A/N

Hello everyone, here is the fourth chapter of TCQ and I would like to thank you all for reading this far and any of you who have favourite[d]/followed/reviewed my story (I love you guys). Anyway, I won't keep you. Admittedly, this chapter is filler between first and second year, but I hope you enjoy it all the same.

Chapter 4 – A Summer with Dragons

It was on a bright summer's day that the Dursley's were shocked from their usual Sunday morning routine of sitting in front of the television by one long ring of their doorbell. Harry's head popped up from where he was scrubbing the kitchen floor and he moved as if to answer the door. It was the sound of his uncle's voice which stopped him. "I'll get that, boy. I'll give them a piece of my mind, interrupting our family time. How dare they?" The dark-haired boy tried to swallow his snort at this as he did not consider slumping in front of the television all day 'family time'. He watched as the expansive frame of his uncle bumbled down the hall before returning his attention to the now shiny floor.

Harry listened as the dark wooden door was thrown open, hitting the opposite wall with a loud bang. His Uncle's angry bustling started mere moments later, but stopped abruptly with a raucous splutter. A lilting voice filled the hall and Harry dropped his sponge in shock. "My apologies for intruding sir, my name is Lenora and I was wondering if I could visit with Harry?" Her mild accent slightly distorted her words and Harry rushed out into the spotless hallway, "Lennie!" He shouted, stumbling to a stop behind his uncle.

As for Vernon Dursley, he was gobsmacked. Before him stood a little lady with amber eyes and flaming hair...in fact he had only ever seen such a vibrant shade once before. The child before him was the personification of wealth and grace; dressed in an expensive silk gown of deep purple with jewels glittering around her neck and a diamond grin. He was hard pressed not to give into his urge to bow to this 'Lenora'. "I apologise for intruding Mr Dursley, but I was hoping to talk with your nephew." Although he tried to remain angry, Vernon felt his rage dissipate in the face of her good breeding and wealth.

Scoffing internally, Lenora tried to keep the amiable smile on her face. 'Figures,' she thought with derision. 'I only have to wear a fancy dress and some jewellery to have them eating out of the palm of my hand...muggles'. "Of course, would you come in for a moment? The boy-I mean Harry is busy with his chores at the minute, but I'm sure he will be with us shortly." At this, Vernon glared over his shoulder at the boy peering around the kitchen door and Harry cursed himself for his apparent inability to be sneaky. Glancing up just before the door slammed in his face, Harry caught the wry grin on his sister's face and the wink she sent his way.

As Vernon Dursley led the young girl into their overly spotless living room, Petunia leapt to her feet with a confused frown on her face. "This is Lenora, Petunia. She says she is a friend of the boys-Harry." Lenora stepped fully into view and bowed her head slightly in Harry's aunt's direction.

"It is a pleasure to meet you Mrs Dursley. I have heard a lot about your family." This was not a lie, although hardly any of what she had heard was savoury.

"I'm afraid to say that I cannot return the courtesy child as he has never spoken of you to me before. May I ask of your family name?" Petunia fired back in a snobbish tone, looking keenly at her and paying special attention to her slight accent.

"My name is Lenora Deeragoh-Eterni, Mrs Dursley. Forgive me; I suggested to your nephew that we keep our friendship low-key so as to avoid issue." Her silky voice filled the stuffy room and Petunia's eyes widened.

"The Eterni?" Her voice wobbled slightly and her eyes grew to incredible proportions as the girl nodded.

"Petunia? What is up with you? It is just a name." Vernon Dursley interrupted the frozen atmosphere angrily.

However Petunia knew something he did not and Lenora knew it. It seemed Severus had imparted more knowledge on her and Lily as children than she had previously thought. Petunia stuttered as she tried to muster up a reasonable explanation, but Lenora cut in smoothly. "My mother is a rather successful fashion designer, Mr Dursley. Undoubtedly your wife has worn or at least heard of her clothes line and recognises my lineage." Seeing the glint in her eyes, Petunia began to nod frantically.

"Yes, of course. That was it." She agreed, her smile stretching tightly across sallow cheeks. In response Lenora gave a cheeky grin.

"I simply wished to save your nephew from our status as minor celebrities as much as I could. Here, please accept this as a peace offering." She said, reaching into her bag. Then, she presented the Dursley's with a bottle of expensive wine and some luxury chocolates. Petunia took them with shaking hands, thanking her quietly and Lenora gave a relieved sigh although she felt marginally guilty at the lie. She had worked tirelessly with Endawi to come up with and memorise a passable cover story in the muggle world, but it certainly helped that Harry's Aunt had at least a slight inkling towards who she really was. She would have to have a talk with Severus to discover how far that knowledge truly went.

They sat there in silence for a few awkward moments before Harry walked into the room. He raised a hesitant eyebrow at her, only sitting when she nodded discreetly. "Hi Lennie," he called, bubbling over with his joy at seeing her.

"Hello Harry," she smiled joyfully, flipping crimson hair over one slim shoulder. "The reason I'm here is to formally request your permission for Harry to stay with me for several weeks at my summer home in Romania." Lenora did not flinch at the almost-lie; technically it was her summer home for now as she lived at Durmstrang for most of the year. The Dursley's instantly looked as though they had swallowed lemons. "Romania?" Mr Dursley asked, hoarse.

"Yes, don't worry you shan't have to supply plane fare or sort anything at such short notice. We can handle everything."

"The boy doesn't even have a passport!" Vernon blustered. Mrs Dursley went pale at the determined look in her eyes and realised there was nothing they could do to stop the young Queen.

"We will take care of everything, Mr Dursley." Lenora repeated, serenely calm even as Mr Dursley went puce. Vernon went to rebuke her again, but Petunia cut across him.

"Do you want to go, Harry?" She asked, showing her first ever bout of familial concern towards Harry. For his part, Harry sat there looking gobsmacked at this for a moment before nodding frantically.

"Yes, Aunt Petunia. I really really do." He looked pleadingly at his aunt, practically vibrating with childish excitement. Petunia sighed, giving in.

"Fine, you can go. When do you want to leave Miss Eterni and how long will he be gone?"

"As soon as he is finished packing Mrs Dursley and it will be approximately two weeks if that is to your liking?"

"Yes, that's fine." Petunia said, sighing at the rage on Vernon's face. She was momentarily distracted as Harry threw himself at her, thanking her over and over in a loud breathless tone. Extricating himself from his aunt, Harry bounded up the stairs. Nodding gratefully to the two Dursley's, Lenora followed Harry intent on making sure he packed the right clothes and the like.

Shutting the Dursley's austere brown door behind her, Lenora led Harry away from the house to a small copse of trees down the road. Harry felt a strange presence at his back and glancing around was shocked to see two men in prim black suits following them down the path. However, the strangest part about them was the swords glinting at their waists. "Uh, Lennie?" He whispered, leaning into his sister.

"Yes Harry?" She asked pleasantly.

"There are people following us." Lenora drew to a stop suddenly then turned to scowl over her shoulder.

"I did not think you would honestly follow me here," she called, mild irritation clouding her tone. Harry's head snapped around and he glanced in shock between her and the two men. Their faces remained stoic and he watched as they raised their eyebrows simultaneously. Looking closer, Harry realised that they must have been twins – recognising the identical looks that the Weasley twins shared. They had dark hair and equally dark eyes and looked as though they could have been carved from stone. "We are bound to protect you, your Majesty. We cannot do that from half way across the world." They spoke simultaneously, their voices deep and dark.

"Hmmph, I'm in no danger in this muggle town."

"You can never be too cautious, my Queen."

"As you say. Harry, these are my personal bodyguards. I won't tell you their names because it breaks some kind of code they follow. Once they trust you, they will tell you themselves. Bodyguards, this is Harry Potter...my brother." In unison they tilted their heads to him, but said no more.

Turning away from them, Lenora sighed once more before gesturing to one gnarled oak. "Place your hand on that tree Harry and we will get going." Harry did as he was bid and watched as all three of the others mirrored his motion. A golden glow filled the air, ochre eyes shone and the Queen, her blood brother and her bodyguards vanished from Little Whinging.

Long stone huts spanned the plane as far as the eye could see, yet Harry could see hardly a lick of wood. Understandable really, considering the creatures they worked with, but he was surprised all the same by the craftsmanship achieved even without the presence of the flammable material. The compound appeared to be laid out in a circular fashion with living areas and facilities around the edge and the dragons at the centre. Harry gawped in awe at the impressive beasts; he had never seen anything like them. Monstrously large with sharp fangs and fiery breath, they could have trampled him in an instant, but they didn't. Lightly enclosed in the sparsest of fences they appeared almost docile and this was the exact opposite of what he was expecting to see. Although he knew it was wrong, he expected to see violent displays of dragon fire and blood, out of beasts and scorched land. The Romanian Dragon Reserve was well tended and its dragons well cared for so Harry was at rather a loss.

Lenora noticed this and smiled warmly at her brother, squeezing his hand gently. Continuing to glance around him, Harry noticed a behemoth of a man charging towards them and their 'convoy'. Slight fear filled him at the sight of the huge man covered in jet black markings and with a slightly feral look on his rugged face. In the face of this predator Harry attempted to step back, but Lenora's hand held him firm. "Endawi," she crowed, overjoyed at the sight of the man who was quickly approaching. When he was within reasonable distance the man, now revealed to be Endawi, bowed low before her before giving her a wicked grin. "My Queen," he spoke softly and stumbled only slightly as Lenora threw herself at him. Harry watched his bulging muscles ripple as his arms closed around her back. Both laughed gleefully, one high, one low and the men who had escorted them to the Reserve looked on with fond smiles cracking otherwise stern faces.

Retreating from Endawi's arms, Lenora gestured lightly to the boy behind her. "Endawi, I would like you to meet Harry, my friend from England. Harry, this is Endawi, my dragon protector."

"Hello, young one." Endawi greeted in his rough rumbling voice. "I have heard much about you over the years; it pleases me to meet you at last." It was as he said this that Harry processed the strange accent colouring his words.

"Um, hi; it is nice to meet you too. Lennie talks about you a lot." He responded hesitantly, offering up a wan smile in response. The booming laugh that filled the air made him jump.

"Lennie talks a lot, period. The trick is getting her to stop talking." An indignant noise was his response and he laughed again. "My apologies, my Queen; it is merely rare to find one with such pride in creatures of any kind...even among the Queens." Lenora snorted but did not refute his claim. Tossing crimson hair over her shoulder, Lenora took Harry's hand once again.

"Enough of your sly words, Endawi; let us show our guest around the Reserve." Bowing, Endawi conceded and motioned for her to proceed first. Lenora looked over shoulder to her guards who had now shifted back into their traditional green and gold leaf-emblazoned armour, complete with helms and the glistening swords they had kept close even while in muggle outfitting. Taking their cue, they bowed and retreated in the opposite direction from where she would be taking Harry. Said boy looked shocked at their transformation and she snickered. "That is the traditional armour of fey guards, Harry. Although I hate it when they follow me into the muggle world at least they try not to be auspicious while there." Taking in her words, Harry could just about see the tips of pointed ears poking out from their helms as they vanished into the distance.

"Do you have a lot of those?" He asked, curiously.

"What, guards? Yeah, I suppose so. I try to pretend I can't sense them following me most of the time. Apparently it is only going to get worse once I have had my coronation." She answered with a hint of mild boredom in her tone; this was clearly an old topic of conversation for her. Harry went to ask when that would happen, but was interrupted by a loud clearing of the throat.

"We should really get going your Majesty. If you want to show your guest around the whole of the Reserve by nightfall that is." Endawi drawled smoothly, fangs flashing in the sunlight. Nodding, Lenora linked her arm into Harry's and there his guided tour began.

Over his two week stay at the Romanian Dragon Reserve, Harry saw many crazy and wonderful magical things. Lenora made good on her promise and introduced him to every dragon at the Reserve; including little Norbert who it turned out was a girl and so now went by Norberta. He got to feed her a couple of times which was an experience all in itself – he was desperate not to lose his hand to a dragon that day or any other. He was also honoured to witness one of rarest sites in the magical world; the birth of a baby Hungarian Horntail dragon. He saw firsthand Lenora's involvement in this process and was in awe of his sister. Crimson hair floated in a halo around her head and golden eyes glowed as the air filled with the sound of a strange melodic language as she blessed the hatchling's egg. Harry was sure he would never forget that moment for as long as he lived.

Harry also met the Dragon Keepers, the people responsible for the care and protection of their reptilian charges. This included Darius; the Creature Queen's human protector. He was a rather unassuming man with golden blond hair and sapphire eyes which held a great deal of deceptively hidden strength. He was slimmer than most of his counterparts and lacking in their broad shoulders and incredible height. He was generally rather ordinary looking, but as Harry observed him over his time there he became certain that this worked to the man's advantage. This way he could protect her without being gawped at, unlike Endawi.

Charlie Weasley was an unexpected surprise. Of course, Harry knew he would be there somewhere but he never expected to meet him. He was taller and broader than the rest of his brothers (excluding Bill who Harry had not met) and Harry could clearly see the resemblance between him and the twins. He wondered privately if they would have the build and stature of Charlie when they were his age. Harry found that he liked Charlie very much and spent a lot of the time that Lenora was busy with him. He was alike the twins in more than his looks and this set Harry at ease in this unfamiliar place.

That is not to say he did not like the Dragon Reserve because he did, but it was always easier to adjust to a new place if you had more than one person you knew you could seek out and talk to. He stayed with Lenora in her stone hut that was admittedly larger and grander than every other one there and stood slightly separate from the others. By grander, he simply meant it was more colourful with more embellishments on the outside and inside. However, it was deceptively warm and cosy and his sister had truly made it her own home. It had several bedrooms, a beautiful stone kitchen and dining room, a cosy lounge, two bathrooms, a small meeting room and a library/hobby/artefact room; plus several locked rooms that he did not have permission to enter. Harry loved it and secretly wished he could live there with Lenora permanently. His favourite bit of her home however was the garden at its back, full of full towering plants and even a small body of water. His sister's love of plant life was slightly surprising, but he had to admit she definitely had a green thumb.

This little oasis behind Lenora's home, away from the heat and pressure of dragon fire became his solace and as his weeks there drew to a close, he vowed he would never forget a single moment of his time in that magical place.

A/N

I hope you all enjoyed this new chapter. Please review and tell me what you think if you have the time. I hope to have the next chapter up and ready to go in a couple of weeks so see you then.

P.S. Second year will probably be in the same format as First year.

HighFlyer0603,

Over and Out.