Chapter Text
Winter's-Blood
Chapter 2
-Harry-
Wincing, Harry clutched the fur cloak tighter around the left side of his body. His right side remained exposed as a massive man who was Hagrid's height if not bigger ran a glowing palm over fresh injuries. Whatever the veil had done to bring him to…wherever he was now, it had also burned. The part of him that hadn't been using Voldemort's screaming body as a shield had new shiny red burns running up and down from his leg up to his face where they mingled with the freshly burst open lightning bolt scar. Honestly, he wasn't sure if he should be happy that the specific scar from his parents murder was no longer distinguishable or irritated that the massive collection of new scars looked like a giant lightning pattern.
"Augur, how fares the healing?" a woman with a long braid approached, nodding to Harry who returned the gesture with awkward nervousness. A whole village of people who were Hagrid's size was far from what he'd expected when he exited the ice cavern.
"Both slower and faster than expected, Thane Sun-Hair." The man answered as Harry wondered if Augur as a name or a title, "The wounds sing of the Veil, of the Land of Dreams, and are slower to adapt to my healing spells. But at the same time there is something in the boy's blood that calls of life and has let him heal faster regardless."
"Hah!" the woman, Thane Sun-Hair, let out a boisterous laugh at that "Sounds like the boy is simply too stubborn to stay injured. An Avaar in spirit!"
Avaar, that must be the name of the giant tribe of people. He wasn't feeling anything from them that was concerning, not like the feelings he got around Umbridge, Voldemort, or the Death Eaters, but he was still a bit wary.
"Hakkon spoke well of you boy." The Augur nods to him as Harry perks up, recognizing the name of the Dragon spirit from Ameridan's story.
"That…that was the Dragon, right?" Harry spoke up for the first time since he'd stepped foot into the hold, too busy processing the fact that the mirror had taken him into a new world. Here he wasn't famous, he wasn't 'the boy-who-lived' or 'the boy-who-lied' or any other absurd title he loathed. But he also didn't have his friends, he didn't have Sirius anymore, he knew nobody.
"Yes, Hakkon Wintersbreath has taken the form of a great Ice Dragon now." Augur nodded "After you freed him from the prison of flesh they returned to the Fade and came to me. Ordering me to free you from the cavern you had saved him from."
"I…um…is there a way I can thank him?" Harry rubbed the back of his head awkwardly, not used to anyone being genuinely grateful outside of a few rare instances. More often than not the usual response was entitlement, hero worship, or both.
"I'm sure Augur can pass along your gratitude." Thane Sun-Hair nodded, glancing over at the Augur whose eyes gleamed in a way that reminded Harry of Sirius or the Twins.
"You'll get a chance to tell him yourself soon if you're willing." The Augur assured him as the Thane's head snapped that way, her braid going flying.
"No…you can't be serious?" the Thane gaped even as the Augur chuckled.
"But I am, the offer passed along by Hakkon directly." The Augur smirked before looking down at Harry "In our Hold, young mages are trained by the Spirits directly. The spirit mingles with the host student, living with them and helping guide their magic and growth. Once the student has finished their training, a ritual is done to let the Spirit return home."
"If it's so common then why is she so surprised?" Harry nodded at the still flabbergasted Thane.
"Because," the Augur "the one who has offered to train you isn't any ordinary spirit. It is Hakkon himself, god of Winter and War. Such a thing has not been offered in generations, a god training a young Shaman."
"I…I don't…" Harry found himself at a loss for words. On the one hand this was something else that would make him start standing out in this world too. But on the other it was being offered as gratitude for something he'd genuinely done.
"I…I'll accept their offer." Harry nodded, firming his resolve. Hogwarts was gone, everyone he knew was gone. He'd have to make a new life for himself in this world and the first step was mastering his magic.
-Remus-
Standing silently under the pouring rain, Remus stared down at the four graves. Two old, two fresh, and one painfully empty. Sirius's body had been recovered after the Department of Ministry and Remus had made sure it was buried in Godric's Hollow with James and Lily; but there was no body to recover for Harry. His honorary nephew, the last Potter, was now marked only by an empty casket in the fresh grave next to James and Lily. He'd carried Sirius from the Ministry Halls himself and when Fudge and Umbridge tried raising hell he'd snapped.
Werewolf or not, Half-Blood or not, Remus was still from the named Pureblood line of Lupin and with it came certain rights. He'd declared blood Feuds on the Houses of Fudge and Umbridge, challenged them to duels, and left their cooling corpses on the Ministry floor.
None of Fudge's minions had felt brave enough to stop him after that.
Once Sirius' body was secured he'd apparated directly to Malfoy Manor. The Order had theorized that was where Voldemort was for months but with no proof, and Lucius' protection from the Ministry, it was too much of a risk to try and go after him there before.
Now? Now Remus just didn't care about the risks.
He had blown open the door, pushing through the wards, and found the remaining Death Eaters waiting for their Master's return. He'd slaughtered all but Pettigrew who he captured, dragging by the hair to the Ministry.
The Aurors were still trying to figure out what had happened in the Department of Mysteries, and figure out who was in charge, when he'd arrived. Pettigrew in hand he threw the sniveling coward at Amelia Bones' feet and calmly asked if Sirius would be getting his trial posthumously or if he'd have to declare another duel. The Wolf inside him was demanding blood, even as crimson dripped from his robes onto the marble floors.
Veritaserum down Pettigrew's throat confirmed Sirius' innocence, Harry's honesty, and Voldemort's return.
He'd ignored Dumbledore's demands to try and capture, to let the Death Eater's earn a chance of forgiveness and returning to the Light. Instead, Remus had hunted down them all, killing every single Death Eater by taking advantage of the Pureblood's rigid dogma of tradition. A blood feud, an honor duel, a fresh corpse, and then off to a new target.
He'd made Wizarding England run red with blood but now it was done. Bones was Minister, there were no Death Eaters left, but it didn't bring back Sirius or Harry.
"At least…at least they can't hurt anyone else." Sirius let the tears flow down his face freely, the salty drops mingling with the pouring rain. A sharp crack sounded out from behind him as he smelled Tonks' arrival even through the thick downpour.
"Did…are they sure he's gone?" Remus didn't take his eyes from the fresh gravestones even as Tonks grasped her hand in his.
"Voldemort is gone for good." Tonks nodded, "The Department of Mysteries was able to confirm how he stayed alive and that he can't come back now." With the deaths of Sirius and the Lestranges, as well as the fall of the Malfoys, all the assets of those families went back to the last surviving relatives, the Tonks family.
From the Lestrange Vault, they'd found a twisted mangled cup.
From the Grimmuald place, they'd found a blackened and shattered locket.
In Malfoy Manor they'd found a desiccated and mummified snake corpse.
Dumbledore, at the aggressive insistence of Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, had offered forward a burnt and melted diary.
From these, the Department of Mysteries had studied them to ensure that Voldemort was truly gone.
"Good." Remus' voice was hoarse, "How…how are the children handling this?" he wanted to be there for him, but wasn't willing to go near the children until his bloodlust had calmed, until he stopped seeing his hands dripping red.
"Grieving." Tonks' answer was short and expected "But one of them, Luna Lovegood, seems to think he's not dead but just…gone."
"What?" he looked at Tonks, tearing his away from the stones for the first time since he arrived.
"It was…strange." Tonks admitted.
"Luna…I remember her when I was a professor." Remus gave a short half broken laugh "Her classmates saw her as just a strange child. But…I'm fairly sure she has the sight. I don't know if she does, I don't know if she's right…"
"But it's better than believing in nothing." Tonks finished his thought as she gave his hand another squeeze "Come on, you need to get cleaned up. The children are worried about you."