Changing Perspectives

At Harry’s first glimpse of Nevarah, he was amazed. He could make out a massively constructed city with buildings upon buildings and greenery, with waterspouts from some of the upper levels spilling on down and flowing off into nothingness. The upright portion of the city was almost the same size as the massive earthen underbelly. A floating city at its best, with the water spilling down to nowhere and a cast of thick, white clouds floating over it in idyllic fashion. If he couldn't see the earthy bottom and the cloudy cap at the top, he might have guessed it was some sort of floating future space-station.

The portal set them down outside a huge light gray stone wall and he was ushered down some steps to a black gate, set somewhat into the ground. Dahlia handed some paperwork over to the guard at the gate and he recognized the visa paperwork Terius had shown him. After they were checked and admitted through, Dahlia turned to him and explained he could go to City Hall, once everything was settled, to file for citizenship if he wished.

Harry nodded to show his understanding but doubted he would need to do so. He didn’t plan to stay here after all. He had responsibilities on Earth. But, he thought quietly to himself, it would be nice to come back after the war was over. Looking around at all the interesting people, who were so open with their differences, he could imagine living here, being accepted here.

Dahlia led him away from the gate and into the city with efficient ease. She explained that he would be meeting Crown Princess Dawne first. As Terius was part of the Air Courts, the report had gone to her. Once they figured out which element he was, that Royal would be brought in as well, though they were all kept up to date on the situation. Apparently, with him not knowing his element and this happening off realm, it was a matter for all the Royals. Harry was a bit intimidated by that bit of unexpected news. He wondered why Royals, actual Crowned Royals, would care about his situation. No one ever cared about his situation.

The building he was led to was made out of a brilliant white stone and seemed just as oddly modern as the other buildings he’d seen here, if quite a bit more grand. After seeing the quaint little villages in the wizarding world, with their old world charm, it was a startling difference. He kind of liked it though.

As he was led inside, he noticed the Gheyo standing at certain intervals along the halls, tucked into convenient nooks or around corners; guards, he realized. They came to a stop at one door and Dahlia briefly spoke with the guard on duty before they were let inside.

There were two people inside, a beautiful, tall and elegant woman with pale skin and almost white hair, along with a shorter but no less beautiful male with silver blond hair and striking yellow eyes. They were introduced to him as Crown Princess Dawne of the Air Element, and Healer Bran Kadel. Harry bobbed his head at them both with a nervous smile and polite greeting.

The Princess grinned at him and held out her hands to him. “It is lovely to meet you Harry. I hope your stay with us will be both helpful as well as pleasant.” She said as he placed his hands in hers and she gave them a squeeze in greeting before letting go and gesturing to the Healer. “Healer Kadel is here to give you a basic check up to make sure there were no issues with your inheritance. Is that alright with you?”

“Thank you, and yes, that’s fine.” Harry replied quietly. He had no idea how to act around royalty and felt even shabbier in his hand-me-downs and school robes in comparison to these elegantly dressed people.

Healer Kadel gestured to a door off to the side. “We will use this room for the examination, for a bit of privacy.” He said as he led him over and opened the door. Harry followed and saw the room looked like a smaller, more simple, sitting room than the one they were already in. He looked back to see Dahlia and Dawne settling down into chairs facing each other as the other two Gheyo took up guarding stances on either side of the entry, then he entered the room.

Healer Kadel closed the door and threw up a silencing ward. “All right, now tell me, is there anything in particular that has been bothering you since your inheritance?” He asked as he gestured for Harry to sit on the settee.

Harry snorted, “Besides the fact that I grew wings, turned into a girl, and lost my magic?” He asked sarcastically, then winced, “Sorry.” He murmured. He shouldn’t be taking it out on the healer who is supposed to be helping him.

But the healer simply smiled sympathetically at him as he took a seat on the opposing settee, “It’s fine. There is a reason Mentors are supposed to show up early, before the Inheritance. It is so children do not have to go through this alone, without any knowledge of what is happening to them. The fact that yours never showed is of great concern to everyone.” He explained, “As for turning into a girl,” He started to say, before he closed his eyes and Harry watched as his hair darkened to a rich brown, his face became more heart shaped and his features softened. When she opened her eyes they were more amber than the bright yellow they had been before. Harry gaped at her. “Changelings aren’t that uncommon here. I go by Brynn in this form, by the way. It’s the reason I was called in to give you a checkup as opposed to the Kalziks. I understand most of the Royals employ their services.” She explained.

“You’re like me,” Harry whispered in awe. He had felt an immense relief at finding out Terius and the others were dragel but there was still something holding him back. He had been amazed to find an entire realm of dragel and other so-called creatures and beings. But finding another Changeling made him feel more settled than anything else had so far. He hadn’t realised how tense he still was, until he relaxed. He wasn’t a freak…or, if he was, there were others just like him. “I have so many questions.” He stated.

“Well, give me a few, let’s see if I can help.” Brynn smiled at him.

Harry took a deep breath and started to explain what had been bothering him most,

“It doesn’t feel like my body anymore. When I first turned into a girl, it felt weird, like wearing clothes that are too tight in all the wrong places and hanging off in others. It wasn’t MY body. I had no idea what was going on or how to fix it, but when I finally turned back into a boy, it didn’t help. I still felt like I was wearing someone else’s skin. It felt awkward and disorientating. I kept tripping and dropping things, like I had no control over my limbs.” Harry huffed out a sigh and ran a hand through his hair, glancing up at the concerned look on the healer's face before continuing, “On top of that, I have no control over the change at all. Most of the time it happens in my sleep but it’ll happen in the middle of the day too for no reason! I have no idea what causes it.” He shakes his head in aggravation.

Healer Kadel frowned, “It was suggested you likely had a Seal on your Changeling magics that prevented it from showing up before now. It could be causing this disassociation you’re experiencing. I’ll have to check to be sure of course. This might also be the cause of the random shifting. If you can’t fully access the magic, then you can’t control it. You will, of course, need to learn how to manage it, so it could simply be caused by inexperience as well.” She explained and Harry nodded along. “I’ll check for the Seal and run a basic diagnostic and history check on you as well so we can make sure you are in optimal health and update your file.”

“Okay. Um, I have one more question.” Harry said, then hesitated in embarrassment, “What if…is there a way to just…not turn into a girl? Like, if the Seal broke and that’s what’s causing this, can we just Seal it back up?” He kept his eyes down as he asked and cringed when he heard the Healer let out a sigh.

“Harry, being a changeling is a part of who you are. I understand that you are having difficulties due to several factors but I would caution against that course of action. Some of these feelings may just be caused by the Seal. Some may just be your age, I was quite awkward and embarrassed by my female form as a young teenager. But I think all teenagers are awkward and then grow out of it. This is all new to you though, so I expect some amount of confusion and denial. That’s completely normal.” Brynn paused, considering her next words, “There are some Changelings that prefer one form over the other and don’t shift often, while others switch every other day, or every week or month. It’s different for everyone, really. I would recommend waiting until the Seal is removed, assuming this is caused by a seal of course, and we fix any other health issues you may have. Give it time, learn more about yourself as a dragel and Changeling. If you feel the same way after a few months, we can revisit this topic. Okay?”

Brynn leaned forward a bit to try to see his face and Harry nodded as he held back the tears. He wasn’t even sure why he felt like crying but he did. “It’s also important for you to know, once you learn to control the shifts, that shifting between your forms too quickly, say, you accidentally shift to female and then shift quickly back to male, can cause a flux. A flux is when you lose control of the magic and start shifting forms rapidly and uncontrollably, you kind of…flicker between them. It’s extremely painful and unpleasant. It’s best to give yourself time in between shifts for it to settle. I’d say a minimum of twenty minutes but longer if you are stressed, tired, or your magic is unsettled in any way. Do you understand?” She asked gently.

“Yeah.” Harry croaked out, then tried clearing his throat, “Yes, I understand. Thank you.”

“All right. Take a deep breath, and relax. I’m going to start with the basics before we start checking for Seals.” She held up her wand and cast a diagnostic that sparked along his skin and made him shiver. The feeling went away abruptly and he looked up in confusion. “Sorry, it seems you’re magic sensitive. You’ll have to let your future Healer know. Let’s try this again.” She cast another spell and he didn’t feel a thing. She smiled and continued, “There, that’s better.”

———

It was quite some time later when Harry and Brynn exited the room. Dahlia had given a concerning report to Princess Dawne about their return and the story told to her. Dawne thanked and dismissed them and managed to get some more paperwork done after they left. It was almost two hours before a guard came to inform her the Healer was finished and she made her way back to the sitting room from her office.

The two were sitting on the couch, both currently female, with Harry looking pale and exhausted and Brynn with a complicated look on her face, as if she wasn’t sure she was more angry or sad.

“Should I send for lunch? Tea?” Dawne asked as she sat across from them, watching Harry in concern.

“Lunch would be appreciated. Thank you.” Brynn answered, “As Harry is Nameless with affinities for Shadow and Earth, you may want to send for Crown Prince Raspen as well.” It was one of the things she had been asked to check for so they could make sure Harry’s case would be handled by the correct Court. Brynn was grateful for the two Evanson family Seals which made it easier to place him since he was Nameless. The Evanson’s were part of the Earth Courts officially, at least, the newest generation was. The Clan Head was part of the Fire Courts but given his affinities, it was unlikely he came from their branch.

Dawne signaled to one of her aides and quietly asked for four lunches and tea to be brought up and then sent off a message to Raspen to ask him to attend the meeting. She had informed him earlier of the possibility, along with Ebony, thankfully. As Harry had no air connections that they knew of, Raspen would take over the meeting and situate the new submissive with a family for his stay here. Dawne would stay to act as an intermediary for now though.

“So, what happens now?” Harry asked nervously as they waited for the food and Earth Prince to arrive.

Dawne smiled encouragingly at him, “Now, we will update Raspen on the situation as he is the Crown Earth Prince. As a Nameless, you tend to fall in with whichever element or Court your Alpha or family circle is. We don’t really have that information for you but as you have strong affinities for Shadow and Earth, you will fall under Raspen’s banner. Shadow is overseen by Earth the same way Storm is by Air.” She explained.

Harry nodded as the lunch and tea arrived. Brynn poured for everyone and added, “They do have two seals from the Evanson family.”

“Oh, that will make things easier then.” Dawne chirped happily.

“What will make things easier?” Raspen asked as he strode in the room. “Ladies.” He bowed his head to them with a smile and took a seat next to Dawne at her invitation.

“Harry, this is Crown Prince Raspen of the Earth Element. Raspen, this is Harry Potter, the submissive from the Earth Realm I told you would be coming.” Harry smiled nervously at the Prince and gave a nod of his head which Raspen returned more naturally. “I was just saying, it will be easier finding their family as they have two family seals from the Evansons.” Dawne explained.

Raspen nodded but then Brynn frowned as she grabbed a plate and added a few sandwich squares to it, “Those aren’t the only seals. There were thirteen in total. I’ve removed three for now. They will likely need to see the Kalziks to handle the rest as I do not have the expertise needed for something of this magnitude. If they do not claim Healer’s Rights, I will.” Brynn had considered claiming them anyway but, as she did not have her own circle yet and it would be her family’s Gheyo taking the case, she decided to wait and see if the Kalziks wanted to take responsibility.

Dawne had raised a hand to cover her mouth in horror while Raspen’s eyes widened. “That is…”

“May we know the types of seals?” Raspen cleared his throat and asked, looking towards Harry.

She gave a half hearted shrug and nodded, “Yeah, I don’t mind. I’m not even really sure what they all are.”

Bryn patted her knee, “We went over a lot, that’s perfectly understandable.” She consoled and eyed the uncomfortable scrunch of her shoulders, “Would you like to try switching back now?” She asked. This conversation would likely be uncomfortable enough without the added stress of her gender making her more so.

Harry’s gaze immediately darted up to her, “Yes. Please.” She said in relief.

Brynn smiled in sympathy and then helped guide her through the transformation back to male, watching as her hair shorted and darkened and her face became a bit more angular. He looked so relieved when he was back in his male form that it made her remember when she was younger and so self conscious in her own female form. Knowing what she knows now, she’s confident he’ll become more comfortable in time. At the very least, he didn’t feel like he was in someone else’s body anymore and that was progress.

“Now,” Brynn starts to say, turning back to the two royals, “Harry had thirteen seals, as I said. I removed the cracked Changeling Seal that locked away his female form, and removed the frayed Inheritance and Magic Seals on him. He also has a Blood Seal which needs to come off as soon as possible, the two Evanson Seals, one of which is rune based, a Soul Seal, three Mentor Seals, one for physical protection, one to hide his signature, and a Death Seal of all things, as well as another Death Seal tied into another Soul Seal that’s attached to a parasite and a Prophecy Seal.” Brynn was ranting by the end of the list and sat there glaring into her teacup before picking up her sandwich to angrily nibble on.

Dawne startled at the movement and looked over to Harry’s empty plate. He hadn’t picked up any of the food yet. “Oh, please, help yourself to some food, Harry. You must be hungry by now.”

Harry blushed but reached forward for a sandwich and balanced the plate on his knees.

Raspen leaned forward to brace his forearms on his knees with a heavy sigh and his brows scrunched into a frown. “Obviously, we will need to call Hunts for this. I will certainly call on the Kalziks and ask them to take him on as a patient. Perhaps he can stay with them until we can locate his Mentor?”

“It never hurts to ask. If not them, the Vitalie circle has some Earth types as well and they are always willing to help out.” Dawne added in helpfully.

Harry looked between them confused, “Why not the Evansons?” He asks hesitantly.

Raspen answered, “They will need to be cleared of any wrongdoing before you’d be allowed to stay with them. You are of their blood since you have their Seal, but you somehow ended up on Earth, with no idea of your heritage, and covered in Seals. Then add in the fact that your Mentor is missing after having at least gotten close enough to place their own Seals on you, and it all sounds very suspicious.”

“Not to mention that we need to know which Evanson circle you come from. I’d guess the Wildfire one due to your affinities, since the other is more fire heavy.” Dawne added in.

“Wildfire?” Harry asked around a yawn.

“A Wildfire Circle just means they have a lot of Fae.” Brynn explained, “And I do believe that the exhaustion you are experiencing is caused by the Blood Seal.” She added, with a glance to Raspen. Thankfully, he took the hint for what it was.

“Yes, right. I’ll send a message to the Kalziks and see if they are willing to take on a new patient. Excuse me for a moment.” He said as he stood and walked off to the side before casting a privacy ward.

———

Surajini was a surprising blend of smothering and vengeful. She had swept him in a hug after introductions were made and sent a wave of golden healing magic over him. It had felt so warm and comforting that he had just melted into her. She had her Alpha, Hiram with her, who he was also introduced to.

She had gotten a brief explanation from Prince Raspen before porting over, and then spoke with Brynn to get the main concerns about his health, before casting her own diagnostics. Harry barely noticed as it was getting harder to concentrate and make his brain work right. He listed to the side, into Surajini, as he listened to the vague voices overhead and felt the concern grow thicker.

“Drink this, Harry.” Something was pressed to his lips and he tipped his head to sip at it and felt warmth blossom in his stomach as a jolt of energy shot through him.

“What?” He asked as he blinked his eyes and sat up straighter.

Surajini smiled and stroked a hand over his hair. “An herbal tea, spiked with blood. It will help your energy levels for now so we can get that Blood Seal off of you and get you on a more even keel.”

Harry nodded his head. Blood. Right. Brynn had asked if he’d been taking in any blood when she asked about his diet. She had seemed rather put out when he had told her no. Apparently, blood was just as important as eating healthy food.

“Are you going to claim Healer’s Rights?” Surajini asks Brynn.

The other healer considers her for a moment then answers, “No, I thought you’d like that honor as you will be his primary healer from here on out.”

Surajini smiles viciously as her eyes sparkle, “Thank you. I will gladly see this carried out.”

Hiram frowns slightly but nods his head in agreement. He takes his oath to do no harm a bit more seriously than Jini does sometimes but he can’t fault her protectiveness.

“Harry, dear, are you comfortable coming to stay with us? You can stay as long as you want, even after things with your parental circle or mentor get sorted out, if that’s what you’d like.” Surajini asked, turning to him.

“Oh. Yeah, that’s fine. I mean, thank you for letting me stay with you.” Harry answers with a blush.

“Of course! You aren’t the first we’ve taken in and I’m sure you won't be the last. It really is no trouble.” She reassured him.

“Well, if everything is settled, perhaps we should be getting back?” Hiram suggested.

“Of course, there’s much to get done.” Surajini agreed with a smile and turned to Brynn, “Thank you again, and please do let me know when we can come see about Harry’s Prophecy Seal.”

“It’s not a problem. I’ll let you know as soon as I get an answer from my Clan Head about it.” Brynn answered seriously and then said to Harry, “You can call on me at any time if you have questions or just want to talk, okay? I understand what it’s like to be confused and awkward as a Changeling.”

Harry nodded and felt a lump in his throat as he said, “Thanks.” He had never had someone offer him support like that before. He exchanged goodbyes with both Royals as well and then Surajini was leading him out into the hall.

“We can’t port in or out of the building so we’ll go just outside of the wards and then port home. I’d like to get that Blood Seal off of you tonight and then we’ll see how you are doing after some rest. Sound good?” Surajini asked as she led him down the hallway and back to the entrance of the building.

“Yeah, that sounds good.” Harry said. He’d be glad when the seal was finally off and he stopped being so tired all the time. It was exhausting and annoying.

———

When they ported to the gates of the Kalzik estate, Harry was amazed. They walked through and the tingle of magic wards made him shiver, but it hardly distracted from the beautiful grounds. Surajini led him through the main courtyard and to a building on the left, explaining as she went. “We’ll do a basic examination first so I can see exactly what we’re working with and then move to the ritual chambers to assist with the Seal removal.”

Harry internally sighed at the idea of another examination but nodded along in agreement. Thankfully it didn’t take as long as he feared. Brynn had taken care of the basic issues like his wings, nutrition, and even a few of his Seals which were already frayed or cracked. Thankfully though, his Inheritance had already healed a lot or he was sure that appointment would have taken much longer.

When Surajini was done with her scans, she frowned and turned to Hiram. “What do you think? I want to get the Blood Seal off as soon as possible so he can actually start to heal but with the other three being removed already I’m not sure if we should wait for his magic to recover a bit first.”

Hiram looked over the results and hummed in thought, “You are the expert here, Jini. I’d say he could probably handle it and, as you said, he’d be able to heal better with the Blood Seal off. Go with your gut instinct.”

Surajini frowned but nodded as determination set in. She was hesitant because he was a submissive, newly Inherited, and his energy levels were already so low. But, she thought, they wouldn’t be getting much higher with that Seal on him. Time to get it off.

She guided him to the ritual room and had him lay down in the center of the runic circle. “This will help stabilize you and keep the magic energies contained as well as boost our own. Hiram?” She looked back to her alpha.

“I’ll support, while you take point.” He said and she gave him a smile as she took the north position and he stepped up behind her.

She didn’t even need to say anything, like a spell or chant, and he felt the tug of something inside him. It was similar to the other seals being removed but this felt deeper, stronger. Harry didn’t know if it was because the others were already ‘loose’ in a sense, or if this one really was as deep as it felt. A pulse of magic and a sharp jerk and suddenly fire flashed through his veins and it felt like razor wire being pulled out of him. He wasn’t sure if he screamed, he wasn’t even sure if he had breath left in him to scream as the pain punched it all from his lungs. He felt flayed and raw.

Surajini huffed out a breath as she leaned back against Hiram for a moment. That went much deeper than she had expected. “Just take a moment. Breathe.” He coached her as if they had not done this a thousand times before.

Harry lay curled up and shivering on the floor, maybe in shock, she thought. With a last deep breath to center herself, she went over to check on him. Good, he was doing good. “Hiram, can you grab a potion for the pain and maybe a calming draught? He’ll probably sleep through the rest of this.” She ran her fingers through his hair to calm him then gently tipped his head up to take the potions when Hiram handed them to her. He followed her lead easily enough and the shivers stopped soon after.

A.N.

The description of Nevarah in the first paragraph is taken word for word from TBDH (chapter 40) because it was just so perfect.

Bran/Brynn is from The Soul’s Scream by Cheyla though I did make them older and a healer in this fic.

Beta'd by the wonderful MagikMuze and SoccerQueen237 <3