It had been a freak accident. Harry had stopped at Ernie's office at the Ministry in the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes (and Ernie was washing he worked anywhere but this department right now) for a little chat before lunch. Harry had been fingering an old Snitch that Ernie had secretly bewitched into a Portkey that was programmed to go out of his office at the same time every Thursday for Ernie's little "secret". Ernie did not want to be obvious about the Snitch - Harry had a knack for telling when someone was hiding something - but the Portkey was due to go off any minute and Ernie was trying to hint to Harry that perhaps it was lunchtime. Fortunately, the Minister had appeared in Ernie's Floo, requesting Harry's presence, giving Ernie an excuse to see Harry off. Unfortunately, Harry still had the Snitch in his hand when he set one foot into the Floo at the exact same time that the Portkey went off. Harry blinked out of existence without so much as a pop.
Harry found himself in a vast, empty blankness. It was not black like night, or space, or darkness; it was simply empty, as if a great artist had forgotten not only the paint but also the canvas. Harry was completely frozen, unable to walk or move or even blink. He started to think that perhaps this was some stupid prank, or perhaps an ambush, but no matter how hard he tried to move, he remained motionless. He felt a creeping twinge of fear begin to edge its way into his mind, but in that same instant, he felt, rather than heard, a series of voices, whispering in his mind.
-Is this the one?-
-Difficult to tell. He carries more magic than any human I've met, but-
-I think it's time we-
-Time? Of course it's time! It's nothing but time!
Harry tried to speak, but could not move his mouth. -Help-, he thought desperately. -I can't move!-
The voices stopped abruptly, and Harry felt his body relax. He also seemed to feel ground under his feet and a bright light above him. Blinking, Harry saw that the emptiness was gone, and in its place was a giant stone pavilion, inscribed with a large circular pattern. Five stone pillars encircled the pavilion, supporting a smooth stone ceiling that mirrored the floor. He guessed that he was high up in the air, most likely on a very tall tower, since all he could see below the pavilion was a frozen expanse. Around the pavilion stood a number of very tall, lithe creatures, some human, some not. Harry had only vaguely heard of elves, but there in front of him were creatures very similar to the ones he had imagined. There also appeared to be a very short humanoid female, with a rather large head full of silver hair tied in two buns, and bright, shining eyes, smiling at him. What really took Harry by surprise were the dragon statues standing next to each person, or elf, or whatever. They were monstrously enormous, with slitted eyes, curved horns, fierce talons, and humongous fangs, and each had a different color of scales: fire red, shiny bronze, royal blue, emerald green. He couldn't help but notice that the dragons bore the same colors as those of Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin, but his slight amusement was overtaken by his nerves.
The tall female elf standing next to the red dragon spoke. "Well met, human," she said, with a deep voice. She appraised Harry, and he felt decidedly uncomfortable, as if he were an interesting specimen on display in a zoo. "We beg your indulgence on the abruptness, but time was of the essence - "
The short humanoid standing near the bronze dragon laughed. "Time is always of the essence," she giggled in a high-pitched voice.
The female elf scowled. "Chromie, try not to interrupt," she admonished. She turned back to Harry. "I am Alexstrasza. And you - you are Harry Potter, the Chosen One, are you not?"
Harry could only nod, dumbfounded. "I didn't mean - he stammered, but Alexstrasza held up a hand, interrupting him.
"You would not have come here if we had not summoned you. It was no accident."
Alexstrasza continued solemnly. "You are wondering for what reason we have brought you here, Harry Potter. Understand that we did not pull you into our world by choice. We are all in grave danger - your world and ours."
Harry's nerves got the better of him. "What do you mean? My world? What am I doing here? How did I get here? Who are you?" he rattled, his heart racing.
The five humanoids said nothing, but they all stepped back and before Harry knew it they had melded out of their bodies and into five gargantuan dragons, all very real, and all peering at him very intently.