FAMILY TIES

Chapter Two


Bree had stayed with Harry as he slept for the next forty eight hours, leaving only to eat, shower, and check in with the grandparents. She slept lying beside him, holding his hand as she watched his transformation come through. His body filled out a bit more, his height increasing by a couple of inches, his dark hair growing longer against the pillow, the front of it covering the scar that still marred his forehead. She gently moved the hair from the side of his face to see the points of his ears. ‘Wow,’ she thought to herself as she gazed down at the broadened chest, ‘too bad we’re related cousin.’ She sensed that part of his transformation was done, but knew the rest would be more painful in a couple of weeks. The potion couldn’t help with that.


Harry woke up feeling disorientated with the strange surroundings. He went to nudge his glasses on his nose out of habit, when he remembered that he hadn’t needed them for a while now. As he slowly came to awareness, he looked around the room . . . his room. He lay on a large four poster bed, the corner posts reaching toward the ceiling. Looking closer he could see intricate carvings etched into the light-colored wood of leafy vines. He swung his legs to the side of the bed, facing the large open patio doors, the gauzy drapes fluttering in the cooling morning breeze. He stood up still feeling groggy from his prolonged sleep and walked around the room. He stepped through an archway to see a sitting room, comfortable looking in pale green and beige colors, with another door that led, he assumed out of his rooms. Back in the bedroom he opened the light colored wooden door to step into his bathroom. The first thing he noticed was the large tub that you would step down into, and the separate shower in the corner, enough to fit four to five people in. The colors were a soft green and blue color with several plants along the walls that grew up to the windowed ceiling.

“Merlin,” he gasped in surprise when he turned to see his reflection in the mirror. His hand went to his chest, feeling the more defined muscle under the warm skin, then down to his stomach, where the pajama bottoms fit more snugly on his hips than before. He brought his hand up to his hair, carding through the silky feeling strands. It lay a bit past his shoulders, still black, but with red streaks. His eyes were still an emerald green color, but more vibrant. His face was more narrowed, his complection more of a creamy color, like most of his family’s race. With a sudden thought, he pulled the hair back from the side of his face to see the slightly pointed ears. He hesitantly touched them, still finding it weird that this person in the mirror was actually him.

He turned and slipped out of his pajama bottoms, then looked down to see a tattoo on his hip of some kind of symbol, that was not there before. He looked over the rest of his body to see that there were no other unfamiliar markings and sighed in relief. He stepped under the pulsing warm water of the shower, his hands on the tiled wall as he tried to sort out his thoughts. He had so many questions.

He came out with a towel wrapped around his hips. His hands finger combing his hair. He was slightly surprised to see his grandfather sitting in a chair by the window waiting for him. “Hello Harry,” Kyrian smiled. “I see your elf glamour has been lifted. How do you feel?”

“Okay I guess,” Harry shrugged, “it will take some getting used to though,” he added running a fingertip along one of his ears.

“You will find that along with your physical changes, there will be other abilities you will have that we will help you with. You have been sleeping for two days. I’m sure you’d like to walk around a bit, get used to the feel of the new you,” Kyrian grinned.

“Did you say two days?” Harry asked, turning around after he slipped on some boxers that were lying on his bed, along with some other clothing that someone had laid out for him while he was in the shower.

“That’s how long it took for the glamour to come off,” Kyrian said. “Are you hungry?”

“A little,” Harry replied slipping on a pair of pants and a loose tunic.

“We’ll breakfast, then I’ll show you around.”

“Do I need to meet the others right away?” Harry asked, not sure if he was ready for that yet.

“Tomorrow,” Kyrian smiled. “We thought you’d like to figure some things out first.”

“What if I need longer than a day to do that?”

“If you think you do, they will wait,” Kyrian reassured him. “There are many questions you probably have. I can answer some, but we will go somewhere later where the rest may be answered from a better source.”

His grandfather led him to the main floor of the palace, to a balcony where his grandmother sat waiting for them. He was embraced in comforting arms before he had a chance to sit down. “Hello dear, how are you feeling?” She asked, cupping the side of his face to look into his eyes.

“I feel . . . different, but okay,” Harry sighed, taking a step back. He sat down after his grandmother did, then looked down at a courtyard where he saw Bree waving at him. She turned and drew a sword, dueling with a blonde haired elf. There were many other pairs on the courtyard, swords and daggers in hand. “What are they doing?” He asked.

“That is weaponry training,” Kyrian smiled. “Your cousin Brianna is one of the more talented with our weapons, and is an instructor to the younger elves.”

“Are the elves . . . magical?” Harry asked buttering some toast.

“Yes we are Harry, although most of us do not need a wand like wizards do,” Gabrielle said.

“We just don’t count on magic all the time,” Kyrian said, “there are many other forms of magic that you will learn, like wandless magic, elemental magic, and voiceless magic.”

“I can do some wandless now,” Harry said as he watched the swordplay on the courtyard. “Does our family have any kind of markings . . . or a tattoo?” Harry asked facing the two elders again. “Because I have one on my hip that was not there before.”

Gabrielle looked to Kyrian with worry in her eyes, then back to Harry. “No, we don’t Harry. I believe your father may have though.”

“You said I will be learning new things,” Harry started, “will I be going back to Hogwart’s?”

“Would you like to?” Kyrian asked.

“Yes, I would. It’s my last year there. Although I’ve had some difficulties some of the time, I’d like to finish there,” Harry replied looking out at the courtyard again.

“You can be taught some of our ways there if you’d like Harry,” Gabrielle said.

“Do I have to stay here afterwards?”

“It is your choice. We would like you to, but you are free to live elsewhere if you like. Brianna actually lives in a non-magical community most of the time,” Kyrian replied.

“Will I be taught a glamour to hide my ears?” Harry asked. “I’m not sure how other people would react to them at school.”

“Yes, we can teach you how to do that quite easily I think Harry,” Gabrielle smiled.



The three of them ate their breakfast in silence, the sounds of metal on metal coming from the courtyard. Afterwards Kyrian guided Harry out of the palace, telling him of the people as they passed them through the many courtyards.

“Sir,” Harry started to say when they stopped before a large waterfall that cascaded down into a large lagoon. “I’d like to apologize for my anger when I first arrived a couple of days ago.”

“No need to apologize Harry,” Kyrian smiled, “I can understand your anger and frustration, and I wish we could change the past, but we can’t. We did not know of your problems with the Dursley’s or we would have brought you back here sooner. As for Hogwarts . . . those tribulations you went through made you stronger . . . made you the person you are today.”

“But . . . ”

“I’m not saying it was right for you to have to go through all that, but believe me Harry, you were safer there. We were involved with a war ourselves among our realms. Like anywhere, there is evil as well as good,” Kyrian sighed.

“And now?” Harry asked.

“There is still a threat to our people. A threat that’s quite close personally. You see smiling faces here, beautiful lands, but not so long ago the people’s faces were grim and sad over the loss of loved ones. The lands were battle fields, the buildings used for defense. We had some powerful elemental elves bring life back to the land, and the people now have hope.”

“Who was the enemy?”

“My brother,” Kyrian replied as he looked to the sky.

“Is he still . . . ?”

“No. I faced him a little over a year ago now,” he grimly said. “The new threat is now his son. That is why the weaponry lessons are intensive and thorough in the courtyards. Fortunately he does not know where we are as we put very powerful wards around this realm.”

“Does he know of me?”

“He has heard of you, but not where you are. He never knew Lianna’s wizard name. His name is Denan and he is a dark elf, in league with many dangerous people and wizards. He had been told about Lianna’s death, but not how she died or her married name.”

“So I could be involved with two wars,” Harry said.

“Possibly. But you only have to worry about Tom Riddle,” Kyrian said then saw the questioning look on Harry’s face. “Yes. I know of the prophecy and we will be there for you and help you become stronger, and be there when the time comes to face him.”

“This is all so much to take in,” Harry sighed shaking his head.

“I know Harry,” Kyrian softly said as he placed his hand on Harry’s shoulder. “There is more you need to know of yourself and the answers to more of your questions can be found there,” he said pointing towards a cave that was next to the waterfall on a higher ledge. “Just remember Harry. We’re here when you need us now.”

‘Yeah right,’ Harry scoffed to himself, as he climbed up the incline around the lagoon. As he got higher, he looked down to see the lagoon, the bottom pebbles visible in the clear water. He continued until he came upon the entrance of the cave and stopped before it. He took a deep fortifying breath then walked through. The cavern like walls glowed brighter as he proceeded, lighting his way deeper into the cave. His steps faltered as he walked into a room, the walls luminescent. In the center of the room stood a waist high dais with a sphere placed at the top. He came forward to see the orb glowing brighter as he came near. His hand tentatively reached out to touch it, the glass warm to his touch.

“Hello Harry.”

tbc