The Winter King

Author Notes: At Kings Cross Station, Harry makes a choice to seize control of his own destiny. He never suspected he would be stuck in a medieval magical world where a dangerous game would be played. The Dragon of the North and the Winter King has arrived. All will kneel before him, or burn in fire.

Chapter 01: The Choice

"So I can choose where to go?" Harry said as he stares at the path.

"That has always been up to you Harry," Dumbledore said as he stands behinds, Harry.

"What if I don't want to," Harry said. He turns back to stare Dumbledore in the eye.

"You cannot be serious enough to let Voldemort win. You know what you have to do." Dumbledore said in his grandfatherly voice.

"Yes, I do. And that's the problem Dumbledore." Harry stares into Dumbledore's blue eyes.

"Because I was a Gryffindor you understood how I thought. Because I craved affection and wanted to be loved, you used that against me. It makes sense now, as to why Molly Weasley was at King's Cross that day. Is that why you wanted Ron to stay near me? To keep an eye on me," Harry asked. Dumbledore said nothing.

He for a brief moment looks completely stunned. Harry continues, "I may not be academically smart as Hermione, but I am smart Dumbledore. I grew up in an abusive home Dumbledore. The first rule that I learned in order to survive, was to watch everything around you. During my time at Hogwarts I had forgotten this rule, and let my emotions get the better of me. But now I can once again see and think clearly. All this time, you have moved me around like I was a chess piece, a pawn in your dirty games. Voldemort too was playing, trying to scheme his way to end my life; all the while you were scheming in your own way to make me your golden boy. I see the truth now, though I fear it's too late. You moved me as a shield between Voldemort and Wizarding World but you also molded Ron as a dagger, to strike me in the back should the moment come to kill me, to prevent me from becoming a Dark Lord in your eyes. That's why you sent him to me, someone who was stupid enough to believe anything coming from the mouth of Albus fucking Dumbledore, you played him like the fool that he was."

"Harry, you don't know the truth. I wanted the Weasley family to protect you from the many Dark Families that sought to end you…"

Harry cuts him before he can continue, "Spare me your lies Dumbledore, I can see straight through you. You're not the only game master here. I too have been moving things. Granted it took me a year to start moving them, but I started moving them all the same. Even if I died now, the curse that I place upon myself would have killed my attacker as well. Even if the remaining Death Eaters attacked they would still lose. I rediscovered my mother's charm and cast it upon me so the Hogwarts' defenders will have the fighting chance that they deserve. I have done more for the war against Voldemort then you ever have. And I am done with this world, sick and tired of being not only your golden boy who does what he is told but also from the sheep of the magical world. They praise me a moment and then curse me in the same breath, how long before they once again label me as a Dark Lord and how long before I finally snap. Contrary to popular belief I also have a limit, I have suffered enough. My future is my own from now, and I will decide the best course of action for it. I couldn't choose how I lived but I will at least decide how I die."

"You don't know what you are doing Harry, you do this and…"

"I discovered the will you forged for my death. Planning on giving everything of mine to the Weasley's are you? Too bad I wrote a new one and too bad that my gold will not be given to your puppets. From this moment onwards, I'll be my own man and anyone who has a problem with it can go and fuck themselves." Harry declared with a smirk.

"Harry…" Dumbledore began.

"Tell me Dumbledore, tell me why I shouldn't be free and live the life I want to live. I never wanted any of this. But you knew what I wanted in the first place after all that's how you were able to take advantage of me in the first place." Harry snarled with fury burning in his eyes.

"Nothing I say will change your mind," Dumbledore said slowly.

"Good, at least you are beginning to understand the position in which you have found yourself in. No, I've made my choice." Harry declared

.

"I cannot stop you. I can only say I wish I had done better."

"Don't we all, but it's not what we wish but what we do that defines us. All I see is a desperate old man trying to convince me because it's so damn hard for him to see his plan fall apart." Harry mocked with a smug smile on his face.

Dumbledore gives a small smile and says, "Perhaps I always knew my plan would fail. However, if you don't go back, then you will go forward, in an uncertain world. Even I cannot tell you where you'll end up Harry. You will have to make new friends but in the process, you will also make new enemies."

"This might not be what you wanted, but it's something that I want, always have and still do. I am sure I will be just fine" Harry said.

"Many challenges will await you, Harry. I once told you we all must make the choice of doing what is right and what is easy. The same is true between the lines of good and evil. You can't be perfect Harry, you can only do your best to make things right. Sometimes it takes doing terrible things to do great things. Just don't let it consume your soul." Dumbledore said.

"I never did let my negative emotions consume me, I have lived for seventeen years as a prisoner, as a servant sometimes even as a slave. Those years couldn't break me, do you really think I will break now. I have come too far to just give up now" Harry said with a faraway look in his eyes. Without looking back at Dumbledore he walks towards the light and waits for the beginning of his next adventure.

Cold. That is what Harry Potter felt as he wakes up with a gasp of surprise. He coughs as icy air fills his lungs suddenly. He controls his breathing after some time of adjusting to the sensation of waking. He straightens up against a lone tree and looks around. Snow was everywhere, as far as he could see all he saw was white. It was hard to find anything that was covered not covered in the snowy blanket.

Harry's robes may have some enchantments on them, but he was still freezing. He spots several trees, not far from his position and decided to head there to seek better shelter.

The walk through the snow was terrible, he was still mentally exhausted due to the battle and the conversation that he had with Dumbledore. The howling winds of winter were pushing against him causing him to hold his chest with his arms as it hurt even to breath, his arms were freezing faster than his legs and he was slowly but steadily losing his remaining heat. Still, he pushed forward, wading through the thick snow till he reached the trees.

Harry pops himself against the biggest tree he could find and tries to find what he had on him. Harry couldn't help but shiver as his bare skin was touched by the winter wind. He could see his breath in the icy weather. He quickly throws on his thick robes and could feel his body warming up already. Harry looks at his right ring finger to see the Ring of the Ressurection Stone. He reaches inside his robes and to his delight, the Invisibility Cloak was inside. He pulls it out and throws it over him. A piece of parchment also falls down and Harry looks to see the Marauder's Map on the ground. Harry picks it up and unfolds it. He wonders how the Marauder's Map came to him. He last gave it to Ron and Hermione. He begins searching for a wand and found one laying in the snow. He picks it up and took note of how it was the Elder Wand. He took no mind of it as he points the Elder Wand at the map and says the magic words. "I solemnly swear I'm up to no good."

.

Nothing. Nothing appeared on the map which was not totally unexpected.

The Elder Wand. Harry wonders how he ended up with it when Voldemort had it with him the last time he saw it. But then again, Voldemort wasn't the Master of the Elder Wand, he, Harry was. Somehow, the Elder Wand came to him or followed him here, wherever here is. Harry paused as a thought came to him and then slowly placed his hand in his left robe pocket. His fingers touch it, for a brief moment, he could feel the magic in it but still couldn't believe it. But he knew what it was without even looking at it.

Slowly he pulls it out and stares at it.

The Resurrection Stone. Harry stares at the stone, at the engraved symbol of the Deathly Hallows that the Peverells took as their own. He could only assume that as the so-called Master of Death, the Deathly Hallows would follow him from now on, no matter where he went and what he tried. He puts the ring on his ring finger and again looks at the Elder Wand. He points it at the map and once again tried saying, "I solemnly swear I'm up to know good."

This time it worked. Black and Blue lines began to move like ink spreading on a parchment, nothing unusual. Only this time, instead of appearing as Hogwarts it said 'Winterfell'. Harry stares and looks more carefully at the map and could see several names with the last name 'Stark' walking around what appeared to be a great hall of some castle by the look of things.

Harry points his wand at the map and quickly the ink disappears, folds it and then packs it back in the pouch. Harry search his bag once again, he needed food and water at the moment. He hadn't eaten anything since dinner the other night and decided that starving to death was not the way that he wanted to leave the land of the living. He still had water, but that wouldn't do much good if he didn't get any nutrition soon.

Harry gets up and wanders around a bit, nothing was in sight. Behind him was the snowy field that he crossed and around him the thick brush of forest was the only thing that he could make out. One thing he did know was that he was a good prey and where prey gathers, so do the predators. Harry never learn muggle hunting, food production was high so hunting wasn't really needed. Though Hagrid did teach him how to use his crossbow and his aim was good after throwing spells around for so long. Too bad he didn't have a crossbow. His wand maybe, but he's never hunted with his wand before. He slowly started regretting his choice but had now way of turning back now. He wasn't sure if he could go back even if he wanted to. Darkness would soon fill the sky and that's when things would get really dangerous so Harry wanted to be safe and sound inside some shelter with some food. Not only the predators are most active at night, but the temperature will also reach a new low. He would more than likely freeze to death before morning.

Harry began to recall how the American's in the Northern Frontier survived by making Igloos. It protected them against the cold and provided much-needed shelter against even the most dangerous of the predators. He never made an igloo before, however, he still, decided to immediately go to work. He waved his wand around and the snow began to take shape slowly. He was soon done and proudly looked at his creation. While it wasn't his best work, he knew it would hold for the night. Harry once again looks around for sticks to burn for the fire. Even he wasn't stupid enough to start a fire in the snow with only his magic to fuel it. However, the snow was still knee-deep so he cleared a pit near his temporary camp started the fire. One thing he definitely needed to walk in this kind of snow was a pair of spiked boots. He could conjure a set with his wand; it was not permanent but still it was better than nothing.

He rests in front of fire and stares in the flames with an unblinking gaze. He then once again looks for some dried food in his backpack and gets lucky. He finds some dried meat wrapped in one of Hermione's clumsy wrappings, who would have thought that Miss Perfect would be such a klutz in the kitchen. He slowly begins to eat it and wonders about what he got himself into.

Harry awakes with a start, he hadn't realized when he had fallen asleep but could see sunlight creeping through the cracks in his igloo. It was early morning, the time of the dawn most likely. Harry gets up, yawns and works the kinks out of his body. He quickly went through his things and to his relief spots something he didn't see beforehand, his gold pouch. He remembers the time when he emptied his family vaults to make sure the Death Eaters and Voldemort didn't get their grubby hands on it. He could only imagine Voldemort's fury when he realized the Potter and Black Family vaults were empty. Harry chuckles as he imagined what Dumbledore's and his friends' expressions would be. Priceless.

Harry waves his wand and the igloo melts immediately, he quickly puts his boots once again. The moment he was ready, he walks through the thick forest. He paused mid-step, thinking that he was forgetting something important.

Harry stops and puts a hand on his face.

There were no glasses there, he could clearly see. It was completely unexpected but he was thankful nonetheless. Harry almost leap backward when his vision suddenly shot forward. He could clearly see snow that was deposited on top of a tree, which was at least two hundred yards away. He looks up and again his vision zooms in on some birds flying in the air. This was a first for him but damn if it was not amazing.

A sudden shout caused Harry to turn to see several men on horseback approaching him. A white flag with a wolf head was approaching them.

"Maybe my luck isn't so great after all," Harry said. He quickly hides his wand up his sleeve as the men approaching him were armed with swords and spears and looked to be part of some military. They quickly surrounded him and Harry made sure that he didn't make any sudden movement as one of the men pointed his spear at his unprotected throat. Harry knew life was soon going to be interesting.

Author Notes: Made some changes. Took out the Dragonborn Ritual as I've decided not to have Harry become a Dragon. I hope everyone enoys, as I'll be going back to fix some thing in the story.