The Potter manor is one of his ancestral homes, Black being the other, but he liked this place better. It was built in late 1066 by one of his ancestors, who got permission from the king to create this family home. The manor had several grand rooms for different uses. So far, Harry had seen a potion lab, a few bed chambers, an elegant dining room, and the library, of course.
The Potter foyer was one of the first things people saw when they entered the old castle-like building. The hall has not been updated since the 1800s and contains statues from all of the occupants' travels. There was a large grandfather clock, several enchanted suits of armor acting as guardians of the house, and a picture of an old town hanging on the wall to the right. The ornate patterns on the roof and floor were said that Christopher Wren, a known designer at the time, did around 1700 and were in the complete wooden design.
The foyer also contained the grand stairs in the whitest marble you could find, which lead to every other room in the manor. What surprised Harry most was that there were even old parchments that said the estate had once been co-owned by Godric Gryffindor and Salazar Slytherin. But whether it was true or not, he did not know, it was ancient documents, and it was not something that Harry was going to focus on right now. But he had a blast to fix it all up like it use to look like.
Today he needed to get out of here; he walked along with the open courtyard with definite steps towards the forest. Ron and Hermione had decided that they would go on a much-needed date. The gods would only know that they really needed some free time for themselves and not always worry about what was happening to him. And if anyone asked Harry, he thought they were worrying too much; everything had been resolved so far, so why shouldn't this do the same? It was not just that he could die anyway.
Much had changed, but at the same time not. After his meditation and the memory that had come out, he had his magic felt very strange. Partly because he finally accepted what the dreams were, that they were memories from a previous life. And he had begun to look forward to seeing what would happen next. But Harry could not put his finger on what was bothering him the most at the moment. On the one hand, it felt like he suddenly saw the world with new eyes; everything was so sharp, colorful, and vibrant. And it was not because of his lack of eyewear; no, there was something that had changed within him.
Simultaneously, as he embraced the new information, he felt how the faint feeling of anxiety had begun to grow inside of his chest. Because he was here now, right? he had not had any memories of Loki, Asgard, or the fae until he began to have these dreams. It meant that something had happened that made him forget the life he once lived, and he had no idea what had happened, but something must have happened. The question was just what.
To make it easier for him and his friends, Harry decided he needed to let go of everything around him and just run free in the woods. It took them some years of intensive training to find their animagus forms and a few extra months of research and get acquainted with them, but all three were now registered animagus by law.
Harry smiled as he took a deep breath, and his lungs filled with the scent of the damp forest. It was still some drizzle in the air, and heavy gray clouds hung heavy over his head, but he did not think it would rain too much for a while. Harry closed his eyes and felt his magic react immediately, and the transformation began to pull over him. He exhaled slowly to embrace the familiar feeling of changing body parts. Before, it had hurt, but now, it was like a second form. He could switch between the two as quickly as he could change clothes.
Harry's body began to shrink, and dark fur grew out of his fair skin that took on a darker tone. His jaws became more robust and more extended, his teeth reformatted and became sharper, sharp enough to tear muscles and crush bones. All scents became more noticeable, and he could hear the buzzing of a dragonfly several meters away from him. Slowly Harry opened his eyes to the new perspective, and he stretched his stiff body loudly; a happy humming vibrated through him at the beautiful feeling.
After everything that had happened in the last few days, he was delighted that his animagus form had not changed in any case. That meant he was still him, at least to some extent, that he had once been Harald, but now he was Harry Potter, son of James and Lily Potter. Harry did not wait very long before setting off at full speed, his massive muscles tensed and stretched while his claws tore up tufts of grass and soil from the ground. The massive midnight black wolf body began to maneuver easily in the familiar forest.
WheHarry first had seen his form; he had been disappointed for a second, he had thought, given that his Patronus had been a stag, that he would be it in this form also, just like his father had been. But after everything that happened and after he defeated Voldemort, his patron had changed into a giant wolf. Maybe that was the effect of the fact that he died ?.
However, it had been Ron who and his helpfully commented that he was not his father, that made him stop. He was Harry Potter, not James Potter, so why would his animal be his fathers when he was his own person? An animagus was the spirit animal. It represented who you were.
In any case, something had changed within him, and he had his new form. Harry was easily twice as tall as a regular wolf and more muscular. Hermione joked that he was a wolf, an ancient werewolf who could deliberately switch between his shapes. Something he was not entirely against, the form suited him.
After running for a good while, Harry began to slow down and began to trot contentedly and enjoy the freedom that the shift brought. The last few weeks had been tough on his body and mind, but now the changes had become more calm and stable. He still had a headache but not as severe as before. He let the magic of the forest close around him; he could feel the magic vibrating in the air-ground. Harry took a deep breath in the scent and paused for a second. His head held high and let the drizzle fall on his body, and he just enjoyed the tranquility the forest gave him.
He still could not believe that he owned all this because Potter was one of the oldest families; they also had one of Scotland's largest magical properties. The land that stretched around Potter Manor was something out of the ordinary magical forests. Several hectares of forest, meadows, mountains, and lakes merged into the pristine medieval forest. After he moved in, Harry tried as often as he could to walk among the magical animals that lived there; he could easily survive outside for several days without returning to the mansion. He made sure to do it often as it gave him inner peace.
However, this evening seemed different; why could he not have a single evening in peace?. A dull, irritated morning vibrated in his massive chest when he felt a sudden cold and heavy feeling pull in over the forest. A sense that has not been there a few minutes ago. The unpleasant feeling that spread through him cooled him into the marrow. But there was no scent in the air; it was almost as if he could feel the vibrations in his core. Whatever it was, it was something that disturbed the magic in the forest.
Harry began to go in the direction where the feeling was sipping from the most. His instincts had not yet led him astray. And suddenly, his sensitive nose was hit by a smell of rotten flesh. Whatever it was, he had not encountered this smell before, and it was not a familiar smell from the usual visitors in the forest. His green eyes narrowed before he started running in that direction. Something inside him screamed at him to hurry. He needed to get there quickly. The smell of decay became denser, and it was almost as if he could see a black-purple mist spread over the ground. The strange energy and feeling only grew and accelerated him further. His muscles shouted at him that it was going too fast, but he had to catch up before it was too late.
Harry practically flew over the fallen trunk that was in his way, and suddenly he heard a sound that made his insides become icy cold. A high-pitched childish scream cuts through the dark forest. He knew very well what magical creatures were moving in the woods; he had even seen herds of winged horses that contained Abraxas, Granian, and Thestraler. Hearing whining sounds from them was not uncommon, but such a terrifying scream was not usual, not with that undertone, almost like a human last death cry. And he had heard enough of such screams to recognize it.
After the battle of Hogwarts, after all the death that surrounded them, he had noticed a magical creature fighting alongside them. And he knew of what that sacrifice meant to said beings. Harry had no idea what he was thinking after all, but he had sought out his old division professor to present his offer in the days after the battle.
The forbidden forest Centaur herd had not allowed him to return after the battle as they considered him unclean and degrading. It left him homeless and without a job; Firenze had then wandered without a herd for a while before encountering his mate, a beautiful red pinto male named Orion. The centaur was more white than red but what had caught Harry's interest was that Orion had wings on his back!
He had never seen a winged centaur before; Orion was soft-spoken and careful and did not attract attention. So when Harry met them, he, of course, opened his possessions for both of them to live in peace without having to worry.
It had not taken much persuasion on Harry's part to get them here, and he was glad he could open his home to one of his old teachers. But in recent years, more outcast Centaurs had found a home in the Firenze's herd; if Harry does not remember wrong, they were now seven adult centaurs in the pack. Besides, this spring, they heard had been blessed with foals, something that was highly celebrated. It had been so loud that the golden trio had been able to listen to them from the balcony.
Firenze had been blessed with twins, and two other couples got a foal each. So now four prosperous and happy centaur foals ran on his property in a colony that had begun to grow more extensive than the one at Hogwarts, and not as threatening or proud. These were new times, and these Centaurs embraced both what the stars said and what they could learn from what was happening around them.
But it was also one of the foals who was now screaming in fear not so far from him. Harry shot forward even faster than before, magic caressed his tense muscles, and the smell of decay grew stronger. He could now see a humanoid dark-skinned figure in front of him; the dark shadows that the forest cast over them made the figures more horrible.
The closer he got, the more of the distorted creature became apparent as it dragged itself dragging forward, the long arms trailing behind it. Blood dripped from its long front teeth in a breathtaking sound leaving its black mouth. He immediately recognized it. A living dead. He had no idea how a Ghoul could have invaded his property had the wards fail somehow? Oh damn, he had not even thought of that before. He probably needed to do something to fix it later on; he had not even thought of the idea of renewing them. Surely, no one had done that since his parents lived here twenty years ago.
Harry flew at the creature with a loud growl, and his massive body tackled it away from its prey. The little palomino centaur lay knocked to the ground and had trouble getting up, fear loosening in the little foal's face. Harry stood protectively in front of the little creature, hoping she would not be too afraid of him.
Harry lowered his massive head, and his lips were parted, and bared his sharp teeth, he stared intensely at the intruder who was slowly recovering. Harry had encountered both werewolves and vampires but never a ghoul before; how did you kill it? And what did this one do here? Why was it alone? They used to wander in flocks, mush like dementors.
The creature suddenly threw itself at him with a snarl, and Harry pushed away all thoughts and instead focused on neutralizing the dangerous creature in front of him. He could not use his magic in this body, but he did not need it either. He had both sharp teeth and strong claws that could tear creatures to pieces. It did not take him many minutes before the creature's body collapsed into a pile on the ground. A dark liquid flowed out of the body and eroded the land around the fallen body, slowly breaking down into a more dust-like substance.
Harry made a panting noise to clear his nose of the disgusting odor, raised his head, and listened to the forest, sniffing for more enemies. The feeling within him purred in satisfaction when there was no more danger, the creature's gross darkness was still soiling the natural energy, but it was no longer a danger.
Harry turned slowly and looked at the foal that was now a reasonable distance away from him and shook in horror at what had just happened. The foal's big blue eyes were wide open, and Harry could see blood running down the foal's injured arm and shoulder, but otherwise, she did not look too injured. He made a low whining sound and crouched down a little to make himself smaller so as not to scare her anymore.
He could see the small wings protruding from the foal's back fluttering a little, and together with the blue eyes, he could clearly see who her sire was. So this was one of Firenze and Orion's twins; the question was, what did she do alone so far in from the herd?
Harry crawled slowly forward towards the foal and kept a low profile all the time, and as she crawled backward, her legs fluttering wildly beneath him in fear that he would attack her just as well. Harry hesitated before slowly lying down, letting a faint growling sound coming from him. It was a pity she had never met him before because by then, he had already been able to help her with his wounds, but the herd kept to itself, and Harry had not wanted to push on.
He remained on the ground and kept his head low. Waiting. Centaurs were very protective of their young and never let strangers near them until they were at least six months old. The young mare stared at him with big sapphire blue eyes, and she did not seem to know how she would react to the strange wolf that had saved her.
"d-don't e-eat ... eat me? please, Mr. w-wolf, "she stammered low with a voice filled with both pain and fear.
Harry shook his head slowly at her words, his response seemed to calm her down a bit, but she was still tense and ready to try to escape in case she needed to. He slowly raised his head and tilted his head slightly. His emerald green eyes were fixed on her while he waited for her to calm down. Should he change? No, then she would probably be too scared and hurt herself more. She needed to calm down before, and Harry kept quiet while she took in the whole situation.
The filly blinked slowly and began to relax more and more; he could see how her gaze shifted in from the ghoul and back to him.
Harry could do a little happy dance as her gaze began to shift a bit more and more as she thought. As she realized that he was not an ordinary wolf, as the one her parents always warned her about. He also seemed to understand her and made her hesitate a little, but the green eyes caught the young mare's attention. She had heard stories about the brave man who opened his home to them, but she remembered that he would have intense forest green eyes.
"a-are you sure?"
Harry made a low hopping sound and nodded. His tail wagged gently along the ground, branches and dirt were guaranteed to get stuck in the bushy tail, but for the moment, he ignored it. He needed to calm the mare down, and he was delighted when she spoke again, and now she had figured it out.
"Mr. Potter? " the big blue eyes were filled with tears when she asked this, and her whole body was now shaking violently. Could it be their protector who saved her? She had heard her sire and carrier talk about the young wizard who owned the forest they lived in and his great deeds in the war that happened several years ago. All the foals in the herd loved to hear stories between them and learned to read the stars.
Harry nodded when she knew about him and took it as a confirmation that he could get up and take a step closer to her. This time she let him, and she remained in her place. He sniffed gently at her hoof and looked up at her as she stared down at him. He could see how her eyes began to get an unfocused look in her; she had started to go into shock. Harry raised his head and listened to the forest around them. He could not hear any other centaurs, so the herd must be some distance away, and according to his calculation, it was a reasonable distance to the mansion.
It was also not a good idea to walk with an injured foal when darkness fell, too many predators. Harry gently pushed on the foal's arm, and she raised it at his urging, slowly she gently stretched out her hand towards him. When the foal then gently pulled a shaky hand through his fur, he made a low vibrating sound and pressed his head against her hand. He tried to let his energy spread around her, calm, secure, safe.
Her eyes shone with tears that now began to fall down her pale cheeks. Harry then slowly withdrew from her touch and then shifted back to his human form in front of her. His long black hair fell wildly around his shoulders, and it moved in the weak wind that his magic exudes, and he squatted in front of her with a calm smile.
"Hello there, little one," Harry said softly when the foal jerked but thankfully did not escape from him.
"It's okay," he continued, holding his hand to hers, and she stared down at it as if she thought he was going to eat her. "You know who I am, and I suspect I know who you are."
The mare closed her eyes, "do you?" pep she, and Harry nodded. "Either you are Thea or Nova."
The foal stared up at him, and he could see the wonder spread when he said her name. "N-Nova"
Harry nodded, "Nice to finally meet you, Nova; I'm a good friend of your Sire," he then said, holding out his hand to her. "Could I review your wounds? must they hurt you very much? "
Nova suddenly made a low whining sound, as if he suddenly reminded her that she was hurting herself and realized that it hurt a lot. Tears now ran down her cheeks in a steady stream, and her breathing increased.
"Yes-s," She said, "I want to Sire aa-and carrier," she snorted, and her body now began to shake when the shock started to grip her, and Harry decided to take the risk and get closer. When she was not protesting, he put her arm in a light embrace and let his magic embrace her more and more.
"Hush, Jag vet little one, I will take you as soon as you can walk properly, alright? I'm not going to leave you here."
She made a new whining noise and hid her face in his sweater, and her arms clung to him while he held the little foal and rocked her softly back and forth and pulled her fingers through the light hair. When her tears finally began to subside, he looked down at the exhausted Nova and wiped a tear away from her cheek.
"May I look at your wound, Nova?" he asked her softly because even though she was only a foal, she was a centaur; they were proud creatures by birth. And even though an adult centaur would probably deny him, he hoped this little one would not. But he did not have to worry much because after a bit of thought, she nodded, head still buried in his shirt. Harry smiled weakly and let his hand hover over the wound on her shoulder, and he could feel his magic gather under his palm. He could not heal it entirely, but he needed to stop the bleeding.
"Can you tell us what happened to Nova?"
"w-we played by the p-pond," she exclaimed in a high pitched voice when the uncomfortable feeling swept over her shoulder. "Thea chased me, Malar and Rapkin, it was fun, we were so fast, and they could not catch up with us !. We were so fast, and everyone ran around, "she said with a now big smile on her young face. The tears were still there, but she was stuck in her story. "Rapkin suddenly disappeared, and I did not find him again. Then I noticed that the forest I were in was strange," she mumbled a little lower than before. "I was scared, tried to find a way back again, and ran faster for I know carrier hates when I'm away too far of, but then I came across…. encountered that…t-that…. "
Harry hugged her again. The last thing he needed was for her to break down again. "It's okay. I think I can put together what happened afterward."
Harry could now feel her hands digging into his long hair and her head resting against his shoulder as if sucking in his closeness and energy. Honestly, it was a bit annoying; he had no idea what to do with children, much less a magical creature like the centaurs. Harry looked down at the foal that had begun to shake again, and he let his free hand stroke his platinum blonde hair.
"You were so brave, Nova, so good," he said to her comfortingly.
He had never been more about centaurs being so close before, but this was only a foal, who also experienced something terrible, so it was no wonder that she sought security. Harry looked down at the wound, which had now closed nicely but was still an irritating red mark. It would leave a scar behind.
"I'm staying with you tonight, so we'll go to your flock tomorrow, okay?" asked her low, but he got no answer. Harry looked down at her and saw that she was already asleep from exhaustion on him. He quickly checked her hooves and wings for more injuries but found none, thank goodness.
He took out his wand and waved it in an intricate pattern before breaking up some protective barriers and notes-me-not charms around them. When he was happy with the result, he changed shape to the giant wolf again to keep her warm and that he could hear much better in this shape. Luckily, neither Ron nor Hermione would notice that he was not coming home; they were probably fully occupied by each other.
Harry lay down behind the foal so that the small body lay entirely between his legs and stomach. He could feel Nova moving a little in his sleep and digging his head into his warming fur. He listened to the forest around them and sniffed in the air. He felt it would be a long night. It was probably already after midnight when he finally gave up fighting the sleep that was already coming over him, and he felt safe enough that his magic would warn him if danger came too close to them. So he let the sleep wash over him and a new strange memory take its place
* ~ * ~ * ~ *
Loki was utterly painfully bored, and that we're usually not a good thing. He already missed his second half. They both had known that sooner or later, they would have to separate for a longer time. They found a pleasant balance to wander between their different realms and their lives. Loki let his thoughts flow for a while to his little fae mate; they had now been together and engaged with each other for several years. They had had their adventures and their obstacles along the way. Especially when Loki could create chaos wherever he went and whether he wanted to or not, he usually liked it.
But as Harald's 700th birthday approached, he would, according to Fae tradition, enter into his complete magical ability. There were three stages in their magical development, the last of which was when they were counted as adults in their family. There were several different things that this difference would bring; first of all, they would finally get married. And apparently, his little one would get a power boost from the transcending.
If the rumors were true, Harald's magical ability would probably be doubled if not tripled, given the tremendous magical core he already had. He lived and breathed magic as it was; Magic was such a large part of who he was. So this separation was a more security measure. Harald needed to be in Vanaheim and not on Asgard. If something happens, heaven forbid, or if his transcending would be more violent, he needed their expertise. And sadly, Loki didn't have that kind of knowledge yet.
But Loki hated that he was not allowed to be there with him when it happened. It was his fiancé! He felt powerless when he could not be beside his little prince and protect him from all that he considered a danger or an act of irritation—mainly the big excuse for a brother, who loved dueling with his little mate. But that was a story for another time.
This was something that the older royals had agreed on, something that Odin stuck to, and everyone knew that Odin's words were law. It was useful for young couples to grow into their roles and strengthen their bonds with the distance. However, Loki was ready to ignore everything his father said and sneak over anyway, he had plans to do so tonight, and no one could stop him.
It was purely rubbish that they needed to be separated if you asked Loki, but then again, no one did. Loki grinned when his already created plan would happen already this day. He needed to meet his fiancé and did not intend to let his dear father's strange views stop him.
At the moment, Loki tried to play his role as an obedient son and concentrate on the pitiful excuse of a meeting that their father forced both Thor and him to attend. Thor, with his annoying careless personality, sat and slept - with open eyes! - which made him just look stupider than he was. Sometimes Loki wondered if they were even related or if his parents decided to adopt Thor out of pure mercy. Loki had always been the one who took on the more political part of their upbringing; he liked it, the cunning power play that was handled by well-chosen words. It is who he was; his brother liked the more aggressive form of his responsibilities; training and fighting were more in his fortune.
In these meetings, Loki managed to use his so-called silver tongue to its utmost ability and often without being noticed or accused of doing so. Sometimes when he felt extra bored, he could easily distort the words and create a bit of chaos in an already chaotic situation. It would not exactly make any significant difference. However, what irritated him was that Thor was the crown prince and could escape everything that Loki would be punished for if he was found out. Like sleeping in an 'important' meeting.
His blonde mountain of a brother, who always had difficulty keeping his interest in the subject, had significant problems concentrating if whatever subject didn't interest him. And he was their next king? Loki worried about their kingdom. He rubbed his forehead lightly as he heard another of the ancient goats, arguing over some gems and how the stars warned of desperate times.
If he had to go through this torture, Thor would have to go through with him.
Loki sent the sleeping body an annoyed glance, there-were-no-excuses, and honestly, Thor was wide open to an attack. He only did him a favor by poking them out for him. Loki kept his face neutral while he only stretched his middle finger, and a bolt of energy suddenly hit Thor in the leg, which made the big chunk growl in surprise.
Thor flew up from the chair and saw wildly around him the cause of the pain and knocked down his goblet of wine that innocently stood in front of him. The red liquid now ran down to the floor, soaked half of Thor's trousers in red. Loki tried to keep a neutral expression and kept laughing when the whole room fell silent and stared at the spectacle that was his dear brother.
The older council stared at the Crown Prince, and Odin raised a bushy eyebrow over the rude interruption but did not comment.
"Do you want to say anything, my son?" Odin's stern voice took on a different undertone than he had before.
"Emh… I ..." Thor opened his mouth but closed it again and looked utterly lost, like a puppy who did not know where his favorite toy had gone. He had no idea what had been said or happened, and he sought his brother's gaze and gave him an annoyed expression when he realized what exactly had happened. He knew very well who was responsible for his current situation.
Loki looked at him with an innocent face and pointed at himself with big green eyes. Thor narrowed his eyes at him and let the silence fill the room, sober, tense, and a little bit of humiliating.
Loki cleared his head slightly, his eyes fixed on him instead, "What my dear brother is probably trying to get across is that maybe it's time to take a break, All-father, we have been sitting in this meeting since sunrise, and the sun is already high. heaven, "
Odin nodded. "It's a great suggestion, Thor, let's take back this discussion mid-solstice," he said and hit his pole in the ground and got up, and the others quickly followed his initiative.
Loki rolled his eyes and shook his head at their father's words. Of course, he would believe that was Thor, and sometimes he wondered why he even tried. The sound of scraping chairs and footsteps led them out of the room followed the All-fathers command. Once they were out of earshot, Loki could no longer hold back the laughter that shook his shoulders, and he threw his head back as the sound pearled out of him. The blonde muscle mountain looked at him, annoyed when Loki broke down in front of him.
"Loki…." Thor said in a deadpanned voice, "that was a waste of good wine, and I had a nice dream."
"Really, now, brother?" Loki cocked an elegant black eyebrow, feigning wonder all over his feature. "Then you definitely have your priorities right" he continued to chuckle at his misfortune.
"It was just a bit of fun; relax, brother."
Thor gave him another annoyed look, "Little help, as compensation?"
Loki waved his hand, "Do it yourself; you have time."
"Loki-i" now suddenly whined a very dissatisfied Thor, "It's a long way to my room!"
Loki just chuckled in response; he had to blame himself for his own clumsiness. Although he could quickly have helped him with his magic, it was a punishment for leaving him alone with the ancients. He was not the one who had slept during a meeting anyway.
Loki started walking from the meeting room with a brooding Thor behind him, so, suddenly he slowed down in his steps. An abnormal hurried feeling spread over his back, and without warning, an intense pain hit him straight in the back. It was like a dagger cut him over his shoulder blades and down to his hip.
Loki could not help the panting that left him, and his legs suddenly stopped working as he fell on his knees. He could hear Thor's anxious voice next to him, but he could not listen to what he was saying. The skin suddenly burned as if someone had peeled it off, and it tore at his side, only his right side…. and only over his soul mark.
Loki ground his teeth hard together to prevent the scream that threatened to tear from his throat, and he grabbed his tunic to expose his shoulder where the soul mark began to grow over. Loki could swear that his heart stopped when his gaze fell on the market and saw the horror down on it. His eyes caught the difference straight away, but his brain could not understand what it meant.
The previously lush carpet of forget-me-nots and peonies was suddenly in the wrong color, and the flowers had begun to wither. They had already rolled into each other and weathered down to die in a horrible brown-gray color.
But that could not be possible; it just did not happen; the only time a soul's mark was withering and disappearing was when its equivalent was near death or, worse, already dead.
The fear and pain tore at Loki, and this time he could not stop the painful scream that ripped from his vocals as a new wave of powerful magic hit him straight on his back. It burned like someone tried to carve the flowers out. Loki screamed again when the feeling tore in his body and his soul when the magic suddenly was sucked in from the mark, drying it thoroughly.
Loki did not even notice when the darkness embraced him as everything he felt was the intensive pain that tore his whole existents and soul apart. He sank deeper into the infinite void when a strange emptiness arose in his soul, and he lost his light.