.

Act I

Unbound

Prologue | Chapter I

I do not love you as if you were salt-rose, or topaz,

England: 1979, Late June

He had washed and dressed so carefully today, but he could already feel his hard work coming undone. He was sweating, currently—he could feel a line of it winding its way between his sharp shoulder blades. The hair at his temples was already starting to cling together in greasy clumps.

He smoothed nervous hands down his jacket front, his fingertips seeking the long line of buttons as though they offered some armoring protection. He was beginning to think that the thickness of the dark wool might have been a mistake, but it was the first wizarding outfit he had owned besides his Hogwarts uniform. It was also his only one, and he had bought it in the winter, when its warmth was a blessing.

He turned another corner, following the shadow of one of the Death Eaters in their anonymous robes.

He had seen the Dark Lord only a few times before now, but most of what had been impressed upon him was his piercing dark gaze and his way of getting Severus to agree with him. Tom's was a sinister beauty, and his charisma had an edge of influence that wasn't strictly natural.

He hadn't been allowed to see where he had been Apparated to—the Dark Lord, Tom, as he had invited Severus to call him in their last, most private audience, was dreadfully selective with his inner circle.

Lucius waited for him at the doors of the Lord Voldemort's inner sanctum. Nodding his guide off, he turned a critical eye to Severus's figure. "Still wearing that overdramatic coat?" he sneered, not for the first time.

Severus ducked his head. He had thought it was properly distinguished in the shop, but standing next to Malfoy in his designer dress robes, he knew he would never amount to much.

Lucius ran an admiring hand over his own frock coat, which was a rather alarming shade of green, with silver piping and lace-edged sleeves. Personally, Severus thought he had a rather overdeveloped case of the Slytherin loyalties.

He just shrugged, trying to stop his hands from shaking.

"Come on then," Lucius said, exasperated.

The room was dimly lit except for a table below the great throne-like chair that Voldemort favored and the glow of the candles from a pentagram to the right.

He couldn't see Tom anywhere and so craned his neck to study the symbols in the circle. Lucius looked rather pleased with himself when Severus asked about it. He did not recognize the strangely violent-looking marks from any of his Ancient Runes classes.

"It's the gate circle," Lucius said simply.

"Severus! Welcome."

A shadow came forward and Severus found himself beaming at his benefactor.

"Your Lordship—sir…" he gasped, awed by the whole experience of being in the inner chambers.

He smiled and motioned to a chair, "We are alone here, Severus, and I gave you leave to call me Tom."

Severus returned his grin with pleasure.

"I've called you here for a specific purpose, but then you are a smart boy; I'm sure you can guess." Voldemort circled him with a rush of his dark robes. "I know you have been desirous to join me; nobly so. You have asked for very little in return—just your friend, what was her name?"

"Lily," he breathed.

"Ah yes, Lily. But one final hurtle stands between us. A final test if you will."

Severus twisted in his chair to watch the pass of Voldemort as he circled again. "Whatever it is, I'll do it!"

Lucius laughed, "See, so eager to please."

"I like that in a follower—an officer," he trailed his hand up Severus's arm and laid it on his shoulder. Severus shivered in pleasure at the praise. "I have an old book, Severus—I know you like to read—and this old book is like nothing I have ever seen. It references places I had never heard of, people and magic I could hardly believe." Voldemort leaned into his ear. "In particular, it referenced a weapon of great power: The Dragonborn."

Severus could only listen, spellbound by the hypnotic flow of Tom's words.

"I need someone to fetch it for me, from its resting place in another dimension. It is a hard task, as the book doesn't say where it is, or even what it is. A place is given, Bleak Falls Barrow—but no indication if this is where The Dragonborn lies."

"I'll go," Severus said eagerly. A chance, finally, to prove himself. And what a chance! To leave England and step into another world armed with his magic and Tom's trust.

There was a noise like a great match struck behind him and he turned to look at the gate pentagram. It now held a tall swatch of orange and red fire between dark spikes that were growing from the floor of the chamber. They grew together at the top and formed a door-like shape that was roughly his height.

"You must go quickly—without a Sigil Stone, the gates are unstable and prone to collapse," Voldemort urged.

Burning with purpose, Severus barely checked to see if his wand was secure at his wrist before striding towards the gate.

"If you succeed in this, Severus, you will be rewarded—a place by my side as one of my elite Death Eaters, your Potions Mastery paid for in full, and your little mud—" here Tom nearly stumbled, "—your young lady."

Lily. She was the final prize.

With these final promises ringing in his ears he stepped forward into the portal, missing Lucius's malicious smirk entirely. A brush of searing heat passed over his face and through his coat.

There was a moment of euphoria, of finally starting something that meant something—something that would earn him praise instead of scorn, a place to belong and friendship.

Then he was falling, plummeting forward. He let out a terrified shriek as the darkness swallowed him up, and a moan as he met the stone ground.

Tamriel, Skyrim: Fourth Era 201, Midyear

Wakening was agony. The light beat through the slits of his eyes and pushed against the back of his skull. There was a faint sound of moaning and it took him a moment to realize it was his own voice, hoarse and wretched. He had fallen. If waking was agony, moving was hell. All along his nerves there was a raging fire, burning and burning. He moaned again and the darkness opened to receive him.

When he woke again it was dark but the pain was still there. As though in a dream he watched a dim light bobbing towards him, golden and warm. A torch held by a dark figure.

"A live one."

Someone knelt on his right; the light moved closer.

"Wounded?" A second voice.

"Rrrrrrr." A throaty noise, like a purr. "It looks as though he fell."

A flask was held to his lips and it was all he could do to accept it. The liquid was warm and pleasant, unlike most potions, and the effects were immediate. The pain dulled and his body warmed. The edge of a waterskin was pressed against his lower lip and he managed to swallow a few mouthfuls before the light began to fade again.

"Help this one lift him Serana. He will need to be carried out."

Even as he faded in and out of consciousness he was aware of the sensations: a feeling of weightlessness as he was gently lifted, two glowing golden coals where the eyes of one of the figures eyes should be, the feeling of fur against his cheek as the other brushed his hair back, the low murmuring of gentle voices.

Please Note: This story is a Canon Divergence/Alternate Universe story that will change both the Skyrim Main Questline & the course of Harry Potter Canon. Hold on tight–this is going to be a wild ride.

Chapter titles from Pablo Neruda's Sonnet XVII.

Edited for grammar & punctuation on July 4th, 2013 [courtesy of Claviculae, who has so many questions]. Chapter edited & first part added March 14th, 2014. Additional edits for continuity in October, 2016.

Official DLCs & Mods (from Skyrim Nexus) woven through this work:

Hearthfire (Official DLC)

Dawnguard (Official DLC)

Dragonborn (Official DLC)

Bandolier - Bags and Pouches (Dragten)

Better Villages (ZuNNeR)

Cloaks of Skyrim (Noodles)

Cultural Diversity – Khajiit –Argonian – Dunmer (Matthew Harper)

Frostfall - Hypothermia, Camping, and Survival (Chesko)

Gromits Cooking Recipes - Food - Drink Overhaul (Gromit)

Gypsy Eyes Caravan (berticus0001)

Harvest Overhaul (Omeletter)

Immersive Armors & Immersive Weapons (Hothtrooper44)

Khajiit Child Maisha (tktk)

Lakeview Extended (Ac3s)

Realistic Needs and Diseases (perseid9)

Regal Assassin Armor & Regal Huntsman Armor (DreamBurrow)

Solitude Dock District (Kalzim7878)

Winter Is Coming - Cloaks (Nivea)