinked, feeling quite perplexed. “When correctly performed, the Memory Charm has no side-effects. Besides, it's you who's off his rocker. You must know that this conversation is a direct violation of Statute of Secrecy?”
“Hell's bells,” the wizard cursed loudly. “I don't know what the hell you are babbling about, boy, but I do know that using magic to mess with a human mind carries death penalty.”
“Death penalty from using a Memory Charm?” Harry repeated disbelievingly. “Bloody hell, you Americans are bat-shit crazy!”
“Harry,” the woman he had spoken to earlier, started, causing both wizards to swivel a look at her. “Are you saying that the boy did something to my mind?”
“Yeah, I think so,” said the tall man holding the glowing baton at Harry's face, his dark eyes burrowing into the younger wizard's emerald orbs. After a few seconds of stare-down the older man added, “And he's no boy. He's not even a human... A faery, I think.”
“Eh...” Harry exclaimed softly, unable to form a good reply for a statement as stupid as that. Faeries were tiny humanoid creatures with insect wings and the young wizard was at a loss how someone could actually think him as one. The large man was obviously insane and thus prone to do something very stupid... And as 'stupid' in this case meant the other wizard blowing his head off his shoulders, Harry rightly felt that he should act first.
He exploded into motion and the other man reacted in an instant; A wrist-thick lance of magical flame leapt from the glowing rod, only to miss Harry's face by mere inches. If it weren't for the Temperis Charm that Harry had put on himself before going after the Dark Lord, the searing heat radiated by the bolt would have still been enough to sign his hair and burn half of his face to extra crispy even though the blazing bolt of scarlet energy just went by him. Now it was just an uncomfortable flash of burning heat.
There was a flash of silver as Harry drew his sword and slashed it upwards, the gleaming goblin-made blade cutting straight through the rune-carved baton held by the older wizard. Both pieces of the destroyed rod immediately caught fire as the now unrestrained energy burst out in a brilliant pyrotechnic show, showering both wizards with fiery sparks.
Before the smouldering piece of enchanted wood hit the floor, a heavy boot embedded itself on Harry's stomach. The protective Cushioning Charm put on his robes spread the impact time and area, so that the young wizard hardly felt the blow. However, this didn't actually lessen the force behind the kick or change the fact that Harry was much lighter than the other man.
Harry's feet left the floor and he was hurled backwards, hitting the floor with a dull thud. A second later he was back on his feet, his wand shooting into his waiting hand from the charmed holster. He pointed the holly wand at the other wizard and was about utter the incantation that would reduce the man to a greasy spot on the floor, before he realised that he didn't have enough magical juice left to conjure even a small amount of Fiendfyre nor did he really even want to kill the man, insane though he might be.
As the crazy man dropped the now useless piece of smoking wood and drew a heavy revolver from his black leather duster, someone yelled, “This is neutral territory! If you want to fight, then take it outside!”
Harry turned his head slightly to look at the speaker, being careful of not letting the enemy wizard out of his sight even if a Muggle firearm was totally useless against any sorcerer worth his or her wand. She was an old woman dressed mostly in red, sitting alone in the corner table with a large keg of ale. He didn't know what the woman meant by 'neutral territory,' but decided that this stupidity had already gone too far. He was tired and aching, and he didn't really feel like continuing this pointless fight. Closing his eyes, Harry called up a destination, focusing on it with all his willpower and summoning the last vestiges of power remaining in him. He moved with deliberation and turned on the spot, vanishing with a soft pop.
He briefly felt the familiar crushing squeeze of Apparation before something gave out and the pressure vanished in an instant. While normal Apparation felt like being whisked through a too-small pipe, now it was like the 'Apparation tunnel' had simply been too tight, or the barrier too thin, for him and thus ripped apart. Harry re-materialised mid-air with a loud bang rivalling that of an old, black powder cannon, thousands of bright sparks of leftover magic dancing around his flailing form. He spun randomly in the air as he fell down, as if thrown by an invisible hand. After a few seconds of the nauseating flight, the young wizard hit a pool of water with a loud splash and was instantly submerged in the warm liquid.
It took him a moment to re-orient himself, but once he discerned what direction was up he quickly swam to the surface. His heavy robes were not exactly made for swimming, but as Impervious kept his clothes dry, they didn't impede his movements too much.
Once he broke the water surface and felt a cool breeze against his face, he gasped greedily for air, enjoying every breath he took. He sheathed Gryffindor's sword because swimming with a blade in hand was an exercise in futility. The emerald-eyed wizard swivelled his head and took in his surroundings. He was currently taking a swim a large garden pool, surrounded by a ring of tall trees that seemed to reach high into the heavens. Their heavy branches and innumerable deep-green leaves blocked majority of the sky that was a starry blanket of dark blue. A bit further, the young wizard could see tall trellises that had trained creepers thick with multicoloured blossoms that came in every shape. Half dozen sapphire fires were burning mid-air and illuminated the maze of pathways, seemingly not suspended or fueled by anything.
However, what mostly caught his attention was not the beauty of his surroundings but the fact that the pool he was in glowed with its own light. Hell, the liquid positively burned with fiery, inhuman power. "Oh, crap," Harry exclaimed just before the foreign magic burned through the Impervious Charm, the glowing liquid instantly drenching his dark robes and washing away the multitude of minor charms and enchantments he had carefully laid on them. Then the it touched his skin...
Pure flame filled him, the joyous heat of full summer, and he exalted in the sudden, overflowing life of it. The massive surge of vibrant, fiery energy replenished his depleted reserves to the brink in a blink of eye, blazing power unfolding and expanding inside him. Heavenly warmth filled him and his aches were banished, renewed strength flooding into his limbs.
He felt so blissful that it was agony. He basked in the vibrant, warm power that seemed to spring from life itself, but there was simply too much of it. Far too much. The wild power rushing into him needed some outlet before he would explode of it. Pointing his holly wand towards the star-filled sky, Harry bellowed, "Fiendfyre!"
Intense searing power rushed through his arm into the wand that quickly gained heat and vibrated violently in his hand due the ungodly amount of energy he pushed into the Dark spell. A gargantuan pillar of cursed fire rose from his wand tip, and exploded upwards, roaring with fiery power. There was a strong gust of searing wind and for a few seconds the conjured flames rivalled the midday's sun in their intensity, bathing the thriving garden in uncomfortably bright light.
Some spells were 'delicate,' so that the caster's power played hardly any part in determining the spell's effectiveness, it being ascertained more by skill and proper focus. However, other spells depended very much on raw power. Fiendfyre definitely belonged to the latter group and so it served as an excellent escape vent for the unearthly power that was flooding into him. Using the brief moment of respite the sudden output of humongous amount of magic had gained him, Harry quickly scampered out of the glowing pool of fiery power that threatened to consume him. A quick Drying Charm banished the clear, luminous liquid out of his robes, hitting the carpet of grass in a sudden flood. The raven-haired wizard sighed in relief and took a moment to adjust his dishevelled clothes.
A quiet snap was the only warning he got before a large, green wolf-like creature came from the thick bushes. The beast had eyes that were pupilless pools of orange fire, and its deep-green fur looked like it was composed of innumerable blades of grass and its tail was a writhing mass of vines. It opened a mouth filled with rows of brown root-like teeth and growled in deep bass, large amounts of yellowish-green drool dripping from its open maw. Then the beast dashed across the small clearing towards the young wizard, trailing drops of saliva that glittered in the moonlight. The thing reached Harry in a second, its deadly jaws searching for his throat.
Harry had barely any time to react before the green-furred canine slammed into him, its large front paws blasting onto his chest with the force of a sledgehammer. The young wizard fell backwards, smashing into the damp ground, driven by the weight and momentum of the unnatural monster. His left hand rose almost in its own accord and the silver shield-ring on his index finger flared up with bluish glow, shining through the thin glove and depleting the small amount magic stored in it, a small shield swirling into existence just in time to stop his throat from being torn apart by the snapping jaws. The beast's dull claws ripped Harry's robes and gashed the flesh below as it furiously tried to gouge his insides out, warm blood quickly soaking parts of the green under-robe.
A heartbeat later Harry’s wand tip came into contact with the beast’s belly. “Everbero!” the young wizard shouted, pushing the maximum amount of magic into a Bludgeoning Hex, overcharging it with the blazing power that filled him. The spell hit the huge wolf-thingy with a such force that it easily shattered the green beast's ribcage, crushing its lungs and heart in the process and blasted the poor creature over ten yards straight up. Hot blood splashed all over Harry's face and chest, painting him with black and filling his mouth with its metallic tang.
Just as the critically wounded canine hit the ground accompanied by a sticky rain of warm blood, two similar beasts appeared out of the maze of bushes, and unsurprisingly, instantly rushed towards Harry. This time the young wizard was ready, however, and the mangy beasts never managed to reach him. A flick of Harry's wand lifted the first wolf-like creature up into the air, gurgling and flailing around as an invisible force tightened its grip around its throat, while an area banisher sent the other green beast flying across the clearing with a faint flash of yellow light and a violent gust of displaced air.
As the plant-coloured beast hit the ground, rolling around a few times, a single jab of Harry's wand sent a scarlet Reducto sailing through the air towards it. The large wolf-thingy easily sidestepped the rather lethal curse and again rushed towards the wizard, who calmly directed his next spell at the ground before the beast. The charm exploded the moist earth beneath the green-furred beast, blasting it high into the air, causing third degree burns and breaking one or two of its legs.
Just as Harry thought the battle was over, even more wolf-plant-hybrids begun to arrive, probably alerted by loud explosions and bright flashes of light. Cursing mentally, Harry whirled his wand in an elaborate loop before slashing it downwards, a transparent purple dome surrounding him in a split second and halting the furious charge of three more beasts. The spell was the full-dome version of Contego Charm – a very useful spell in a situation like this.
The pack of magical beasts quickly encircled him, hissing, barking and growling. Their fiery orange eyes stared at him hungrily, burning with unnatural anger and fury. The two wounded beasts were quickly back on their feet, their wounds healing ridiculously fast, broken bones mending and snapping back to their proper places while greenish flesh resewed itself in front of the young wizard's wide eyes. At least one of them was truly dead, hanging limply in the air, its neck snapped by the overpowered Strangling Curse.
Harry pondered his options. There were five, large wolves...or whatever. Most likely too many for him to take at the same time without getting torn to shreds. They also were much faster than he so fleeing wasn't really an option unless he Apparated, which didn't seem to work very well at the moment considering how he ended up in here in the first place. While hiding behind the shield was quite appealing at the moment, it wasn't truly an intelligent decision as he had no idea where he was. For all he knew he could be in a Death Eater base...
Then one of the beast exhaled a large cloud of green...spores? The misty vapours washed over his shield, coating it with a thing layer of green and causing small vines to grown on the surface. These tiny mould-like vines quickly grew in size, becoming progressively larger with every passing second. Harry cursed as he realised the growing plants were draining their strength from his shield, slowly turning it into bloody fertilizer...
Deciding that playing for time served no purpose, he dropped the shield and exploded into motion, the vines collapsing and forming a circular heap around him. The weird green beasts lunged at him with furious snarls and barks. The first of them got a full blast of the Disintegrating Hex and subsequently exploded into a cloud of fine dust. Harry dived under snapping jaws of the second, doing a somersault on the damp ground. He was instantly back on his feet again and spun on the spot, his heels digging into the damp ground and his dark robes whirling.
A quick slash of his wand sent a large arc of purple fire at the three nearest assailants and two of the canines were instantly torched and cut apart, as the fiery spell exploded through them, pulsating with the stolen power. On the places where the amethyst flames touched the ground the moist, dark-green grass was quickly combusted while all plant-life around the burnt spot blackened and withered away in seconds. Such was the life-sapping power of the Darker cousin of ordinary Bluebell Flame.
Harry's boot rose and connected with the snout of the beast that hadn't yet recovered its balance after sidestepping the almost liquid-looking fire, sending the wolf-like creature trailing backwards. Unfortunately the kick didn't really harm the large beast even if it had his whole strength behind it, but at least the blow kept the mongrel away from him for a second.
Diving into his left, Harry avoided a furious lunge of the green-furred beast that had cleverly sneaked behind him. If it weren't for the fact that it had stupidly snarled as it attacked, denoting its awfully low intelligence or at least plain sucky common-sense, he would have just become its personal chew-toy, now it just bit off a large piece of his black outer-robe. As the young wizard rolled on the wet ground, he discarded his holly wand and drew a ruby-encrusted sword from its plain sheath, slashing it at the nearest wolf-thingy. The razor-sharp blade cut deep, but surprisingly little blood flowed. Harry suspected it was because of their tremendously accelerated healing factor. Well, it didn't really matter as the beast would soon succumb to the poison anyway.
Jumping back to his feet, he slashed wildly around with his leaf-shaped blade in an attempt to keep the pair of canine beasts away from him. Releasing a furious yell, Harry charged at the nearest beast, his robes billowing and his sword dancing wildly; Hacking, thrusting, and slashing with much more desperate fury than any actual skill. One good thrust rammed his softly glowing blade right down an unfortunate beast's throat, the bloody tip of his sword protruding out of its back. The creature collapsed and Harry quickly yanked his sword back with a disgusting, wet sound, before spinning and cutting a wide circle around him to discourage the remaining wolf-like creature from coming too close. The spinning motion sent dozens tiny droplets of black liquid arching through the air, and they glittered like exquisite onyxes as they fell downwards.
The last beast was staggering around, the deadly venom coursing in the monster's veins sapping its strength and muddling its thoughts. In a few seconds, it collapsed to the floor of dewed grass in a heap, the prone body twitching slightly, leaving Harry as the only one left standing in the dark garden. He breathed heavily and he dropped to one knee, leaning towards the sword he stuck on the ground and resting his forehead against the cool, ruby pommel. After a few seconds he lifted his gaze and refocused on the bloodied carcasses of the wolf-like beasts that finally looked properly dead, discounting the very slight twitching, but Harry assumed it was...natural.
Now as the fight had ended Harry took a moment to stare the sword in his hands, his eyes widening slightly as he took in the changes on it. The thing actually glowed with flickering golden light, ethereal flames fanning over the silver blade. It was somewhat surprising as he had never seen it do so before... And he had no idea what it meant or what had caused it.
He picked his wand from where he had dropped it mere moments before and flicked it casually, conjuring stream of icy water from his wand tip to drench the small fires flickering around him. A quick Episkey healed the bleeding wounds in his chest, and reduced the sharp pain to a mere itch. Then he cast an elementary Cleaning Charm at Gryffindor's sword, washing away the many bloodstains that the burning heat the goblin-wrought blade now radiated had turned into smouldering spots. After turning the scabbard fireproof with a flick of his wand and a muttered incantation, he sheathed the flaming sword, hoping that the fourth-year charm would last until he had time to think up a more permanent solution.
A small movement at the edge of vision was the only warning he got before a bolt of searing fire zoomed trough the air, lighting the lush garden in its brilliant, orange hue. If Harry hadn't had a wand ready in his hand, he would have never managed to bring up a shield before being transformed into a human torch, but as he had, the fiery bolt exploded against a silvery shield with a loud hiss, sending thousands upon thousands of brilliant sparks travelling slowly towards the starry sky alongside with curling wisps of thick, dark smoke.
The magical flames died quickly and darkness descended again, cloaking everything in dark shadows, and once his vision was clear of the purple after images, Harry could finally see properly what he was fighting against – it was a woman. A pretty, young, and pretty naked woman...with furry cat-ears on the top of her head, sticking out of the waist length white hair that flowed lightly around her in the cool breeze, luminous amber eyes, and a long white tail, that swished behind her agitatedly.
The young wizard, however, paid hardly any attention to her feline accessories as she had some other far more interesting feminine accessories. Harry's gaze was pretty much locked onto the woman's very ample bosom that heaved mesmerisingly with every breath she took. Even in a grave situation like this, he could appreciate their gravity-defying roundness and the soft-looking, pink nipples. The only thing the woman wore, discounting a few delicate pieces of gold jewellery, was a thin, see-through, white silk robe that hung wide open, almost as she was inviting him to ogle to his heart's desire.
"How dare you drink from the Summer Wellspring, wizard?" the feline woman hissed in outrage, baring her sharp teeth. Despite her obvious anger, every word was perfectly pronounced and echoing with power. Even her furious hissing managed to sound musical. "How dare you defile Summer's heart, the Garden of Elysium? How dare you turn Summer's power against its loyal minions?"
"Um..." Harry started sheepishly, but kept his wand trained at the incomer. "It was sorta an accident."
"Accident!? You call this an accident!?" the cat-woman raged, spittle flying from her mouth with every syllable. Bright green sparks danced around her clawed hand as she made a few sharp gestures, the action unleashing a huge torrent of emerald fire at the young wizard.
An amethyst shield sprung into existence a split second before the column of swirling flames reached him, blasting against the softly glowing barrier with an inhuman force and ferocity. It was the strongest shield Harry knew, but still he only just managed to keep his balance. His feet slid along the carpet of dewed grass as the force of the spell bore down on him, and it took every iota of his magical weight to keep the barrier up. Terrible heat seeped through the purple shield that grew dimmer with every passing moment, diminishing under the onslaught of inhuman power, and Harry felt like he was swimming in his own sweat. The furious woman continued to press, forcing him further backwards under the overwhelming weight of the blazing emerald fire.
There was another flash of magic, one he felt rather than saw, and the blazing threads of power that composed the heart of the stream of green fire that hammered and burned against Harry's shield unravelled, the spell exploding with earth-shaking boom. The shockwave of fiery power was too much for his weakened shield to handle and it collapsed a second later, shattering like a thin panel of coloured glass. Surrounded by thick clouds of dark smoke and cascading purple sparks, Harry stood amidst the destruction, a ring of burning grass circling him.
"Peace, Lady Yurine. No more blood needs to be spilled on the blessed soil of Elysium. I will take care of this intruder personally. Please return back to...whatever you were doing to be dressed like that."
A few yards behind the feline lady now stood another woman, who was flanked by a violent looking centaur hefting a huge silver axe, and a tall man who had his pale hair braided and wore close-fit mail of some glittering black metal that made him look rail-thin and deadly. Like the cat-woman, she too wore white, although a lot more of it. She was dressed in some kind of thin, body armour that emphasized her gentle, feminine curves. Over the armour of white and gold, she had a bottle-green cloak with intricate white patterns woven to the trim. Standing at about five foot ten, her long, flowing white hair gently draped over her shoulders curling at the end of the locks, complementing her soulful emerald eyes perfectly. Harry guessed she was about his age, perhaps a bit older.
The cat-like woman sniffed haughtily, her amber eyes glinting with suppressed fury, but obeyed the softly spoken command and walked silently past the group of battle-ready newcomers, quickly vanishing into the maze of pathways.
The green-eyed woman looked at him for a few seconds in silence, as if she was contemplating something, before she spoke in soft tones, "You are not a Wizard... I sense no other power emanating from you than the power you just stole from the Wellspring. But yet, you must have great power to force your way through the numerous wards and enchantments guarding this sacred place. I wonder... Are you an Outsider, a creature of the Outer Night?"
Harry blinked. "Well... I certainly don't belong here."
The young woman's lips slithered into an amused smile, showing him a row of sparkling white teeth. His heart fluttered a little; she really did have a nice smile... "I wouldn't be so sure of it," she said softly and tilted her head a little. "You have already accepted Summer into you. You have embraced our power, filled yourself with it... And you rejoiced in it."
"You mean that pool-thingy?" the young wizard asked, feeling and looking quite confused. He finally lowered his wand, letting the glowed hand fall to his side. "I assure you that my being here is purely accidental."
"That may be so, yet you did take our power," she said calmly as she walked towards him with measured steps, her hips swaying almost hypnotically and it took some mental effort of the young wizard's part to return his gaze at her face. "You own one to Summer for that, and another one to me personally as I saved you. That's two favours, don't you agree?"
"Eh... Yeah, well... I guess I do." As soon as those words left his lips, he felt something twist inside him and he lost his balance, staggering a few steps backwards. The fiery power he had got from the ...Wellspring... thrummed for a second before settling down again.
Then the young wizard felt a warm hand touching his cheek and he froze, the white-haired woman's fingers sliding gently alongside his face. When his attention had been away for a second she had swiftly eliminated the distance between them. "You accepted Summer into your being..." she murmured and her vertically slitted emerald-green eyes looked directly into his. Their eyes were exactly same shade of green, Harry idly noted. "Your word is now truly your bond, Lord Potter, and I will hold you on our bargain."
"Wait! What!?" Harry stuttered, his eyes widening, surprised that she knew his name and confused of everything else she said. He couldn't have just accidentally sealed a magical pact, now could he? At least he truly hoped he hadn't... "Who are you?"
She invaded his personal space, one perfect hand touching his shoulder. Her warm breath tickled his ear as she whispered, "I'm Aurora, the Summer Lady. I'm sure our partnership will prove to be extremely gainful for both of us." She let out a small silvery laugh, the sound piercingly sweet. "I, however, do sense that you have something to do before you assume your new duties. I bid thee farewell for a short moment."
Before Harry managed to say anything, his world was sent spinning as the lush garden melted away...
*
Aurora scrutinized the dead Scrunt hanging mid-air, its neck snapped by an invisible force. The Summer Lady easily sensed her Court's power used in the spell, but could not feel even the barest trace of the Outsider's own magic. She focused, narrowing her eyes, and the world inverted, becoming black and white, while previously invisible threads of magic suddenly become visible, glowing with all colours of a rainbow. Strings of Summer's blazing power bend around something invisible, forming a simple but very elegant magical structure. The spell didn't just harden air as she had she had seen some human wizards doing, instead it created a small force field. Much more sophisticated...
Her nimble fingers flashed through a complicated motion and she whispered a single word of power, the Outsider's deadly spell dispersing in a shower of azure sparks and the dead body collapsing to the ground with a dull thud. As she looked down, she saw something that caught her interest.
"Ectoplasm? Here?" Aurora murmured, kneeling and scooping the few droplets of greenish-yellow goo that stained a few blades of grass into her finger. She lifted the delicate hand in front of her feline eyes that glinted with inner power. "Oh, yes... The Outsider had bled... Most interesting."
"My Queen, are you sure this is wise?" the tall man next to her asked, his voice a musical bass. "Even if the Outsider is bound, his geas will last only as long the stolen power remains strong within him. It will fade soon and so will you power over him. Even you cannot cage a lord of the Outer Night, milady. You saw how your Glamours failed the moment they touched him – I doubt he even noticed them."
The Summer Lady stood up, straightening her dress, and turned her head to look at his adjutant. "Lord Talos, I think Summer will remain with him always... Besides, I doubt I will need any magic to control him." She licked her full lips before continuing, "You saw how he acted like a blushing virgin... And perhaps he really is. It could prove highly amusing."
The man bowed. "As you say, my Queen."
By Random Shinobi
Summary: An accident sends Harry Potter into Dresden universe and soon his talents are needed more than ever before. The question is not whether he can win, but can he survive? Insurmountable odds have never been this insurmountable for him. [HP/Dresden Files crossover. Not DH compliant. Starts before Grave Peril.]
Genre: Action/Adventure
Rating: R
Disclaimer: If you recognise it, then it might well belong to Ms. Rowling or Mr. Butcher. I only claim my OCs and plot.
Special thanks to snuggle the muggle for her help.
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Chapter Three: Into the Summer's Heart
"...and then I had a nasty encounter with a bunch Death Eaters," Harry said, spinning his tale of half-truths, "which pretty much forced me to leave the country. I'm lucky I found this place before I ran into any troubles with local Muggles."
The raven-haired woman tilted her head and spoke, "I have been wanting to ask for a some time now, but what exactly are Muggles?"
Harry's smile fell and he blinked. The young wizard suddenly knew he had made a cardinal mistake. Despite that the woman believed in and knew something of magic and, according to her word, worked for Midwestern Arcane – a paper he had originally assumed being American equivalent to Daily Prophet – she apparently wasn't a witch.
And now Harry had foolishly blabbered some truths she wasn't supposed to know. Minor, almost meaningless truths, yes, but truths nevertheless – truths that would soon appear in a bloody Muggle newspaper! That is, unless he did something...
Harry sighed tiredly and gave the wand holster strapped to the underside of his right forearm a mental command. The charmed holster reacted immediately, shooting a wand out into his waiting hand and the young wizard pointed it at the woman sitting opposite him, his hand hidden under the table so that nobody could see the movement.
”James,” the woman started, calling him by the alias he had given her a few minutes earlier. James Black was the name he usually used when not wanting to use his real name for a reason or another. While it was pretty easy to track back on him, it had an useful benefit of not setting off any lie-detection charms; James was his middle name and as Sirius' heir, he had the right to use the name Black. ”You look distracted.”
With a little effort Harry managed to smile wearily at her. It was a decidedly fake smile, and he didn't expect the female reporter to be fooled for a second. ”It's nothing– Obliviate.”
There was a faint flash of pure white light and a blank look spread over her pretty face, her eyes glazing for a moment as the spell washed away her memories of the conversation. The Gryffindor wizard casually re-holstered the holly wand and rose from his chair before the Obliviated woman managed to recover from her magic-induced stupor, leaving the table in hurry.
He stopped in his tracks barely a second later, his heart missing a beat and his emerald eyes widening in surprise. He sucked in a breath, the act releasing a faint hiss. ”Bloody hell,” Harry exclaimed to no one in particular, his voice barely audible.
A large man stood in his way, having apparently just walked in, and pointed a thick wooden rod at his face, the smoking tip hovering mere inches from his nose. Dozens of small runes covered the rod's surface, blazing with a fiery-orange light and releasing wisps of white smoke, like an overly large cigarette. The sharp smell of something burning filled his nostrils.
Harry slowly lifted his hands in a placating gesture, showing his palms to the other wizard. “Um... Can't we negotiate this?”
“I don't think so, Warlock,” the tall man snarled and more light coalesced around the offending rod's tip. Harry could feel the searing heat radiated by the weird wand-imitation against his face and he almost gulped in his nervousness. The thing was like a branding-iron. “What the hell did you do to Susan?” the other wizard asked after a second of uncomfortable silence, his tone telling Harry that the man was desperately trying to control himself.
“I didn't harm her,” the young wizard said in a rush, not wanting the enraged wizard to get antsy and accidentally blow his head off. “I just Obliviated her. I thought she was our kind and accidentally told her something I shouldn't have, but then I noticed she's a Muggle and I had to do something. I didn't know she...” Harry trailed off at the blank look of the other man. “You didn't get a word of what I just said, did you?”
“I got enough,” the older wizard said angrily and the rod tip, held far too close Harry's face for his comfort, seemed to ignite, a thick rope of black smoke curling towards the low ceiling and joining and mixing with the white wisps rising from the burning runes. “You did something to her mind, didn't you. Are you fucking insane? Don't you know what messing with people's minds does to them and you?”
“Eh?” Harry said and blinked, feeling quite perplexed. “When correctly performed, the Memory Charm has no side-effects. Besides, it's you who's off his rocker. You must know that this conversation is a direct violation of Statute of Secrecy?”
“Hell's bells,” the wizard cursed loudly. “I don't know what the hell you are babbling about, boy, but I do know that using magic to mess with a human mind carries death penalty.”
“Death penalty from using a Memory Charm?” Harry repeated disbelievingly. “Bloody hell, you Americans are bat-shit crazy!”
“Harry,” the woman he had spoken to earlier, started, causing both wizards to swivel a look at her. “Are you saying that the boy did something to my mind?”
“Yeah, I think so,” said the tall man holding the glowing baton at Harry's face, his dark eyes burrowing into the younger wizard's emerald orbs. After a few seconds of stare-down the older man added, “And he's no boy. He's not even a human... A faery, I think.”
“Eh...” Harry exclaimed softly, unable to form a good reply for a statement as stupid as that. Faeries were tiny humanoid creatures with insect wings and the young wizard was at a loss how someone could actually think him as one. The large man was obviously insane and thus prone to do something very stupid... And as 'stupid' in this case meant the other wizard blowing his head off his shoulders, Harry rightly felt that he should act first.
He exploded into motion and the other man reacted in an instant; A wrist-thick lance of magical flame leapt from the glowing rod, only to miss Harry's face by mere inches. If it weren't for the Temperis Charm that Harry had put on himself before going after the Dark Lord, the searing heat radiated by the bolt would have still been enough to sign his hair and burn half of his face to extra crispy even though the blazing bolt of scarlet energy just went by him. Now it was just an uncomfortable flash of burning heat.
There was a flash of silver as Harry drew his sword and slashed it upwards, the gleaming goblin-made blade cutting straight through the rune-carved baton held by the older wizard. Both pieces of the destroyed rod immediately caught fire as the now unrestrained energy burst out in a brilliant pyrotechnic show, showering both wizards with fiery sparks.
Before the smouldering piece of enchanted wood hit the floor, a heavy boot embedded itself on Harry's stomach. The protective Cushioning Charm put on his robes spread the impact time and area, so that the young wizard hardly felt the blow. However, this didn't actually lessen the force behind the kick or change the fact that Harry was much lighter than the other man.
Harry's feet left the floor and he was hurled backwards, hitting the floor with a dull thud. A second later he was back on his feet, his wand shooting into his waiting hand from the charmed holster. He pointed the holly wand at the other wizard and was about utter the incantation that would reduce the man to a greasy spot on the floor, before he realised that he didn't have enough magical juice left to conjure even a small amount of Fiendfyre nor did he really even want to kill the man, insane though he might be.
As the crazy man dropped the now useless piece of smoking wood and drew a heavy revolver from his black leather duster, someone yelled, “This is neutral territory! If you want to fight, then take it outside!”
Harry turned his head slightly to look at the speaker, being careful of not letting the enemy wizard out of his sight even if a Muggle firearm was totally useless against any sorcerer worth his or her wand. She was an old woman dressed mostly in red, sitting alone in the corner table with a large keg of ale. He didn't know what the woman meant by 'neutral territory,' but decided that this stupidity had already gone too far. He was tired and aching, and he didn't really feel like continuing this pointless fight. Closing his eyes, Harry called up a destination, focusing on it with all his willpower and summoning the last vestiges of power remaining in him. He moved with deliberation and turned on the spot, vanishing with a soft pop.
He briefly felt the familiar crushing squeeze of Apparation before something gave out and the pressure vanished in an instant. While normal Apparation felt like being whisked through a too-small pipe, now it was like the 'Apparation tunnel' had simply been too tight, or the barrier too thin, for him and thus ripped apart. Harry re-materialised mid-air with a loud bang rivalling that of an old, black powder cannon, thousands of bright sparks of leftover magic dancing around his flailing form. He spun randomly in the air as he fell down, as if thrown by an invisible hand. After a few seconds of the nauseating flight, the young wizard hit a pool of water with a loud splash and was instantly submerged in the warm liquid.
It took him a moment to re-orient himself, but once he discerned what direction was up he quickly swam to the surface. His heavy robes were not exactly made for swimming, but as Impervious kept his clothes dry, they didn't impede his movements too much.
Once he broke the water surface and felt a cool breeze against his face, he gasped greedily for air, enjoying every breath he took. He sheathed Gryffindor's sword because swimming with a blade in hand was an exercise in futility. The emerald-eyed wizard swivelled his head and took in his surroundings. He was currently taking a swim a large garden pool, surrounded by a ring of tall trees that seemed to reach high into the heavens. Their heavy branches and innumerable deep-green leaves blocked majority of the sky that was a starry blanket of dark blue. A bit further, the young wizard could see tall trellises that had trained creepers thick with multicoloured blossoms that came in every shape. Half dozen sapphire fires were burning mid-air and illuminated the maze of pathways, seemingly not suspended or fueled by anything.
However, what mostly caught his attention was not the beauty of his surroundings but the fact that the pool he was in glowed with its own light. Hell, the liquid positively burned with fiery, inhuman power. "Oh, crap," Harry exclaimed just before the foreign magic burned through the Impervious Charm, the glowing liquid instantly drenching his dark robes and washing away the multitude of minor charms and enchantments he had carefully laid on them. Then the it touched his skin...
Pure flame filled him, the joyous heat of full summer, and he exalted in the sudden, overflowing life of it. The massive surge of vibrant, fiery energy replenished his depleted reserves to the brink in a blink of eye, blazing power unfolding and expanding inside him. Heavenly warmth filled him and his aches were banished, renewed strength flooding into his limbs.
He felt so blissful that it was agony. He basked in the vibrant, warm power that seemed to spring from life itself, but there was simply too much of it. Far too much. The wild power rushing into him needed some outlet before he would explode of it. Pointing his holly wand towards the star-filled sky, Harry bellowed, "Fiendfyre!"
Intense searing power rushed through his arm into the wand that quickly gained heat and vibrated violently in his hand due the ungodly amount of energy he pushed into the Dark spell. A gargantuan pillar of cursed fire rose from his wand tip, and exploded upwards, roaring with fiery power. There was a strong gust of searing wind and for a few seconds the conjured flames rivalled the midday's sun in their intensity, bathing the thriving garden in uncomfortably bright light.
Some spells were 'delicate,' so that the caster's power played hardly any part in determining the spell's effectiveness, it being ascertained more by skill and proper focus. However, other spells depended very much on raw power. Fiendfyre definitely belonged to the latter group and so it served as an excellent escape vent for the unearthly power that was flooding into him. Using the brief moment of respite the sudden output of humongous amount of magic had gained him, Harry quickly scampered out of the glowing pool of fiery power that threatened to consume him. A quick Drying Charm banished the clear, luminous liquid out of his robes, hitting the carpet of grass in a sudden flood. The raven-haired wizard sighed in relief and took a moment to adjust his dishevelled clothes.
A quiet snap was the only warning he got before a large, green wolf-like creature came from the thick bushes. The beast had eyes that were pupilless pools of orange fire, and its deep-green fur looked like it was composed of innumerable blades of grass and its tail was a writhing mass of vines. It opened a mouth filled with rows of brown root-like teeth and growled in deep bass, large amounts of yellowish-green drool dripping from its open maw. Then the beast dashed across the small clearing towards the young wizard, trailing drops of saliva that glittered in the moonlight. The thing reached Harry in a second, its deadly jaws searching for his throat.
Harry had barely any time to react before the green-furred canine slammed into him, its large front paws blasting onto his chest with the force of a sledgehammer. The young wizard fell backwards, smashing into the damp ground, driven by the weight and momentum of the unnatural monster. His left hand rose almost in its own accord and the silver shield-ring on his index finger flared up with bluish glow, shining through the thin glove and depleting the small amount magic stored in it, a small shield swirling into existence just in time to stop his throat from being torn apart by the snapping jaws. The beast's dull claws ripped Harry's robes and gashed the flesh below as it furiously tried to gouge his insides out, warm blood quickly soaking parts of the green under-robe.
A heartbeat later Harry’s wand tip came into contact with the beast’s belly. “Everbero!” the young wizard shouted, pushing the maximum amount of magic into a Bludgeoning Hex, overcharging it with the blazing power that filled him. The spell hit the huge wolf-thingy with a such force that it easily shattered the green beast's ribcage, crushing its lungs and heart in the process and blasted the poor creature over ten yards straight up. Hot blood splashed all over Harry's face and chest, painting him with black and filling his mouth with its metallic tang.
Just as the critically wounded canine hit the ground accompanied by a sticky rain of warm blood, two similar beasts appeared out of the maze of bushes, and unsurprisingly, instantly rushed towards Harry. This time the young wizard was ready, however, and the mangy beasts never managed to reach him. A flick of Harry's wand lifted the first wolf-like creature up into the air, gurgling and flailing around as an invisible force tightened its grip around its throat, while an area banisher sent the other green beast flying across the clearing with a faint flash of yellow light and a violent gust of displaced air.
As the plant-coloured beast hit the ground, rolling around a few times, a single jab of Harry's wand sent a scarlet Reducto sailing through the air towards it. The large wolf-thingy easily sidestepped the rather lethal curse and again rushed towards the wizard, who calmly directed his next spell at the ground before the beast. The charm exploded the moist earth beneath the green-furred beast, blasting it high into the air, causing third degree burns and breaking one or two of its legs.
Just as Harry thought the battle was over, even more wolf-plant-hybrids begun to arrive, probably alerted by loud explosions and bright flashes of light. Cursing mentally, Harry whirled his wand in an elaborate loop before slashing it downwards, a transparent purple dome surrounding him in a split second and halting the furious charge of three more beasts. The spell was the full-dome version of Contego Charm – a very useful spell in a situation like this.
The pack of magical beasts quickly encircled him, hissing, barking and growling. Their fiery orange eyes stared at him hungrily, burning with unnatural anger and fury. The two wounded beasts were quickly back on their feet, their wounds healing ridiculously fast, broken bones mending and snapping back to their proper places while greenish flesh resewed itself in front of the young wizard's wide eyes. At least one of them was truly dead, hanging limply in the air, its neck snapped by the overpowered Strangling Curse.
Harry pondered his options. There were five, large wolves...or whatever. Most likely too many for him to take at the same time without getting torn to shreds. They also were much faster than he so fleeing wasn't really an option unless he Apparated, which didn't seem to work very well at the moment considering how he ended up in here in the first place. While hiding behind the shield was quite appealing at the moment, it wasn't truly an intelligent decision as he had no idea where he was. For all he knew he could be in a Death Eater base...
Then one of the beast exhaled a large cloud of green...spores? The misty vapours washed over his shield, coating it with a thing layer of green and causing small vines to grown on the surface. These tiny mould-like vines quickly grew in size, becoming progressively larger with every passing second. Harry cursed as he realised the growing plants were draining their strength from his shield, slowly turning it into bloody fertilizer...
Deciding that playing for time served no purpose, he dropped the shield and exploded into motion, the vines collapsing and forming a circular heap around him. The weird green beasts lunged at him with furious snarls and barks. The first of them got a full blast of the Disintegrating Hex and subsequently exploded into a cloud of fine dust. Harry dived under snapping jaws of the second, doing a somersault on the damp ground. He was instantly back on his feet again and spun on the spot, his heels digging into the damp ground and his dark robes whirling.
A quick slash of his wand sent a large arc of purple fire at the three nearest assailants and two of the canines were instantly torched and cut apart, as the fiery spell exploded through them, pulsating with the stolen power. On the places where the amethyst flames touched the ground the moist, dark-green grass was quickly combusted while all plant-life around the burnt spot blackened and withered away in seconds. Such was the life-sapping power of the Darker cousin of ordinary Bluebell Flame.
Harry's boot rose and connected with the snout of the beast that hadn't yet recovered its balance after sidestepping the almost liquid-looking fire, sending the wolf-like creature trailing backwards. Unfortunately the kick didn't really harm the large beast even if it had his whole strength behind it, but at least the blow kept the mongrel away from him for a second.
Diving into his left, Harry avoided a furious lunge of the green-furred beast that had cleverly sneaked behind him. If it weren't for the fact that it had stupidly snarled as it attacked, denoting its awfully low intelligence or at least plain sucky common-sense, he would have just become its personal chew-toy, now it just bit off a large piece of his black outer-robe. As the young wizard rolled on the wet ground, he discarded his holly wand and drew a ruby-encrusted sword from its plain sheath, slashing it at the nearest wolf-thingy. The razor-sharp blade cut deep, but surprisingly little blood flowed. Harry suspected it was because of their tremendously accelerated healing factor. Well, it didn't really matter as the beast would soon succumb to the poison anyway.
Jumping back to his feet, he slashed wildly around with his leaf-shaped blade in an attempt to keep the pair of canine beasts away from him. Releasing a furious yell, Harry charged at the nearest beast, his robes billowing and his sword dancing wildly; Hacking, thrusting, and slashing with much more desperate fury than any actual skill. One good thrust rammed his softly glowing blade right down an unfortunate beast's throat, the bloody tip of his sword protruding out of its back. The creature collapsed and Harry quickly yanked his sword back with a disgusting, wet sound, before spinning and cutting a wide circle around him to discourage the remaining wolf-like creature from coming too close. The spinning motion sent dozens tiny droplets of black liquid arching through the air, and they glittered like exquisite onyxes as they fell downwards.
The last beast was staggering around, the deadly venom coursing in the monster's veins sapping its strength and muddling its thoughts. In a few seconds, it collapsed to the floor of dewed grass in a heap, the prone body twitching slightly, leaving Harry as the only one left standing in the dark garden. He breathed heavily and he dropped to one knee, leaning towards the sword he stuck on the ground and resting his forehead against the cool, ruby pommel. After a few seconds he lifted his gaze and refocused on the bloodied carcasses of the wolf-like beasts that finally looked properly dead, discounting the very slight twitching, but Harry assumed it was...natural.
Now as the fight had ended Harry took a moment to stare the sword in his hands, his eyes widening slightly as he took in the changes on it. The thing actually glowed with flickering golden light, ethereal flames fanning over the silver blade. It was somewhat surprising as he had never seen it do so before... And he had no idea what it meant or what had caused it.
He picked his wand from where he had dropped it mere moments before and flicked it casually, conjuring stream of icy water from his wand tip to drench the small fires flickering around him. A quick Episkey healed the bleeding wounds in his chest, and reduced the sharp pain to a mere itch. Then he cast an elementary Cleaning Charm at Gryffindor's sword, washing away the many bloodstains that the burning heat the goblin-wrought blade now radiated had turned into smouldering spots. After turning the scabbard fireproof with a flick of his wand and a muttered incantation, he sheathed the flaming sword, hoping that the fourth-year charm would last until he had time to think up a more permanent solution.
A small movement at the edge of vision was the only warning he got before a bolt of searing fire zoomed trough the air, lighting the lush garden in its brilliant, orange hue. If Harry hadn't had a wand ready in his hand, he would have never managed to bring up a shield before being transformed into a human torch, but as he had, the fiery bolt exploded against a silvery shield with a loud hiss, sending thousands upon thousands of brilliant sparks travelling slowly towards the starry sky alongside with curling wisps of thick, dark smoke.
The magical flames died quickly and darkness descended again, cloaking everything in dark shadows, and once his vision was clear of the purple after images, Harry could finally see properly what he was fighting against – it was a woman. A pretty, young, and pretty naked woman...with furry cat-ears on the top of her head, sticking out of the waist length white hair that flowed lightly around her in the cool breeze, luminous amber eyes, and a long white tail, that swished behind her agitatedly.
The young wizard, however, paid hardly any attention to her feline accessories as she had some other far more interesting feminine accessories. Harry's gaze was pretty much locked onto the woman's very ample bosom that heaved mesmerisingly with every breath she took. Even in a grave situation like this, he could appreciate their gravity-defying roundness and the soft-looking, pink nipples. The only thing the woman wore, discounting a few delicate pieces of gold jewellery, was a thin, see-through, white silk robe that hung wide open, almost as she was inviting him to ogle to his heart's desire.
"How dare you drink from the Summer Wellspring, wizard?" the feline woman hissed in outrage, baring her sharp teeth. Despite her obvious anger, every word was perfectly pronounced and echoing with power. Even her furious hissing managed to sound musical. "How dare you defile Summer's heart, the Garden of Elysium? How dare you turn Summer's power against its loyal minions?"
"Um..." Harry started sheepishly, but kept his wand trained at the incomer. "It was sorta an accident."
"Accident!? You call this an accident!?" the cat-woman raged, spittle flying from her mouth with every syllable. Bright green sparks danced around her clawed hand as she made a few sharp gestures, the action unleashing a huge torrent of emerald fire at the young wizard.
An amethyst shield sprung into existence a split second before the column of swirling flames reached him, blasting against the softly glowing barrier with an inhuman force and ferocity. It was the strongest shield Harry knew, but still he only just managed to keep his balance. His feet slid along the carpet of dewed grass as the force of the spell bore down on him, and it took every iota of his magical weight to keep the barrier up. Terrible heat seeped through the purple shield that grew dimmer with every passing moment, diminishing under the onslaught of inhuman power, and Harry felt like he was swimming in his own sweat. The furious woman continued to press, forcing him further backwards under the overwhelming weight of the blazing emerald fire.
There was another flash of magic, one he felt rather than saw, and the blazing threads of power that composed the heart of the stream of green fire that hammered and burned against Harry's shield unravelled, the spell exploding with earth-shaking boom. The shockwave of fiery power was too much for his weakened shield to handle and it collapsed a second later, shattering like a thin panel of coloured glass. Surrounded by thick clouds of dark smoke and cascading purple sparks, Harry stood amidst the destruction, a ring of burning grass circling him.
"Peace, Lady Yurine. No more blood needs to be spilled on the blessed soil of Elysium. I will take care of this intruder personally. Please return back to...whatever you were doing to be dressed like that."
A few yards behind the feline lady now stood another woman, who was flanked by a violent looking centaur hefting a huge silver axe, and a tall man who had his pale hair braided and wore close-fit mail of some glittering black metal that made him look rail-thin and deadly. Like the cat-woman, she too wore white, although a lot more of it. She was dressed in some kind of thin, body armour that emphasized her gentle, feminine curves. Over the armour of white and gold, she had a bottle-green cloak with intricate white patterns woven to the trim. Standing at about five foot ten, her long, flowing white hair gently draped over her shoulders curling at the end of the locks, complementing her soulful emerald eyes perfectly. Harry guessed she was about his age, perhaps a bit older.
The cat-like woman sniffed haughtily, her amber eyes glinting with suppressed fury, but obeyed the softly spoken command and walked silently past the group of battle-ready newcomers, quickly vanishing into the maze of pathways.
The green-eyed woman looked at him for a few seconds in silence, as if she was contemplating something, before she spoke in soft tones, "You are not a Wizard... I sense no other power emanating from you than the power you just stole from the Wellspring. But yet, you must have great power to force your way through the numerous wards and enchantments guarding this sacred place. I wonder... Are you an Outsider, a creature of the Outer Night?"
Harry blinked. "Well... I certainly don't belong here."
The young woman's lips slithered into an amused smile, showing him a row of sparkling white teeth. His heart fluttered a little; she really did have a nice smile... "I wouldn't be so sure of it," she said softly and tilted her head a little. "You have already accepted Summer into you. You have embraced our power, filled yourself with it... And you rejoiced in it."
"You mean that pool-thingy?" the young wizard asked, feeling and looking quite confused. He finally lowered his wand, letting the glowed hand fall to his side. "I assure you that my being here is purely accidental."
"That may be so, yet you did take our power," she said calmly as she walked towards him with measured steps, her hips swaying almost hypnotically and it took some mental effort of the young wizard's part to return his gaze at her face. "You own one to Summer for that, and another one to me personally as I saved you. That's two favours, don't you agree?"
"Eh... Yeah, well... I guess I do." As soon as those words left his lips, he felt something twist inside him and he lost his balance, staggering a few steps backwards. The fiery power he had got from the ...Wellspring... thrummed for a second before settling down again.
Then the young wizard felt a warm hand touching his cheek and he froze, the white-haired woman's fingers sliding gently alongside his face. When his attention had been away for a second she had swiftly eliminated the distance between them. "You accepted Summer into your being..." she murmured and her vertically slitted emerald-green eyes looked directly into his. Their eyes were exactly same shade of green, Harry idly noted. "Your word is now truly your bond, Lord Potter, and I will hold you on our bargain."
"Wait! What!?" Harry stuttered, his eyes widening, surprised that she knew his name and confused of everything else she said. He couldn't have just accidentally sealed a magical pact, now could he? At least he truly hoped he hadn't... "Who are you?"
She invaded his personal space, one perfect hand touching his shoulder. Her warm breath tickled his ear as she whispered, "I'm Aurora, the Summer Lady. I'm sure our partnership will prove to be extremely gainful for both of us." She let out a small silvery laugh, the sound piercingly sweet. "I, however, do sense that you have something to do before you assume your new duties. I bid thee farewell for a short moment."
Before Harry managed to say anything, his world was sent spinning as the lush garden melted away...
*
Aurora scrutinized the dead Scrunt hanging mid-air, its neck snapped by an invisible force. The Summer Lady easily sensed her Court's power used in the spell, but could not feel even the barest trace of the Outsider's own magic. She focused, narrowing her eyes, and the world inverted, becoming black and white, while previously invisible threads of magic suddenly become visible, glowing with all colours of a rainbow. Strings of Summer's blazing power bend around something invisible, forming a simple but very elegant magical structure. The spell didn't just harden air as she had she had seen some human wizards doing, instead it created a small force field. Much more sophisticated...
Her nimble fingers flashed through a complicated motion and she whispered a single word of power, the Outsider's deadly spell dispersing in a shower of azure sparks and the dead body collapsing to the ground with a dull thud. As she looked down, she saw something that caught her interest.
"Ectoplasm? Here?" Aurora murmured, kneeling and scooping the few droplets of greenish-yellow goo that stained a few blades of grass into her finger. She lifted the delicate hand in front of her feline eyes that glinted with inner power. "Oh, yes... The Outsider had bled... Most interesting."
"My Queen, are you sure this is wise?" the tall man next to her asked, his voice a musical bass. "Even if the Outsider is bound, his geas will last only as long the stolen power remains strong within him. It will fade soon and so will you power over him. Even you cannot cage a lord of the Outer Night, milady. You saw how your Glamours failed the moment they touched him – I doubt he even noticed them."
The Summer Lady stood up, straightening her dress, and turned her head to look at his adjutant. "Lord Talos, I think Summer will remain with him always... Besides, I doubt I will need any magic to control him." She licked her full lips before continuing, "You saw how he acted like a blushing virgin... And perhaps he really is. It could prove highly amusing."
The man bowed. "As you say, my Queen."
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