A Wandering Melody (HP SI, ASOIAF Crossover)

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123 AC, Dragonstone

"Free her from our influence? What are you on about?" the sorcerer asked, genuinely bewildered, glancing at his wife as if to confirm he hadn't missed something. Corlys shared a look with Rhaenys at that, both silent, both frowning, realising, perhaps for the first time, that things might not be as they had feared.

Rhaenys Velaryon would admit that confronting the two sorcerers while they were alone so far away from shore was an unwise decision. She hadn't meant to be so direct with them, but she was unsettled with the entire encounter.

She was very anxious about the likely danger to her granddaughter. She was not an expert in the Higher Mysteries, and neither was her husband, but what he had told her of his expeditions showed magic as a force of cruelty and sacrifice, something that no young girl should be around.

The odd magic ship that moved on its own had disturbed her immensely. Her husband was, as well, even if his fascination with the odd ship which he gave an admiring look despite the situation they were in. The fact that the ship had appeared from thin air, with the sorcerer being miles away, fishing of all things, hadn't calmed her down in the slightest.

It didn't help that her leverage in the form of Meleys had all but vanished the moment the sorcerer and his wife stood on the odd ship. After all, she couldn't exactly threaten to kill them without risking her dragon burning her and her husband in the process. It was why she hadn't mentally summoned her dragon to her, something that hadn't helped.

And so, as she saw Corlys speak to the sorcerer and his wife, in a way that reminded her of how he interacted with her grandfather, overly polite, afraid to offend with any words, while also slowly circling the subject, her frustration roared to new heights. Was this how sorcerers wished to be treated, like kings?

In a way, she understood. What was a king but a man who could destroy one's life or bless it with nothing more than a few words and perhaps even a whim? There was more to it, but people feared the power kings possessed, and sorcerers certainly had power to them, according to her husband, at least.

Her granddaughters were all she had left of her children. How would she face Laena after letting a sorcerer put her daughter under a spell? Images flashed in her mind, of Rhaena being sacrificed in a pyre, of her being withered by shadows, of her being stabbed with the Dragonglass knife, of her losing the light in her eyes which she had inherited from Laena.

She was to be the second strongest person in the Seven Kingdoms, the highest a woman had ever risen in terms of political power, and yet she felt powerless before a man wearing a silly straw hat, whom her husband spoke to in a way he spoke to a King.

She couldn't control herself for much longer and spoke up, "Enough courtesies and aimless words. We wish that you free Rhaena from your influence."

Rhaenys did regret being so direct, especially given the warnings her husbands had given her in dealing with sorcerers. And yet, she did not show this outwardly; she stared into the sorcerer's green eyes, having all but demanded he set Rhaena free.

And yet, the panic or the cunning she expected to see in his eyes never materialised, and instead, all she saw was confusion, "Free her from our influence? What are you on about?"

She shared a look with Corlys, and he looked like he wished to speak, but Rhaenys had no wish to offer endless platitudes to the sorcerer, not when he had obviously not been offended by her directness, "We know the value a Dragonlord has to your kind, and I will not have my granddaughter be involved in any form of magics. Name your price, sorcerer, and set her free."

If anything, the man's confusion remained, "Is this about what happened last night? I'll admit that the expedition was slightly more eventful than I expected and that we shouldn't have taken Rhaena with us on that one. She was perfectly safe, I assure you, but some knowledge is dangerous in its own way."

This time, it was Rhaenys' time to be confused. She shared a look with her husband, who shared her bewilderment, which he voiced: "What did happen last night?"

"Umm, the expedition to Skagos," the sorcerer replied casually as if what he said wasn't impossible, "I wouldn't say it was dangerous, just informative. I didn't expect to see a Child of the Forest there, or remnants of White Walkers from the Long Night. Very fascinating, given how little is known of the island other than its unicorns and the fact that its residents trade with the wildlings north of the wall. I think this is because of a lack of record-keeping and the isolation of the island."

"I'm afraid I must have misheard. Did you say that you were in Skagos last night?"

"Yes, I did. Other than the possessed Greenseer, it was quite pleasant. Oh, and the Ice Spider. A shame about the Child of the Forest, though. I had so much to ask her about the Long Night. Then again, I like the challenge in figuring it out myself," the sorcerer replied.

"That's impossible. It would take many weeks, perhaps even many moons, to make the trip there by ship," her husband commented, feeling baffled, "It would even take days on dragonback."

"Sure, but we didn't go there by dragonback or by ship," he replied, and for some reason, she saw his wife roll her eyes at him.

She didn't have time to question why that was, because suddenly, she looked around and found herself staring at a familiar mountain in the distance. She remembered it well from the few times she had travelled there. Casterly Rock, the seat of House Lannister, loomed in the distance, golden in the light, carved from the very cliffside like a lion baring its fangs toward the sea. Its heights caught the wind, towering over Lannisport below like a monument to pride and power. Rhaenys could hardly believe her eyes.

"Oh," Harry Potter said simply, tilting his hat back. "Distance doesn't really mean much to me."

Rhaenys barely registered what the sorcerer had said, stupefied at what she was witnessing. How were they on the complete other side of the continent? It was impossible. It was completely and utterly mad.

Her husband seemed to share her awe, which slowly turned to scepticism, "This is an illusion, isn't it?"

Potter didn't seem insulted by her husband's denial. In fact, he didn't look concerned in any way, "You can achieve much with illusions, far more than people think. One could live their entire lives inside an illusion, be born into it, and die in it as well. It is true that I could probably trick you into believing the same way, but I do not see a reason to do so in the first place…"

Rhaenys hadn't expected the man to so casually speak of magic. After all, it was a mysterious force, one whose secrets are guarded zealously by its practitioners, yet the man sounded like a Maester teaching an uneducated lordling.

In truth, Rhaenys knew that the sorcerer wasn't lying. It wasn't by any virtue of his honesty or any words he said. No, it was because, while she still felt her bond with Meleys, it felt like it was muted by distance, much like the few years she was away from King's Landing, before her father allowed her to ride Meleys for longer trips. It had been a stipulation from King Jaehaerys at the time. He did not like the idea of a woman being a Dragonrider without being married to a Targaryen. Looking back, she could see the wisdom of it, of not having Dragonriders outside the ruling family in fear of a civil war involving dragons. Not that it mattered with the incoming succession crisis.

Yet, her father had insisted on Rhaenys claiming a dragon as was her right as his daughter, and her grandfather agreed with a few stipulations. When she was far from her dragon, the bond was muted, but she could still feel it, much like she was now.

Her husband, though, seemed unconvinced: "You cannot expect us to believe you because of your goodwill."

Again, the man seemed completely at peace with Corlys' denial, "Corlys Velaryon, you're a man looking at the world through a keyhole. You've spent your whole life trying to widen that keyhole... to see more, to know more. And now, on hearing that it can be widened, in ways you can't imagine, you reject the possibility. A bit of scepticism is healthy, of course, but it is the height of foolishness to blame what you do not wish to see as lies or illusions. After all, the world is far larger and far more wonderful than one could possibly imagine. To deny it all in favour of comfort and normalcy would be extremely tragic."

Corlys still seemed unconvinced, but Rhaenys discreetly poked up and nodded. Her husband immediately understood that she was convinced somehow that it was true, and his eyes widened, "I apologise for doubting your prowess, sorcerer. You must understand that this changes what people believe magic to be capable of."

"What people believe and what is true are not always one and the same. There are truths of this world, some magical in nature, some not, that would surprise even the most knowledgeable man. It is the purpose of humanity to uncover these secrets and build wonders."

Rhaenys saw that Corlys wished to ask something, and she decided to speak up instead. After all, there was a reason they had confronted the sorcerer in the first place: "What is the nature of your relationship with Rhaena?"

"Did Rhaena tell you how we met?"

"I suppose you don't mean when you broke your fast with Rhaenyra and Daemon."

The man nodded, and Rhaenys continued, "She said you saved her from the Cannibal, after she snuck out."

"I did. It was entirely by chance, I assure you, but without my interference, she would have perished that day. I brought her to the manse and was prepared to berate the girl for her foolishness. And yet, all I have seen is a lonely girl wishing that someone would care for her. She thought that a Dragon would make her family love her, and that claiming a strong and powerful one would make her matter. It didn't, not truly, and when I gave her a dragon, when her egg hatched, she realised that as well. And so, I wished to show her that there was more to the world than that. The expeditions into the Dragonmont and Skagos, as dangerous as they were, are memories that will stay with her forever, adventures that she will treasure for the rest of her days."

Rhaenys had expected many answers. A man seeking to influence the house of the dragons, a sorcerer seeking an apprentice who had Valyrian blood or more sinisterly, a man wishing to sacrifice a Dragonlord for the sake of power.

Like it or not, they were at his mercy. They were alone, practically unarmed, apart from a dagger she had hidden and her husband's sword, in a ship hallway across the continent with two men capable of magic. He had no need to lie.

Still, the answer surprised her completely, and Corlys was much the same: "You took a young girl halfway across the world, let her keep mementoes worth a fortune, all because she was sad."

This time, it was the sorcerer's wife who answered, "It is a sad world when showing kindness to a sad child is deemed outlandish."

Rhaenys did not know what to say to that, and obviously neither did her husband. Was that truly all there was to it, kindness? For a long moment, neither Rhaenys nor Corlys spoke. The wind shifted across the deck, carrying with it the scent of salt and the whisper of waves, as if the sea itself waited for their answer.

Finally, Corlys broke the silence, changing the subject completely, "So, it was all true, the Children of the Forest… The Others…"

"As I said, Lord Corlys, the world is far larger than you could have possibly imagined."

The sorcerer did not say much after this, choosing to look at the sea instead of continuing their conversation. His wife had gone back to read her book, while she and Corlys stayed in silence.

Rhaenys frowned as she noticed that the waves had been picking up slowly over their conversation. She heard Lady Daphne speak up while still reading her book, "Are you going to do something about that?"

She had no idea what she was referring to, and neither did her husband, and yet the sorcerer seemed to understand it easily enough with a thoughtful tone, "Nah, I'm curious to see where this goes."

"But right now? With them on board?"

The man smiled and waved his hand dismissively, "It'll be fine."

"Whatever you say, dear," the golden-haired woman replied with a dry tone, which did not reassure Rhaenys at all.

She and Corlys shared a concerned look. They were definitely speaking of them. Rhaenys shifted slightly, hand brushing the small dagger hidden in the folds of her robe, while her husband's fingers tightened around his sword's pommel. They had never been so vulnerable in all their lives.

The wind howled louder. The waves that had lapped lazily against the hull earlier now struck violently, rising higher and falling more fiercely. The clouds rolled in overhead, far too fast to be natural. It was like the sea itself was raging at their presence. She couldn't see Casterly Rock anymore, or any land, for that matter, just the waves, and that she could barely make out as the clouds blocked out the sun.

Something was coming. She could feel it, as could Corlys from the way he straightened beside her, his eyes narrowing toward the mist that was beginning to gather.

They were proven right when a ship emerged, somehow having remained perfectly hidden by the storm that had appeared so suddenly. She recognised the sails immediately, black sails and a golden kraken.

The Iron Born.

What were they even doing so close to the Westerlands?

There was no time to ask. Hooks flew from above, clanging against the deck, and iron-booted raiders dropped down in practised silence, blades bared.

Corlys didn't hesitate. In one smooth motion, he stepped in front of her, his blade drawn and ready, standing firm, despite his age, knowing that he would not be able to fight that many men.

Rhaenys wished that Meleys was nearby, that it could fly and burn these raiders to their precious drowned gods. But there was a way they could survive this, Harry Potter, the sorcerer who had made them travel thousands of miles, in the blink of an eye, the man who had, according to her granddaughter, made the Cannibal flee in terror.

When she looked at him, she expected bursts of fire and lightning, a complete desolation of the coming ship. Instead, he merely raised both hands, utterly unconcerned, and said in an overly pleasant tone, "We surrender."

The Ironborn blinked, and Rhaenys wished to hit him, especially when he gave her a small, mischievous wink. She looked at his wife, who also seemed completely unconcerned, maybe slightly irritated at the interruption at best.

The sorcerer's smile, if anything, widened. "Take me to your leader," he giggled slightly, and she swore that she heard him mutter under his breath, "I've always wanted to say that."

Rhaenys stared at him, stunned.

Daphne Potter closed her book, stood up with the grace of someone completely unimpressed, and muttered, "Honestly," before following her husband down the deck.

The wind howled louder still. The waves rose behind them.

And Rhaenys was left clutching her dagger, uncertain whether she'd been taken prisoner or had simply wandered into madness.

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AN: I decided to make the Velaryons' confrontation a bit more interesting. I'm not entirely certain this was the best call, but I'm going with it; after all, actions are more convincing than words. As usual, please let me know what you think and if you have any suggestions.

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If you want to support me check out my patréon at https://www.patréon.com/athassprkr

I tend to upload drafts of early chapters on there to get people's opinions of them so you can read up to 20 chapters ahead as a bonus.

Thank you guys for your support in these hard times.