Meetings

Harry decided that his cousin must be rather well known if the first person he asked knew exactly which home was his cousin's estate. He was welcomed into the home by a rather short man with sandy brown hair and a beard who introduced himself as Bodahn, Messere Hawkes servant. From what the goblins had told him, Bodahn was either a dwarf or a very short man. He had been lead into what looked like the main room, and put his things down. When he looked up, he noticed two men watching him. Hiding his nervousness, he addressed them, "Hello. I'm sorry for appearing so suddenly. May I ask if either of you are Garrett Hawke? My name is Harry Potter."

One man had long blonde-red hair pulled back into a pony tail and was wearing what looked like some kind of long coat with feathers on the shoulders. The other man, the taller of the two, had dark, messy hair, a beard, and some kind of either tattoo or scar across his nose. He was wearing trousers and a belted shirt of what looked to be very nice cloth. It was this man who spoke.

"I am Garrett Hawke, and this is my, uh, lover, Anders. I apologize if I seem a bit surprised. You're...younger than I expected. Your letter said something about you needing help from a blood relative? Why don't we all sit in the den and you can tell us what all of this is about. Bodahn can take your things to your room."

So far, so good. "That sounds great. I'm sure I have a lot of explaining to do." Harry took a moment to watch Bodahn begin taking his things upstairs before following the two men into what Harry assumed was the den. Garrett and Anders sat in the two chairs closest to the fireplace while Harry sat on the small sofa, facing them. A young woman with pointed ears then came into the room silently and served them all tea. Hawke thanked the woman, Orana, before the elf left the room just as quietly. Or at least, Harry assumed she had been an elf.

Hawke was the first to speak up, "So, I'm hoping you can explain to me what all of this is about. Not that I'm not glad to meet you, or anything, but your letter made it sound like you were in some kind of trouble."

Harry winced faintly, "Well, it's best that I start from the beginning, I guess. How much do you know about the crest that was on the letter I sent you?"

Anders decided to speak up for Hawke this time, as he had little doubt his lover had forgotten most of what Varric had told them yesterday. "We showed the letter to a friend of ours from the Guild. He told us that the crest hadn't been used for a few hundred years. He also told us that the crest was for some company named Gringotts and that it was run by goblins. He was actually incredibly surprised. He said you must really be something for you to be in contact with them when no one has seen them for centuries."

Harry looked a bit surprised by this, but nodded. "Most of what he said was correct. I went to the goblins and paid them to find any blood relatives that were still living. I also paid them to send you that letter, and to send me here." Harry stopped here for a moment, thinking on the best way to proceed. "Goblins are actually bankers. Gringotts is primarily a bank, one my family has had vaults with for as long as they have been Potters. The reason why no one here has heard from them in so long is because they don't exist here."

"What do you mean they don't exist here?" Hawke was sure Anders' face was showing as much confusion as his was.

"Just what I said. Let me explain," said Harry. "The goblins possess magical artifacts called Eluvian. They look like mirrors, but they are actually doorways. This doorway transports the user through the Fade, and into another world. Both the goblins and I are from a world separate from this one called Earth. I'm what you call a mage, though on Earth we're called witches and wizards. Our two worlds are vastly different. For one, those of us with magic hide ourselves from those who don't. The vast majority of my world doesn't know magic exists."

Seeing that he still had both men's attention, Harry sighed, before continuing. "When I was a little over a year old, there was a Dark Lord waging a war in the wizarding world. He hunted my family down, and killed my parents. My mother willingly sacrificed her life for mine and created a blood protection around me with that sacrifice. When Voldemort, the Dark Lord, tried to kill me, his spell rebounded and destroyed his body. All I got was a scar on my forehead, and became famous for destroying him. They call me the Boy-Who-Lived." Harry sneered here, showing just what he thought of that particular moniker.

"The headmaster of the wizarding school Hogwarts sent me to live with my mother's sister and her family. They aren't magical, and don't like me. At all." Harry looked up here, looking straight at Hawke. "The reason I need to find a blood relative is because the protective blood wards around me require it, or so Headmaster Dumbledore tells me. I said Voldemort's body was destroyed, but he's not dead, and he wants to kill me because I'm the only one to ever escape him alive." Harry was desperately hoping that his explanation satisfied his cousin, and Garrett would allow him to stay.

Vernon had never really beaten him. Sure, he had slept in a cupboard for ten years, and he didn't get as much food as he should have, but he wasn't in denial about his childhood. Harry knew he had been abused, but he also knew it could have been worse. He also knew that if he had gone back to Number Four, it would have gotten worse.

Anders and Hawke were still silently reeling from all of the information they had just received. They were starting to get used to the strange things that always seem to happen in Kirkwall, but this took the cake. There was still one thing Harry hadn't said though. Hawke was already suspicious, but the question needed to be asked. "Harry, why do you not want to stay with these Dursleys?"

Harry was hoping his cousin wouldn't have picked up on that part. He'd be happy if he never told anyone about how the Dursley's had treated him, but he knew he had to answer if he wanted to have a chance at staying here. "The Dursleys hate magic. Uncle Vernon always said he'd 'stamp it out of me.' They've always told me I was a freak and unnatural. I didn't even know I had magic until I turned eleven and my Hogwarts letter came. My bedroom was a cupboard under the stairs, and they treated me like a servant. Or rather, a slave, since they never gave me anything. Last summer before I went away to school, I sort of, well, blewupmyaunt."

Hawke and Anders both were scowling at Harry's description of his childhood. Anders because they had treated Harry like that because of his magic, and Hawke because of the way a member of his family had been treated. Both, However, were confused about the last thing Harry said.

"I'm sorry, did you say you blew up your Aunt?" Hawke asked incredulously, torn somewhere between horror and amusement.

"Well, I didn't blow here up as in she exploded or something. She blew up like a balloon and floated away over the neighborhood." Harry replied.

Anders and Hawke looked at each other for a moment before they both burst into raucous laughter. "Oh Maker! That's priceless!" Declared Hawke before calming himself down enough that he could address Harry. He looked a the teen, and knew that he couldn't turn him away. He shared a glance with Anders, and his lover nodded, agreeing to what he knew Hawke had decided.

Hawke turned to Harry and noticed for the first time that night how tense Harry was. He smiled at him, and saw Harry relax his shoulders a bit. With the way he had described the family he had been living with, the poor lad was probably half afraid Hawke would kick him out on the street.

Harry had seen the look Garrett had shared with Anders. He didn't think he'd ever been so nervous in his life. He couldn't help but be afraid that his last chance of having family would send him away, not wanting anything to do with him. If his cousin refused him, Harry was sure his heart would break. The Dursley's had always told him he was worthless and unlovable. As much as he didn't want to believe them, ten years of their abuse had not left him unscarred; physically or emotionally.

Hawke's smile widened as he looked at his baby cousin. He would protect and shelter Harry, and he would not fail him as he had failed Carver, Bethany, and Mother. He would not lose another member of his family if he could help it.

"Well then, " Hawke started, "that answered most of our questions, though I'm sure we'll have more later. For now, you should probably go get cleaned up and settled a bit. Anders and I are going to take you to the Hanged Man and introduce you to our companions. After all, since you're staying the summer, I have no doubt you'll tag along on a few of the messes we seem to find ourselves in. We'll also have to talk about what Anders and I are going to teach you. I certainly can't let my adorable baby cousin walk around, not knowing how to defend himself."

It took a moment for what Hawke said to register in Harry's mind. He could stay! He had family that cared. A that moment, Harry was sure he was happier than he had ever been; even happier than the first time he had seen Hogwarts. This mansion, with his cousin and Anders, could become his home. The closest he had ever been to feeling he was home was when he was at Hogwarts. Harry let out a tiny, almost silent cry, and propelled himself put of his chair. He wrapped his thin arms around his cousins neck in relief and happiness, letting his tears soak into the fabric of Garrett's shoulder.

Garrett saw the moment his cousin registered what he had said. The pure hope and happiness in Harry's eyes filled his chest with a warm feeling. Garrett hadn't, however, been expecting the boy to launch himself across the room and cling to him in a hug. His heart broke a little for Harry when he felt tears through his clothes where his cousin had hidden his face. Hawke wrapped his strong arms around the boy, offering what comfort he could. Lowering his head to rest on Harry's mess of hair, Garrett whispered, "You're safe now. I'm not letting you go."

And Harry believed him.

Once Harry had pulled himself together, he had felt embarrassed about how he had thrown himself at Garrett. The three men had spent the next few hours going over what Harry would be doing for the summer. Harry had been reluctant, but finally told the two men about his last three years of school. Instead of scolding him like he had half expected, they had praised him! From there it was decided that Anders would tutor Harry in magic and potions/herbalism. Hawke would be teaching him how to fight with daggers, pickpocket, and other roguish techniques. To say he was looking forward to the rest of his summer would be an understatement.

Now, the three were headed to the Hanged Man to introduce Harry to their companions and the city of Kirkwall. It was already starting to get dark when they left Hawke's manor, and the merchants were packing up for the night when they passed through the market on their way down to Lowtown. Harry noticed that Anders and Hawke both kept very close to him at all times, as if shielding him. From what Harry had been able to gather about Kirkwall from the goblins and the two men, Anders and Hawke probably were shielding him. It had occurred to him as they walked that Kirkwall was probably more dangerous than Hogwarts and the Dursley's combined.

The three men came to a stop outside a curious establishment. Harry had never seen a sign quite as, ah, colorful, as the Hanged Man's. Though really, it wasn't so strange considering the Wizarding World had places like the Leaky Cauldron or the Hogshead. As they walked through the doors, Harry decided that the Hanged Man was quite like the Leaky Cauldron, if a bit more crowded and a lot more dirty. After all, he couldn't really tell if it was a dirt floor, or if there was so much dirt that it covered the floorboards completely. Harry was swiftly led through the throng of drunks that occupied the lower floor, and up the stairs into Varric's room.

There was a good few people in the room, and they were all a bit strange from what Harry could tell. There was a short man who reminded him a bit of Bodahn, so he assumed that he was actually a dwarf. He had blond hair pulled back a bit like Anders, and several earrings. He was also wearing his coat open, displaying his chest that was impressively hairy. Seated next to him was a dark skinned, dark haired woman. She was very scantily clad in a shirt and corset, and Harry was sure that if he was a bit older he would have been reduced to a drooling fool. He almost was now, despite his relatively young age. Next to her were two people who must have been elves, like Orana. The one next to the dark skinned woman was female with short, dark hair. She also seemed a bit on the timid side, and she looked around with some confusion on her face. The last person in the room was by far the most unique. He had tan skin with silvery-blue markings that looked almost scar-like, and white hair. If Harry had needed proof that he was in a different world, the people gathered in this room would have convinced him. The dwarf had stood up to greet the newcomers warmly.

"Hawke! Blondie! It's about time you showed up. And this must be your mysterious cousin; he's shorter than I imagined."

If Harry hadn't been so nervous, he would have felt a bit more anger at that remark. As it was, he was taller than the dwarf, but shorter than the elves. Compared to his cousin and Anders, he was downright scrawny. He also noticed, to his slight humiliation, that if the dark woman were standing, she would also be taller than him.

"Now Varric, be nice," said Garrett. His cousin steered him to stand in front where he was easily seen by all in the room. "I believe introductions are in order. This," Hawke gestured to the dwarf, "is Varric Tethras. If it weren't for him, I would not possess half of the gold, or social standing, that I do. But, that is a story for later."

"And if it weren't for you, Hawke, we wouldn't be alive, let alone rich," Varric answered in a jovial tone.

"Moving on. Next, we have the dusky goddess, Isabela." Garrett waved a hand toward the dark woman with a smile.

The woman smirked, winked, and spoke in a flirty tone, "Oh my, aren't you just precious! When I found out Hawke's cousin was coming, I pictured someone around his age. Young is better, though, since you'll be more easily trained. I do miss having a cabin boy, after all." The last remark was said in a sly tone, and startled a laugh out of Varric. Garrett, however, was slightly less amused.

"Don't go corrupting my cousin, Isabela. I'd rather not have to deal with the kind of trouble he'd cause that you'd no doubt teach him."

"Oh, Hawke, you wound me!" Isabela exclaimed playfully, resting her hand over her heart. "Come, kiss it better."

"Actually, I'd rather Garrett not kiss you, Isabela. He is mine, after all," Anders interjected.

Isabela humphed, but she was obviously not offended. Garrett continued with the introducing his friends, by turning his attention to the female elf. "This is Merrill. She is a mage; similar to Anders, but she uses different magic. Anders is our healer, while Merrill uses more...combative magic."

"Hello, it is very nice to meet you."

Before Harry could respond, Hawke spoke again. "And the broody elf is Fenris." Here, the elf in question grunted in acknowledgement. "He and Aveline are the only two among us that are warriors. Anders and Merrill are mages, as you know, and the rest of us are rogues. Speaking of Aveline, where are she and Sebastian?"

Varric spoke up, "The Guard Captain is stuck at the keep, and choir-boy is attending confessions and couldn't make it. Aveline said she'd try to stop by the manor soon, but if you want to see Sebastian, you'll have to go to the Chantry."

Garrett sighed a bit, "Well, nothing for it, then. Alright, everyone? This is my little cousin, Harry Potter."

His cousin paused, and he finally spoke up, "Hello. It's very nice to meet you all."

Garrett smiled at him and said, "Let's all get comfortable, and Harry can share a few of his stories with us. Trust me, you'll all want to hear this."

And so the evening went. Harry told of what he knew about the connection between to two worlds. When it was revealed that Harry was magical, Fenris reacted negatively and accused Harry of consorting with Demons. This led into Harry's discovery of Demons and Spirits of the Fade, and how Justice possessed Anders. Harry told the gathered party that such beings did not exist in his world, and wizards and witches could only be possessed by another wizard or witch. It was therefore theorized that the magical 'core' of the beings in his world was actually a piece a the Fade, detached from the whole, which resided in their soul.

"So that means I'm not susceptible to these beings in the Fade." Harry concluded. "So, if I wanted to use blood magic, I would use my emotions, such as my own sense of Justice or Pride, to cast the magic?"

"That sounds entirely plausible," Anders answered with a contemplative face. Fenris, after agreeing with the assessment of the nature of Harry's magic, no longer looked at Harry with distrust. For a while there, Fenris had reminded him of Snape.

Harry also regaled the group with tales about his adventures in Hogwarts, and about his best friends, Ron and Hermione. When Harry got to the battle between he and the Basilisk, the company felt he had exaggerated the great snake's size. At least, they doubted him until he showed them the scar from it's fang on his arm. From then on, they no longer believed that his tales were anything but the whole truth.

The night came to a close, and after saying farewells, the group parted. Harry, Anders, and Garrett made it back to the manor safely, and Garrett warned Harry to get a good sleep because his training would start tomorrow. Harry fell asleep feeling safe, and excited about the rest of the summer.

Harry's final thought before sleep over came him was, This is what Home must feel like.

To clarify: Charlus Potter had two sons. He fathered Malcolm Hawke with Erlinda Hawke out of wedlock. Charlus then married Dorea Black and fathered James Potter. This makes James and Malcolm half brothers. Garrett Hawke is Malcolm's son and Harry is James's, making them cousins. Harry isn't related to the Amells by blood; he's related to the Hawkes by blood through their common ancestor, Charlus Potter. I think a few people got confused, thinking Harry was blood related through Leandra Amell, and he's not.

As far as the pairings go, Harry is only 13 years old and way too young for a relationship. He will develop crushes like normal teenagers, but not anything serious. He will not start to develop serious romantic feelings until chapter 13 at the earliest. That being said, his first romance will not be his last romance. I think that it is unrealistic that the first relationship that he has, is who he will be in love with forever. In real life, things rarely work out like that. So, I will still take requests for who Harry will 'end up' with in the epilogue. I have decided, based on the responses and reasons given to me, that Isabela will be Harry's first serious romantic interest. I believe that she will help to develop his character, but that she is not cut out for a long term relationship with Harry. She will teach Harry to become confident in his sexuality. Based on reader reviews, Harry's second relationship will be with Fenris. Whether they stay in a relationship or not, I have yet to decide. As I said, there are a least 10 chapters between now and Harry's romance, so there is plenty of time for you to add your input and for me to change my mind.

On the topic of Merrill being paired with Harry: I have decided that Merrill is too naïve and innocent to be a viable romantic option. However, you are welcome to leave a review with any justifications you have as to why she would be a good option. If you can convince me, I will change my mind.

Also, I want to quickly add that the Tevinter language will be Latin. The Tevinter Imperium was based off of the Roman Empire and the Byzantines, so this is not too far of a stretch. I also hope that this will help to cultivate a relationship between Fenris and Harry.

Thank you to everyone who reviewed, I really looked forward to receiving your input. I apologize for taking so long to update, but I just got a job working at a hospital on third shift, so I've had little time to commit to writing. Fun fact: I finished this chapter while I was drunk after celebrating a friend's birthday. I went back later to check over what I had written, and decided I actually liked most of it.

Anyway, it hopefully won't take to long for me to finish the next chapter, but we'll see.

Cheers,

Pauli Kaye