Now I know I brought up this idea a year ago, (found here) but I never really did anything with it. It got mixed readtions, but with the little bit I have, I think that I- or someone else- could make this work.
Anyway, I originally posted this in my Archive Rejects, Chapter 38 and I am still undecided on whether or not to continue with this.
Now, this is set sometime during HBP, but most definitely before Harry and Ginny got together. I left it open ended so I could chose what to include/not include in the story later.
Also, taking a page out of JBern's works, I wrote this from the 2nd person perspective like he did in both "Bungle in the Jungle" and "Turn Me Loose". In hindsight, it's a great writing concept for an epic length fic, but may or may not fit well with the small little bit I have here.
And another thing, at this point even I do not know how or why Harry is in Tamriel, just the fact that he's there, so some ideas to that end would be most welcome.
Now, on with the beginning of the story...
Let me know if this idea is Good, Bad or Ugly!
~~~~~~~~~~~~
You awoke in a cell.
The last thing you remember was sitting in your common room, joking with your best friend, all the while eyeing his sister discreetly. Your other best friend kept giving you knowing glances, but you chose to ignore those for your own greater good. The last thing you need is for people to meddle in your life more than they already do.
Which brings you back to the present.
You are in a cell.
You shake your head to clear out the cobwebs, but you seem to have developed a splitting head ache. You take what little comfort you can in the fact that the source of you pain is NOT your scar and that despite not wearing what you wore to bed the previous evening, you still have your wand.
Going through the necessary movements, and a quick whisper of ôAlohamora...ö and the manacles on your wrists pop right off. Luckily for you, they donÆt make much noise when they hit the floor.
Unfortunately, you seemed to have attracted the attention of someone over in the next cell across the hall.
ôWhatÆs this...? An Imperial in the Imperial Prison?ö said a white haired æmanÆ with pointy ears and purplish, grey skin, with menacing red eyes. ôI guess they donÆt play favorites, huh?ö
He looked all too smug saying this, considering his own predicament.
ôYour own kinsman think youÆre a human piece of trash...ö Your hand tightens around your wand. He reminds you so much of your nemesis that you almost curse him on instinct. However, it is because that A: You have no ideas where the guards are and how theyÆd react to you attacking the prisoner across the hall and B: YouÆre not entirely sure what your fellow prisoner is, that stay your hand and donÆt make a move to curse him into next week.
And your least favorite professor says you are incapable of thinking things through, always looking before you leap and all that. You know, the ætypical GryffindorÆ. However, even if he was the slightest bit accurate before, and you hope he wasnÆt, the death of your godfather several months ago definitely made you learn caution.
ôHow sad...ö the æmanÆ said in a faux tone of sorrow. However, it didnÆt last long as your fellow prisonerÆs face contorted in a vicious sneer. ôI bet the guards are going to give you special treatment before the end.ö
ôThe end?ö you ask in confusion, youÆre still disoriented so your not exactly running on all four cylinders.
He give you a hearty chuckle, ôThatÆs right, you see, youÆre going to die in here, Imperial! YouÆre going to die!ö
You start to argue with him, however he cuts you off with an explanation of his taunts.
ôImperial criminal scum like you give the Empire a bad name, you see. YouÆre an embarrassment,ö his sinister smirk threatens to break his face in half, as does the reductor curse youÆd like to throw at him at any minute. ôBest if you just... Disappeared...ö
Still, you canÆt help but think over what he is saying, though when he came to that last part you wryly think, æWhat else is new...?Æ Though only the Dursleys ever thought of you as an embarrassment, it seemed as if nearly everyone else in your life would wish you to disappear until needed- packed away in your own little glass case labeled ôOpen in Case of Voldemortö.
There are still too many questions unanswered.
How did you get into this cell? Why does that... Man... keep calling you æImperialÆ? And what in the hell is he anyway? The third question is the only one you remotely have an answer for. Given the pointy ears, youÆd say he is some sort of elf. Though you grew up on the legends of elves, predominantly those in TolkienÆs novel ôThe Hobbitö, the Keebler commercials, and last, but not least, SantaÆs little helpers, you canÆt help but think that they are far from what youÆd ever imagine that they looked like, your encounters with Dobby and Winky emphasize your point.
Then again, with the exception of the Tolkien Elves, the others were kind hearted and full of joy. Not but three seconds with this one and you hate him on a level equaling that of Draco Malfoy and Dudley Dursley all wrapped up in one neat little package. The only true differences between them and the creature before you is the fact that his uncombed hair lacks the greased up do of Malfoy and heÆs about a good hundred pounds lighter than your cousin.
YouÆre brought out of your thoughts by the approach of several figures, each hurriedly moving and talking in hushed tones.
The æelfÆsÆ eyes widen, ôHey! You hear that! The guards are coming... For you!ö
With that he let out a sinister laugh before retreating to the back of his own cell.
ôBaurus, lock that door behind us,ö you hear someone order. A woman from what you can tell.
You can hear bits and pieces of conversation, but nothing definitive. While they are approaching you tuck your wand into the waist band of your trousers.
ôYou donÆt know that sire, the messenger only said that they were attacked,ö the woman tried to assure a white haired man in majestic purple robes wearing the most beautiful amulet you had ever seen.
Suddenly, a dark skinned man in heavy looking armor is standing in front of your cell, his eyes widened as he saw you. The two of you lock eyes, but your mind is still focusing on the conversation between the woman and the old man.
ôNo... TheyÆre dead... I know it...ö
ôMy job, right now, is to get you to safety,ö she assured him. She stopped when she saw you standing in the cell door way. ôWhatÆs this prisoner doing there in there, this cell is supposed to be off limits!ö
ôA-A mix up with that watch... I...ö He answered hesitantly.
ôNever mind... Gate that gate opened,ö she ordered. ôStand back prisoner, we wonÆt hesitate to kill you if you get in our way.ö
ôYou prisoner, stand aside, over by the window, stay out of the way and you wonÆt get hurt!ö The guard ordered. Not seeing any reason to not comply, you walk over to the nearby window. However, the hole in the wall can barely be classified as such considering how small and high up it is.
The Guard then opened the door and walked into your cell. ôStay put, Prisoner...ö
ôLetÆs go,ö said the woman. ôWeÆre not out of this yet...ö
She then began to study one of the walls of your cell intently. Meanwhile, the old man has caught your eye.
ôYou...ö he says to you.
You canÆt help but gulp.
You have no idea who he is, but he has obviously seen you before. Considering the fact that they are protecting him and you are their prisoner, it is logical for you to assume heÆs the one whoÆs keeping you in this cell.
ôIÆve seen you... Let me see your face...ö
Despite his kindly conversational tone, you canÆt help but be intimidated by the old man in front of you. As he nears you, you try your hardest not to make any sudden movements, as you have little doubt the guards would make good on their promises of your early demise should you even blink wrong.
ôYou... You are the one from my dreams...ö he said, lost in thought, ôThen the stars... Were right and this is the day...Gods give me strength!ö
Idly, you wonder if the man is somehow part centaur as, other than Professor Sinistra, youÆve never really heard of anyone else talking about stars in casual conversation before. Well, you COULD count Trelawny, but that old bat couldnÆt predict her own suicide if she had the dagger pointed at her own chest.
ôUm... Sir, whatÆs going on?ö you ask hesitantly, not really expecting anything other than a beating in return.
ôAssassins attacked my sons, and I am next,ö he tells you. ôMy Blades are leading me out of the city along a secret escape route. It is by chance that the entrance to that escape route, runs through your cell.ö
That explains why theyÆre in your cell, now all you have to do is figure out who ætheyÆ are and why YOU are in your cell.
ôSo... Who are you?ö you ask. Not exactly respectful, but at least he doesnÆt seem the least bit offended. ôAnd why am I here?ö
He quirks an eyebrow at you. ôTo answer your first question, I am your emperor, Uriel Septim. It is by the Gods that I serve Tamriel as her ruler and you are a citizen of Tamriel and you shall serve her in your own way. As for your second inquiry, perhaps the Gods have placed you here so that we might meet. As for what you have done, THAT is not what you shall be remembered for.ö
ôWhat am I going to do?ö you ask. He smiled kindly at you, as if he knows something you donÆt. He probablly does and as much as youÆd like to curse him, he is the only thing keeping the guards from demonstrating whether or not the swords at their waists are real or for show.
ôYou will find your own path, but take care, for there will be blood and death before the end,ö Uriel tells you wisely. You still donÆt understand, and from the look of the guards expressions, they donÆt either.
ThatÆs something at least.
The Emperor, however, smiles benevolently as if nothing was wrong. You canÆt help but wonder if Dumbledore gets that same expression on his face whenever you leave his office with more questions than answers. Which you are loathe to admit is far, far too often.
ôPlease, sire... We must keep moving,ö the woman urges as she presses down on a brick, opening up the alcove in your cell. She then turned to æBaurusÆ and the other guard. ôWe better not close this, thereÆs no way to open it from the other side.ö
ôStay back... IÆm watching you...ö threatened the unnamed guard as he shoots you a pointed look before following after Emperor Uriel and the female guard captain.
The third guard merely smirks at you. ôLooks like this is your lucky day.ö
He too disappears down the tunnel, you canÆt help but wonder if that is your okay to leave the cell. Deciding youÆd rather go on some foolÆs errand with the Emperor than sit and rot in a cell, you quickly follow after them. Especially if there are assassins about. TheyÆre bound to come this way eventually.
As you finally catch up to them, they are heading down some stairs- the woman leading, followed by the dark skinned guard that threatened you, the Emperor, and, finally, the one called Baurus.
Seeing as there is no other option, you follow them into the next chamber. Of course, as soon as you step into the room, there is an ambush. There are shouts as the three guards meet their foes and the Emperor draws an intricate looking short sword and takes a defensive stance. You draw your wand and take aim at one of the attackers when a scream distracts you.
ôCaptain Renault...ö whispered the Emperor. You get a sickening feeling in your stomach. ItÆs only confirmed when the guards come back and are short one of their number.
ôWeÆve driven off the assassins, Emperor,ö said the friendly guard. ôIt seems as if they were waiting for us...ö
ôAnd Captain Renault?ö asked the Emperor, though you are pretty sure he already knew the answer.
ôDead, sir,ö he answered mournfully.
You grip your wand tightly.
Everything begins to hit you at once. Business has just picked up as you fully realize that your most likely not on Earth anymore, let alone Scotland. The only consolation you take from this is the fact that Voldemort doesnÆt seem to have anything to do with this and he isnÆt here to torture you further. On the downside, it seems as if youÆve left everyone youÆve ever cared for to take care of that mess themselves.
Of course, Voldemort was an impending doom on the entire Wizarding World, that may or may not attack at any moment. You currently have assassins out for your blood in the here and now. Once this chaos is taken care of and you somehow get rid of the assassins after you- or rather the Emperor your helping escort, then you can get back home to your own problems.
Namely, how to approach that girl youÆve fancied for the last few weeks despite her having a boyfriend and six older brothers, and a Dark Lord that has tried and failed to kill you since you were just barely over a year old.
You know, typical teenage hero stuff.
At least your scar doesnÆt prickle with that annoying constant throbbing of the Dark LordÆs presence. Apparently, the link doesnÆt extend to interdimensional travel.
You follow the Emperor and his two remaining guards as they make their way to the next door. You force yourself to ignore the dead men in the red robes and the armored corpse of the rather pretty guard captain. The first guard unlocks the door and steps through. Just as the Emperor exits, the other guard turns to you.
ôThis is the end of the line for you,ö said the guard sternly.
You get ready for a fight. You had hoped to help the Emperor escape so that he could help you get home, but it looked as if that wasnÆt going to happen.
Oh well, if you were going to die in a strange place on a strange world, youÆd die fighting.
ôYouÆll have to find your own way out of here,ö he said and just as you go to draw your wand and curse the man with all youÆve got, he turns away from you instead of drawing a weapon. He too steps through the door, but closes it behind him. The telltale clicking says that he locked the door behind him.
You grab the handle and confirm this.
Nothing a little magic canÆt fix.
However, your musing and incantation for the Unlocking Charm are both cut off when there is a cracking noise behind and to the right of you. The stone wall seems ready to collapse and there is something behind it forcing it to do so.
You fire off the first spell in your mind.
ôReducto!ö
The wall explodes and you hear a high pitched dying shriek of an animal. However, another creature seems to be jumping through the hole in the wall youÆve made.
This time your kinder to it.
ôStupefy!ö
The creature, which you find is the largest rat youÆve ever seen, is instantly knocked unconsious. Peering into the hole it came from you see an large cavern. You whistle in appreciation. The guards obviously didnÆt want you following them, so you wonÆt. Because now you donÆt have to.
Hopefully, even without the EmperorÆs help, youÆll still be able to get home.
But first...
You go back to the bodies behind you for anything useful. It seems disgraceful and it sickens you to your stomach, but you need their stuff a lot more than they do. Overcoming a small bout of nausea you begin to search, ignoring the various wounds on each body and the distinct smell of blood.
You find a few bottles of various liquids, but they mean nothing to you. For all you know, they could be poison of some sort. No, best to leave those behind.
In the end you have a torch from one of the assassins and Captain RenaultÆs short sword and katana.
Going into the cavern, you search once more for anything useful. You donÆt find much, a shield, a bow, some arrows, a few gems, a dozen lock picks and a couple pieces of gold. You use the small coin purse you got off of one of the dead bodies in the previous room to store the gems and coins. They donÆt look like any coin youÆve even seen, Wizard or Muggle, but figured they might be helpful as currency anyway.
After the twins picked you up in the Ford Angelina before your second year, you had them teach you how to pick a lock. Ron thought you were barmy and Hermione looked at you with disdain and disapproval. At least you know how to use the lock picks in the event you find yourself without your wand. ItÆs probablly one of the few moments of your life where it was probablly a good thing you hadnÆt listened to your friends. So you pocket the lock picks as well, knowing that in this day and age- or at least in this world- theyÆd come in handy.
You put on an ill-fitting piece of leather armor. ItÆs uncomfortable and it smells, after all someone had died in it, but itÆs better than no protection at all. You also take off those uncomfortable prison sandals and replace them with uncomfortable leather boots. The boots, no matter how uncomfortable, or smelly, will last a lot longer than those flimsy sandals and you have no idea how long youÆre going to be in this æTamrielÆ.
Last, but not least, you encounter another corpse. This one is humanoid at least, but itsÆ species is unrecognizable to you. It sort of looks like a Goblin, but it has bluish-green/grey skin. ItÆs also much thinner than the bankers and investors youÆve met at the local wizarding bank, Gringotts.
However, theyÆre still just as ugly.
On itÆs body is a rather crude looking club, some gold coins, another lock pick and a key. You pocket the key, the lock pick and the coins and leave behind the club. Not only do you not have much room to carry such items, but you are painfully unaccustomed to using melee weapons in general. You only keep the swords because of your brief familiarization with them when fighting that basilisk off of your current crush a little less than four years prior.
ThereÆs also the fact that RenaultÆs intricate katana could probablly fetch a pretty penny.
Guilt starts to eat away at you, but you force it down. SheÆs dead and youÆre going to need money to survive in this strange world. You sigh wishing for simpler times.
Not far from the æGoblinÆ corpse is another door. You use the newly acquired key to get through it and re-pocket it. Who knew, perhaps you might need it again. You were pretty sure you wouldnÆt, but your inner-Moody kept insisting on keeping it for the time being.
Continuing on into the cavern, you encounter a few more rats, each were easily dealt with and an inferi, which wouldnÆt go down with a simple Stunning Curse. A muttered ôIncendioö followed by ôDepulsoö was enough to bring it down.
Moving further into the cavern, you encounter another of those Goblin-like creatures. The only difference between this one and the last is the fact that this one is quite alive. Fortunately, itÆs back is to you. Taking careful aim with your wand, you send a high powered stunning curse at him. Not only is he knocked unconsious, but he slammed into a nearby cavern wall. Your pretty sure that if heÆs not dead already, he will be if you just leave him there. However, you canÆt risk waking him or alerting others to your presence as that would most certain spell certain doom for you.
Anyway, I originally posted this in my Archive Rejects, Chapter 38 and I am still undecided on whether or not to continue with this.
Now, this is set sometime during HBP, but most definitely before Harry and Ginny got together. I left it open ended so I could chose what to include/not include in the story later.
Also, taking a page out of JBern's works, I wrote this from the 2nd person perspective like he did in both "Bungle in the Jungle" and "Turn Me Loose". In hindsight, it's a great writing concept for an epic length fic, but may or may not fit well with the small little bit I have here.
And another thing, at this point even I do not know how or why Harry is in Tamriel, just the fact that he's there, so some ideas to that end would be most welcome.
Now, on with the beginning of the story...
Let me know if this idea is Good, Bad or Ugly!
~~~~~~~~~~~~
You awoke in a cell.
The last thing you remember was sitting in your common room, joking with your best friend, all the while eyeing his sister discreetly. Your other best friend kept giving you knowing glances, but you chose to ignore those for your own greater good. The last thing you need is for people to meddle in your life more than they already do.
Which brings you back to the present.
You are in a cell.
You shake your head to clear out the cobwebs, but you seem to have developed a splitting head ache. You take what little comfort you can in the fact that the source of you pain is NOT your scar and that despite not wearing what you wore to bed the previous evening, you still have your wand.
Going through the necessary movements, and a quick whisper of ôAlohamora...ö and the manacles on your wrists pop right off. Luckily for you, they donÆt make much noise when they hit the floor.
Unfortunately, you seemed to have attracted the attention of someone over in the next cell across the hall.
ôWhatÆs this...? An Imperial in the Imperial Prison?ö said a white haired æmanÆ with pointy ears and purplish, grey skin, with menacing red eyes. ôI guess they donÆt play favorites, huh?ö
He looked all too smug saying this, considering his own predicament.
ôYour own kinsman think youÆre a human piece of trash...ö Your hand tightens around your wand. He reminds you so much of your nemesis that you almost curse him on instinct. However, it is because that A: You have no ideas where the guards are and how theyÆd react to you attacking the prisoner across the hall and B: YouÆre not entirely sure what your fellow prisoner is, that stay your hand and donÆt make a move to curse him into next week.
And your least favorite professor says you are incapable of thinking things through, always looking before you leap and all that. You know, the ætypical GryffindorÆ. However, even if he was the slightest bit accurate before, and you hope he wasnÆt, the death of your godfather several months ago definitely made you learn caution.
ôHow sad...ö the æmanÆ said in a faux tone of sorrow. However, it didnÆt last long as your fellow prisonerÆs face contorted in a vicious sneer. ôI bet the guards are going to give you special treatment before the end.ö
ôThe end?ö you ask in confusion, youÆre still disoriented so your not exactly running on all four cylinders.
He give you a hearty chuckle, ôThatÆs right, you see, youÆre going to die in here, Imperial! YouÆre going to die!ö
You start to argue with him, however he cuts you off with an explanation of his taunts.
ôImperial criminal scum like you give the Empire a bad name, you see. YouÆre an embarrassment,ö his sinister smirk threatens to break his face in half, as does the reductor curse youÆd like to throw at him at any minute. ôBest if you just... Disappeared...ö
Still, you canÆt help but think over what he is saying, though when he came to that last part you wryly think, æWhat else is new...?Æ Though only the Dursleys ever thought of you as an embarrassment, it seemed as if nearly everyone else in your life would wish you to disappear until needed- packed away in your own little glass case labeled ôOpen in Case of Voldemortö.
There are still too many questions unanswered.
How did you get into this cell? Why does that... Man... keep calling you æImperialÆ? And what in the hell is he anyway? The third question is the only one you remotely have an answer for. Given the pointy ears, youÆd say he is some sort of elf. Though you grew up on the legends of elves, predominantly those in TolkienÆs novel ôThe Hobbitö, the Keebler commercials, and last, but not least, SantaÆs little helpers, you canÆt help but think that they are far from what youÆd ever imagine that they looked like, your encounters with Dobby and Winky emphasize your point.
Then again, with the exception of the Tolkien Elves, the others were kind hearted and full of joy. Not but three seconds with this one and you hate him on a level equaling that of Draco Malfoy and Dudley Dursley all wrapped up in one neat little package. The only true differences between them and the creature before you is the fact that his uncombed hair lacks the greased up do of Malfoy and heÆs about a good hundred pounds lighter than your cousin.
YouÆre brought out of your thoughts by the approach of several figures, each hurriedly moving and talking in hushed tones.
The æelfÆsÆ eyes widen, ôHey! You hear that! The guards are coming... For you!ö
With that he let out a sinister laugh before retreating to the back of his own cell.
ôBaurus, lock that door behind us,ö you hear someone order. A woman from what you can tell.
You can hear bits and pieces of conversation, but nothing definitive. While they are approaching you tuck your wand into the waist band of your trousers.
ôYou donÆt know that sire, the messenger only said that they were attacked,ö the woman tried to assure a white haired man in majestic purple robes wearing the most beautiful amulet you had ever seen.
Suddenly, a dark skinned man in heavy looking armor is standing in front of your cell, his eyes widened as he saw you. The two of you lock eyes, but your mind is still focusing on the conversation between the woman and the old man.
ôNo... TheyÆre dead... I know it...ö
ôMy job, right now, is to get you to safety,ö she assured him. She stopped when she saw you standing in the cell door way. ôWhatÆs this prisoner doing there in there, this cell is supposed to be off limits!ö
ôA-A mix up with that watch... I...ö He answered hesitantly.
ôNever mind... Gate that gate opened,ö she ordered. ôStand back prisoner, we wonÆt hesitate to kill you if you get in our way.ö
ôYou prisoner, stand aside, over by the window, stay out of the way and you wonÆt get hurt!ö The guard ordered. Not seeing any reason to not comply, you walk over to the nearby window. However, the hole in the wall can barely be classified as such considering how small and high up it is.
The Guard then opened the door and walked into your cell. ôStay put, Prisoner...ö
ôLetÆs go,ö said the woman. ôWeÆre not out of this yet...ö
She then began to study one of the walls of your cell intently. Meanwhile, the old man has caught your eye.
ôYou...ö he says to you.
You canÆt help but gulp.
You have no idea who he is, but he has obviously seen you before. Considering the fact that they are protecting him and you are their prisoner, it is logical for you to assume heÆs the one whoÆs keeping you in this cell.
ôIÆve seen you... Let me see your face...ö
Despite his kindly conversational tone, you canÆt help but be intimidated by the old man in front of you. As he nears you, you try your hardest not to make any sudden movements, as you have little doubt the guards would make good on their promises of your early demise should you even blink wrong.
ôYou... You are the one from my dreams...ö he said, lost in thought, ôThen the stars... Were right and this is the day...Gods give me strength!ö
Idly, you wonder if the man is somehow part centaur as, other than Professor Sinistra, youÆve never really heard of anyone else talking about stars in casual conversation before. Well, you COULD count Trelawny, but that old bat couldnÆt predict her own suicide if she had the dagger pointed at her own chest.
ôUm... Sir, whatÆs going on?ö you ask hesitantly, not really expecting anything other than a beating in return.
ôAssassins attacked my sons, and I am next,ö he tells you. ôMy Blades are leading me out of the city along a secret escape route. It is by chance that the entrance to that escape route, runs through your cell.ö
That explains why theyÆre in your cell, now all you have to do is figure out who ætheyÆ are and why YOU are in your cell.
ôSo... Who are you?ö you ask. Not exactly respectful, but at least he doesnÆt seem the least bit offended. ôAnd why am I here?ö
He quirks an eyebrow at you. ôTo answer your first question, I am your emperor, Uriel Septim. It is by the Gods that I serve Tamriel as her ruler and you are a citizen of Tamriel and you shall serve her in your own way. As for your second inquiry, perhaps the Gods have placed you here so that we might meet. As for what you have done, THAT is not what you shall be remembered for.ö
ôWhat am I going to do?ö you ask. He smiled kindly at you, as if he knows something you donÆt. He probablly does and as much as youÆd like to curse him, he is the only thing keeping the guards from demonstrating whether or not the swords at their waists are real or for show.
ôYou will find your own path, but take care, for there will be blood and death before the end,ö Uriel tells you wisely. You still donÆt understand, and from the look of the guards expressions, they donÆt either.
ThatÆs something at least.
The Emperor, however, smiles benevolently as if nothing was wrong. You canÆt help but wonder if Dumbledore gets that same expression on his face whenever you leave his office with more questions than answers. Which you are loathe to admit is far, far too often.
ôPlease, sire... We must keep moving,ö the woman urges as she presses down on a brick, opening up the alcove in your cell. She then turned to æBaurusÆ and the other guard. ôWe better not close this, thereÆs no way to open it from the other side.ö
ôStay back... IÆm watching you...ö threatened the unnamed guard as he shoots you a pointed look before following after Emperor Uriel and the female guard captain.
The third guard merely smirks at you. ôLooks like this is your lucky day.ö
He too disappears down the tunnel, you canÆt help but wonder if that is your okay to leave the cell. Deciding youÆd rather go on some foolÆs errand with the Emperor than sit and rot in a cell, you quickly follow after them. Especially if there are assassins about. TheyÆre bound to come this way eventually.
As you finally catch up to them, they are heading down some stairs- the woman leading, followed by the dark skinned guard that threatened you, the Emperor, and, finally, the one called Baurus.
Seeing as there is no other option, you follow them into the next chamber. Of course, as soon as you step into the room, there is an ambush. There are shouts as the three guards meet their foes and the Emperor draws an intricate looking short sword and takes a defensive stance. You draw your wand and take aim at one of the attackers when a scream distracts you.
ôCaptain Renault...ö whispered the Emperor. You get a sickening feeling in your stomach. ItÆs only confirmed when the guards come back and are short one of their number.
ôWeÆve driven off the assassins, Emperor,ö said the friendly guard. ôIt seems as if they were waiting for us...ö
ôAnd Captain Renault?ö asked the Emperor, though you are pretty sure he already knew the answer.
ôDead, sir,ö he answered mournfully.
You grip your wand tightly.
Everything begins to hit you at once. Business has just picked up as you fully realize that your most likely not on Earth anymore, let alone Scotland. The only consolation you take from this is the fact that Voldemort doesnÆt seem to have anything to do with this and he isnÆt here to torture you further. On the downside, it seems as if youÆve left everyone youÆve ever cared for to take care of that mess themselves.
Of course, Voldemort was an impending doom on the entire Wizarding World, that may or may not attack at any moment. You currently have assassins out for your blood in the here and now. Once this chaos is taken care of and you somehow get rid of the assassins after you- or rather the Emperor your helping escort, then you can get back home to your own problems.
Namely, how to approach that girl youÆve fancied for the last few weeks despite her having a boyfriend and six older brothers, and a Dark Lord that has tried and failed to kill you since you were just barely over a year old.
You know, typical teenage hero stuff.
At least your scar doesnÆt prickle with that annoying constant throbbing of the Dark LordÆs presence. Apparently, the link doesnÆt extend to interdimensional travel.
You follow the Emperor and his two remaining guards as they make their way to the next door. You force yourself to ignore the dead men in the red robes and the armored corpse of the rather pretty guard captain. The first guard unlocks the door and steps through. Just as the Emperor exits, the other guard turns to you.
ôThis is the end of the line for you,ö said the guard sternly.
You get ready for a fight. You had hoped to help the Emperor escape so that he could help you get home, but it looked as if that wasnÆt going to happen.
Oh well, if you were going to die in a strange place on a strange world, youÆd die fighting.
ôYouÆll have to find your own way out of here,ö he said and just as you go to draw your wand and curse the man with all youÆve got, he turns away from you instead of drawing a weapon. He too steps through the door, but closes it behind him. The telltale clicking says that he locked the door behind him.
You grab the handle and confirm this.
Nothing a little magic canÆt fix.
However, your musing and incantation for the Unlocking Charm are both cut off when there is a cracking noise behind and to the right of you. The stone wall seems ready to collapse and there is something behind it forcing it to do so.
You fire off the first spell in your mind.
ôReducto!ö
The wall explodes and you hear a high pitched dying shriek of an animal. However, another creature seems to be jumping through the hole in the wall youÆve made.
This time your kinder to it.
ôStupefy!ö
The creature, which you find is the largest rat youÆve ever seen, is instantly knocked unconsious. Peering into the hole it came from you see an large cavern. You whistle in appreciation. The guards obviously didnÆt want you following them, so you wonÆt. Because now you donÆt have to.
Hopefully, even without the EmperorÆs help, youÆll still be able to get home.
But first...
You go back to the bodies behind you for anything useful. It seems disgraceful and it sickens you to your stomach, but you need their stuff a lot more than they do. Overcoming a small bout of nausea you begin to search, ignoring the various wounds on each body and the distinct smell of blood.
You find a few bottles of various liquids, but they mean nothing to you. For all you know, they could be poison of some sort. No, best to leave those behind.
In the end you have a torch from one of the assassins and Captain RenaultÆs short sword and katana.
Going into the cavern, you search once more for anything useful. You donÆt find much, a shield, a bow, some arrows, a few gems, a dozen lock picks and a couple pieces of gold. You use the small coin purse you got off of one of the dead bodies in the previous room to store the gems and coins. They donÆt look like any coin youÆve even seen, Wizard or Muggle, but figured they might be helpful as currency anyway.
After the twins picked you up in the Ford Angelina before your second year, you had them teach you how to pick a lock. Ron thought you were barmy and Hermione looked at you with disdain and disapproval. At least you know how to use the lock picks in the event you find yourself without your wand. ItÆs probablly one of the few moments of your life where it was probablly a good thing you hadnÆt listened to your friends. So you pocket the lock picks as well, knowing that in this day and age- or at least in this world- theyÆd come in handy.
You put on an ill-fitting piece of leather armor. ItÆs uncomfortable and it smells, after all someone had died in it, but itÆs better than no protection at all. You also take off those uncomfortable prison sandals and replace them with uncomfortable leather boots. The boots, no matter how uncomfortable, or smelly, will last a lot longer than those flimsy sandals and you have no idea how long youÆre going to be in this æTamrielÆ.
Last, but not least, you encounter another corpse. This one is humanoid at least, but itsÆ species is unrecognizable to you. It sort of looks like a Goblin, but it has bluish-green/grey skin. ItÆs also much thinner than the bankers and investors youÆve met at the local wizarding bank, Gringotts.
However, theyÆre still just as ugly.
On itÆs body is a rather crude looking club, some gold coins, another lock pick and a key. You pocket the key, the lock pick and the coins and leave behind the club. Not only do you not have much room to carry such items, but you are painfully unaccustomed to using melee weapons in general. You only keep the swords because of your brief familiarization with them when fighting that basilisk off of your current crush a little less than four years prior.
ThereÆs also the fact that RenaultÆs intricate katana could probablly fetch a pretty penny.
Guilt starts to eat away at you, but you force it down. SheÆs dead and youÆre going to need money to survive in this strange world. You sigh wishing for simpler times.
Not far from the æGoblinÆ corpse is another door. You use the newly acquired key to get through it and re-pocket it. Who knew, perhaps you might need it again. You were pretty sure you wouldnÆt, but your inner-Moody kept insisting on keeping it for the time being.
Continuing on into the cavern, you encounter a few more rats, each were easily dealt with and an inferi, which wouldnÆt go down with a simple Stunning Curse. A muttered ôIncendioö followed by ôDepulsoö was enough to bring it down.
Moving further into the cavern, you encounter another of those Goblin-like creatures. The only difference between this one and the last is the fact that this one is quite alive. Fortunately, itÆs back is to you. Taking careful aim with your wand, you send a high powered stunning curse at him. Not only is he knocked unconsious, but he slammed into a nearby cavern wall. Your pretty sure that if heÆs not dead already, he will be if you just leave him there. However, you canÆt risk waking him or alerting others to your presence as that would most certain spell certain doom for you.
