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Harry Potter In The Witcher [67]
🕑 Added 2025-09-18 14:36:25 +0000 UTCDespite all that, he still had to try. He had to do something. If nothing else, Ciri was his friend, the most important friend he had ever had, and he would do everything and anything in his power to help a friend in need.
He would do it, even if it meant getting his own hands a little dirty in the process.
He stopped thinking about his own, internal moral dilemma and focused back on Merri, who was now just looking at the five, magnificent dragons in quiet, respectful wonder.
"Feel free to enjoy the Dragon Pit as long as you like," Harry told her, his voice once again calm and friendly.
"Just… don't antagonize the dragons, or they might try and eat you. If you need me for anything, just listen for loud, construction-like noises somewhere in the city, and you should be able to find me. It is getting late as well, so feel free to stay the night if you would like.”
“Or, you know, move in permanently. I don't really care. Only the houses in the very center of the city have any sort of magical furnishing in them at the moment, so you may choose any one of them to live in, if you wish."
Harry told her all this as he started to walk away, back towards the heart of his city, back to his work.
Roads had to be created, paved with magically-smoothed stone, and hundreds of houses still needed to be properly furnished.
He also had to start planning out and physically splitting the massive city into its separate, distinct districts.
'Ugh,' he thought to himself, a familiar, weary sigh escaping his lips. 'I have so much more work to do.
….
Six Months Later:-
Harry looked out over his city, which now seemed to be sprawling and vibrant, filled with the sounds and sights of inhabitants.
Oddly enough, he had not yet actually done anything to try and actively recruit more people since he had first talked to Grogik all those months ago.
The settlement of Duskband had, as he had expected, initially denied his offer. Harry had, of course, respected Grogik's decision.
He understood. It was hard to simply give up your freedom, your way of life, however harsh, to a complete stranger, a powerful sorcerer you didn't even really know or trust.
Sadly for Grogik and his people, however, his nomadic village had been brutally attacked a month later by a large group of bandits.
They had, with their usual Skellige ferocity, managed to drive them off, but not before the bandits had killed off over a quarter of their already small population. Most of their meager houses and precious supplies had been burnt to ash in the raid.
Duskband, he knew, would eventually bounce back, as it always did, but Grogik seemed to be smart enough, and tired enough, to try and finally stop history from constantly repeating itself. He had sought out Harry once more, his pride swallowed, to see if his generous offer still stood.
Harry had not minded at all, and had welcomed him and his weary, battered people with open arms. He had explained, in detail, how living here in his new city would work, and he had explained the pros and the cons as honestly as he possibly could.
They had agreed, and seemed to be settling into their new, more stable life here quite easily. They had already started growing crops in the magically fertile soil and were now taking care of the growing herds of livestock.
Of course, Merri had also been incredibly helpful in getting more people to come here, though more in a passive, word-of-mouth way than Grogik had been.
Merri seemed to go back to her old, hidden settlement up in the Dragon Mountains every week or so, and she always seemed to come back with more and more people each time she returned. Harry was actually, genuinely impressed.
He would be the first to admit that he probably wasn't the easiest person in the world to trust, and his own personal charisma could definitely use some serious work. Merri, however, was the complete opposite, it seemed.
A lot of people, especially the outcasts and the downtrodden, seemed to get along with her instantly, to trust her word implicitly, which made her, at present, an invaluable, if unofficial, asset to Harry's growing kingdom.
Not that he was using her, of course, or in any way encouraging her to bring more people here. She just seemed to want to do that, all on her own.
"I've convinced Fredrik and some of his guys to get started on those iron mines for you," a familiar, confident voice said, pulling Harry from his thoughts.
Harry looked up in surprise and saw Merri walking into his makeshift office, which was still located at the very bottom of his massive, and still very much incomplete, central tower.
He raised a single, questioning eyebrow. "I don't remember asking you to do that," Harry said, the unspoken question clear in his voice.
Merri just shrugged, unconcerned. "They were happy to get back to what they love doing," she said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Plus, people need to understand that living here isn't a free ride. They need to contribute."
Harry thought it was a little odd for her, of all people, to say such a thing. He would not yet consider Merri a close friend, not really, but after six months of her constant, and often surprising, presence, she was the current closest thing he had to one in this new city.
That being said, he didn't really see a clear benefit for her in going out of her way to do his job for him.
"Why are you helping me make sure people start working?" Harry asked her, his curiosity genuine. "You already do more than your fair share of hunting and scouting for the community, so you would be in no danger of being kicked out of here, or anything like that."
