Previously, on HSOI

Harry gets to spend time with his favorite cousin, while Iroh acts as a father to both. Yes, this time would be perfect for their family.

When they landed at the Northern Water Tribe, the first thing everyone felt was cold. But since they had been feeling that for the past couple of weeks, perhaps they should neglect that feeling. The second thing they felt was the hostility in the air. The tension between their escorts and the few from the boarding party (Iroh, Zuko, Harry, and the first mate), was so thick you could cut it with a knife. Or sword. Or spear. Or any of the other pointy metal weapons that were continuously pointed in their faces.

"Hopefully", Harry reflected, "Things would calm down after Iroh had a chance to talk to Paku. The man was currently head of the waterbenders of the tribe, at least that's what Iroh told Harry he had said since their last correspondence. How his dad knew so many people from all over and of such importance, Harry had no idea, but it was sure convenient.

As they approached the place where the leaders gathered, Iroh and the 1st mate went in, after convincing Harry and Zuko to stay outside. Iroh knew Zuko's on and off temper could get them in trouble, and having him keep an eye on Harry was a good way to keep him out. As they went in to talk to Paku and the other leaders, Harry and Zuko eyed the guard warily, Harry eventually asking, "So why is it you would leave two children out here, but let the Dragon of the West and a Fire Nation mariner in to see your leaders, unattended?"

"Our leaders are more than capable of protecting themselves, and if they were here to cause a fuss they wouldn't have left you two here with us anyway." The main guard replied with a short, grim smile on his face. Harry nodded, looking thoughtful for a minute. Zuko broke the silence, saying "So how do you train? I can see almost every one of you have a different weapon, do you have a single master proficient in all, or do you have a few master's that are good with specifics?"

This time a soldier off to the side answered. "Most of the men here are not benders, we usually have those whom are males train under Master Paku, the battle bender, or females train under the healers of the tribe. The people you see here are trained from adolescence to be warriors. After basic training, they have a right of passage and get to choose their own weapon. From there, they either learn from someone who has chosen the weapon before, or learn from experience by sparing."

Harry said, "You mentioned Healers, I was wondering how waterbending can heal? And what do your spars usually contain?"

The Leader answered this time. "Water bending can be used to heal most superficial wounds, and some deeper if the healer is skilled enough. I'm not surprised you haven't heard of it, since the Fire Nation war, we have tried to keep secret many of our abilities. The sparing, thanks to the benefit of being healed soon after, can go almost all out in fighting. People never kill one another of course, so stabbing is out, as is amputation, but almost anything that won't permanently disfigure someone is allowed. How else will anyone know their capabilities?"

Zuko's and Harry's eyes had lit up at the thought of a healer being able to fix most wounds. Hesitantly, Zuko asked, "As you can see, I am scarred from a firebender myself. Do you think, if willing, one of your healers might be able to fix it?" Harry looked from his pseudo-brother to the guard with a bit of hope in his eyes.

Before the guard could respond, Iroh and the mate came out with Paku, Iroh and Paku smiling and laughing, the mate standing behind shaking his head. The guards all immediately stood at attention, while Iroh turned to face the two boys.

"Paku and the chief have agreed to get us lodgings and supplies before we leave in a few days to search the surrounding area. Paku has also agreed to try and teach Harry what he can during his stay here." Zuko and Harry both nodded, and as they began to follow Iroh and Paku, the guard they had been talking to said, "Go see Healer Tanye, she can see about that scar." Zuko nodded and kept walking, Harry almost running to keep up.

It was quite a trek to their new lodgings, and with his shorter legs (he was only 8 after all) Harry was almost running to keep up. Of course, running, Northern Water tribe, entire city made of ice, and improper footwear all added up to a collision. Specifically, Harry collided with a white-haired girl about 12 years old. Both toppled to the ground, and Harry immediately bounced back up, helping her and apologizing as fast as he could, a blush spreading across his face.

"I'm really sorry about that, I was just trying to keep up with my dad, and wasn't looking where I was going, and, well, sorry." He finished lamely, sheepishly rubbing the back of his head. The girl smiled and giggled at his behavior and answered, "No matter, no one was hurt so no harm done. I'm Yue, by the way, whom might you be?"

"Harry, nice to meet you Yue. Sorry, but I really need to get going, I'll be late otherwise." She nodded, and shouted after he started to leave, "Alright, but be careful turning corners!" He responded with a wave before skidding at the next corner and almost falling over again. She sighed, and it was only a moment later she realized he had been in Fire Nation regalia. Shrugging it off, she went on her way to see her father.

Harry on the other hand, was startled by what he had just seen. The girl looked normal, but in her hair and surrounding her body and just behind was this disturbing white glow. There were only two things he could compare it to, spirits from his travels into the spirit world, and a full moon on a cloudless night. To be honest, that was the real reason he got away as quickly as possible, he had never felt anything like that before and it made him really nervous. He decided he would talk to his father about it when he got to their assigned shelter.

Zuko wandered the lower town, looking around and asking passing strangers for directions to Healer Tanye. Nobody had given him them yet, probably disturbed by his Fire Nation clothing and scar. Luckily, he just saw a sign that read "Healer's hut, see us for your hurts!" Entering the building that was actually much more impressive than a hut, Zuko walked over to a middle-aged woman and asked if he could see Healer Tanye. She took one look at him, asked why, and hearing his reason (she was informed about the exile fire prince and his stay here as one of the leading healers), she let him in the back, where Tanye was currently teaching students.

Zuko waited patiently by the door while Tanye finished her lesson and when she was finally done, approached the table a dummy was on. Leaning against it, he said bluntly, "I was advised to come see you about having my scar healed." Tanye scrutinized him for a moment, then said, "Sit on the table so I can get a better look at it." Zuko complied and fidgeted a little as she moved closer and put a hand near his eye. Feeling around it gently, and gradually moving closer to the darker burn, she poked both spots and his eyelid before backing off. All the while Zuko felt the area itch like it never had before. "It must have been her waterbending to diagnose the problem," he thought.

Sighing, Tanye looked down and back up before saying, "I don't have a lot of experience healing as extensive a burn such as that, and the wound itself is very old." Zuko felt his heart drop into his stomach as the hope he had been trying to suppress vanished, leaving an empty space behind.

"However," on second thought, it was amazing how one word can change your entire personality, "Most of the scar is healed and will be a simple procedure to replace with healthy skin. Theoretically, I should be able to remove most of the lighter scar, probably get your eyelid and eye back to full functioning capabilities, so you can open it completely again, and get your eyebrow back. Some of the deeper scar surrounding the eye will remain, but it should be much less not-" Tanye was surprised at being cut off by a teary emotional Fire Prince hugging her tightly.

"I'll take that as a yes." Zuko nodded, wiped the tears from his eyes and backed up a bit. "Very well, lay down on the table and we'll get started.

Zuko was gone by the time Harry caught up, and Iroh and Paku were in deep discussion at the table when Harry ran into the small house. "Whoa, slow down there Harry. This is ice you know." Iroh said, steadying him with one arm. "Now what's gotten into you? Last time you were running that fast was when you cut Azula's hair while she was sleeping."

Harry was still panting by the time Iroh finished, and managed to get out a "White-hair, spirit moon girl." before wheezing dramatically and collapsing backwards on the ground comically. There was nothing comic on Paku's face upon hearing what Harry had said, a fact that Iroh did notice. He looked questioningly at his old friend, who responded with a dismissing hand wave.

"Hey dad, what do you think it means?" Harry, asked after he finally caught his breath and sat up, looking at the two older men (with that cute curious bulbous eye stare that everyone in cartoons seems to get!). Iroh gave a sigh of great patience and asked slowly, "What what means Harry? You said all of 5 words before collapsing."

"Ugh, you never pay attention!" Harry said, feigning exasperation. "I ran into a girl while I was trying to catch up to you guys. She had white hair and said her name was Yue. But that's not important. What is important is that she felt like part of her was in the spirit world, and she had this huge white-silver thing hanging all over her and behind her!" Harry finished raising his arms in the air frustrated. "I've never seen or felt anything like that before!"

Iroh was about to answer, but Paku put a hand on his shoulder, stopping him with a shake of his head. "I think," he said slowly, deep in thought, "that I might be able to explain this better than you, Dragon." Iroh looked confused, but nodded to his friend, who stood and started walking towards the door. "Well, aren't you two coming?" He asked without looking over his shoulder. The two firebenders looked at one another, shrugged, and stood to follow Paku.

He led them up the city again, to the very back wall, keeping the pace slow this time so Harry could walk between Iroh and Paku. As they neared the more deserted parts of the tribe, Paku began to speak.

"Years ago, the tribe was blessed when the leader and his wife finally had conceived a child. For reasons unknown, they had struggled for a long time, and were overjoyed when they could finally have one. The village was with them, as it meant a successor to the head spot, and there would be no feuding over power. However, once the child was born, it was clear she was not healthy."

Here he stopped by a large round hunk of ice that had the yin/yang symbol on it. "Their daughter had something wrong, and her life-force was slipping away. Our best healers tried to do what they could, but nothing could be done by us." He slowly bended the ice away, and led them into a small tunnel. "They were desperate and brought her here, to this oasis." Harry and Iroh were shocked, here, in the middle of the North Pole, was a beautiful garden and river, just there, tranquil and peaceful, like no one had disturbed it for centuries.

"This place is holy to all Waterbenders. I can tell you both feel it's power." They nodded, beneath the tranquility, there was a deep, timeless power. Something no mortal could compare to. "Look into the pool beneath the tree, and tell me what you see," Paku said softly, leaning against the tree. Nervous, Harry made his way to the pool slowly, Iroh following, gently nudging him along.

When he first looked into the pool, Harry was confused. All he saw were two Coy fish. Looking closer though, and for a little longer, he noticed a pattern emerge, and with that pattern, he got a flash of what happened when he spirit traveled. He could almost see the power and true form behind the fish, and he jumped back, startled. All he had gotten a glimpse of was a bright silver and deep dark blue.

Harry looked at Iroh, and saw that he was staring at the pond in wonder. "Tui and La," his father breathed out in amazement. "So the stories of the great spirits of the moon and ocean taking mortal form are true?" He looked at Paku with awe. Paku just nodded, and Harry stared back at the pond, shocked..

"When they brought their daughter here, they prayed to the spirits for her to be healed, but they took it a step further. Tui touched the child on her forehead, blessing her and marking her a child of the moon."

"Yue." Harry breathed, eyes shining with understanding. Paku nodded solemnly. "Yes, Yue was that child. The moon spirit remains within her, keeping her safe from harm, visible only to those who have glimpsed at the world beyond themselves. Now I must ask that you two not talk about this. It is known through most of the tribe, but if they knew I had shown it to two outsiders, let alone Fire Nation, they would have my head."

Both nodded solemnly, aware of the significance of visiting the shrine and knowing the locations of the spirits. "Your father tells me that you have a talent for visiting the spirit world young bender." Harry nodded, though Paku didn't seem to be looking for confirmation about anything. "Obviously then, you know about the power of spirits. You will be allowed to come here after you learn waterbending basics."

Harry was excited. Not only would he get to learn waterbending, but he could visit the earthly location of two of the most powerful spirits in both worlds. He just had one question, one his father put voice to. "Who will be teaching him?" the way Iroh was looking at Paku was somewhat challengingly, and yet with a faint sense of humor in his eyes.

Paku exasperatingly feigned shock. "Who else would be willing to grant a favor to an old firebender? I will of course!" He ended with a wink toward Harry. "Now, shall we head back to your temporary abode?" Both nodded and soon were lost in thought about what they had learned today.

A/N: I really wanted to get the entire North Pole done in this chapter, but the great review response got me to upload it early. For the record, that won't always be the case. I had most of this done before I got the responses. Tell me what you thought of Yue's story!

Also for the record, I have been working on a new X-Men Harry Potter X-over, in which Harry is the grandchild of Magneto, Mystique, and Xavier. This one is more based on the movies, and the prestory (birth of James/Lily) starts just b4 and after First Class. I have 4,500 words for it already, but was thinking about finishing it or maybe getting to right before he goes to Hogwarts (which may not be when you think!) What do you think, Post now, or write more? Let me kno

Review Responses!

Severus-is-my-man5690: Sorry, but Harry won't be 'the' Avatar. This is because he cannot commune with the past lives.

D: I know, its weird, but I am actually trying to push up the age so Harry is more like 8 years old, and he was never a year old. If you are referring to the spirit realm, it is because it shows a sort of 'true age', a way for wandering spirits to be able to communicate with each other.

The Walls of Jericho: I completely understand your annoyance with the impressive (and surprising) talents of every person in ATLA. Although I agree, the main reason everyone thinks of Harry as a prodigy is not because of him being a master in any subject (Except possibly Firebending soon, since he was raised with the Dragon), he is considered a prodigy because he can do so many different things. He isn't a master swordsman, or earthbender yet. He only had a few weeks of training to learn basics and pick up simple tricks. He will become great only after a lot of practice and hard work. This will become more apparent as he tries to learn water (opposite of fire, his main bending) and air (with a distinct lack of teachers). Also, In this I plan on making the story a little more real. Glad Zuko's reaction made a little more sense. I meant to include it in chapter 5, but forgot it somewhere along while writing.

Espeon Master Espo: Like I said in this authors note, I had planned on making this chapter longer, and actually you reminded me of stuff I wanted to do in the fire kingdom. Promise, there will be Azula, Ozai, Mai, and Ty Lee in the next Chapter!

Dark Neko 4000: Really?

Espeon Master Espo: Harry will eventually meet Toph, but probably at the same time the Gaang do. Traveling around on a boat and finding a blind earthbender that can only really see on land is kinda hard to do... Also, I had a route for the ship planned based on the map found on , and unfortunately they won't stop by Toph's hometown, it's quite out of the way.

Scarlet Sakura with too many x's: Harry isn't really either, I don't know how soon this will be answered so I will actually tell you via message if you are still interested, just pm me. I don't want to give anything away.

Quetzalcoatls: Hope Chap 6 answered that.

Wrath of The Heavens: I plan on having Harry be an animagus eventually, but maybe not dragon. Ice, plant, and sand benders already exist in the Avatar world, Magma, not so much, and I just assume that's because it's deadly to be around for an extended amount of time, as shown by Roku's death and the volcano in that one 'psychic' episode.

Dream's Abyss: Eventually, and maybe with some visits from friends/family. And same as I told Espeon.

Wrin: Don't expect that to happen anytime soon. For reasons eventually explained. He will be experimenting with the limits/abilities of bending though, and producing new ways to bend certain things.

Red Baron AKA Crowley: Thanks for reminding me, Along with the firenation, I meant to include some HP universe in chapter 6... hmm, maybe chapter 8?

Geno-Beast: I liked all of your reviews, and am glad you approve of my ideas for his bending. To answer your statement, defeating the Fire Nation will be then end of this story. However, I plan on making a sequel that will be in the HP universe.

Thats all for now, I added almost another thousand words with the A/N and responses... Sorry if it made it seem too long!