Fanfic / The Difference One Man Can Make

After the Battle of Hogwarts, Harry Potter decided to travel the world. Twelve years later when a new threat attempts to destroy the progress made in Britain he returns home to deal with the situation. During the fight that puts down the small group of upstarts Harry finds himself in a world of ice and fire.

— Story summary

"We Have no kings here, no lords, except for those we choose. Even then, we never kneel."

The Difference One Man Can Make is a Harry Potter/A Song of Ice and Fire Crossover fanfic by joen1801, that begins twelve years after the Battle of Hogwarts. Harry decided to walk the earth after learning Ginny was involved with Neville, and upon returning to England, an accident that happens while he helps stop a group of fanatic purebloods from taking over the Department of Mysteries ends up sending him to a cold land in the north of a continent called Westeros.

After some reflection, Harry decides to join the Free Folk, the inhabitants of the lands north of the Wall, and manages to take over Tormund Giantsbane's tribe, with the aim of making the most of his abilities to help the Free Folk make use of their great potential to establish a new civilization. However, when he learns that, once more, he has become the linchpin on which many people's destiny depends on, and a threat thought dead is making its comeback, Harry realizes he will have to strengthen his people, find allies and learn more about the world he lives in now, if he wants to ensure humanity's survival.

Can also be found on Archive of Our Own.

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This story so far provides examples of:

• Accidental Truth: When talking about Pycelle's death, Baelish points out a few coincidences and implies the Norfolk may be behind it, but has no proof. He's actually right.
• The Ace: Harry, thanks to his years Walking the Earth, has gained extreme skill at many things.
• Action Dad: Tormund and later Harry are both fathers who are excellent fighters.
• Action Girl: There are numerous examples of women who are skilled fighters, including Val, Ygritte, and Osha.
• Actor Allusion: when Harry meets Osha for the first time, he realizes she looks a lot like Tonks. Both women were played by Natalia Tena.
• Adaptational Badass: Harry, thanks to the 12 years he spent Walking the Earth.
• Adaptation Expansion: A lot of side characters have their stories expanded in this adaptation.
• The Alliance: Harry manages to form one between most Free Folk, to prepare them for the incoming war against the Others. They later ally with the North and Dorne as well.
• Alternate Universe: To Harry Potter at the beginning of the story (Ginny starts a relationship with Neville Longbottom), and to A Song of Ice and Fire starting on Chapter 2.
• Amazonian Beauty: Val and Ygritte, both attractive women who are Action Girls.
• Amazon Brigade: The Wildling Spearwives. The Sand Snakes may also count.
• Ancient Conspiracy: The Maesters of the Citadel have actively tried to eliminate magic and its influence from the world for centuries, with the exception of Marwyn the Magician and possibly other Maesters who still try to study Magic.
• Animal Eye Spy: The Wargs, as per canon, send their minds into animals, often to spy.
• Animal Motifs: Most of the Noble Houses such as Stark, Baratheon, and Lannister respectively. The Norfolk get an owl (a tribute to Hedwig, Harry's deceased owl familiar). Bloodraven's Prophecy about the events to come also has plenty of these.
• Anti-Magic:
  • The Wall keeps anything magical from passing by it directly, as Harry discovered when he tried to Apparate south of it.
  • The Others also have some kind of magic that can counter Harry's.
• Anti-Magical Faction: The Citadel. When rumors that the Norfolk's leader is a sorcerer reach them they send a maester beyond the Wall with the intent to spy on him and assassinate him should the rumors prove to be true.
• The Apprentice: Harry manages to get a few.
• Arranged Marriage: Being the Seven Kingdoms, this happens a lot of times.
  • Tywin Lannister offers the hand of a Lannister girl to Trystan (Harry's son), who is also offered the chance to foster at Casterly Rock, and a castle in exchange of an alliance (or, more accurately, Harry fighting against Tywin's enemies). Harry rejects the offer, as the offered deal gives nothing of use to Harry and would not work on Tywin's side either, since, as Harry is not a lord in the sense of Tywin, none of his men would actually follow him to fight for Tywin.
  • Doran Martell attempts to arrange the marriage between Trystan and one of the Sand Snakes to cement their alliance. Harry rejects it as well, as he needs to keep Trystan close to teach him how to use magic, and he can barely arrange such marriage when he has previously renounced to marry Trystan to a trueborn Lannister.
  • Harry himself ends up making a suggestion to Eddard Stark, making an official betrothal between Trystan and Emer on Harry's side, and Arya and Bran on Ned's, but without expecting either side to commit to it, mostly so Harry will not get bombarded with more offers.
  • To formalize the alliance between the Norfolk, the North and Dorne, Ned and Doran end up agreeing to betroth Sansa to Trystane Martell.
  • Olenna Tyrell suggests her granddaughter Margaery to seduce and wed Harry, dismissing Val as a mere concubine, in order to gain influence over the growing power in the North.
  • Eddard eventually decides to start seriously considering Rickard Karstark's proposed betrothal between Robb and Alys Karstark to shore up Northern loyalties.
• Ascended Extra: Quite a few characters from Game of Thrones, especially among the Wildlings.
• Asshole Victim: Craster. Harry cuts off his ear and places a curse to cause excruciating pain everytime he has sex.
• Asskicking Leads to Leadership: How Harry takes command of Tormund's Free Folk clan.
• Badass Army: Harry's people become one thanks to his lessons and getting steel weapons and armor.
• Badass Family: Tormund Giantsbane's family could count as this, and maybe Harry's family later on.
• Badass Normal: Seeing as there is not an abundance of magic wielders around, a lot of the main characters usually count.
• Bag of Holding: Harry has one, where he keeps many things from his magical past.
• Balance of Power: The Night's Watch and many south of the Wall fear that the formation of First Forge can break this and unite the Wildlings against the Seven Kingdoms.
• Barbarian Tribe: The Wildlings/Free Folk. Somewhat averted with those that join Harry's tribe.
• Bash Brothers: Harry and Tormund could be considered this.
• Batman Gambit: Mance Rayder pulls one, ensuring that all those Wildlings that are more dangerous will die, while those that favor allying with Harry will survive and be free to act on their wishes.
• Beard of Barbarism: Tormund has a large beard.
• Benevolent Mage Ruler: Harry has all the trappings of this, except the title, which he doesn't want. Of course, the Seven Kingdoms think he's more of a Sorcerous Overlord.
• Best Her to Bed Her: A Wildling Tradition. Reversed with Harry and Val.
• Better to Die than Be Killed: A deserter from the Night's Watch requested Ned Stark to execute him and cremate his body rather than returning to the Wall and facing the Others.
• Beware the Nice Ones: Threaten Harry's loved ones, see what happens.
• Big Damn Heroes: Daenerys smashes the Faceless Man that tried to kill Harry and his family, and who is trying to kill Arya, with a hammer.
• Big Guy: Tormund.
• The Blacksmith: Harry learns how to be this from Magical vikings.
• Black Magic: What some associate magic here in Westeros with. Harry manages to subvert that, at least among the Wildlings.
• Blood Knight: Tormund comes off as this. Robert Baratheon's wish to conquer the Norfolk over accepting trade with them come from a desire to fight more than any real threat from them.
• Book Dumb: Most of the Free Folk, but Harry takes steps toward correcting this later on.
• Boring, but Practical: Most of the things Harry does with his magic for the inhabitants of First Forge.
• Broken Pedestal: Jon loses his illusions about the Night's Watch much more earlier than in canon and opts for joining the Norfolk, seeing them as more prepared and tolerant.
• Butt-Monkey: Maester Gareth is this to Harry's Clan due to his trying to "civilize" them. It is not until he ceases pursuing this attitude that things become better for him.
• The Captain: Harry, later a few other wildings who have taken to sailing.
• Captain Smooth and Sergeant Rough: Harry and Tormund.
• Cassandra Truth: In spite of the proof showed to him, Allister Thorne still thinks that the Others are a tale made up by the Norfolk to cause panic in the Seven Kingdoms, and continuously advocates for their destruction even though he knows such an action would be lucky to end up in a Pyrrhic Victory. It is unknown what his reaction after the close encounter with a bunch of wights and an Other will be.
• The Cavalry: Harry is trying to make one for the Free Folk.
• Character Death: Wulf.
• Chekhov's Armoury: Harry's ability to give his clan actual steel weapons and armor could be considered this.
• Chekhov's Boomerang: The Phoenix tears, which help heal Shireen Baratheon from greyscale, also save Trystan's life after a Faceless Man attempts to poison the Potters.
• Chekhov's Gun: Several.
• Chekhov's Gunman: Wulf's murderer. The Targaryen children. Syrio Forel. Tywin Lannister and his son Tyrion. Melisandre also shapes to be this.
• The Clan: Harry's people, the inhabitants of First Forge.
• Clever Crows: Gareth's ravens. They've got nothing on Harry's owls, unfortunately.
• Combat Pragmatist: Harry, unless he knows it will be better on the long run to play Honor Before Reason.
• The Conspiracy: The Citadel tries to get Gareth to poison Harry and his family to prevent them from bringing magic back to Westeros. When this fails as Gareth goes native, Grand Maester Pycelle hires the Faceless Men to do the deed.
• Cool Boat: Harry's ships, modified with magic to be Bigger on the Inside, go faster than normal and prevent waves from hitting them too hard.
• Cool Sword: Harry makes several swords made of an alloy of steel and obsidian. He offers Tywin Lannister a sword for his family as an apology for not accepting his marriage offer, which Tywin accepts. He sells weapons made of this material to the North and Dorne, so they can prepare for the incoming battle.
• Crapsack World: It's A Song of Ice and Fire, so this is a given. Harry is trying to avert this for the Free Folk by improving their standards of living.
• Crazy-Prepared: Harry, and he tries to instill this feeling on others. Of course, considering what is coming, it might actually not be enough.
• Cruel and Unusual Death:
  • One cannibal threatens to eat Harry's children and rape Val, his spouse. Harry "rewards" him with torture under the Cruciatus curse and finishes it off by burning him alive with Fiendfyre.
  • The Faceless Man that attempted to kill Harry and his family is subjected to a terrible torture by the Norfolk, leading to his very painful death.
• Cruel Mercy: Harry allows a murderer to leave First Forge untouched... but he forces him to go almost naked without any of his belongings and bans him from ever approaching First Forge. The murderer then met a cannibal clan.
• Curb-Stomp Battle:
  • The Norfolk versus the Wildling alliance arranged against Harry. The latter died to a man (those that attacked, that is), while the Norfolk barely lose a couple hundreds of men.
  • Alliser Thorne is shot down by Lord Commander Jeor Mormont when he counsels for war with the Norfolk. The Night's Watch is less than a thousand men strong with bad equipment while the Norfolk is around twenty thousand at least with brand-new steel weapons and a leader actively using witchcraft to cull the enemy. No matter how much you squint, it would be a slaughter for the Watch.
• Dangerous Deserter: Mance Rayder is considered this by the Night's Watch.
• Death by Adaptation: Pycelle dies shortly before the start of canonical events.
• Defeat Means Friendship: Tormund, after being defeated by Harry, becomes one of his best friends. Also a few other Wildling chiefs who Harry defeats.
• Demoted to Dragon: Tormund. Not that he minds.
• Design-It-Yourself Equipment: Harry has a penchant for doing this.
• Determinator:
  • Harry. Dropped into a foreign world with nothing but his wand and the clothes on his back, he soon rises to be leader of the Norfolk through sheer willpower and cunning.
  • Stannis Baratheon, strong-willed enough that he manages to break through one of Harry's compulsion charms.
  • Arya Stark, who is determined to learn how to fight with weapons, no matter how many hits she receives.
• Did You Just Flip Off Cthulhu?: What Harry is planning to do.
• Did You Just Punch Out Cthulhu?: A mixed Norfolk-Night's Watch-Children of the Forest taskforce manages to capture an Other.
• Didn't Think This Through: Viserys was so sure the Norfolk would support him and his claim for the Iron Throne that he blew through the money he had managed to gain by selling his mother's crown in just a few weeks before taking Daenerys to First Forge.
• Dies Differently in Adaptation:
  • Pycelle is killed by Harry instead of Varys.
  • The direwolf mother is killed by a snow bear instead of a stag.
• Digging Yourself Deeper: Enough characters do this. The cannibal clan leader was very much unable to notice the hole he was putting himelf in.
• Disproportionate Retribution: Viserys attempts this twice. Twice it backfires in his face.
  • Harry tells Viserys that the Norfolk will never fight to place him on the Iron Throne, calling him out for his idiocy. Viserys tries to kill Harry by attacking him from behind.
  • Daenerys stops Viserys from attacking Harry, which would have led to his death. Viserys nearly attacks her instead, earning the ire of the Norfolk, who are fine with attacking armed, capable women but consider attacking defenseless women to be a huge no-no.
• Does Not Like Magic:
  • The Wildlings are cautious of Harry's magic at first, but quickly get used to it. The Citadel is actively trying to keep it from returning to the world.
  • Varys, for the reason he was castrated.
• Don't Call Me "Sir": Harry feels quite uncomfortable with titles and firmly corrects his Southron guests when they try to call him "my lord".
• The Dreaded: Harry becomes this to a lot of people due to his abilities and reputation.
• Dreaming of Things to Come: Bloodraven.
• Dream Weaver: Bloodraven.
• Duel to the Death: The Free Folk culture ensures this happens several times.
• Dual Wielding: Harry fights with a sword and his wand.
• Eating the Eye Candy: Harry has a moment of this with Val.
• Elective Monarchy: Harry leads the Free Folk because they acknowledge him as a good leader. The magic powers and genius ideas don't hurt on this front either. It foils the Seven Kingdoms's attempts to tie Harry to the game of thrones, as the Westerosi nobility is used to marry a house to another - based on power being inherited rather than earned - and doesn't know Harry's children have no claim over his legacy.
• Endless Winter: The Lands Beyond-the-Wall. Exaggerated with the Lands Of Always Winter.
• Enemy Mine: The Night's Watch and the wildlings would happily slaughter each other, and the Starks and the Martells really have a bad history together, but they immediately decide to band together when they have proof of the Others' return.
• Entitled Bastard: Viserys expects the Norfolk to help him take the Iron Throne. They give him the proverbial finger, though they do allow him and Daenerys to stay in First Forge some time for their protection - and it is heavily hinted that Viserys will get himself booted out of the city for the trouble he is causing.
• Evil Cannot Comprehend Good: Well, "Morally Ambiguous", but no one south of the Wall (save for the Starks, the Martells and a few others) believes that neither Harry nor the Norfolk want to go south. They also do not understand that Harry is simply not interested in joining the game of thrones.
• Evil Is Petty: Several of Harry's enemies attack Harry's people out of jealousy for what they have.
• Extranormal Institute: The Citadel tries to be this.
• The Fair Folk: The Children of the Forest.
• A Father to His Men: Harry, Tormund, Val, the Magnar, the Wildling chiefs that choose to willingly join Harry's clan.
• Fat Bastard: Robert Baratheon.
• Fish out of Water: Harry, at least at first.
• Flaunting Your Fleets: The Norfolk are very proud of their small (but growing) fleet.
• Foreshadowing: Bloodraven's prophecy is full of this, but he acknowledges that Harry's arrival has completely turned the game around.
• For Want Of A Nail: Harry's actions have completely changed the history of the Lands Beyond the Wall, and affected that of the Seven Kingdoms south of it.
• Founder of the Kingdom: Harry is seen as this by many.
• Friend to All Children: If Harry meets a sad child, he will attempt to cheer them up.
• Four-Star Badass: Harry.
• From Nobody to Nightmare: When he met Benjen Stark, Harry had nothing but the clothes on his back, his wand and his knowledge. After amicably parting with the Ranger, he goes to find a band of Wildings, gains control over them with Asskicking Leads to Leadership and through sheer charisma, technological innovation and battle prowess, quickly becomes the leader to more than half of all the Free Folk, and is hailed as the new King-Beyong-the-Wall in the Seven Kingdoms.
  • It can apply to the Norfolk themselves. They went disorganized barbarians to well-armed, rapidly advancing nation establishing ties via trading under Harry's leadership, and it spans on only five years.
• Frontline General: Harry. Of course, being able to teleport (with Apparition) makes for an easier leading of armies.
• Gargle Blaster: Played with when Harry introduces Vodka to the world. Tyrion, who is known for his ability to hold his drink, can't handle his first mouthful of the stuff.
• Gender Is No Object: A staple of Wildling society. Harry encourages this, and men and women have no trouble in doing the same jobs, no matter how tough they are. Theon gets a hard lesson in this when Ygritte beats him in an archery contest.
• Going Native: Harry. Also Maester Gareth.
• Gold–Silver–Copper Standard: The currency of the A Song of Ice and Fire and Harry Potter universes. The wildlings have no use for it, but they do need it when it comes down to trading.
• Gondor Calls for Aid: The Norfolk calls on aid from the Seven Kingdoms when the White Walkers' threat is confirmed. So far, only the North and Dorne have answered, other Kingdoms either considering the threat an attempt by Harry to the Seven Kingdoms panic and facilitate a takeover or believing the Wall will suffice.
• Good Is Not Dumb: Harry actually knows the dangers that are coming, and wants to prepare accordingly.
• Good Is Not Nice: Harry. He can be the best of friends... or the worst of enemies.
• Good Is Not Soft: Harry, Harry, Harry. You anger him, you can only blame yourself for whatever happens to you.
• The Good King: Harry is seen as this by some, even if he is not actually a king and dislikes being treated as such.
• Good Old Ways: The Wildlings are believers of this. Harry builds a society that takes out its worst aspects and strengthens the best.
• Good Samaritan:
  • Benjen does not doubt in helping Harry, even though he knows nothing about him.
• Grim Up North: Where most of the action takes place, although not so grim as Harry improves things.
• Guile Hero: Harry, who has no problem with sneaking around and killing at the back.
• Happily Married: Tormund and Tilda. Harry and Val.
• Haunted Castle: Hardhome. Turns out to be inhabited by the spirits of people that were attacked by Dragon Lords many years before the Doom of Valyria. Harry manages to exorcize the place and create a new city in there.
• Hero of Another Story: Mance Rayder, who was trying to unite the Wildlings knowing that the Others were coming, before learning of Harry and devising a plan to get the worst of them killed while the moderates are free to join in.
• Holding Out for a Hero: Harry is trying to make sure the Norfolk don't fully depend on his magic, but it is tough to do things the hard way when you know Harry can do them with less effort and in less time. For example, while Harry is away to meet the Northern nobles, their iron mine suffers a collapse, and some wonder why Harry did not come to get them out.
• A House Divided: The Seven Kingdoms, particularly as news of Harry's exploits begin to spread to them.
• Hyper-Competent Sidekick: Val, to Harry, who is also very competent himself.
• In-Series Nickname: The A Song of Ice and Fire characters.
• In Spite of a Nail:
  • Jon Arryn still dies at around the same time as in the books. Robert goes North as well.
  • Ned Stark executes a deserter. Though this time, this is the fourth deserter he executed after everyone in the North are made aware of the Others' existence, and desertion from the Night's Watch are soon rising. Ned did gave the deserters a chance of returning to the Wall over execution, but they accepted the latter rather than facing the Others.
  • The Stark children adopt direwolves.
• Intimidation Demonstration: Zigzagged. Harry tries this with many wildling tribes, attempting to prevent a fight from happening. Sometimes it works.
• Ironic Nickname: Witch-King-Beyond-the-Wall is one for Harry because he is a wizard not a witch, and he’s not a king.
• I Shall Taunt You: Sometimes, Harry will start to use it.
• I Was Beaten by a Girl: Harry was stolen by Val. Not that he was complaining.
• King Incognito: Harry could be considered this. He actually goes incognito when he travels south of the Wall.
• Know-Nothing Know-It-All: Maester Gareth.
• Know When to Fold 'Em: When it becomes obvious that the mixed Black Watch-Norfolk-Mormont group is going to get killed, the Norfolk bring out the Portkey Harry gave them and grab the others to escape.
• Kung-Fu Wizard: Harry is both a physical and magical fighter.
• The Leader: Harry becomes this to most of the Norfolk.
• Liberty Over Prosperity: Most Wildlings believe in this. Harry joins them because of this - although he works to ensure they have prosperity as well.
• Lighthouse Point: Harry has a lighthouse built in Newport.
• A Light in the Distance: Newport builds a lighthouse shortly after the Norfolk's first travel to Braavos.
• Lost Technology: Dragonsteel and Valyrian Steel. Harry tries his best to find the way to replicate these two technologies. He (possibly) succeeds with the former.
• Love at First Sight: When Harry met Val.
• Love Ruins the Realm: Invoked by Olenna Tyrell when she suggests to her granddaughter to seduce Harry, in order to gain control over the Norfolk, when their trading policies — selling foodstuffs cheaper, thanks to their ability to produce more and them not rotting as fast — start to negatively impact the Reach.
• Magic A Is Magic A: Even Harry's magic has its limits.
• The Magic Comes Back: It was already doing so, but Harry's arrival certainly sped things up a bit. This unsettles the Citadel enough to try send assassins after Harry and his family so the magic they've been trying to bury stays buried.
• Magitek: Harry is more or less implementing this among his people.
• Magnetic Hero: Harry is charismatic enough that a lot of Wildlings follow him willingly, and some join him as his name becomes greater.
• Malevolent Masked Men: The Archmaesters of the Citadel, with the exception of Archmaester Marwyn.
• Mass "Oh, Crap!": Several times, most often related to the incoming threat of the Others.
• Master Poisoner: Gareth is considered this due to his knowledge of poisons, which was why he was picked to go to First Forge and kill Harry if he was magical.
• Master of Disguise: Harry, thanks to his magic.
• Meaningful Name:
  • First Forge is named after the forge in the city's center, the first of its kind north of the Wall. Newport is called this because it is the new port of Harry's people being renamed from Hardhome.
  • Harry's Free Folk devise a new name for themselves: Norfolk.
• The Medic: Several among the Norfolk, improved thanks to some of Harry's ideas.
• The Mentor: Like Dumbledore before him, Harry takes in many apprentices and becomes their teacher.
• Minored In Ass Kicking: Harry is a major in magic, which he also uses to kick ass.
• Modest Royalty: Harry doesn't like to be called a lord, and lives in the same conditions as his people. He doesn't think of himself as a ruler, but the fact is that he's the spokesman to the Norfolk and the leader they chose to follow. Oberyn Martell outright thinks of him as the King-Beyond-the-Wall in spite of his assertions, and estimates that many would follow him in battle if he wished it, as loyal subjects would follow their King.
• Mundane Utility: Harry's magic, which makes him one of the most powerful people in Westeros, is used to make crops grow faster, create buildings within days, construct ships that are Bigger on the Inside and can run faster than the norm...
• Mythology Gag: The Others' depiction in Game of Thrones, as being desiccated corpses riding horses, is presented here as thralls made from sacrificed human babies (like Craster's), while the true Others keep their book portrayal as ethereal spirits who ride ice spiders.
• Names to Run Away from Really Fast: The Witch King Beyond The Wall.
• News Travels Fast: It takes barely a few weeks for news of First Forge to reach King's Landing.
• Nice Guy: Harry. Ned Stark. Tormund Giantsbane. Mance Rayder.
• No Good Deed Goes Unpunished:
  • Harry's attempt to improve the lot of the Wildlings and finish their raiding south of the Wall ends up earning him the wrath and jealousy of several other Wildling leaders and a potential attack by the Seven Kingdoms, who fear he is organizing them to assault the Wall.
  • When Benjen argues against going to war with the Norfolk, Alliser Thorne promptly accuses his wildling blood - inherited from Bael the Bard - to influence him and asks if he's in bed with Harry.
• No Hero to His Valet: The South and many Norfolk admire Harry, but his inner circle has no problem to criticize him. Tormund and Ygritte even threaten to kick his ass if he ever starts to act "lordlike".
• No Kill like Overkill: Harry killing the cannibal leader.
• North Is Cold, South Is Hot: Well, yes.
• Not Even Bothering with the Accent: Harry, at the beginning of his time in Westeros.
• Number Two: Val and Tormund are considered Harry's by most.
• Odd Friendship: Arya and Daenerys, youngest daughters of Eddard Stark and Aerys Targaryen, surprisingly hit it off quite well. They even capture a Faceless Man together.
• One-Steve Limit: Averted. There are quite a few Harrys (or similar names) in the Seven Kingdoms. There's also both Trystan (Harry's son) and Trystane Martell.
• Only Sane Man:
  • Amongst the Seven Kingdoms, only Dorne and the North acknowledge the threat of the White Walkers and offer support to the Norfolk and the Night's Watch.
  • The Lord Commander Jeor Mormont has to bluntly explain to Alliser Thorne why going to war with the Norfolk would end up in a disaster for the Watch. Benjen Stark also claims peace, which let some Black Brothers accuse him of cowardice and consorting with the Wildlings.
  • When Robert dreams of adding the Norfolk to the Seven Kingdoms via conquest, his brother Stannis argues that none of his lords or knights would accept leaving their warm castles to go fight in a harsh country inhabited by rather aggressive natives because their king wants a fight breaking his existence's monotony. Jon Arryn also points that the royal treasury would unable to support the war effort.
• Papa Wolf: Harry is one — threaten or harm his children and he'll make you experience a Fate Worse than Death before killing you.
• Pet the Dog: Many characters have their softer moments, including Harry.
  • When Harry first meets Craster, he gives one of the girls (who turns out to be Gilly) a flower that never wilts and curses Craster to suffer great pain whenever he tries to rape one of his "wives".
  • Harry comforts a young Daenerys Targaryen when she and her brother are told to leave Braavos.
  • During a visit to the Citadel, Harry learns about Stannis' daughter catching greyscale, and he takes a detour to heal the girl. In exchange, he only asks for dragonglass (which Stannis has in abundance and no use for) and the possibility for future trade, offering to Stannis the possibility of buying much needed food.
  • Despite his uneasiness regarding the Wildlings, Robert praises their alcohol-brewing skills after he gets a taste of their cider.
• Pragmatic Hero: Harry, who has no problem using his magic to ensure he can make his point.
• Properly Paranoid: Harry. Of course, it's justified as he knows the Others are coming soon.
• Proud Warrior Race Guy: The Wildlings.
• Reasonable Authority Figure:
  • Harry might be the leader of the Norfolk, but he always listens to what others say, makes sure to explain the reasons behind his decisions and tries to protect his people to the best of his ability.
  • Jeor Mormont knows that the Norfolk are a potential threat, but is unwilling to attack them so long as they are not a confirmed threat, and, during his visit to First Forge, he sees that Benjen was right in wanting to make peace with them.
  • Ned Stark and Doran Martell. Both of them offer to help Harry should the need arrive, but point out that they can hardly commit any soldiers to a fight against something that, as far as they know, is only a legend. When they are shown clear proof in the form of a living White Walker, they commit themselves to help.
• Red Baron: Harry is the "Witch-King-Beyond-The-Wall".
• Religion is Magic: Averted. To Harry, magic is simply part of who he is. Played straight with the Old Gods and the Red God.
• Right Under Their Noses: Harry travels across Westeros on a flying broom and sleeps in inns close to those that might wish to harm or manipulate him.
• Rousing Speech: Harry gives one when rallying the Norfolk to prepare to fight the Others.
• Royalty Superpower: If Harry creates a dynasty, magic might actually be that superpower.
• Royals Who Actually Do Something:
  • He might not be a king, but Harry is always doing a lot of things for his people.
  • When Oberyn Martell, Ellaria Sand and Nymeria Sand come to visit First Forge, they have no problem in helping the Norfolk with their day-to-day duties and to fight off the wildling army's attack on the city, which slightly improves the Norfolk's opinion of southern nobles..
• Running Gag: If Harry is going to go away for several days, he will not tell Val until he has made his decision.
• Sexy Scandinavian: some of the Wildlings. Also, a woman Harry met during his travel around the world.
• Shout-Out: Harry likes to tell tales based on stories from Earth, and, of course, there's the occassional one to his own adventures. An indirect shout-out to the The Lord of the Rings trilogy in Harry's in-story epithet the "Witch King Beyond-The-Wall".
• Shrouded in Myth: Some of Harry's exploits and his origins.
• Slavery Is a Special Kind of Evil: Even at their worst before Harry started his reforms, the Norfolk never practiced slavery, and are disgusted by the practice.
• Smug Snake: Melisandre. When she arrives to First Forge, she expects to be welcomed and that, once Harry meets her, she will easily get her way through.
• Sorcerous Overlord: This is how the Seven Kingdoms see Harry, the Witch-King-Beyond-the-Wall. Magic powers, check. His powerbase in a deathly cold country, check. Ruling over bloodthirsty barbarians, check. Possible ambitions to come South of the Wall, check. Of course, after meeting Harry himself and visiting his city, the Lord Commander and Eddard Stark can see that Harry is just a Nice Guy trying to improve his people's lives - and prepare for a future crisis that can mean The End of the World as We Know It if not fought.
• Spanner in the Works: Harry is an ironmonger's worth of it.
  • Case in point: Chapter 17 has Viserys and Daenerys Targaryen travel to Newport, because the former thinks he can convince the Norfolk to invade the Seven Kingdoms in his name.
  • The fast-acting nature of the Strangler poison messes up the Faceless Man's attempts to kill Harry and his family.
• Spirit Advisor: Bloodraven acts as one to Harry on occasion, though he's not dead yet.
• A Storm Is Coming:
  • House Stark's creed, as in canon.
  • Bloodraven's Prophecy pretty much foreshadows the future conflicts, such as the War of Five Kings - although Bloodraven later acknowledges that Harry's arrival has completely offset the board.
  • The Others returning. Harry does his best to prepare the Norfolk for the Second War for the Dawn and to make the Seven Kingdoms aware of the threat.
• Took a Level in Badass: The Norfolk. From a nomadic people whose best weapons are old and rusty, to people with three large self-sufficient cities, armed and armored in steel (or better) and kicking ass like no one's business, in just a few short years.
• Undying Loyalty: The Norfolk towards Harry.
• Unobtanium: Dragonsteel. After many attempts, Harry manages to make something that might be this.
• Villain Respect:
  • Well, calling Jeor Mormont a villain is certainly stretching a bit, but he's certainly an antagonist to Harry and the Norfolk at the beginning. He's not happy about Wildlings becoming better organized and armed under a competent and powerful leader, but he nonetheless feels grateful towards Harry for killing Alfyn Crowkiller - who murdered many Black Brothers - and acknowledges him as the most serious candidate to the mantle of King-Beyond-the-Wall - not to mention the fact that it is growingly possible that their intentions to remain where they are are true.
  • Varys' hatred for everything magic makes him Harry's opponent, but he still notes the wizard as a great leader who managed to create a nation from unwashed barbarians.
• Villains Want Mercy: Pycelle begs for his life being spared when a vengeful Harry comes to seek revenge for the attempt against his family. Needless to say, Harry is disgusted by his cowardice.
• Voluntary Shapeshifting: Harry manages to become an Animagus.
• Walking the Earth: What Harry was doing before coming back to England and the incident that brought him to Westeros.
• The Wall Around the World: The Wall.
• We ARE Struggling Together: The Wildlings before Harry arrived. Also, the Seven Kingdoms.
• Weirdness Magnet: Harry, just like in his books. Which he complains about.
• What the Hell, Hero?: Stannis flat-out condemns his royal brother's desire to add the Norfolk to the Seven Kingdoms as foolish. No lord or landed knight would accept to leave their warm castles to go beyond the Wall, fighting bloodthirsty barbarians only because their king is bored. Also, as Jon Arryn points out, where are they supposed to find the money for the campaign since the realm in already indebted?
• Who Are You?: Harry gets asked this several times.
• Wild Card: Harry. Bloodraven acknowledges that Harry's actions has completely changed the game of thrones — particularly with the incoming Others' attack.
• Wise Beyond Their Years: Harry. Some of the Wildling children he meets.
• World of Badass: The Lands Beyond the Wall are this.
• Would Hit a Girl: Wildling and Norfolk men have no trouble fighting against women... but attacking a defenseless woman is heavily frowned upon as Viserys discovers when he tries to strike Daenerys for the high crime of preventing him from getting himself killed.
• Would Hurt a Child: The Archmaesters order Gareth to murder Harry's kids if they ever show signs of being magical. The Faceless Man hired to kill Harry and his family nearly kills Trystan by poisoning him.
• Written by the Winners: Subverted. Viserys thinks that all the terrible stories about Aerys were made by the Baratheons and their supporters to make Aerys look bad. Harry counters this by pointing out that historical texts in Westeros tend to focus on simple facts rather than giving sensational stories, so Aerys probably (read: unquestionably) was guilty of the atrocities he is often accused of.
• Wrong Genre Savvy:
  • Alliser Thorne believes Harry is simply planning to bide his time before making a large attack against the Wall, never mind that everything he is doing pretty much spells his intention to stay put.
  • Many nobles in the Seven Kingdoms believe Harry will be willing to tie himself down to the game of thrones. Tywin Lannister thinks he can easily convince Harry to betroth his son to a Lannister girl, and that one of Harry's subordinates might want lands south of the Wall, not knowing that Harry is more of an elected ruler than a real king and his children have no inheritance rights beyond a personal one.
  • Viserys thought he could easily convince (or not even have to try to get) Harry and the Norfolk to invade the Seven Kingdoms, so as to place him on the throne.
  • Melisandre thinks Harry will fall over himself to accept all of her demands when she meets him.
  • Olenna Tyrell believes Margaery will be able to get Harry to abandon Val, simply based on the fact that they are not married by the Seven Kingdoms' standards.
• Young Conqueror: Harry, who goes from a nobody (in Westerosi terms) to ruling over nearly a half of the people north of the Wall.

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