Published: January 17th 2025, 4:16:28 pm
Potter Manor was eerily silent despite the revelry going around the rest of Magica Britain. Only the ruffling of parchments was heard in the otherwise silent chamber Harry was occupying.
Harry stared closely at the Resurrection Stone as it was delicately placed into the ring band and pressed the holding arms against the stone. Once done, he poked the stone with his finger and ensured it was held tight. He used a sticking charm to keep the stone bound to the ring band for good measure.
With that done, Harry unceremoniously slipped the ring onto the ring finger of his left hand. The smooth black stone glinted almost ominously on his hand, and he felt a strange sensation go through his body. Before he could identify what it was, it slipped past his senses.
“Weird.” Harry muttered with a frown.
“I agree. This tablet is weird.” Perenelle agreed, her attention almost entirely focused on the stone tablet in her hand with the Patronus charm used as a visual medium to deconstruct the hidden map.
The clue on the tablet was just a key to unlock the map inscribed within it, but the map itself did not make much sense. The continents were all wrong, and it was as if someone doodled half asleep to draw some random lines and continental borders to generate a map within the tablet.
“I strongly believe Antioch Peverelle left this map as a practical joke.” Nicholas piqued up from the couch near the fireplace, nursing a glass of fine French wine.
“No.” Harry and Perenelle said in unison.
“Well, you have to concede this map doesn’t make much sense, Harry. There are no known continents looking like a jackfruit or an onion ring on our planet.” Daphne said with a sigh, dropping the parchments and old maps of the world drawn by wizards throughout the centuries.
“Maybe it’s not a map of the world we know of.” Harry theorised with a thoughtful frown.
“What do you mean?” Perenelle asked with a frown.
“Elysium is supposed to be this magical place from where all magical creatures were born, right? Why can’t it be another planet?” Harry suggested.
“That’s a silly idea. We are the children of Terra. Our magical power is closely tied to our planet.” Perenelle said dismissively.
“Not exactly. Our magic is resonant with Earth, but it’s not just Earth that amplifies our power. The moon, other planets in our star system and even the stars amplify our power.” Harry argued, making Perenelle fall silent in contemplation.
When he looked at Nicholas, the old Alchemist also looked thoughtful, so he pushed on more confidently with his theory.
“Consider the werewolves. Their power is amplified under the full moon. The Vampires are weakened under the glare of our sun. The Merpeople are tied closely to Neptune. The Centaurs have their magic tied closely to celestial bodies more than our planet. I could go on and list more, but I believe the point is clear.”
“There are things I could say against such a theory, and I remind you that this is not the first time we’ve discussed this possibility.” Nicholas started, exchanging a look with his wife.
“Nicholas is correct.” Perenelle said, “We cannot access Elysium even if we have identified it as a planet. We don’t know where Elysium is in the cosmos, and even if we did, we have no way to reach said planet.”
Harry frowned as Daphne also concurred with the Flamels. With a sudden inspiration, he took the Invisibility Cloak and draped it over his shoulder while also taking the Elder Wand into his right hand. With three Deathly Hallows in his possession, Harry took the stone tablet into his hand and gazed upon it after channelling the ethereal light of the Patronus charm into his eyes.
The world suddenly shifted in his perception, and knowledge was inscribed deep into his mind. The tablet in his hand crumbled to dust, leaving Harry with a fine grain of sand and dust. But he was now holding what he sought in his mind.
“What was that?” Daphne moved to his side with concern.
“That was a strange bit of magic.” Harry said, blinking the spots away from his eyes. “The tablet had some sort of spell on it to inscribe a location in my mind.”
“Have you found it then?” Perenelle asked excitedly.
“I got a location, but I get the feeling it’s not the location of Elysium.” Harry said with a frown as he disseminated the knowledge inscribed in his mind to greater scrutiny.
“What do you mean?” Perenelle looked frustrated.
“Don’t you get it by now? It’s another clue that’ll take us on a merry chase. This is a waste of time.” Nicholas said with finality.
“No, I don’t think that’s it. I believe there is one more test, and I must complete it to gain access to Elysium.” said Harry, but he could see Daphne wasn’t convinced.
“Are you sure? Maybe this is not worth the effort.” Daphne said with some concern.
“No. I feel like I have to do it.” Harry said, keeping his thoughts on the matter private in his mind.
He had a nagging feeling about what was going on. He had his suspicions and wanted to pursue this recent clue to confirm his suspicions on the matter. The name Moros and the strange language used by Melrin were all clues to a fact. He had not explored that until now because he was otherwise engaged with Voldemort.
“All right then.” Daphne sighed, knowing he wouldn’t back down once he made up his mind, “Where are we going then?”
Harry walked towards the table where a most recent map of the world was sprawled out. His eyes fell on a lengthy mountain range that gave the Atlantic Ocean its name. Harry looked at the other three people in the room to make his declaration.
“We’re going to Africa.”
******
Harry listened to the Wizarding radio as it covered the celebrations in Diagon Alley. The Ministry decided to throw a party to honour those who lost their lives to the war in the main trading hub of Magical Britain. Madam Bones declared a week of celebration, inviting even foreign ministries to participate. It was a sound move, and Harry was supposed to make an appearance once in a while to keep the excitement going.
But today, he had other plans.
The fireplace in his study flared up with green flames, and Daphne stepped out of it dressed in a light green dress.
“Well, I’m right on time.” Daphne muttered, cleaning the soot that clung to her dress with a swish of her wand.
“Uh huh, but that dress won’t do.” said Harry.
“Why not?” Daphne asked with an arched brow.
“Because we’re not going for a picnic. There is a suit on my bed. Wear it if you want to come.”
He thought Daphne would protest, but she huffed and went straight into his bedroom to change into the suit he bought for her.
“Is this really necessary, or are you just using this as an excuse to get me into tight, muggle clothes?” Daphne asked from behind the closed doors.
“Who said it can’t be for both?” Harry smirked, listening in on the sounds his fiancé made while struggling to get into the wetsuit he bought for her.
When the door of his room opened, Daphne stepped out wearing a fitting black wetsuit that hugged her curves.
“Why aren’t you in one of these if it’s necessary?” Daphne asked, some pink colouring her cheeks as he ran his eyes over her body.
“Who said I’m not?” Harry pulled his t-shirt down from his neck to show the black wetsuit underneath.
“Then why are you wearing pants and I’m not?” Daphne asked with a glare.
“My fun.” Harry grinned while Daphne tried to swat his arm.
Harry caught the offending limb and pulled Daphne into his lap. For once, Daphne didn’t protest his forwardness and pushed her lips against his taking the initiative. Her arms were thrown around his shoulders, her fingers threading through his hair. He held her closer, taking in her scent while he took his sweet time enjoying the taste and warmth of her lips.
‘I suppose she doesn’t mind giving me a reward.’ Harry thought with a goofy smile.
It gave him the confidence to wander his hands along the side of her body. Just as his hands climbed over her waist, the fireplace flared with green flames.
“Harry.”
The sound of his grandmother snapped Daphne and Harry to part and his hands to freeze.
“Oh, for the love of Merlin, why?” Harry whined.
Daphne giggled at his antics; her cheeks flushed red, and her cherry-red lips quirked with a beautiful smile.
She quickly gave him a peck on his cheek and whispered,
“Another time.”
Then, she pulled back to stand on her own feet while Harry let out a breath of frustration to follow her.
Harry raised the wards to allow Perenelle and Nicholas entry into his home. Together, they took portkey straight to Africa.
******
Some sheep were grazing leisurely under the glare of the sun when the space distorted around them with bright rainbow colours. They looked up only for a moment before scattering in all directions as their instinct to survive kicked in.
Harry landed on his feet and nearly stumbled, but he managed to catch himself. He caught Daphne by the waist when she landed on her feet. The Flamels somehow managed to land gracefully despite the turbulence.
“So, we’re in Africa. Where to now?” Perenelle asked immediately.
Harry looked around and found the mountain he knew to be a landmark. The cave systems he saw in his mind were right outside the northern city of Taza, close to the Middle Atlas Mountain ranges.
He took out four brooms from his mokeskin pouch and handed them to everyone. Daphne, being not a fan of broomsticks, chose to fly with him instead of taking one for herself.
“Follow me.”
Harry kicked off from the ground while Daphne hugged him for dear life. His Firebolt took them on a joy ride across the valley. Nicholas and Perenelle chased after them, and they went on a steep ascent, passing above the Atlas mountain ranges until Harry finally found the cave systems in his mind.
“There!” Harry pointed at the right cave before pulling into a dive.
“We need to go into that?” Daphne asked hesitantly, eyeing the steep cave with apprehension as they set their brooms outside the cave.
The sun dipped low over the rugged peaks of the Atlas Mountains, casting long, jagged shadows across the rocky terrain. Harry stood at the mouth of the cave, his wand gripped tightly in his hand. The air here was cool, tinged with the earthy smell of moss and damp stone. Behind him, great gales whispered across the mountain slopes, but before him loomed the dark tunnel that legend promised would lead to Elysium.
“There is a steep tunnel that goes some 2000 meters long with a large underground river at the bottom. We’ll have to trek for a few meters on foot to reach the mouth of the tunnel.” Harry explained.
“So, we’ll need the brooms.” Perenelle said with a long-suffering sigh.
“I’m afraid so.” Harry nodded.
Together, they trekked through the rocky terrain of the cave for a few minutes. Their dragonhide boots allowed them to traverse the rocky terrain without injury. The cushioning charms and other assorted spells that regulated body temperature and such comforts made their journey more friendly. They finally reached the mouth of the tunnel.
“Brooms?” Daphne said, looking the least bit happy to continue their journey on brooms.
“It’s either that or we climb down the tunnel with a harness.” Harry said with a pointed look.
“Brooms it is.” Daphne said with a sigh.
Once again, Daphne was forced to slip behind him on the Firebolt.
“Hold on tight.” Harry said as he raised the broom to hover above the mouth of the tunnel before diving straight in.
A pulse of light blasted out from the tip of his finger, lighting up the whole tunnel. A ball of light formed before him and fell straight down, lighting Harry’s way forward. The tunnel was steep and narrow, forcing Harry to duck and manoeuvre around sharp outcroppings. His Lumos spell cast a pool of light ahead, illuminating strange etchings on the walls as he went deeper. Some were runes he vaguely recognised, and others were pictorial depictions of creatures—serpentine beings with elongated limbs and glowing eyes. The deeper he ventured, the more oppressive the silence became, broken only by the howling air in his ears and the occasional drip of water.
The tunnel gradually widened, the air growing cooler and more humid. The sound of rushing water reached his ears, faint at first, then growing louder with every step. He finally emerged into a cavernous chamber, its ceiling lost in shadow. Before him, an underground river cut through the bottom pit with a large rock at the river’s centre, its surface shimmering with an unnatural silver light.
Harry pulled off the dive and gracefully landed on the rock. The Lumos spell floated above him, lighting the tunnel. Soon, he was joined by Perenelle and Nicholas Flamel.
“From here on out, we’ll have to swim through the river to reach that rock where a small tunnel leads to a different chamber.” Harry said, pointing to the tunnel's far end, where a pitch-black boulder stood apart from the rest.
Together, they plunged into the river with a Bubblehead charm and other temperature-regulating charms to weather the river. Harry led the way forward with a ball of light floating inside the river. He used the repelling charm to ward off the river's current as all four of them swam to the other side of the tunnel. Once they traversed the underwater tunnel, they found an open chamber with breathable air at the end of the tunnel.
Harry was the first to break out of the water into the land. His eyes finally fell on a large obelisk made entirely out of smooth silver metal, with its tip nearly touching the rocky ceiling. When his two feet were firmly planted on the same land the obelisk was standing on, Harry felt a hum of magic in the air. It was as if a beacon resonating from the basilisk was calling to the deepest parts of his psyche.
He absently applied a cleaning charm, which took off the water clinging to his body and moved forward without waiting for anyone else towards the obelisk. The obelisk, in return, started to hum to life with each of his steps forward. Several streaks of light shot out of the obelisk and fell on his head. Harry instinctively raised a shield which pushed away the streams of light from touching his body.
The obelisk hummed almost eerily, and he got the feeling it was somehow not trying to harm him. This was the point where he had to take a leap of faith. The beams looked innocuous, and his senses did not detect any hostile intent. When he looked closely, the beams felt like a detection charm.
He removed the Hallows from his mokeskin pouch so that the beams could detect them. After all, the clue called them transcendent keys.
‘Here goes nothing.’ Harry thought before dismissing the shield and allowing the beams to scan him.
The beams scanned his body from head to toe and even the Hallows. Harry kept his Occlumency shields up when he noticed the beams take a particular long interest on his head. He also felt a subtle pinprick sensation behind his eyes when the beams passed along his forehead and eyes.
‘Is this thing trying to read my mind?’ Harry thought.
Harry, being the cheeky bastard he was, started to project some comical memories into the surface of his mind. They were fake memories and fake thoughts he manufactured on the dime.
The beams abruptly cut off, and he felt a shield sprung up around him. Harry turned abruptly to look back, only to notice an energy shield was now raised behind him, separating him from Daphne and the Flamels.
“Harry!” Daphne shouted in alarm.
She started throwing blasting charms at the shield to no avail. The shield remained intact and absorbed any magic thrown at it.
Suddenly, a projection of a man in a grey cloak flickered into existence before the obelisk.
“I’m Moros, sometimes known as Myrddin or Merlin. If you have managed to activate the obelisk, it means you have met the evolutional criteria to unleash its full potential. The obelisk holds the key to unleash the true power of the Hallows.” Moros said as the obelisk started to unravel before Harry’s eyes.
As the silver metallic surface rippled and pulled back against the ground, he found a crystalline structure within. Within it was a map of the entire planet etched on the crystal surface, with three distinct colours dotting the continents.
“It gives you the power over life itself. It’s for you to decide who is worth living on this planet. The green represents all magically enhanced creatures, both humanoid and nonhumanoid. The blue represents all non-magical animals in the world. The red represents all non-magical humans. Once command can wipe out an entire species, the rest will bow before you.” Moros said almost mechanically without a hint of emotion.
“Do it!” Perenelle crowed. “Your destiny is to destroy the muggles. This is what you were born for. Wipe this world clean of their polluting presence.”
Harry couldn’t help but snort at Perenelle’s hatred for muggles. It was not the muggles’ fault that the wizards chose to hide instead of fight for the land and power. He had shown it was possible when he was pushed back in time. The failures of wizards were theirs to live with. Sadly, Perenelle was in denial of this reality.
“No!” Nicholas shouted over his wife. “We do not know what this thing will do. How do we even know this thing is speaking the truth?”
“Well, we can find out now. Do it, Hary. Fulfill your destiny.” Perenelle said earnestly.
Harry’s eyes fell on Daphne’s to see what she had to say.
“No.” Daphne mouthed him.
Harry smiled at her before turning back to stare at the projected figure and then at the crystalline pillar before him. Coming to a decision on the spot, he gathered magic into his hand and started preparing it for a spell.
“No being should have such vast power over life and death.” Harry said before he unleashed the spell on the crystal pillar.
The plasma he gathered in the palm of his hand streamed out almost silently and blew the crystal pillar away. The power of the spell was such only a few half-melted pieces of crystals remained littering the ground. The rest were instantly vapourised.
“No!” Perenelle shouted with a crazed look in her eyes, “What did you do?”
Nicholas held back his wife from doing anything that she’d later regret.
“Well, this was a giant waste of time.” Harry snorted before turning his back on the melting crystals.
The shield parting him from Daphne collapsed, and his fiancé rushed to hug him.
“Thank you for doing that.” Daphne said with a gasp of relief once she threw her arms around his neck and hugged him dearly.
Harry felt some relief at the validation he received from Daphne. He let out a sigh of relief as her warmth comforted him.
“Of all my creation, only you have shown the wisdom to identify the trappings of unchecked power.” Moros spoke once more, his voice echoing in the chamber.
The ground beneath them shook, making Harry and Daphne break apart and stand at the ready for any funny business.
“Look!” Daphne pointed at the ground as a cavity started to form where the obelisk once stood.
The ground parted, and a huge ring started to rise, along with a dialling device. Harry’s eyes widened as his suspicions were proven right. He was quite familiar with the huge ring-like object and the dialling device with some familiar symbols of Moros’ language. A small obelisk also rose up with a Lantean Repository on it.
‘Oh my god!’ Harry thought with his mouth agape.
“It’s true that one being should not hold the power over life and death. It’s also true that one species must not hold that same power and authority in the universe. You’re all children born out of my blood, destined with a noble purpose. It’s your destiny to defend this universe from the unchecked ambition and greed of an enemy so dangerous and vile.” said Moros while the obelisk powered up with the repository glowing with blue light.
“I sense that your mind and body are now strong enough to receive the knowledge and the tools necessary to protect this world and many other worlds from an enemy even I failed to defeat. Take this knowledge I offer from the Repository and do what you think is right. The doors of Elysium are now open to you and those you deem fit.” Said Moros.
The giant ring started moving with different symbols lighting up on the dialling device. With a whoosh, the ring activated, making everyone jump at the strange sound and the rippling effect it produced upon activation.
“What is that?” Daphne asked in awe.
“An event horizon made through a tear in space-time.” Harry absently said as he eyed the wonder before his eyes.
“What should we do?” Daphne whispered.
Harry looked at the Lantean Repository and made a split-second decision. While he was apprehensive about turning his brain into mush, he was confident his proficiency with the Mind Arts would aid him in properly disseminating the knowledge within the Repository safely into his brain.
He placed his face into the Repository without any hesitation and welcomed the packets of information bled through his eyes into his brain. And with it, he knew that his story was far from over. If he thought the rest of his life would be spent bitterly fighting it out in the political arena of Wizengamot, he was wrong. He had a far better future to look forward to, and it made him giddy.
*******
Alternate Reality (Year 1943)
Queen Elizabeth Targaryen stared at the rising sun from her room’s window and marvelled at the peace and warmth it brought to her being. The last few weeks were hectic. The empire that had conquered all known lands on the planet was no more. In its place, the Federation of Terra has emerged as the singular world government.
It was a significant change brought forth by necessity and new discovery. The ruling format set forth by Titus Targaryen was no longer feasible. It had only brought infighting and deep-seated ambitions to tear the Targaryen family apart. It was said Emperor Titus thought of bringing stability and an end to ambitions within the family by expanding the borders of the Scottish Empire. If anything, ambitions only grew within her family.
Perhaps she was being a little naïve in making such judgements on her ancestor. No doubt, Titus must’ve known ambitions would only increase in time. He might’ve thought his descendants would be smart enough to weed out the worst within the family.
Unfortunately, such high expectations were way off the mark. Courtly intrigues and political power plays were not a strong suit of the Targaryen emperors and empresses that followed Titus. Targaryen princes and princesses were left unchecked, and they went around the world, conquering lands and peoples in search of glory, power, and wealth. When there was no place to conquer in the world, they turned on each other.
The Targaryen Civil War of 1890 had a real chance of destroying the empire. It was a few good people and luck that managed to keep the empire together. The discovery of Merlin’s hideout in Glastonbury Tor was one of the first incidents that showed they were not as alone as they thought in the cosmos. Then, the discoveries in Egypt, unearthing parasitic beings that dared to style themselves as gods, made it necessary for the empire to hold together. This led to a worldwide hunt for more of these parasitic beings and their remnants, if any.
Elizabeth had nightmares reading the reports about these serpentine creatures. Two of their kind were captured from Egypt, and another was captured from China. All three were prisoners for a short while until their existence was no longer useful to the empire. From these serpents, they unearthed more secrets of the stars and the many civilisations that spanned across multiple planets.
When it became clear that the threat the Goa’uld posed was far greater, it became a unifying force. The unearthing of the Stargate and the consequent build-up of an orbital defence and fleet was quick to follow.
“My queen.”
Elizabeth turned away from the window to look at her secretary.
“Eleana.”
“The excavation team has returned. It was a success.”
“I see.” Elizabeth expertly hid her excitement at the news.
She knew how important the excavation was in Antarctica. The Lantean orbital defence system was discovered in the icy continent. For a time, they had thought of keeping it in Antarctica, but the status of Antarctica was in flux. As the only continent to remain unclaimed by any of the Targaryen princes, Antarctica’s status was about to be settled in a conference next month with a full senate hearing. So, before anything could be settled, she wanted the orbital defence platform to be safely kept in Scotland under her dominion.
House Targaryen might’ve splintered, but the true dragons were still those with Scottish blood. That would not change no matter what the up-jumped Germans, French and Koreans thought of themselves.
THE END
AN: The story will continue in the Stargate Universe. I plan to have the sequel published in March. Meanwhile, you're free to suggest possible names for the sequel story.