Harry Potter and the Berserker

Chapter 22

Disclaimer- Harry Potter is owned by J.K. Rowling, and Berserk is owned by Kentaro Miura. I own nothing.

Where to go from here? How does he respond to that? Merlin; that was what she had said. The Merlin; the one nearly every child knew of back in Britain. It was mindboggling and added more question to the already impressive list that he had been keeping file inside of his head. And as those questions and others swirled around in his head trying to make sense of it all, the old woman sat there, smiling at him like some long overdue guest at a party.

The younger girl-apprentice-Schierke seemed a bit more cautious around him. Although Harry was facing away from her, he could almost feel her large turquoise eyes boring into the back of his head, and then alternate to look at her mistress almost like she was feeling left out of some silent conversation that wasn't going on. Her clear suspicion towards him was actually far more comforting a thought that the woman's reaction or lack thereof.

"You have heard his name before, no?" she asked, but it was clear that she already knew the answer.

Harry nodded. "I have, yes."

"I apologize for the golem," she said. "It sensed your presence when you came within close proximity of our spirit-tree mansion. You fought it, but did not destroy the source of its magic; it would have kept fighting with you, so I sent Schierke to go and collect you."

"You make it sound like you were suspecting me," Harry said without thinking.

Instead of trying to deny it, she gave a half-shrug and a close-lipped grin. "A contact of mine told me that I might be getting a visitor one of these days."

An acquaintance? Harry pondered. Who? Who could have known that he would come here? Schierke seemed to wonder the same thing; she was clearly out of the loop. "A contact, mistress? But no one ever comes here, you made this place near impossible to locate." And yet Harry had managed to stumble upon it.

"Someone from my past, you've never been introduced yet, Schierke." Her voice sounded a bit teasing, like a mother to a curious young daughter. "And speaking of introductions, I do not believe that I have introduced myself." She gave a curt bow of her head. "I am Flora; the Mistress of the Spirit-Tree."

Flora turned her gaze to her young apprentice. "Care to properly introduce yourself as well, my disciple?"

Schierke looked a bit embarrassed for a quick second, before giving a polite, but also seemingly forced bow of her head. "I am Schierke, the sole disciple of Mistress Flora."

The tiny pink, winged creature flew out from under Schierke's hat, and close to Harry's face. "And I am Ivalera, Schierke's best friend."

Harry didn't want to sound rude, but he asked, "You're a fairy?"

Ivalera tilted her tiny head to the side, almost insulted that he had to ask. "I am an elf. Haven't you ever seen an elf before?"

"Er-no, sorry," Harry said truthfully. Of course, he hadn't. Godo had said that all the elves had gone from Midland and virtually everywhere else. Where would he have possibly come across an elf before now? He kept that to himself though. It wouldn't be wise to insult them.

"Do not be sorry, young Harry," Flora told him, her attention back to him now. "The world has changed, and with it, many of what once was." She looked him over as if examining him. "You have traveled a long way to come here, you look exhausted." If he looked it, he didn't feel it. Anxiety and anticipation were flooding through his systems. "We can discuss your journey and its purpose in the morning; you should take some time to rest. Schierke, can you show our visitor to a vacant quarter?"