An unexpected reunion
Chapter 2:
Harry had been flying for about a week now. His only companion over land, sea and sky had been Hedwig. His only guide was the mysterious red stone.
The stone seemed to be growing hotter the further he went in one direction. Therefore, he had been steadily heading in a somewhat northwesterly direction. He was no expert in geography, so he was unable to mentally visualize even his general position on a map. He didn't want to admit he was lost, but...
Thankfully, he had Hedwig. He didn't know how, but she always had a very good sense of direction. Harry appreciated this quality, almost as much as her dedication to him.
Throughout their journey, Hedwig had flown by his side. And when she grew tired, she perched herself on Harry's shoulder.
Harry himself did not exert to much energy, as he mostly had to steer his broom in the right direction. The majority of his energy was spent on the thrill of flying. He had always loved the sensation of being free in the air. Free from all the stress in the world. Free from people gawping at him for something that happened when he was a baby. Free from people's attitudes and opinion concerning him changing at the drop of a hat because of something stupid like rumours...
Harry of course had to rest every night. If he was flying over land, he would find a deserted location and set up camp. If he was stuck over sea, he would find the largest mass of rock and set camp up there. Hedwig would always be there with him. When he would lay down, she would snuggle up to him so that they were both sharing each other’s warmth in the cold of the night. Hedwig was truly a great friend. But as great as she was, she could not keep up a proper two way conversation. The closest that she and Harry got to such interactions was Harry talking to her and Hedwig hooting, pecking at him and ruffling her wings. Harry thought that he should be a little more concerned that he thought he could actually understand her most of the time. But he couldn't bring himself to care. Still, even with their interactions, there was, more often than not, long periods of silence where Harry was left to his own thoughts.
During those times, he attempted to figure out what exactly he wanted to say to Murtagh.
While his actions had been questionable, he also believed that Murtagh somehow did care about him. After all, why would he leave a means for Harry to find him?
But still, Harry was a bit resentful that he had just run off and never, in fourteen years, bothered to even check on the woman and child he claimed to love. Honestly, what kind of a person does that. Just abandons their kid and doesn't even send a Christmas card, for fourteen years.
Okay, maybe Harry was just a little more than a bit resentful. But considering that he had had to grow up with the Dursleys, who could blame him?
Harry remembered when he was younger and longed for some long lost relative to whisk him away from the place he was forced to call home. All this time, he thought he had no one but the Dursleys. And now... Now he was flying with a magical stone and Hedwig to find his long lost Daddy.
Harry wondered if they had anything in common. Everyone at Hogwarts kept saying that he was similar to his father, whom they all, including him, had thought been James Potter.
But what of Murtagh? Did he like flying as much as Harry did?
Would they have anything in common or would they be completely different?
And then, came the questions which Harry was most afraid of. What if he didn't accept him? What if he blamed Harry for his mother's death?
Harry shook his head. He wouldn't find these answers until he met him. There was no point in worrying.
And anyway, even if it didn't work out between the two of them, he would still have Remus and Sirius. Remus had even said that he would let Harry move in with him. So even if he and Murtagh didn't get along, Harry was never going back to the Dursleys.
Harry had just finished another mental debate with himself when he could feel a sudden warmth coming from his pocket. The stone had become suddenly very hot. Harry thought that this could only mean one thing. That he was getting, really, really close.
He turned to where Hedwig was flying next to him.
"Come on, girl!" He yelled over the wind. "We're almost there!"
Hedwig hooted loudly, before swooping over to land on his shoulder.
"Ha, lazy feathers!" He said, laughing. "Just when we're on the home stretch you decide to take a break."
Hedwig merely hooted and nipped at his ear.
"Alright, alright." He said, laughing. "Sorry. You can just sit there... Or is it stand there...? Oh never mind, it's okay. We're almost there anyway."
Sure enough, after only about ten minutes, Harry could see land ahead.
It appeared to be a large island, with huge buildings and several figures in the sky.
Harry remembered that his mother's letter had told him Murtagh was something called a dragon rider. He supposed that there were even more of these dragon riders here.
Harry chuckled.
"Hagrid would love this."
Hedwig hooted in agreement.
Harry grinned. "Let's hope the dragons here are nicer than Norbert."
Hedwig seemed to hoot something that sounded strangely like laughter.
Quickly, Harry pulled his invisibility cloak from his pocket.
"Here, come under here. I know it can be annoying, but come on. We don't want these people spotting us unless we want them to."
Eventually, Harry was able to convince Hedwig to go under the cloak with him.
He looked long at the distant land mass. The stone was becoming as hot as pavement on a hot summer day. He was close. Really, really close. If he continued, there was no going back.
Harry took a deep breath to strengthen his resolve. Finally, wearing the cloak and with Hedwig on his shoulder, he flew toward the mysterious land mass, and his father.
Murtagh was sitting just outside one of the many large fields on the island where Eragon had decided to begin his new Rider Academy. It was just off the shore of Alagaësia, large enough to be inhabited by a large amount of dragons, and until fifteen years ago, completely unoccupied.
He and Thorn were watching some of the new Riders fly with their dragons and practice aerial combat. There were a few who were having their first experience of flying on their dragons. Murtagh smiled as he thought of his first experience flying with Thorn. While he had hated being forced to serve Galbatorix, he was still amazed once he and Thorn entered the air for the first time. In the air, even if he was almost always under the orders of Galbatorix, he felt free. As if he was not a slave to a Tyrant. Flying was how Murtagh and Thorn escaped their misery.
Many of the riders were young. While Eragon did try to avoid small children, it did not stop adolescents as young as thirteen from trying to see if an egg would hatch for them. Currently, the youngest rider was fourteen.
As young as Harry,
Murtagh thought.
After they had left England, they had found it really difficult to stay away. While in his mind, Murtagh knew it was the right thing to do, in his heart he longed to fly back and hold his son close, where no one could hurt him.
It was only the memories of how he was hated by all of Alagaësia, and the thought that Eragon would eventually come looking for him, that kept Murtagh away.
Eventually, his prediction did come true.
Three years after he left England, he and Thorn were travelling through Greece. Murtagh and Thorn had been travelling through the Mediterranean for six months at that point. Murtagh knew that he risked temptation, being so close to England. He hoped that being on the other side of the continent would lesson the urge to fly to England.
Both he and Thorn were discussing whether or not they should go further east, when all thoughts of England were pushed out of their minds. Murtagh was honestly surprised to see Eragon, sitting at a table in front of a coffee shop.
Once he recovered from the shock, he sat down to talk with his brother.
Murtagh learnt of how Eragon had found a deserted island several kilometres off of the short of Alagaësia. Once he and Saphira confirmed it was inhabitable, they got to work building.
They in listed the help from all of the races of Alagaësia. Elves, humans, dwarfs and even Urgals assisted in the construction of Eragon’s new Rider Academy. The end result was a large building for all of the dragons and riders to live in, and several smaller houses for important visitors. This was only the beginning of it, and Eragon hoped for more construction, in the future. The current buildings apparently had the appearance of several cultures, blended together. Thankfully, all of the construction groups were able to find a way to work together, so that the style flowed together seamlessly.
All that had to be done now was to find new Riders.
While no eggs had hatched yet, they were expecting the first few generations would be hard, as they were establishing a whole new order. Both Eragon and Saphira were quickly feeling the pressure of having to train so many at once. While there was also Arya and Firnen, the elf was also responsible with ruling the Elves. So the majority of the work regarding the Riders fell upon Eragon and Saphira. While they had known for some time that they would have to be the ones to rebuild an entire order, there is a large difference between knowing something, and experiencing something.
Hence, Eragon and Saphira had decided to take a few months to themselves, before their duty forced them to fly around Alagaësia and find new riders. They had also become curious as to where Murtagh and Thorn were, and how they were coping. So, they spent their little break looking for them.
When Eragon asked how Murtagh and Thorn were, neither dragon nor rider mentioned their time in magical England. It wasn't that he didn't trust Eragon. It was just that he wanted to keep his son a secret until the time was right.
Eventually, they got to discussing what all of them planned for the future. By some impulse, both Thorn and Murtagh agreed at the same time to offer to help Eragon and Saphira with their problems concerning the new Rider order.
Murtagh knew it would be hard, as neither of them would be trusted by any of the new riders. They would both be going back to where they would be hated for something neither of them had a choice in. But they also knew that this would happen eventually. They hoped that if the new riders saw that Eragon trusted them enough to have them assist in teaching the new riders, then maybe, they would begin to also trust Murtagh and Thorn.
Murtagh thought, or more rather hoped, that if he was able to gain the trust of the dragon riders, then he would be able to seek out Harry and reunite with him. The sooner he and Thorn altered how people viewed them, the sooner it would be safe for Harry in Alagaësia, or at least near Alagaësia.
So Murtagh and Thorn returned to the new Rider's academy with Eragon and Saphira. Both he and Eragon agreed that it would be best if the latter was the one to find the new riders, while the former remained on the island.
At first, the new Riders were terrified of him. But as time went on, things began to change. Soon new riders who were to young to have known the horrors of the last war came to the island. The older riders, eventually, grew to somewhat trust them. At least, they began to stop seeing them as the monsters from their nightmares. However there was still the stigma which came from being the son of Morzan.
Despite this, Murtagh thought that soon, it would be safe for Harry to come.
It would either be that Murtagh and Thorn flew to England, or that Harry used the stone that Murtagh had left him to find them.
He had left the stone so that Harry did not feel as if Murtagh had completely abandoned him. Murtagh hoped that Harry was not too angry with him. Though he would understand if he was. Harry had barely been a few hours old when Murtagh had left.
He knew that with Lily's tender love and care, Harry would grow up right. Though he knew their relationship was over, Murtagh was still grateful toward the witch for all she had done. She had helped both him and Thorn so much, when the memories of what they had been forced to do still echoed through their minds. She had been the first one to not instantly hate him for who his father was, and for that he would be forever grateful. Yes, with her beautiful heart and soul, Harry would grow up loved and accepted.
Or at least, that is how Murtagh hoped his son grew up.
Not a day went by that he did not think of what could have been, with Lily and Harry. If only.
As he sat and watched the young riders, he thought of his young son. He would be fourteen in a month's time. Murtagh wondered if an egg would hatch for Harry. Being a dragon rider seemed to run in families, if he and Eragon were any indication considering both of them had had Dragon Riders for fathers.
Murtagh was broken out of his musings by a sudden sensation. It would appear that the wards had been breached.
During Murtagh's time in England, while he had not gotten a wand, he found that he could still find a way to use some form of their magic. He found that runes could still be used, without a wand. It was just a matter of transferring energy to power them.
When Murtagh had first come to the new Rider's academy, he had set about erecting wards around the entire island, so that they would have a warning before a potential attack. It had taken several days and a lot of energy, but he had succeeded in securing the safety of the island from outside threats. However, they were linked with his magic. Therefore, if any threats were to ever breach the wards, he would be the only one notified.
Eragon had been amazed at the rune work, and had asked who taught him such magic. Murtagh had just replied with "Someone I met in my travels". It had been of course Lily, who had taught him ancient runes. Another reason to be thankful to her.
Murtagh accessed the intruder. Two life forms. One appeared to be an animal of some form. Another appeared to be... A wizard.
How had a wizard found this place?
Quickly, Murtagh was able to work through his shock. He sent a mental message to Eragon.
[Eragon, get everyone inside now.]
[Why? Is there a threat? If so, do you not think you will need help?]
[Thorn and I will be fine. Just do it.]
Quickly, Eragon sent out a mental message for everyone to go into the main hall. Thankfully, it only took a few minutes.
Murtagh climbed onto Thorn and entered the sky. Through the wards, he knew that the wizard was flying. This most likely meant he was on a broom. Murtagh and Thorn flew to where he could sense the wizard, only to find that there was no one in sight. This could only mean that the wizard was using magic to conceal himself.
"Whomever is there, it would be best to reveal yourself!" He said.
A few moments later, the wizard was revealed to be... An adolescent. He looked around twelve or thirteen. A snowy white owl was perched on his shoulder. He appeared to indeed be riding a broom. He wore very older, raggedy clothes. Murtagh observed that the boy had been concealed by what appeared to be an invisibility cloak. A cloak which seemed familiar. The boy's hair was extremely dark brown, almost black. However, the most shocking feature, were his eyes. Those bright, green eyes. The eyes that he had only seen in two faces. The eyes that he had not seen in almost fourteen years.
The boy put his hand in his pocket, then quickly took it out again. He looked at Murtagh with an expression the rider could not place.
"So, you are Murtagh?"
Murtagh could only nod.
"Hi, I'm Harry."
Murtagh knew who he was. He knew from the moment he saw those green eyes. A long and awkward silence followed. Eventually, Murtagh cleared his throat.
"Well... You must have travelled a long way, and I'm sure we have... Much to talk about. May we go somewhere a little more private?"
Harry shrugged.
"Lead the way."
The three of them, plus the owl, flew to the ground. Once they landed, Murtagh noticed there appeared to be a trunk attached to the end of Harry's broom.
"Do you need any help with that?" He asked.
Harry shook his head.
"There's a feather-weight charm on it."
Quickly, Harry untied the trunk. He then slung his broom over the opposite shoulder to the arm that was dragging the trunk. The owl once again perched itself upon Harry's shoulder.
"Okay, I'm ready when you are." He said.
So Murtagh led the way to the main hall. He was going to attempt to use a course that would insure they did not bump into anyone, as Murtagh could sense he would have to answer enough uncomfortable questions with Harry, let alone Eragon.
Unfortunately, the hall had large windows.
[Murtagh.]
Eragon said to him mentally.
[What is going on? Who is this child?]
[I will answer your questions later.]
Murtagh replied.
With that he reinforced his mental barriers. It was at times like this he was thankful that his mental barriers were some of the strongest in Alagaësia.
He glanced over at Harry. He was shorter than Murtagh would have liked. He was also extremely skinny, to the point of malnourishment. His glasses were absolutely covered with tape, to the point where he could not see the original frames. His clothes were old, ill fitting, and very warn.
This felt wrong. Surely Lily would have taken better care of him. Even if, somehow she was unable to have a proper income, she would still have the support of her friends such as James and the Longbottoms. So why did Harry appear this way? A sense of dread appeared in Murtagh's stomach. What had happened in the last fourteen years?
Soon, they reached Murtagh's private study.
As he was one of the teachers and by default part of the new Rider Council, Eragon had given Murtagh his own private study. Murtagh mostly used it for when he wanted some privacy. He had even gone so far as to arrange privacy wards through the use of runes. Today, it would serve the purpose of giving Murtagh and Harry a location for a private discussion.
They sat on opposite sides of the wooden desk. For a long time, they just looked at each other. Finally, Murtagh broke the tension.
"So... How long ago did you learn of the truth?"
Harry shrugged.
"About a week ago."
Murtagh could not tell what Harry was feeling. The child seemed to be practiced in showing no outward emotions. Murtagh found this concerning.
"I hope your mother explain this to you gently."
Harry shrugged again.
"The letter seemed nice."
Murtagh was shocked.
"A letter? She told you in a letter? Why... Why did she not tell you in person?"
Murtagh could feel the sense of dread growing. Lily would have never done such a thing if she could have told her son in person. So what had happened to her?
For the briefest of moments, Harry's face turned dark, sorrowful, and even a bit angered.
"She couldn't tell me in person because she is dead."
Murtagh could feel his entire world spin.
Dead? Lily, dead? The woman he had loved... The woman he still loved... The bright light that had set his world ablaze and dragged him out of the pit of despair that he had fought all his life... Dead? Murtagh could barely speak.
"How?" He finally said weakly.
Harry's fist tightened.
"Almost thirteen years ago... On Halloween. We were attacked by Voldemort. She and... James Potter... Were killed. Then Voldemort tried to kill me. But somehow, by some miracle, I survived. It was me that Voldemort wanted, but they stood in the way."
Murtagh silently thanked James, for yet again he had proved his kindness. The man had died for a child that wasn't even his flesh and blood, and for a woman who he still loved but he knew would never think of him that way again. Then he thanked Lily, for her bravery in the face of one of the darkest wizards in modern history. Then he looked at Harry.
"How... How did you come out unscathed from such a dark wizard?"
"Well, not exactly unscathed." Harry replied. He pulled up his hair to reveal a jagged lightning bolt shaped scar. "Other than that, no one knows how I survived."
Murtagh took a few moments to process his thoughts. Finally, he continued.
"So... If James and... And Lily are dead, then who took care of you?"
There was definitely an expression of anger on Harry's face.
"Mum's sister, Aunt Petunia."
Murtagh blinked. Petunia? Who in their right mind thought that giving Harry to her was a good idea?
Murtagh had never met Petunia, but he had heard enough of her. He remembered the night when Lily had returned from her parents funeral. She had been in absolute tears. Apparently, Petunia had blamed her for their deaths, even if they had only gotten caught in the crossfire. She had called Lily a freak, and said that she wanted nothing to do with her.
Lily had also told him of Petunia's husband, Vernon Dursley. Apparently, he hated everything that wasn't what he considered normal. Magic would most definitely fit into the category of abnormal, for the Dursleys.
Murtagh knew that Harry would be hated by the Dursleys for not fitting into what they viewed as normal. From what Murtagh had heard, Petunia was petty enough to take out her hatred for her sister on Harry. And this was what Murtagh wanted to avoid in the first place. The whole purpose for him leaving was so that Harry could grow up, unburdened by hatred for things that were out of his control. How could have the plan blown up so spectacularly?
"Why were you there?" He found himself asking. "Wasn't there anyone else who could care for you? Sirius? The Longbottoms?"
Harry shrugged.
"Sirius was locked in Azkaban for twelve years, and Remus didn't think that it would be safe for a werewolf to care for a baby. I don't know what happened to the Longbottoms. Their son, Neville, is one of my dorm mates, but I never asked him. I didn't want to invade his privacy."
Murtagh exhaled heavily.
"This was not meant to happen. You living with the Dursleys, I mean. We all knew of Petunia and Vernon's feelings toward anything magical, and agreed that it would be a bad idea, as they would most likely mistreat you. And judging by your appearance alone, this was most definitely the case. Would it be too much to ask how they mistreated you?"
Harry took on a dark expression.
"Oh, lets see." He began. "Forced to use a cupboard as a bedroom for ten years. Only being fed small portions of food. Being told on a daily basis that I am a freak who should have died in the car crash with my drunken parents. Being told that my parents were drunks who died in a car crash. Being forced to do housework from the age of five, such as cooking, cleaning, garden, and being expected to do everything perfectly. Being punished when the slightest thing went wrong, these punishments consisting of starvation and being locked in the spider infested cupboard for days on end. Having to deal with everyone in the neighbourhood being told I am a no-good hooligan, which caused me to have no friends... Well that and everyone was afraid of my cousin... Did I mention that my cousin, Dudley's favourite past time was Harry hunting?"
It seemed as if Harry had been holding this back for some time.
"And then, just before I turn eleven the house practically gets attacked by letters. This of course drives Uncle Vernon bonkers. We eventually get cornered on a rock in the middle of the sea by a very large man with a magic umbrella. I learn I'm a wizard and that my parents were murdered. Oh, and that apparently I'm a celebrity for doing something when I was in nappies. And now the fun part starts."
Harry took a deep breath.
"The moment I enter the Leaky Caulderon, I get mobbed by people wanting to shake my hand and say hello and stuff. Everything seems to be great at first. I have money, I get to learn magic... Oh, but no. Nothing can be perfect. For you see, the wizarding world have some sort of hive mind, and they change their opinions at the drop of a hat. One minute, they are practically worshiping me as the second coming of Merlin or something. But the minute I mess up, they turn on me. But we're getting ahead of ourselves, aren't we? Let me tell you about Hogwarts..."
Murtagh was horrified. Every year seemed to be a new struggle for Harry. Three headed dogs and several other traps guarding a stone that he and two other first years had to go through, only to meet one of his teachers on the other end. And if that wasn't bad enough, the teacher had Voldemort on the back of his head.
His second year being haunted by a mysterious voice only he could hear. Students getting petrified and the world’s most incompetent teacher. Being hated by the entire school for speaking parsletongue, a gift which until that point he had no idea of having. Murtagh felt as if he were going to be sick when he heard of how Harry had almost died due to basilisk venom.
He had to clutch his desk very tightly when Harry told him of the dementors, and his reaction to them. He could hardly imagine the horror of having to hear Lily's last moments, over and over again. At least Lupin was there to help him. He was angered when he had heard of Pettigrew's betrayal. He had never trusted that rat, and here was only more reason to hate him.
Finally, Harry finished his rant.
"... And now, yet again I learn that people have been keeping secrets from me, and that all along my dad's been alive, and he never bother to visit."
Harry slumped down, seemingly exhausted from his long tirade. Murtagh struggled to find words.
"I... I am truly sorry for all that has happened. This was what I intended to avoid. I will understand if you hate me."
Harry looked at him for a long time. Finally he spoke.
"I don't hate you."
Murtagh blinked.
"You don't?"
Harry shook his head.
"Yes, I'm angry at you. But I guess I kind of understand where you were coming from. And hay, you must have cared if you left me a magical stone to find you."
"Of course I care." Murtagh replied. "I did all this for you. I only wanted to keep you where you would be safe and loved."
Harry smiled bitterly.
"Well done." He said, a note of sarcasm in his voice.
Murtagh took a deep breath.
"So, what do you plan now?"
Harry shrugged.
"Well, I was planning on coming here, to meet you and to see if we could work things through. Or maybe I just had a few choice words I wanted to throw in your face. Either way, if you want me, I could stay here. At least until the new term starts. And if things don't work out, then Remus has agreed to let me stay with him, as we think it would now be safer, as I'm not a baby any more. No matter what happens, I'm never going back to the Dursleys."
Murtagh slumped back in his chair.
"There is an empty room near mine. You are welcome to stay for as long as you want. I'll talk about it with Eragon, my brother, but I'm sure he will welcome you too. I will take you there right now and then go talk to him while you unpack and settle down with your owl."
"Hedwig." Harry said.
"I beg your pardon?"
"Her name is Hedwig." Harry replied. He stroked the owl who was still perched on his shoulder. For the first time, a smile flickered over his face.
They both got out of their chairs and left the study. Murtagh led Harry down the corridors to his private living quarters. All of the bedrooms had a balcony where the Riders could be close to their dragons if the need arose. Murtagh had gone as far as to put runes on the balconies which would increase their size outward, so that larger dragons could perch on them. So far the largest dragons were Saphira and Thorn.
Murtagh's sleeping quarters were relatively isolated for various reasons, such as him wanting privacy, him being a member of the council, and mostly because most of the riders were still hesitant to trust him completely. This was beneficial for Murtagh and Harry at this moment, as it meant that father and son would have privacy, without any other Riders. Or at least, until they were ready to be discovered.
Murtagh thought that Eragon must be keeping the Riders distracted while he conducted his business, as the corridors were still deserted. Once they got to the door of where Harry would be staying, Murtagh opened it before Harry could.
"It's already furnished." He said. "As you can see, there is not much."
Harry shrugged.
"It's got a bed, a desk and a wardrobe, and they all look in good condition. It's already beating the Dursleys."
With that, he entered the room and laid his trunk at the foot of his bed. He looked at Murtagh.
"Thanks." He said quietly.
Murtagh smiled.
"If you have any problems, or if you just want to talk, I'm always available."
"Thanks." Harry repeated, a little more strongly.
Just as Murtagh turned to leave, Harry said, "Oh, and when we're both done with what we're doing, it's your turn for story time."
Murtagh blinked and turned to Harry.
"Story time?" He asked.
"Yeah." Harry said. "I mean, all that Mum's letter said was that you have "A dark past.". I want to hear about it."
Murtagh took a deep breath. "Alright."
Finally, he turned around. For now, he had to go talk to his brother.