Chapter Sixteen

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Gathering Reinforcements

Harry smirked widely and started to circle the round table. The assembled Order members watched him in confusion as he started on his second circuit. He had been missing for over three weeks, and hadn't even contacted them once to tell them he was alright, and now he came waltzing back in as if he had never left. He was acting rather cocky, as if he had gained a whole lot of self confidence in the time he had been away, and his friends and son were starting to worry. The fact that he was obviously alive and hadn't even helped in the battle was baffling to them as well. Eventually, the Boy-Who-Lived broke out of his predatory pattern and dropped gracefully into the empty chair next to Dumbledore, resting his elbows on the table and cradling his head in his clasped hands. He smiled sweetly at everyone before raising one dark eyebrow.

“ What?” he asked innocently.

Glen was the one who recovered first. He felt a lot of anger towards his father, as well as a lingering fear. The man he had spent his whole life wanting to know had upped and abandoned him when things got a little tough, leaving Glen alone and confused. It wasn't something he could easily forgive.

“ What do you mean, `what'? Where have you been? What have you been doing? Why did you leave me alone at Heather's house? I didn't know where I was or what to do! I couldn't even ask for help, as I couldn't speak English. How could you do that to me? To us?”

The hard look in the elder Potter's eyes immediately softened, and the smirk was replaced with a small apologetic grin. He seemed to visibly deflate right in front of their eyes, and some of Glenadade's anger ebbed.

“ I'm sorry, son. I just had to get out of there. I've been doing a lot of thinking, and come to some rather disturbing conclusions about myself. I did something there that I should never have done, and what Malfoy said afterwards was completely true. I acted like the one thing I despise the most - a Death Eater. It should never have happened, but it did, and there's nothing I can do about it now, except ensure it doesn't happen again. I'm sorry for worrying you, and for leaving you. It won't happen again.”

Glen looked at his father skeptically, but saw the pain and honesty in his eyes. This was hurting the older boy, what he had done was tearing at his conscience, and would for a long time to come. The anger drained out of the ancient boy, and he nodded his head in defeat. Things were far from alright, but it would wait for now. They had more important things to discuss, like where Harry had been and what he had been doing.

“ We'll discuss it later, Dad. Where have you been?”

Murmurs of agreement followed the question from the others present, who all wanted to know what was going on. It had been a hard day, and Harry showing up was complicating it more. Harry, seeing all of the expectant faces, rubbed his eyes with his fingers and massaged his temples, a sign that he was fighting with a headache. Eventually, he let out a long sigh and started to tell his tale…

Harry ran. And ran. And ran. He carried on, blinded by tears, until he collapsed in an exhausted heap on the side of the road. All he could see when he closed his eyes was the image of a writhing Malfoy lying on the floor, as if the scene was burned into the inside of his eyelids. He cried for what seemed like forever, but the pain in his chest only got worse, not better. He felt dirty, as if his soul was stained somehow. He had to get out. He couldn't stay there. He had a lot of thinking to do.

As he had run from the house, he had severed the connection he had with his son. Glen was on his own now, and while Harry felt more guilt at leaving him, he was too ashamed to go back. He had seen the fear in Glen's eyes, and the realisation that he had put it there was tearing him apart. He had to let him go. Sever the ties with those he had wronged, and leave until he found peace.

Eventually, Harry started to calm down, and pulled himself shakily to his feet. Looking around, he realised he was near to a school. Stumbling forwards, he made his way behind the gym, where he was well out of sight, before composing himself enough to apparate out.

When he reappeared, he was in a forest he had never seen before. Looking around in confusion, he quickly took stock of his situation, but he was very confused. He had meant to go to Domus Corvus Corax, and then Hogwarts, but instead he was in the middle of nowhere. I mustn't have been concentrating properly, he thought, it's knocked me off course. Figuring he couldn't leave if he didn't know where he was, he started to wander around, quickly summoning his weapons to him. His wandless summoning charms were strong enough to go a long distance, and he just hoped Hogwarts was in range. After what seemed like an eternity, his elven sword and bow with accompanying quiver of arrows came flying towards his from his left. Looking in that direction as he caught them, he tried to figure out how far away he was from the castle considering the direction the weapons came from and the time it took them to get there. The best he could figure, he was a long way away, a very long way away. Possibly in a different country. The sun told him which way was North, and he had discovered in his wanderings that he was a long way from human civilisation. The forest was definitely magical, but not as much so as the Forbidden Forest. He had recognised a few magical herbs and fungi growing on the forest floor, and had spotted a selection of smaller magical creatures jumping from tree to tree. There were also a lot of non-magical animals and plants, though, showing that he was most likely in a mostly Muggle region.

Seeing no other option, Harry attached his weapons to his body and started off in the direction he guessed Hogwarts to be. If he could just find a familiar landmark, he would be able to apparate to Domus Corvus Corax as planned. He had been walking about twenty minutes when he heard the faint snapping of a twig not too far from where he was. He was instantly alert, drawing his sword and raising his hand in preparation for sending a curse. Subconsciously, he let his vampire side take over, lengthening his fangs and sharpening his senses greatly. His enhanced hearing almost immediately picked up on a dozen or so figures lurking in the bushes and trees around him, watching his every move.

“ Whoever's there, come out!” he called, no hint of nervousness in his voice. A rustling could be heard from all directions and eleven figures emerged from several places, all with a bow in their hands and an arrow pointed right at Harry's heart. The boy looked around, slightly concerned, and lowered his sword, sheathing it in one fluid motion. He knew he was outnumbered, and he could sense the power radiating from these creatures. They were highly magical, and he knew that if he tried to fight, he'd be shot in the heart several times over before he had chance to move. Those around him lowered their arrows slightly, but not too far. Three figures stepped out of the gloom in front of him and walked in his direction, no sign of weapons anywhere. Harry correctly surmised they were there to talk to him. He took a close look at them, trying to determine who and what they were. His eyes widened considerably when he noticed that the two females had pointed ears, and the male had long dark hair and pointed teeth. Two elves and a vampire. Harry started to back away, but stopped when he spotted the others raise their arrows once more. He was in deep trouble this time.

“ Who are you?” he called out in the elven tongue, catching the two elves off guard. They visibly started at hearing their own language, something they would no doubt never have expected an outsider to know. The three figures stopped about three metres away from the lightly trembling boy, and one of the elves started to speak.

“ We shall be asking the questions here, outsider. Who are you and what are you doing in our forest?”

The Boy-Who-Lived steeled himself before answering.

“ I am Harry Potter, and I am here quite by accident, let me assure you. I was trying to apparate to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, but I must have lacked the necessary concentration. I apologise for the intrusion.”

“ You are a wizard?”

“ Yes,” he answered.

“ Then you did not come here by accident. You lie to us!”

“ No! I'm sorry; I didn't mean to end up here. It just sort of….happened.”

“ Impossible! No human can enter this forest without the express permission of either the elves or the vampires of our city.”

Harry was surprised by this, but quickly regained his composure. He knew he was treading on dangerous ground; he would have to be very careful if he wanted to get out of this alive.

“ I am not human,” he said confidently. The elves and vampire narrowed their eyes in disbelief.

“ Explain,” one of the elves demanded.

“ I have both elven and vampire blood, as well as human. My grandmother was a half elf, and I have elven ancestors further back in time,” he didn't dare mention that it came from himself, “ And last year I was bitten by a vampire. I have some vampire traits, but not others, as my friend managed to heal me to some extent.”

The three were silent as they absorbed this information before the spokes-elf stepped forward to introduce herself.

“ Very well, then. I am Meilani, and this is my sister, Leilani. We are the leaders of the Teutoburg Forest elves. This is Vrykolakas, the vampire leader. Please, come with us. We have much to discuss.”

The three turned and made their way north, and Harry, seeing no alternative, followed close behind. The group moved through the trees in silence for over an hour before the foliage began to thin. Harry let out a loud gasp of surprise when they stepped into a large clearing with a beautiful city inside it. The Boy-Who-Lived gaped at the tall buildings built from nature itself in the traditional elven style, with a definite blend of another culture's architecture evident. Must the vampire influence, he thought. Some districts seemed to have a dominance of one culture or the other, but the very centre was a complete blend, even having single buildings using a merging of styles. Harry was in awe, but he almost fainted when he looked up. The entire area above the clearing was covered in what appeared to be a shimmering shield. Swirls of yellow and pink could be seen in some places, making the roof visible, but for the most part it was completely transparent. Looking around, the young man realised its purpose. All around the city, elves and vampires were going about their business, some shopping, some working, and some selling goods in an extensive market. The vampires were out in the sunlight, which was what Harry found outstanding. True vampires were killed by direct sunlight, but he quickly realised that this was what the roof was for. It protected them from the sun, somehow letting in the light, but filtering whatever it was that hurt the vampires.

Eventually, Vrykolakas cleared his throat, getting Harry's attention. The three leaders made their way towards the central building, which was of the most elaborate design in the city. The boy gathered that it was the place of government, housing whatever form of rulers they had here. He was still confused by the place, feeling that something this important would have been known to him, even if he had just heard about it from one of Hermione's lectures. Eventually, the group came to a halt in a large room with a large round table in the middle, similar to the setup for the Order council. Harry was led to a seat, where he waited for the other three to seat themselves, before the interrogation began.

“ So, you claim not the be entirely human. That would explain how you got here, but not why. Are you a spy? Which faction do you work for?” Meilani demanded.

“ I don't know what you mean…”

“ Of course you do! Now, who do you work for, the vampires or the elves?”

“ I don't understand….”

“ It's a simple enough question, half breed,” Leilani interjected.

“ Please, it was an accident…”

“ Unacceptable,” Vrykolakas said, “ You are part elf, part vampire. You must have been sent from one or the other, otherwise you wouldn't be here. You can't get here by accident.”

“ You are a spy, and when we find out whose, you will be executed,” Leilani added.

“ We do not suffer enemies, outsider,” Meilani finished.

Harry was starting to panic, and he leapt to his feet, backing quickly away. When Leilani stood as well and started to follow him, he looked around for an exit. There were none. The elf raised her hand and was about to throw a ball of blue fire at him when Harry quickly raised an elven shield. He knew that the only way to counter elven magic was with elven magic. Leilani immediately stopped, a smirk appearing on her face.

“ We have our answer, then. The elves sent you.”

“ No! They didn't, I swear…”

“ THEN HOW DO YOU KNOW OUR MAGIC?” Meilani roared.

Harry was reaching a full blown panic. He knew he could possibly take out one or possibly two of them, but he would never get out of the city alive if he tried to escape. As a last resort, he raised his hands and concentrated hard, forming strong mental links with all three. The two elves and the vampire rocked back with the force of it, and started to head for him in a threatening manner, not knowing what the outsider had done to them. Harry backed into the wall and forced himself to calm down. Reaching for the mental link, he started to speak directly into their minds, knowing it was the only way he could get them to listen to him.

~Stop! Please! I can prove who I am~

The three advancing figures stopped dead, the vampire with a confused look on his face, and the elves with identical looks of suspicion.

“ You are a telepath?” Meilani asked.

“ There are very few families with that gift, especially amongst humans. Which did you get it from?”

“ The Ravenclaws”

The elves' eyes immediately widened, as if their suspicions had been confirmed. They looked as if they still needed proof, though.

“ And your elven grandmother was called…”

“ Minh-Minh-Lama, daughter of Gaerwyn.”

The elves immediately backed down, leaving the vampire completely confused. Leilani, much to Harry's surprise, stepped forward and offered her hand, a warm smile on her face. Harry took her hand, and her sister's, looking very confused. He became more confused when one of the women spoke.

“ We apologise for our treatment of you, Cousin. Welcome to Teutoburg City.”

“ Cousin?!” Harry asked, incredulously.

“ We are the daughters of Lolide, sister of Gaerwyn.”

“ Lolide had children?!” Harry asked in disbelief, “ Why did she never mention you?”

“ We were banished. She is forbidden to speak of us. We keep in contact through letters.”

“ What did you get banished for?”

“ We did not support the others in their hatred of humans,” Meilani explained, “ We thought they were being unreasonable, and gathered a group of likeminded elves. We were a force to be reckoned with, and the others didn't like it. We tried to change their minds, to stay in contact with the human world, but they would have none of it. We were banished as troublemakers. They sent us here, to the human world, saying that if we liked humans so much we should live with them. It didn't work out as we hoped, though. By the time we arrived here, the humans had already forgotten us. We were feared for our appearance, and several of us were almost burned as witches and heretics. We were eventually driven here, where we started to build our city, a settlement enchanted to keep humans out and our people safe. We were soon joined by a group of vampires who were banished from their covens for refusing to feed from humans. There was a huge civil war between their clans, and those who refused to kill for food were banished. They found themselves here, and we have coexisted ever since. Some of the vampires travel to the human world occasionally, sometimes allying themselves with wizards, but they always return in the end. I believe some joined the Light side about twenty years ago…”

“ The Order of the Phoenix,” Harry said, remembering the few vampiric members they had had.

“ Yes, I believe that was what it was called. The main reason for this was a lingering resentment of the other vampires, those who ally themselves with the Dark forces, the ones who banished them.”

“ And you've been here for centuries and no-one even knew?” Harry asked incredulously.

“ None until you. We get the occasional magical creature wandering here, but they always leave before they reach the city. You caught our attention because of your human blood. You were not supposed to be able to get here. How did that happen, anyway?”

Harry looked over to the astonished looking vampire leader briefly before strengthening the mental connection he had created to all three. With a great deal of effort, he replayed his memories of the last day to all three of them, sometimes making brief explanations of what was going on. After a quick summary of his life thus far, he severed the connection and waited for their response. Eventually, it was Vrykolakas who broke the silence.

“ So, you are the infamous Boy-Who-Lived. There have been stories of you amongst my people for many years. On behalf of all of us, I welcome you to my clan. Although you were turned by one of our enemies, you are one of us at heart, and I offer my hospitality and knowledge to you.”

“ Thank you,” Harry said with a grin, “ I hope we can learn a lot from each other.”

“ As do I. Will you be staying for a while?”

Harry thought it over quickly, already knowing what his answer would be. He had wanted a place to hide from the world for a while, and here he had found it. While he was here, he would be able to learn more about the vampires, and group of beings he was irreversibly connected to. He had never been able to accept the vampiric part of himself, at least not fully, but he hoped that if he got to know these people, and learned something of their culture, he could find some peace. With a grin, he nodded his head to Vrykolakas.

“ I will stay, yes.”

The Order members looked at the saviour of the wizarding world in disbelief. His story seemed so unbelievable, they weren't sure if he was telling the truth or not. Eventually, it was Hermione who broke the silence.

“ You mentioned reinforcements.”

A grin appeared on Harry's face and he raised a hand, waving to the corner of the room. Three figures melted out of the shadows, startling the people gathered around the table. Harry smirked and gestured to the three new arrivals.

“ Everyone, let me introduce Meilani, Leilani and Vrykolakas.”