Chapter 1

A/N: Hey everyone. Please don't hate me. I was really busy with school than exams and couldn't update for a while, and now this story idea came to me and was written while I was stuck on the next chapter of the Wizard and the Grimm. I will finish it eventually but am having a little bit of writer's block on that story.

This one again is obviously another Harry Potter and RWBY crossover, except this Harry is 24 years old (basically think of him as canon Harry up until after the Battle of Hogwarts) and starts in RWBY volume 4. As you'll learn in this story, this Harry is a lot more skilled than canon, having done a lot of self study from the time he defeated Voldemort till the time he travels to Remnant.

I hope you all enjoy. Please leave me a review to let me know what you think.

Harry Potter, once known as the Boy-Who-Lived, now the Man-Who-Won, and self proclaimed adventurer, was not happy. Now, even at age 24, he still found himself falling over when using a new form of magical travel. The fact that said magical travel just happened to be an interdimensional portal didn't concern him, he was tired of falling over, damn it!

Spitting out the dirt he'd accidentally taken into his mouth from the fall, he stood and looked around. Yep, the legends had definitely been right. He was in a different world, or alternate universe, whatever you prefer to call it.

When he'd taken on that job of 'cleansing' the ancient Mayan temple he hadn't thought the stories had held any merit. The village elder had said they'd hired others before to no effect, but Harry had been confident seeing as this was the first time the muggle had, albeit unknowingly, hired a real certified curse breaker. Ok… that might be a bit of a white lie. Harry wasn't officially certified per say, but he had been trained by Bill Weasley. Most governments just tended to look the other way when he worked for them seeing as he was an internationally renowned celebrity.

He'd figuredthe temple was magical, and it had been the leftover curses on the place that had spawned the stories that had sprung up around it. He especially hadn't believed the stories that it contained a portal to an alternate universe. And yet, as it seemed to happen often in his life, he'd been wrong. He hadn't even sensed the enchantment on the statue until it had activated. By then it had been too late.

Many might question how he knew he was in a new universe, and had not just been teleported somewhere else instead, but Harry could tell. The very fact that his momentary arrogance had caused this was repeatedly hammered into him as he stretched his senses outwards. This was a new world. It didn't feel the same as Earth.

Looking around, he took in the environment he'd found himself in. At first glance it didn't appear too different than a normal forest from Earth, but after a moment he started to notice how the vegetation wasn't exactly the healthiest. The trees actually looked quite diseased. As far as he could see, the forest seemed to get greener and the leaves more full looking in one direction. The exact opposite was true looking in the other direction. Harry thought he could even see a faint red glow on the horizon that way. Shuddering, he decided if he had any choice in the matter at all, he would not head in the direction with the creepy sky.

Checking himself and his equipment over, Harry winced when he found the pieces of splintered wood. Looking down in his hand, for the second time in his life, Harry looked at the shattered remains of his Holly and Phoenix feather wand. When Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody had been alive, he'd always told people not to keep their wands in their back pockets. It seemed Harry now had another reason why he should have listened to the paranoid old Auror.

Shaking his head, Harry placed the pieces into his Mokeskin Pouch. He'd look it over later, suddenly extremely happy he'd taken the time to study under Ollivander in the basics of wandmaking in the past few years. He'd found an interest in the subject after the whole debacle surrounding the wands and his defeat of Voldemort. He wouldn't even try to claim he was a master of the craft, but he might be able to do some repairs if necessary. He could at least try to craft a new focus if needed though.

Before he could give it much more thought, Harry heard it. Crouching down behind a particularly large tree, Harry freed the enchanted Goblin-made dagger that he now always carried on his person.

If Harry were to classify the low whining sound that was steadily growing closer, he'd say it was some kind of engine, but he wasn't entirely sure. He was proven correct a few moments later when he saw what appeared to some kind of motorcycle-like vehicle speeding through the trees and over the rough terrain.

Harry wasn't quite sure what to make of it. It seems this world was populated, which in the long stretch was probably a good thing for him. He wasn't planning on revealing himself to the first person he came across, wanting to observe the society they came from, but he hadn't expected what came next.

Something came flying out of the trees striking one of the vehicle's tires. Even with the wheel in question locking up, the momentum had to go somewhere, and thus Harry watched in mute horror as the whole thing flipped. His hand shot out, ready to make an attempt at stopping the rider from being squashed like a bug, but in the end it proved unnecessary.

The person in question jumped off on their own, straight into the air. They traveled up higher than any human he knew of could do, performing a perfect flip, and landing in a crouch. Only then did he get a good look at the rider. To his shock it was a woman. A human! At least now he knew there were humans on this world.

From his distance, and her angle, he couldn't quite get a good look at her yet. He changed positions, trying to get a better view but only managed to pick up that she had white hair. Before he could mull on that anymore, he was distracted as four black forms came barreling out of the trees towards the woman in question.

Harry's body tensed at the perceived threat. The black objects came to stop, before slowly beginning to circle the woman. Harry wasn't sure what to think. They looked like wolves- no- too humanoid- they looked like werewolves. Their fur was black, but not the normal colour black, almost as if it was sucking in the light around it. It didn't seem natural. One of the beasts turned just enough for Harry to see it's front, and he had to stifle his sudden inhalation of breath, as his eyes roamed over the bone mask that adorned their faces.

What the hell did you walk yourself into Potter? These things looked like bloody demons. He'd actually read a tome on demons back on Earth, one of the few that still exist. It had all been apart of his rigorous extra magical education he'd put himself through. He'd needed something to do after quitting the Aurors and having his relationship with Ginny fail. Ok… ok… the amount of subjects he'd put his time into may have been a tad excessive… like putting Hermione's time traveling year of adventure level of excessive to shame, but seeing the events unfolding in front of him made him glad he had. Plus for the first time in his life, he'd actually enjoyed learning with the tutors he'd hired.

Focus Harry! Focus! Focusing back in on the events in front of him, he prepared himself to jump in, mentally starting on a strategy. He knew most of the spells that wizards and witches threw around easily day to day would have little to no effect. Demons had a high resistance to magic, which meant he would have to use more high caliber stuff… which would be impossible with his wand broken. Cursing once again, he searched for an alternate solution. Fortunately it proved to be unneeded.

Faster than he could follow, the woman's stance shifted, and she had a sword in her hand, a saber of some kind. She pointed the tip of her sword towards one of the demons causing a white circular design to appear beneath its feet. The symbol flashed and the beast went flying into the air. The others charged her.

Jumping up again, she met the creature she'd launched with a flurry of fast strikes. Turning in the air and kicking of her enemy's body, she drove herself towards the ground, impaling one of the other creatures through the head. Landing back on her feet she launched forward again dodging swiping claws, and slashing the creatures apart.

Harry was so entranced watching her graceful movements that he barely caught the fact that the dead creatures bodies were fading to black smoke. He knew right then and there that these things were definitely demons. One of the few things recorded in that book he'd read had stated that a demon's body doesn't stick around after death. They didn't belong in any of the mortal realms, and thus when the sentient energies that possessed them were exhausted, their bodies would fade. He wondered how there were so many though. Five demons in one place was unheard of. The practice of summoning demons had been banned globally on Earth and even Voldemort with all his evil had never ventured there.

Harry watched the woman block another attack coming behind her with one of her strange symbols. Was she a witch? The symbols seemed magical in nature... Maybe this world's version of runes or maybe even seals of some kind. It was uncommon on Earth for any magical folk to take up any form of physical combat. Harry himself had seen the benefit in it though. The skill this woman was displaying spoke of years and years of practice. Harry was feeling quite curious.

The woman finished off the last demon with a flourish of her blade. Her breathing barely seemed to have changed at all, as if battling demons was an everyday occurrence. For all he knew it could be. Merlin, he hoped not.

Harry began to weigh the merits of revealing himself. He didn't know her. She didn't know him. They might not even speak the same language. She was dangerous, but so was he. He knew it wasn't a smart move, he should spend more time observing civilization here, but he was just too damn curious. This woman had just defeated five demons on her own!

Harry stood up and stepped out more clearly into view. Before he could announce his presence, something else came streaking out of the woods, from the same direction as the previous demons. Whatever it was, it was smaller than the others and much faster. It slammed into the woman before she could put her guard up and she went flying. She smashed into a large tree with loud crash and the wrenching sound of tearing wood.

At the point of impact, Harry saw a strange white light flare up around her body, before seeming almost stutter and flicker out. The woman remained still on the ground. Even though he didn't know her, Harry felt panic grip his heart. Had his earlier determination to not interfere in the battle cost this woman his life? Was he responsible? Despite, all the changes Harry had gone through growing up since his time at Hogwarts, that was one was trait he'd never been able to ditch… his saving people thing as Hermione put it.

The humanoid demon slowly start to approach her downed form, savoring it's victory.

"Oi!" Harry had stepped into the small clearing, his hand tightening on his Goblin-Forged blade. "Why don't you leave the lady alone?"

The things head snapped in his direction instantly, going unnaturally still. Harry had to suppress a shiver as he realized how the creature looked much more human than he'd originally thought. Instead of being covered in fur like the others, it's skin almost seemed normal except that it was as dark black as the earlier beast's' fur, and had bone armor plates in strategic places on its body.

Before Harry could analyze it further, the creature moved, or rather to Harry's eyes it disappeared from where it was and reappeared in front of him reared to strike. Surprised by the speed, Harry threw himself backwards and just managed to raise his dagger to redirect the force of the demon's bone claws.

As he came back to his feet, Harry didn't wait any longer. He threw the dagger towards his target, reaching out with his magic to guide its trajectory. It easily cut into an unprotected part of the creature's arm and pinned it to a tree.

Relaxing slightly, Harry began to walk over, trying to figure out the best way to kill it. He had a sneaking suspicion that the thing he was facing had used to be human. He wasn't sure if whoever had summoned the demons here had figured out a way to summon just the demon spirit instead, and infused it into a human being, or if it was something else entirely.

What Harry hadn't expected for was the creature to rip its arm free in one deft movement, seemingly unconcerned with the large amount of damage it had done to itself on his blade.

Varying types of stunning and immobilization spells cast with his hands had little to no effect as he'd expected, and so Harry changed tactics. This time, he cast an explosive curse at the creatures advancing feet, the result of which left a crater behind and actually succeeded in momentarily knocking it off it's feet.

Rushing past, Harry wrenched his dagger free and turned just in time for the beast to set in on him again. He managed to deflect the first several blows, even with it's enhanced speed, but to his dismay, the last one sent the Goblin-Steel sailing through the air. Harry went down under the creature's weight.

Struggling as much as he could, Harry managed to keep his mauling at bay for a few moments longer, allowing him a second to focus on what he wanted. Once again, he expanded his senses outward looking for his dagger, and as soon as he found it, he called it towards himself.

The solid thump that he heard, told Harry exactly where his blade had gone. The creature went rigid above him, right before relaxing a moment later. Pushing the body off of himself, Harry climbed to his feet. Looking down at the humanoid-demon, he found his knife, jerked it free and cleaned it with a wave of his hand.

He observed the body. It was smoking like the other creatures he'd seen, but not everything was disappearing. Harry grimaced. This was further proof to him that these demons looking so human was not a coincidence. He was going to track down whoever was doing these sick experiments and show them why it wasn't a good idea to corrupt the beauty of magic when he was around!

As he looked around, the wrecked vehicle once again grabbed his attention, and reminded him about what he was forgetting. The girl! He had to check on her. He rushed over. Almost immediately he felt some of the tension leave him, as it was clear to see that the woman was alive and breathing. She looked a little banged up but not nearly as hurt as he had expected she'd be.

Now that he was closer, he could finally get a clear look at her. The woman looked to be around his age, early twenties for sure. He noted his earlier observation was correct. Her hair was pure white… not something he'd seen that often. Said hair was tied back into a bun, with her bangs covering part of her face. She had a fair complexion, and full lips. Her eyes were closed. Harry wasn't quite sure about her clothes. They almost appeared to be some kind of uniform. Like her hair, it was mostly white but had some parts in light blue and grey tones. Shaking his head, Harry tried to ignore the fact that she filled out said uniform in a way that was very pleasing to the eyes. Banishing those thoughts, Harry started to make a plan. He couldn't help feeling like he was being watched, and thus wanted to get out of there before any more of those demons showed up.

He approached the crashed bike, looking for anything he could salvage. There was a single bag strapped to the back. Figuring the woman would want it when she woke up, he unhooked it from where it was strapped. A quick featherlight charm later, and it was slung over his back. He looked down at the woman once again. Without a wand he didn't trust himself to levitate her for a long period of time without dropping her. It looked like he would have to do it the old fashioned way.

He scooped her up into his arms. One arm went behind her back, the other under her knees. Straightening he took another look around. He had no idea in which direction was civilization, but the fact that the woman in his arms had been heading away from the direction that gave him the odd feelings were enough for him. He'd venture in the same direction she was traveling for a while before setting up camp.

With his mind made up, and his path set, Harry started walking. Over the next few hours not much changed. The white haired woman in his arms remained unconscious, his surroundings still consisted of forest, and he still had no idea if he was any closer to civilization. He did notice the farther he went that the trees tended to look a bit healthier, and that they were more spaced out, but other than sun moving across the sky, that was the only difference.

It was around the third or fourth hour that he finally halted, spotting something else he'd been keeping his eye out for. Setting the woman down with a small hiss as his muscles protested the new movement, he took a second to catch his breath. Harry began to examine the tree that had caught his attention. It was large. More so than most of its brethren. Healthy too. Stepping forward, Harry gently placed his palm against the aged trunk, and closed his eyes. Letting his consciousness and magic seep outward, he brushed up against the tree's, for lack of a better term, soul. Asking the silent question, a sudden surge of acceptance was the only response he felt. Sending back a silent thank you, Harry opened his eyes.

Seeking out the branch he was interested in, Harry went to work. Quickly locating where it joined to the massive trunk, he broke it free with a massive snap. Running his hand over the now wounded trunk he spoke a few words in latin. By the time his hand was removed it looked completely unblemished. Turning around he walked back over to his unconscious companion, placing his unfinished staff beside her.

Once again, looking around the small clearing they'd stopped in, Harry decided it was as good a place as any to camp for the night. He figured he'd gotten far enough away from the site of the attack to be relatively safe, and with the protective enchantments he was about the put up, they should be fine. He wasn't sure about the situation earlier, but if for whatever reason they were being tracked by any demons, any spells he cast around the area wouldn't be of much help. It might actually draw them to him instead. Even more than killing humans, demons hungered for magic. He knew casting a lot of spells in the woods would be the equivalent of sending a flare up into the air to declare, 'I'm over here! Come and eat me!'

Of course by spells he meant spells similar to the ones Hermione had cast around their tent when hunting Horcruxes several years earlier. Some simple runic defenses would do a lot better. There was a reason why the demon problem on Earth, centuries earlier, had been mostly taken care of by the goblins with their enchanted runic weapons instead of spells cast by wizards. For some reason runic magic just seemed to bypass their magical resistance.

Grabbing a small stick off the ground, Harry crouched down and started to draw small symbols in the dirt. It took a while but he managed to space them out to form a rough circle around the small clearing. Then touching his finger to one of them, and a little push of magic, the simple protections he'd created came to life.

The runes glowed for a few seconds before fading back to normality. You would never be able to tell by sight alone that they were active but Harry could feel the comforting hum in the air that signified they were working. He hadn't devised anything too extravagant, but what he'd done should stop anyone from accidentally walking into them while also keeping any demons from tracking them. It would also keep demons from sensing any magic he used.

Getting back to his feet, Harry arched his back, hearing the distinctive pop, pop, pop of his spine, that spoke of his busy day carrying that woman around. He reached inside his expanded Mokeskin pouch and freed the tent. Activating the already enchanted canvas and poles, a small triangular tent assembled itself before his eyes.

Giving a nod of satisfaction, he scooped the woman up once again. He entered the tent, no longer awed by its immense interior size after years of use, and went straight for one of the bedrooms. This one still had several bunk beds in it. The other he'd changed upon the tents purchase to have a single large bed, seeing how he seemed to spend more time in it on the road these days, instead of in the now cleaned up and renovated Grimmauld Place.

He stopped in the doorway looking at the musty sheets. He hadn't had someone stay in here in a long time. He tried to shift her weight over to only one of his arms but soon realized that wouldn't work. With a sigh he was able to free a few fingers which he wigged exasperatedly at the bunk. The sheets straightened themselves out a little, but didn't get any cleaner. His wandless magic really wasn't suited to most charms or transfiguration work. Summoning and banishing aside, he needed the fine control of a wand for most things. He could throw around some of his lower end offensive spells like that as well, but not nearly as effective as usual.

Realizing his efforts were futile, Harry sighed again before backing out of the room and heading for his own. Another finger wiggle, this time to more effect, had the sheets flying back off the bed. He set her down, making sure her head was rested on the pillow, before he grabbed the covers from where they had fallen down and lowered them back down onto the bed. Once he was done, he stopped again for a moment and just observed her quietly as she slumbered on.

He'd checked earlier and it hadn't seemed like she had any broken bones, nor had he seen any open wounds. The bruising would probably be pretty bad though, seeing how hard she had hit that tree. He didn't want to look any further without her permission or unless life was in danger, something he didn't believe was currently the case. He'd just have to wait for her to wake up. Harry set her sword on the nightstand, knowing she'd probably panic if she woke up in an unfamiliar place without it.

Leaving the room, Harry first went into the small kitchen area. Rummaging through the cupboards he produced a pot and a can of soup. The magical world still hadn't got into the habit of buying processed foods like this, but with all the trips he did for his job, Harry had taken to doing his grocery shopping among the muggles. Emptying said can into the pot, he set it onto the stove, lighting the burner with a snap of his fingers.

Harry left it simmering slowly, as he headed towards the entrance of the tent, grabbing a kitchen chair on his way, and dragging it over across the ground. He set it down just inside the door, squinting suddenly under the intense glare of the setting sun, as he stepped outside. He double checked his temporary boundary, finding it still holding strong.

Goosebumps erupted over his skin in the sudden shade that the large tree provided. Even the air felt a little damper under there. Grabbing the branch he'd taken earlier, he hurried back to his chair. Running his hands up and down the rough bark, getting a feel for his chosen implement, Harry freed his dagger from its strap. It wasn't the best tool for job, but it would have to do. In all reality, the Goblins would probably skin him alive if they saw what he was about to do with their work.

Holding the branch diagonally across his lap, so that it was tilted towards the ground, Harry lowered his blade down to the point of contact. The Goblin-Steel cut into the bark with ease, enough so that Harry knew he'd have to be extra careful that he didn't cut too deep. Then with a practiced motion, he slid it down the wood, slicing away the bark as if it never existed. Then he did it again… and again. Each cut he made served to only reveal the golden toned wood hidden below to the open air.

The task itself was quite meditative, and it gave Harry the chance to actually think over what had happened that day. The tales about the temple he'd been hired to investigate had happened to be true, much to his surprise. On top of that, of course, the curse had activated while he was inside, leaving him now stranded on another world.

Surprisingly, he wasn't as upset about that as you might expect. It had been watching that muggle Indiana Jones series that had gotten him interested in this line work in the first place, a reason he refused to concede was foolish to the ever disapproving Hermione. And what makes a better adventure story than exploring a new world anyway? Of course his other favorite pastime of had been indulged almost immediately, the results of which were the unconscious woman in his tent. With the war over on Earth, his saving people thing had been toned down a bit, but it seemed that the day's events had only served to prove that his instincts were as sharp as ever.

Before Harry knew it, he'd removed all the bark from the branch in his hands. It was at that same time that he also felt the piece of sharpened steel being held up against his throat. "Drop your weapon!"

The woman's voice was strong, firm, and betrayed no emotion. If he hadn't carried her for most the day he would never have guessed she had just woken up from being knocked unconscious. "Then you can tell me who you are and where exactly you've brought me."