The 'Emerald Dragon'?" Aang asked in a confused voice while sat on the rim of Appa's saddle. Katara gasped as she realised just who they were riding with.
"Get back!" Sokka said suddenly as he pulled Katara behind him, he pulled out his boomerang and club out and was staring at Harry like he was a wild animal. Sokka was staying crouched down since he wasn't entirely comfortable standing on a flying bison without restraints to stop him from falling, heck he just wasn't comfortable standing on a flying bison full stop.
"Guys, what's the big deal?" Aang frowned. "He helped save us."
"I did do that, yes." Harry said as he sat down and made himself comfortable. "You're welcome by the way." Harry added as he looked at them all. The Water Tribe boy that was glaring at him was dressed in water tribe clothes and had his hair done in a short ponytail with short sides while the girl behind him was also dressed in water tribe clothes but had her hair done up in what he could only describe as 'hair loopies'. There are two locks of hair on either side of the face, fastened with blue clips to the back of the head.
The most interesting looking was the Avatar who was dressed in orange and brown clothes, but the interesting part was the tattoos he had. Harry could see a blue arrow shaped tattoo on the boys forehead and it looked like it was going down to his spine. Harry could also see an arrow tattoo on each hand that looked like it was going up his arm.
Harry's research into the air nomads had told him that upon reaching the level of master airbenders are tattooed with five light blue arrows: one extending from the base of the spine to the forehead, one for each arm pointing to the hands, and likewise for the legs and feet. This was good in Harry's opinion, he could safely say that the Avatar knew his airbending.
"Aang, this guy is a monster!" Sokka said, glaring at Harry. "He's invaded countless villages for the Fire Nation! How many people have you killed?! Huh?!" He demanded, directing his questions to Harry.
"More than I would like, less than I will have to." Harry said in a solemn voice. "I took no pleasure in any of that."
"What are you guys talking about?" Aang asked, he looked back and forth between Harry and the Water Tribe siblings. On the one hand he considered Sokka and Katara as friends, even if he had only known them for a short while, and they both looked really worried about Harry. But on the other hand Harry had helped save them from Prince Zuko.
"He's..."
"I'm a monster," Harry cut Sokka off, surprising the Water Tribe boy. Harry looked back and forth between the three of them before he settled his gaze on Sokka. "I've done horrible, horrible things. Hurt a lot of people, but I didn't do it because I wanted to, I did it because at the time I thought I had to." Harry said before he turned to Aang, he shifted so he was now on his knees, he bowed his head to Aang. "I've been searching for you, I had hoped to find you so that together we can stop the Fire Nation."
"You want to stop the fire nation?" Katara asked in a surprised voice.
"I want to save the fire nation," Harry told her without looking up, "right now the Fire Nation rules all, but that might not always be the case. Revolutions, riots, assassinations, they can all happen at any point. If it does happen then more destruction will follow, but if the Avatar...master of all elements and bringer of balance stops the Fire Lord, well...he could end the war in a far less violent manner."
"And you want to end the war?" Sokka snorted disbelievingly, unfortunately for him all of his bravado and bravery abandoned him when Harry looked up and glared at him with green eyes that were so fierce that Sokka actually gulped.
"Listen and listen well, you Water Tribe peasant, because I am only going to say this once." Harry said, still glaring at Sokka. "You've probably been living in an ice cube for the majority of your life, I've been stuck in this place called the real world, fighting and wars aren't stories for me. If it was up to me then not a single village would have been raided, I did what I had to do because I was forced to do it."
"But...you're not forced anymore?" Katara quietly asked.
"Not anymore." Harry said with a small headshake before turning to Aang. "Listen, there may be nothing I can say that will make you trust me, but please give me a chance, we share the same goals, stopping the Fire Lord and saving the world. Either you help me or I do it on my own, and I would much rather work with you. Please, work with me." Harry finished, looking at Aang and waiting to see his reaction.
Aang didn't immediately respond, he looked at Harry and realised that what he was getting was probably the closest he would get to having Harry beg him for help. Admittedly Aang was quite unsure about trusting him based on what he had heard from Sokka, but then again Sokka had at first thought that he himself could have been part of the Fire Nation. Aang wasn't entirely sure what it was about Harry but for some reason he did want to give him a chance.
"Okay," Aang spoke after a few seconds of tense silence. "I don't know you, but you did help us. I'm willing to give you a chance." Aang said in a soft voice.
"What?!" Sokka blurted out in what he would later insist was not a shriek.
"He sounds like he doesn't like bad guys." Aang shrugged.
"That cannot be where the bar is!"
"Listen ponytail," Harry sighed. "let's simplify this. Do you like me?"
"No!"
"Well, I don't like you, so we're on even footing. Do you like the Fire Nation?"
"That's a big 'no'!"
"Well I'm not exactly happy with them at the moment, do you want to see the Avatar killed? If the answer is 'no' then that's another thing we have in common. Listen up, I've been told my entire life that those that belonged to Water Tribes were nothing but filthy peasants, that you weren't good for being anything other than insects for the Fire Nation to squash under their shoes. Now, from what I've seen you seem to care about the Avatar, now it's in my best interests to keep him alive, and even if it wasn't I don't particularly find it fun to kill people only a few youngers than me. We have a mutual enemy, work with us or get out of the way." Harry finally finished.
Katara and Aang stayed quiet as Sokka and Harry stared at each other, Sokka turned away first and mumbled something under his breath but didn't say anymore. Katara and Aang were both simply relieved that the two weren't fighting with each other anymore.
"I...I'll give you a chance," Sokka eventually said. "but if this is a trick then I'm going to make you pay." He added in a firm voice. Harry was quite tempted to say that he didn't really think there was anything that this boy could do that would seriously harm or even intimidate him but in the interest of maintaining the small amount of peace they had he didn't say anything and simply nodded.
"So, I'm Harry, as you all know, but I didn't get your names." Harry said, looking back and forth between them all.
"I'm Katara," Katara spoke in a quiet voice. "this is my brother, Sokka. And you know Aang." She said as she gestured to Aang.
"It's nice to meet you all." Harry said in a polite voice, Sokka looked disbelieving at that comment but didn't say anything.
"A...Aang," Katara spoke a few seconds later. "how did you do that? Earlier I mean, with the water." She asked, unable to totally keep the amazement out of her voice as she thought about the single most impressive piece of waterbending that she had ever seen. She remembered Aang's eyes glowing a bright white, along with his arrow tattoos. He had rockets upward from the water that he had fallen in and got back on the ship by riding a humongous spinning water vortex. He had summoned the water behind him before it swirled around him, forming a protective circle, before spreading outward, knocking Zuko and several soldiers off their feet. She only wished that she could do something like that.
"I don't know." Aang admitted. "I just sort of ... did it." He finished awkwardly.
"How many elements have you mastered?" Harry asked, a hint of hope in his voice. "You're an airbender and based off your tattoos it's a safe bet to assume that you're quite skilled in that, and according to her you were able to waterbend."
"I...today was the first time I ever waterbended," Aang replied. "I've never done it before. I'm not even entirely sure how I did it."
"So...you've not mastered any of the elements?" Harry blinked. "Nothing beyond air?"
"Um...no...sorry." Aang said awkwardly. "I was sort of frozen in ice for the last hundred years." He couldn't help but add. Harry stared at him for several long seconds before he muttered some curses under his breath before shaking his head.
"It's fine, we can work with this." He said in a determined voice. "We just need to get you some teachers."
"Aang, why didn't you tell us you were the Avatar?" Katara asked.
"Because..." Aang looked down, his mood noticeably worse than before. "...I never wanted to be." He said.
"But Aang, the world's been waiting for the Avatar to return and finally put an end to this war."
"That's most likely a factor into why he doesn't want to be the Avatar," Harry spoke up. "no single person should have that responsibility put upon them, especially one so young."
"I'm older than all of you combined." Aang said with a mock glare at Harry before giving him a small smile for understanding.
"Maybe so, but you're like what? Twelve?" Harry asked.
"Yeah." Aang nodded, wondering where Harry was going with this.
"Grown men would run away from what you have to face, it'll be hard but I plan to make things as easy as possible for you." Harry replied. "Now, according to the legend you need to master all four elements."
"First air, then water, then earth and finally fire." Katara added.
"Exactly," Harry gave her a pleased nod and smile before turning back to Aang, causing her cheeks to turn red slightly. "you've pretty much got air, when the time's right I can teach you fire. But first we need to get someone to teach you waterbending, hopefully they can teach me as well."
"You don't know waterbending?" Sokka asked with a frown. "I thought you were the 'exception'."
"I am but, believe it or not, there aren't many people in the fire nation who you can learn air, water or earth bending from." Harry said with his own frown. "They were very willing to teach me fire bending, anything else I've learnt about the other elements has basically been self-study. They did teach me a little bit to make sure I could actually do it but that's it. I know a few basic moves from earth and water. I spent the last few years of my life studying as much as I could about airbending, there weren't a great many teachers available so I had to take whatever scrolls I was able to steal from the Fire nation. I've found a few more on the way, I'm probably not as good as Aang at it - scratch that, most definitely not as good as Aang - but I know enough airbending to get by. I'd like to learn the water and earth bending. Also if Aang is willing then I'd like him to help me with my airbending skills."
"Sure," Aang easily agreed. "but I have to ask, why can you bend all four elements? I'm the only one who can do that."
"You're supposed to be the only one who can do that," Harry corrected. "that's why I'm the 'exception'. I've just always been able to do it." Harry finished with a small shrug. "Anyway, do any of you know where we can find a waterbending teacher?" He asked.
"The North Pole!" Katara said brightly. "There's a water tribe up there and I'd like to learn some waterbending as well, we can all learn together!" She said before turning to Sokka and giving him a grin. "And Sokka, I'm sure you'll get to knock some firebender heads on the way."
"Oh, I'd like that. I would really like that." Sokka said with his own grin.
"I'm not going to comment on that." Harry said under his breath, knowing that they would all likely be 'knocking some firebender heads'.
"Then we're all in this together!" Katara said cheerfully.
"Yes!" Aang cheered before he pulled out a map and laid it out. "All right, but before I learn waterbending, we have some serious business to attend to. Here, here and here." He said, pointing to three different spots on his map.
"What are these places?" Harry asked, giving Aang his full attention.
"Well, here we'll ride the hopping llamas." He said as he pointed to the first spot before pointing to the second spot. "Then way over here, we'll surf on the backs of giant koi fish." He said, oblivious to the stares he was getting from the other three. "Then back over here, we'll ride the hog monkeys." He added as he pointed to the final location. "They don't like people riding them, but that's what makes it fun!" He finished with a face splitting grin.