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  This chapter was edited by Gdiusx. Check his works on HP and ASOIAF, I highly recommend them.

  Harry woke up with a start. He hurried to get his maps and pen out, but even as he fumbled with the papers, trying to open them to the right border and boundary, he groaned in annoyance. Laura’s mirthful snicker from where she was cooking breakfast had him turn to her with a twitching brow.

  “Did you forget it again?”

  “Aye…this is getting ridiculous.” Harry roughly rubbed his messy hair, causing it to become even messier as he ignored Ghost’s amused huff in his mind. “I know the Forbidden Forest has those queer protections, but I could still remember the bnk spots when I’m asleep.”

  “Ah, by using that wondrous mind tree you mentioned.” The centaur stirred a pot of stew over the fire and touched her chin in thought. “I have heard of many ways to form a mind pace, and learning how to discipline your mind is a must if you wish to read the stars or venture out into the wildnd.”

  “Something to look into ter, perhaps.”

  Harry stood up and stretched until he heard a satisfying pop in his shoulder bdes and back. He joined his companion in the cave entrance where they camped for the night and accepted a bowl of stew from her. The st pieces of meat from the manticore, with some herbs and wild roots to give it fvour.

  They ate in silence as he stared out of the mouth of the cave. It was dawn, and they could barely make out the path leading down the mountain. Hopefully, within the hour, it would be bright enough for them to travel.

  “Looks like the blizzard didn't block the way, thank the stars,” Laura said as she followed his gaze. “I think I've had enough of the cold for a while.”

  “It wasn't that bad,” Harry shrugged as he finished his stew. “It could have been worse. We could be digging through an avanche or something.”

  “…Please don't jinx us, Jon.” The centaur's unamused gre had him chuckling. “Let us pack and be off. I have a strong feeling that today shall prove to be fruitful.”

  Harry nodded and packed his belongings. As he stored his maps and tools in his pouch, his mind wandered to what Laura said regarding his mind tree.

  He did not think he would need any sort of mind protection with his dear companion always on guard. The direwolf had proven to have strange abilities connected to the mind, and Harry suspected it had to do with their warg bond.

  A niggling feeling in his mind told him that he should still aim to look into those mind defence things and not grow x. Funnily, It sounded suspiciously like a certain bushy-haired girl.

  He wondered how Hermione was doing.

  “So, any tips to those mind defence skills you mentioned?”

  They had left the cave an hour ago and leisurely strolled down the winding path of the mountain. It was early morning, with the sun barely peeking through the mist and fog. Harry was still peeved at how the Wildnd could stop him from mapping certain parts of it.

  “Oh? You gave me the impression you were uninterested in it.”

  “It never hurts to be overly prepared.” Harry shrugged as he carefully sidestepped a loose rock and warned the centaur to watch her step - her hoofs did not allow her good bance in such rocky and slippery terrain, especially with how the fog clung to the ground, so Harry had taken point. “It's just that I am certain I can access those memories easily when asleep, but the moment I wake up, it is like a fleeting dream. As if I'm trying to catch smoke.”

  “Understandable, but I am unsure if the methods taught to me would work for you.”

  “How so?”

  “Well, in my case, I learned them to better understand the stars and heavens. I'm not particurly good at it, and you would need a teacher to guide you through your mind. Sharing your deepest secrets and desires with them would be a side effect of the training method. Perhaps it would be better to ask someone close to you or a teacher from your school? They would know much better the intricacies of the human mind.”

  Harry hummed non-committally. She had a point. He had no wish to share his secrets with anyone. Maybe Chiara could do, but he did not think she was talented in the mind arts. As for Hogwarts, he had no doubt it would have teachers capable of such arts, but the problem remained - he did not trust anyone enough to share his mind, not even Poppy.

  Unless he could somehow bring his mind’s heart tree and pnt it in the real world to peruse his memories, he did not seem to have–

  It was like a light bulb had shined over his head as Harry facepalmed with a groan.

  “Anything the matter, Jon?”

  Harry turned to the centaur and wondered how to phrase his question before shrugging inwardly. “Hypothetically, if I had a one-of-a-kind tree that I would like to propagate, but it does not bear fruits or nuts nor any kind of seeds. How would I go about doing so?”

  “That is quite the specific hypothesis.” Laura giggled, and he smiled awkwardly as he ran his hand through his hair. “I’m afraid I was never good at forestry and herbology, but… by any chance, is that hypothetical tree magical?”

  “I believe so? I mean, aren't all trees magical since we get our wand wood from them?”

  “I don't know about wands, but there are mundane trees that can channel magic, and then there are completely magical trees.” Laura shrugged as she adjusted her felt cap and fur vest. “Regardless, why not simply ask its spirit if it desires to propagate?”

  Harry hid an unpleasant shiver in his back as he thought about asking the Old Gods for advice. They would probably bleed him for all he was worth to give him the slightest answer.

  A nudge in his mind had him smile and gnce at the skies. “Anyway, food for thought. Looks like I have a visitor.”

  Hedwig broke through the misty skies before circling them for a moment and nded on his outstretched arm.

  “Such a beautiful owl.” Hedwig preened at the compliment before nibbling his ear in greeting.

  “I missed you too, girl.”

  The owl chirped before presenting the letter tied to her leg. Harry walked a short distance to a nearby alcove before reading it.

  “Word from your friends?”

  “Aye, my attendant, actually. Simply doing what I asked her, reminding me it's almost been a week since I entered the forest, and that my girlfriend is worried about me.” And that the full moon was tomorrow. Harry frowned as he rubbed his chin, Chiara also mentioned fighting off some sort of dark creature encroaching in his nds - she theorizes it was controlled by a wizard but she was uncertain. “I could've sworn it's only been four or five days, though.”

  “Occasionally, time doesn't flow as expected in the Wildnd, but it shouldn't be too drastic. Don't forget you slept through the day when you fought the Manticore.”

  “Fair enough. Alright, Hed. Why don't you scout ahead while we descend the mountain? Hopefully, we will be done by tonight.”

  The snowy owl chirped and flew off towards the forest.

  “So, girlfriend? Is that not how human males call their lovers?”

  “Indeed. Susan is my beloved, and I dearly miss her.” Lover was too strong a word, and he was cautious not to use it. They continued their descent, Harry making sure the path was safe for the centaur. “I had st seen her a day before coming here. We went to see a quidditch match. You know about quidditch?”

  “Yes, I may not know the rules, but I have occasionally watched from the forest as you younglings flew on those brooms.” Laura suddenly shivered, “How you could trust a simple broom to hold you aloft is mind-boggling!”

  Harry chuckled, but before he could espouse the greatness of quidditch, the morning mist cleared, and he froze at the strange silhouette in the distance.

  “Laura?”

  “Yes, Jon?”

  “Why can I see Hogwarts in the distance?”

  “Ah, we must have unknowingly turned around at some point.” Laura giggled as she followed his gaze - the prestigious school was about ten miles away in a straight line, yet Harry could not recall seeing mountains, like the ones they were on, from the castle. “It happens, but fret not; I'm confident we shall find our goals today.”

  “… Bloody forest.” Harry cursed under his breath, though the centaur must have heard him as her giggle turned into a snort. “Whatever, let's get on with this.”

  With that, they descended the mountain and re-entered the Forbidden Forest proper.

  “Are you sure about this, Jon? This…cave is unnatural. It should not exist in the forest like this.”

  They were stopped at a strange rocky hill in the middle of the forest. Hedwig had nudged his mind when she found strange roses that immediately reminded him of the Winter Roses that grew in Winterfell. Excited and quite wary, he still led Laura to where she found them. The flowers exuded a soothing coolness, and the centaur confirmed to him that they were called the same here.

  That was when they discovered the hill. It seemingly sprouted out of the ground, with no other hills around it. The trees surrounding it did not appear healthy, and he attributed it to the sulphuric smell emanating from its vents. The hill had a small cave, barely rge enough for a man to crawl through - or a child to walk in.

  “You have never seen it before?”

  “Nay, and I know this region well.” Laura nervously stomped her hoofs on the ground. “I even recall gathering some of the Winter Roses for the shaman’s potions.”

  Harry’s excitement was at an all-time high. There was no doubt in his mind that some sort of terrible creature lived in there. Perfect for his ritual! Yet, he had learned to exercise caution. He would love to get an idea of what was inside first, but there was no way he would risk Hedwig in an environment she could barely tolerate - even as they stood a few dozen feet from the entrance, the owl’s feathers were ruffled as she clenched her cws on his shoulder.

  “I’m going in.”

  “I suppose I cannot stop you. At least I will have good company while you are inside.” Laura sighed but perked up when Hedwig jumped to her shoulder, “Be careful, Jon. But if you die, can I keep Hedwig?”

  Harry burst out ughing as he pulled out the Invisibility Cloak, “I won’t die. I’ll be back soon.”

  Entering the cave’s entrance, he was greeted with a tunnel glowing red. He did not even need to lower his head due to his height. The air was growing hot and humid, and the heat was unpleasant yet still tolerable. Once he put on the cloak, he thought it had become marginally better, but he soon forgot about the heat as he exited the tunnel and found himself in a beautiful new world.

  The cave was massive, incredibly so, considering its deceptive size from the outside. The walls and ceiling were made from smooth stone that reflected the reddish hue of the crimson crystals sprouting around the pools of boiling water dotted around the cave.

  Yet Harry did not waste time gawking in awe, despite how much he wanted to. He was on a mission, and there was no way such a cave would not have an inhabitant. He took a careful step out of the tunnel and into the cave proper…

  … Before finding himself face to chest with a strange floating creature.

  “Who’s there?”

  A melodic voice sounded out as the female…whatever it was, groped blindly over his head. For once in his life, Harry had never been more gd over his short stature.

  The creature was naked and tall. Her skin was red and looked soft, with ample breasts, dark nipples, a thin waist, and wide hips, yet even as he watched, he could see rock-like armour forming over her body as if she could sense danger.

  Her face was beautiful to an unnatural degree, with a small button nose, sharp leaf-shaped ears, rge innocent eyes with two vibrant rubies for irises surrounded by bck sclera, and a coy smile on her dark red pouty lips. Yet, her mouth slowly pursed as she failed to grab him.

  Her frown became apparent as her eyebrows furrowed, brows that were made from literal fire, the same as her long, wild hair.

  It only took Harry a couple of seconds to notice all of this, and now he wished he had cast Mufliato on his feet. He did not dare move, even as the creature frowned in confusion and floated a few inches from the ground.

  A child-like giggle came from the creature’s lips, betraying her adult appearance, as her gaze moved to the side as if trying to see if he had moved. “I know you’re there. I don’t know how you could hide from my eyes, yet my ears and nose still work, you know.”

  For a moment, Harry entertained the idea of leaving. The creature was definitely intelligent, and he did not sense malice from it like he did with the rest of his prey. A breath through his nose told him a lot of conflicting information; Ghost was intrigued by the creature, yet he was also wary.

  Regardless, before he could decide to retreat and find a better target, the creature waved her hand, and suddenly, the cave exit behind him sealed shut - as if it was never there in the first pce. Harry flexed his fists and clenched his teeth; the message was clear.

  He would need to fight.

  “~There’s no escape~” Sang the creature before her eyes opened wide, and her lips stretched into a toothy grin, showing sharper than normal fangs. “Come now, talk to me and let’s py!”

  Unbidden, Harry found himself wanting, no desiring, to announce his presence and py with the beautiful creature. A growl in his mind woke him from that strange trance, and he thanked Ghost for the save. He was beginning to suspect what that creature was, and Harry did not feel prepared to meet something like that.

  He could not move. The woman had excellent senses and would surely catch any movement. She continued to throw suggestions and promises of a fun time, consistently growing more and more explicit the more she talked. Yet, she did not seem to tire of his silence. On the contrary, judging by her wide grin that showed a long tongue, white teeth and prominent fangs, she must have thought this was an eborate game of hide-and-seek.

  The creature continued to float back and forth, and Harry knew he only had one chance to leave this pce; He must subdue her.

  He waited until she was far enough away that he dared risk movement. Slowly, as calmly as he could, Harry grabbed a fire resistance potion from his pouch, thanking the gods he got it on the first try, before chugging it all and shoving it back in the pouch. Then, he waited, subtly flexing his feet and hands to get his blood pumping, readying his wand and dagger, until she floated too close to him…

  It was instantaneous. Harry’s wand bsted from inside his cloak with a powerful Impedimenta that blew away the cloak but barely sted a fraction of a second as the creature easily shrugged it off.

  But it was enough for him to lunge like a direwolf.

  The creature screeched in shock as he grabbed onto her back, and they tumbled from the air to the ground. Harry’s hand sprang like a viper and gripped the woman by the throat for a chokehold. Instantly, an unpleasant amount of heat sprang from her body, more than his potion could protect, yet he endured, for he knew he could not allow her to escape, or else his life would surely be forfeit.

  They rolled on the ground several times; the woman was clearly shocked and panicked as she tried to douse him in fmes. Sharp rocks stabbed into him as they tumbled, drawing blood and causing him to clench his teeth in pain, yet he persevered. Eventually, they stopped rolling, and Harry put all of his weight on his knee and held the creature in pce.

  The woman struggled mightily; her bzing hair was insanely hot as it turned white, and his skin began sizzling as the smell of burnt meat choked the air, the potion barely capable of stopping the heat from reaching his bones. Harry knew it was quickly losing its effectiveness. His grip on her throat was getting weaker, so he went with the next best thing.

  “Don’t move, or I will slit your throat!”

  She finally ceased her struggles as she felt the sharp edge of Cw, the Goblin Forged Silver dagger, stabbing slightly into the chitin armour in the back of her neck. His other hand held his Weirwood wand in a reverse grip, causing it to come very close to her eye.

  “How dare you?!” She struggled to move her head sideways to better gre at him. “You come into my abode and try to kill me? Who in Maeve’s name are you?”

  “I will be the one asking questions here, now douse your fmes, or I will stab you. Believe me, I only care to sy you and eat your heart to gain all the benefits for my ritual, but you have piqued my interest.”

  Harry did not truly expect the woman to believe him, and prepared for one st hurrah from her. Yet, surprisingly, her visible eye widened, and she swiftly doused her fmes, her hair turning from burning white, to a pleasant warm red.

  “O-Okay now, let’s not be hasty. Let’s be cool–I-I mean not cool, cuz I’m hot, get it?” The woman fumbled over her words as she stared warily at his wand before her visible eye widened. “Hey, wait a minute. I’ve never seen wood like that before! Tell you what, darling. You let big sis go, give me that stick, and I’ll forgive you for nearly killing me. Heck, I’ll make it worth your while, too.”

  “As if I would believe such a pathetic attempt at bargaining.” Harry willed his wand tip to light into a frosty light - he was not yet capable of casting Gcius non-verbally, but she did not need to know that. “Now, tell me. What manner of creature are you? Do you have a name?”

  “Oh my, so bold!” The woman suddenly giggled and Harry pushed his dagger a tiny bit more, causing her to yelp. “Okay, okay, I’m a Fae dammit.”

  He grimaced as his suspicions were confirmed, he didn’t have a clue on how best to deal with Fae. Most of what he read about them could be surmised with one word: Avoid. Harry did recall they have some sort of mind powers along with a plethora of others, most important of them; magical contracts.

  “And your name?”

  “I can’t just give you my name!” For once, the woman looked scandalous as if he asked her to strip - which wouldn’t matter as she was very much naked right now, and had eagerly attempted to seduce him despite his age; Even now, she wiggled her bubble butt underneath him. “I would rather die!”

  And he believed her. Harry trusted his instincts, and he trusted Ghost’s even more. Both told him the woman had not once lied so far, and he wondered if it was part of her magic. Being unable to lie. Even more reason to be careful, for he had not tried lying to her yet, and Harry had a feeling it would be a bad idea as well. He couldn’t just keep her subdued forever, either. He had to think of something.

  “If I release you, you would not have allowed me to leave. Not unless you exact a punishing price.”

  “Now, I wouldn’t say–”

  “Tell the truth!” He allowed Ghost’s growl to seep into his voice, and his magic amplified it even more, even if his throat burned at the magic - he did not know what the Fae felt, but he could smell her wariness. “What would you do if I released you?”

  “I would make your life miserable.” She shrugged, “What do you expect? You trespassed into my domain, somehow hid from my eyes, which is supposed to be impossible, and confessed to have come here to sy and eat me! I am not the offender in this situation, I’m the victim!”

  And that was the crux of the matter. Harry acknowledged that he was in the wrong, and he could almost hear Laura telling him “I told you so” in his mind. He did not understand the reckless streak that came over him tely; Jon knew the benefits of keeping a cool head and pnning his approach well. Yet he was unwilling to bme it on Harry.

  They were both one and the same.

  “It appears, then, that we are at an impasse. I acknowledge I was in the wrong, but even if I have come in peace, you would not have treated me in a way that I deem fair. Am I right?”

  “…What do you want me to say? I am Fae! It’s what I do. I am fair, but you humans are greedy and have different interpretations of what fairness is. To you, it’s fair to steal from the nd and the forests, yet it’s unfair when we steal from you in return.” Harry was surprised at the gre she shot him - it told a personal story of hurt and betrayal. “You cannot deny me the right to hate those who steal from me. Even then, I am not cruel like you humans. I would not take more than what I need, and never purposely harm others unless they deserve it, and I certainly don’t harm children no matter how much I love their company.”

  That expined why the cave entrance was child-sized, and Harry did not want to imagine what she did with their company. “Yet you do not hide your intentions to harm me.”

  “Oh, please! I don’t know what magic you are using, but you are no child.” The Fae’s words chilled his blood, “Or, at least, you are older than you look. Hmm, still a child but old enough to warrant retaliation for attacking me!”

  The silence that followed was heavy. Harry stared at the woman’s narrowed eyes, for she had managed to turn her head enough for him to see both of them. “I do not wish to kill you.”

  Her eyes grew slightly softer, “Neither do I. Yet, you have invaded my domain. How would you make recompense?”

  “Is not sparing your life enough?”

  “I am Fae.” She grinned, her fangs gleaming from the light of the crystals. “You may kill me, and I shall reform elsewhere. It may take years, but I shall still return to haunt you and your descendants for eternity.”

  “I would rather you don’t.”

  “Same. Reforming is a bitch and a half.”

  They continued to stare at each other’s eyes in silence. “You mentioned something about my wand?”

  “Oh yes! What sort of wood is that? I have never felt such pure magic before, and I’m not even a forest Fae!” It was as if a switch was turned on and the hostile girl - when did she appear younger? - suddenly gushed like Hermione would in front of a new book. “Tell you what? You give me that stick, and I’ll let you go unscathed. I promise.”

  Harry could hear the magic in that st word, and all he needed to do was accept the bargain, and he would be allowed to leave unmolested. He shook his head - he had already lost a wand once, and he had no intention of losing another.

  A nudge from his mind had him turn inwardly, and he could feel Ghost nudging him towards the Heart Tree. Suddenly, an idea coalesced in his mind. It was mad, it was insane, heck he did not even know how to begin casting what he knew was not even a spell.

  Yet, he focused on it - that part of his magic that followed him from Westeros. He had only actively used it once, but this was different. He did not need a spell, yet he could feel warmth coming from his wand - as if assuring him that it would work, he needed only trust it. Harry gazed at the girl’s widening eyes, clearly understanding something was happening, and then…

  “Ow!”

  They were pulled into the Godswood of his mind. The Fae rubbed her bum as she fell on a rock, but before she could stand, her jaw fell at the sight of the mighty Weirwood.

  “Welcome,” She turned quickly to him, only to back away in fear when she saw Ghost’s towering form beside him. “To my mind.”

  “W-What do you want from me?”

  “Why, to strike a deal, of course!” Harry felt a lot more confident in the confines of his mind, though he was surprised the Fae did not comment on his changed appearance - he looked more like Jon right now. “Is that not what you desired?”

  “Hoh? Well, now, that is certainly interesting.” The Fae seemed to regain her bearings as she stood, yet she suddenly frowned, took a deep breath, and closed her eyes in concentration. Harry looked in a mix of amusement and confusion before gncing to Ghost, who tilted his head as the girl started grunting for a moment before puffing out in annoyance.

  “What are you doing? You look constipated.”

  “I’m trying to float! Why can’t I float?!”

  He burst out in ughter as the girl bit her lips and shook her fists petuntly, “This is my mind.” He waved his hand and the girl squawked as she floated in front of him, “I brought you here so we can have a civilized and peaceful conversation.”

  “Peaceful?! Don’t make me ugh, you just want to bargain from a position of strength!”

  “I was already in a position of strength but no matter what I do the moment you learn my name, you would have a lot more power on me, am I right?”

  The girl tried to say something, frowned before folding her arms under her supple breasts, “True.”

  Harry nodded as he confirmed that whatever rules of magic she worked on still worked - she could not lie to him. His eyes fell over the girl, and he found himself inspecting her again. Now that he wasn’t suffering from burns and felt pain all over his body, he had to admit she was a stunning beauty, despite her otherworldly appearance; it only served to make her look even more exotic.

  He shook his head inwardly, he had Susan now, and the blue-eyed girl could give the mythical creature a run for her money still.

  The Fae noticed his gaze and smirked, “Like what you see?”

  “Yes.” He replied without thinking before frowning. “N… I don’t…You are objectively beautiful, but I…”

  “There’s no need to lie to me, cutie.”

  “Alright, you’re possibly one of the more beautiful women I’ve ever seen, despite the weird colouring, which somehow brings out your fiery beauty more.” Harry rubbed his brow tiredly, it looked like he could not lie to her either - judging by her cheshire grin, she also realized it. “Well then, this just shows you how sincere I am. We can better discuss matters for our mutual benefit.”

  “I’m still miffed over how you assaulted me. That is no way to treat a dy!”

  “Hey, don’t make it sound weird. I was scared for my life, you know!”

  “Oh no! The scary burgr sneaked into my home to have his wicked way with me. Woe is me for defending myself!”

  “Ugh, can’t you let it go already?”

  “Not until you say sorry!”

  Harry gred at the girl, her ruby eyes seemed to be bzing angrily. She wanted him to apologise? Him? That’s ballsy coming from a–

  Ghost nudged his shoulder, and Harry turned to find the direwolf shaking his head, his eyes narrowed in disappointment. “You want me to apologise to her, boy?”

  The direwolf nodded and moved to the pool, causing him to follow - the girl yelping as she followed along against her will. Ghost swept a paw at the pool and a scene from his childhood pyed, and Harry suddenly felt remorse.

  He couldn’t remember it off the top of his head, but there were many scenes like them. Dudley and his gang of misfits chasing him in school, making his life miserable, beating him up. The comparison between him and his bullies was sobering - had he truly been desensitized to taking what he wanted whenever he wanted? When had Harry Potter become so callous?

  “…Alright.” He turned to the Fae who had remained silent as he had his moment of crity. “I apologise for attacking you, and ask for your forgiveness.”

  The girl stared at him for a long moment, before her lips widened into a smile. “That wasn’t too hard now, was it? Very well, I accept your apology. Let me hear your proposal.”

  “Good, but first,” Feeling annoyed at her too satisfied smile, he imagined her dressed in clothes, causing her to yelp as a form-fitting bck dress covered her modesty. He hid a grimace, it only served to accentuate her curves even more, and judging by her smile turning into a grin, the Fae also knew it.

  He hurriedly talked before she could come up with more distractions, “You are interested in the Weirwood?”

  “Is that what it’s called? Fascinating.” She stared at the mighty Heart Tree and Harry set her back on the ground, allowing her to move to the face and pce a hand on it. “It’s absolutely magnificent! I can just get drunk from being in its presence, despite this not being real.”

  “What’s the difference? It's still my mind.”

  “Yes, yes, but you could never replicate what I’m sensing. If what I sense from this tree is what you could perceive from it, then there is no doubt in my mind that the real thing would be glorious to behold!”

  “I see.”

  “What’s with the carved face, though?”

  “I do not know. Some trees come with faces, whereas some do not. Nevertheless, this is but a representation of my mind pace. You would like the real deal, correct?”

  “Of course!” She turned to him with shining eyes, “The amount of magic I could feel from that little stick of yours. So pure and untainted by sentient thoughts!”

  “What would you offer me if I could provide you a home in one of them?”

  The Fae gawked, her eyes wide, and her jaw dropped. “O-One of them? A whole tree? What’s the catch?”

  “Depends on what you offer.”

  “I can do loads of stuff and offer you a plethora of boons! I am fire-natured and have a great affinity for earth and metals. Despite not being a Forest Fae, such a tree could easily allow me to cim even more affinities! I have connections with the Court of Summer to–actually no, forget them, that tree is mine! If you have any empty nd, I can potentially help you cultivate and protect it. Oh, I can also–”

  Harry listened as the Fae listed a great many things she could potentially do to his benefit. The hunger and greed in her eyes, as she stared in awe and worship at the Heart Tree, could not be faked - not when they had established they could not lie to one another. The mention of the Court of Summer was intriguing but Harry had had his fill of Fae.

  It was honestly spontaneous how he decided to strike a deal with this particur Fae. Wisdom dictated not to trust such creatures, but something Laura said about magical trees having spirits rang with him - what if he could assign a spirit to it instead of risking conversing with the Old Gods? She seemed unaffiliated with any of the Fae Courts, so perhaps…

  “Alright, you have convinced me. I suppose we should sign a contract of sorts?”

  “Indeed,” The girl waved her hand…and nothing happened. She stared at him with teary eyes, and he nearly chortled - she must not be accustomed to being so weak. “It’s not funny!”

  “We will do this, my way.” Harry moved to the Heart Tree and stood beside her, Ghost loyally stood behind him. He remembered the most important rule of the Heart Tree. “It is said that a Weirwood Heart Tree is how the gods watch over us. None can lie under their gaze, doubly so with whatever aspect of your magic somehow affecting my mind.”

  The Fae nodded seriously, “I cannot lie. It is part of my magic. As a consequence, any who converse with me cannot lie either.”

  “Excellent.” He took her hand and pced the other over the solemn face, the girl doing the same with her other hand. “These are my terms: You shall swear fealty to me and my House. In return, I shall offer you a new home in my domain where, amongst other benefits that we could discuss, you shall reside in my Weirwood Heart Tree.”

  “Fealty? That’s not what we agreed upon!”

  “I have bested you in combat,” Harry shrugged. “Besides, I cannot think of any other method to ensure you won’t betray me ter. Fealty goes both ways, after all, but I shall be the dominant one.”

  His voice rumbled with power, and the Fae gulped, yet she still looked uncertain. “It’s not fair, you know? You still attacked me and are technically forcing me into all of this.”

  “Perhaps that is true, yet we could simply forget about the whole matter. I already apologised, and you forgave me. We can leave my mind and go on our separate paths after a promise from you not to retaliate. I can even promise to bring you a small shaving of the tree as an apology ter on. Of course, you can forget about seeing a true Weirwood ever again in your life - my tree is the only one in existence!”

  The confidence in his words and the fact he could not lie were enough. He could see the girl’s hesitation dissolving, and one st longing gaze at the tree had her square her shoulders in resolve. “Very well. We will need to exchange names.”

  Harry smiled, gd things had finally worked out for the best. “My name is Harry James Potter. What is yours?”

  “My name is…”

  Harry woke up to find himself alone in the cave. The glowing crystals caused his eyes to hurt, and the heat was still unpleasant. He stood up with a groan of pain - his skin was burned in many pces, and his face was a mess. The fire-resistant potion Chiara made was supposed to be extra potent, but in the face of a Fae’s fire, it might as well had been sunscreen.

  He quickly rummaged in his pouch for his potion kit, flinching as his burned and scabbed fingers came in contact with the fabric. Once he found it, Harry opened it and withdrew a plethora of healing potions; most of his injuries were burns, but he also found the occasional cut and bruise from rolling over the rocks. His shoulder bde did not feel right either, and he worried he might have fractured it.

  Not to mention his burned fingers. Hugging a fming woman with white-hot fmes for hair was a terrible idea.

  “Serves you right for groping me!”

  He groaned again at the voice in his head and inspected the cave. There was no sign of her anywhere; he did not doubt her words, but it was still strange to think she now lived in his mind. He knew she technically did not truly exist in the material world, whatever that meant, but, how did she move to his mind?

  “Oh, do you really want to know? So, I woke up before you, opened your mouth wide and dived head-first down your gullet. It was sooo annoying getting my butt through your–”

  “Ugh, shut up Cinder. I did not want to know the specifics.” It expined his raw throat, sore jaw, and why he felt like he had literal fire in his belly. “I really hope I don’t have to puke you out ter on.”

  “Trust me, I would rather not either. Your breath stinks, you know?” He scowled at the reminder of him being in the wilderness for so long; having a voice that cannot lie in his head was proving to be annoying already. “At least Ghost is good company, despite giving me a fright earlier. Aren’t you a good boy?!”

  He could feel his direwolf huffing in pleasure as he got scratches from the Fae and resigned himself to the slight betrayal in favour of reaping some extra benefits. “You sure you don’t mind me taking some of those things, Cinder?”

  “Not really. The cave shall remain, but its contents shall not be replenished with my absence. You can take what you can, and I suppose the rest shall be a prize for any intrepid explorer. Also, don’t call me Cinder!”

  “Well, it was either Cinder or Ember because I have no desire to call you with your needlessly long name.”

  “My name is not needlessly long! But I shall have to accept, then. I would rather you do not call my name needlessly.”

  Harry finally drank the healing potions, applied Burn-Healing Paste to his burn wounds, and bandaged what he could. It was still a rough job, and he would need Chiara to look at it when he got home. Thankfully, his Basilisk hide armour had proven resilient and endured the heat and thrashing he took. The same could not be said for one of his mokeskin pouches; his camping gear was lost now, along with his food supplies. Thankfully, the pouch with the parts he collected was still intact, along with his potions

  “Alright, let’s loot this pce for all it’s worth. Laura should be waiting for us outside.”

  .

  .

  .

  It turned out he could not take much of the stuff. His mokeskin pouches did not agree with the hot Ignisite Crystals, and the Fireblossom Rose was too delicate for him to uproot from its rock. In the end, he only grabbed a single strange ruby with a bck dot in the middle that felt like it would stare at him from different angles. Cinder had pointed it to him and said it was something she left for him to use for his ritual. As he walked back through the tunnel, which had returned to normal with Cinder inside him, he asked her what it was, and her reply staggered him.

  “Oh, that? That was my left eye.”

  “Why would you tear your own eye out?”

  “It failed to see you under that magnificent cloak of yours.” Harry had naturally retrieved his cloak from where it was abandoned near the entrance. “Consider it a token of goodwill and rental payment for living in your mind. It’s so nice and cool here. Usually, I hate the cold, but this is…different.”

  “But still, it’s your eye!”

  “Aw, are you feeling sympathy for me? Cute little Harry is so considerate!”

  “Tsk, forget it. My fault for caring.”

  “Oh, don’t be like that. My eye shall grow back anyway. Especially once I’m on that tree. I don’t technically exist in the material world, remember? But my, you’re really different from the st man to visit my home. Such a dour boor, he thought he could just waltz in and steal my petals!”

  “I’m sure you showed him your displeasure.”

  “Of course I did. Boring man did not even bring a gift yet asked for a trade.” Harry could imagine Cinder shaking her head in his mind before seemingly smirking at him. “So naturally, I took my own payment. Who would have guessed the sheer irony of what I took and what happened ter.”

  Harry could tell the sassy girl was baiting him, wanting him to question her about whatever it was that she did. Sadly, he was a bit too busy approaching the cave exit, and what he heard outside did not bode well. Hedwig nudged him, and he inspected the clearing through her eyes with a frown. He quickly put on his cloak and readied his dagger and wand, even as he grimaced from the pain of his still-open wounds.

  It did not matter, for there was a battle to be fought.

  And the adventure continues! I honestly thought I could finish this mini-arc in this chapter, but things just keep escating!!

  And Harry gains a new ally…let’s just hope he covered all of his bases, especially when dealing with the Fae. Imagine a Fae wyer in court or a prosecutor…that would be a riot.