Chapter 9: The long road

Harry woke up the next morning to find himself spooned up in Draco's arms the pair of them had a fair bit of celebrating the night before which no doubt Draco would be paying for this morning.

Harry turned so that he was facing Draco who had the silliest of grins on his face he had been smiling all night since he had found out the news and it had yet to wear of Harry kissed his forehead before rolling out of bed as nimble as he could manage without food in his stomach at this time of the morning.

Harry noticed that their table was full of unopened cards the news had obviously gotten out about their impending father hood something more to worry about Harry thought but he didn't really care anymore.

"Hey where's my teddy." Draco asked blearily causing Harry to laugh. "It's not funny waking up with empty arms." Draco added indignantly.

"Sure love." Harry said trying hard not to smirk.

"How are you feeling this morning?" Draco asked.

"Oh you know as good as I have every other morning it hasn't started yet love so don't worry about it." Harry said to his husband. "How are you I get the idea that you might suffer more than I will over the next nine months?" Harry asked.

"I feel great." Draco said wrapping his arms around Harry who leant into the embrace feeling the warm glowing feeling he got when ever they were close together like they were now it was a reaffirming of their bond which made them both feel secure.

Their was a knock on their door as Harry walked over to ask who it was he smiled when he heard Ron and Hermione's voices come back he opened the door with a smile on his face it was one of those silly happy grins that said all that was needed to be said.

"You two are looking way to happy for this time of the morning." Hermione said smiling.

"Well we've had good news and have every right to be happy Hermione, my question is are you to happy to wait while we bath and prepare for our day." Harry said to them both.

"Yes Harry we are fine." Ron said.

"Oh you can help open the stacks of cards we have on the kitchen table if you get bored." Harry said to his best friends before disappearing into the bathroom to find the bath run and clothes set out for the day he was to happy with everything else that he didn't bother being annoyed at Daniel for running the bath for them both.

Twenty minutes later the pair of them walked out of the bathroom Harry had used the gel from Draco's side of the cabinet to style his hair which he had allowed Draco who seemed to be a whiz with that sort of spell to cut it and style it while they were in there.

Harry smiled when he saw his friends sitting at the kitchen table gaping at the pair of them Harry now had much shorter hair and if Hermione wasn't mistaken he now had blond highlights in with the blue and the red making him look even hotter than before and of course she wasn't wrong.

"Harry you let Draco cut your hair." Hermione stated the blatantly obvious.

"His being bugging me to let him do it for ages I finally caved to his wishes I must say that I like the new look." Harry said.

"Oh you look hot mate." Ron said Draco was gaping at the boy.

"What just because I am dating Luna doesn't mean that I can't swing both ways you know." Ron said indignantly.

"You mean that you and Luna aren't sole mates then?" Draco asked.

"She likes to think that I am her token boyfriend and I like to think of her as my token girlfriend." Ron said causing Harry and Hermione to burst out laughing at the odd look that Draco was giving Ron.

"What he means love is his gay and is just too scared to admit it to his family." Harry staged whispered.

"But that would mean that Luna is…" Hermione said then just started giggling madly again.

"This is one weird family that I married into is it to late to ask for a divorce!" Draco said looking at Harry.

"Yeah it's much too late to be asking for one of those your part of the Weasley clan now whether you like it or not." Harry said smiling.

"Oh yeah your doomed Malfoy." Ron said laughing.

"I don't see why his scared when you take into account that Charlie is gay and the family know about it well all except Ron who they thought would hate him for it." Hermione said bluntly Harry looked at her for a moment then at Ron who just stared at her in shock before laughing.

"Hermione I know that Charlie is gay, he knows about me when I was down last year he and I had a long chat at Christmas I had a crush on Harry for a while, when it became clear that it was never going to be returned I slipped into depression." Ron finally admitted.

Harry pulled his friend into a hug which he was surprised to find was returned in earnest when they broke apart Harry was smiling at him and Ron was grinning back, Draco was wondering what the hell was going on between them.

"So you knew about Ron and didn't say anything?" Hermione asked.

"Nope I didn't have a clue I still thought until today that is that he had a crush on you, now I know that it was me all along it makes a little more sense though I have no idea why you hated Daniel." Harry said looking at Ron.

"I said I swung both ways meaning I like men and women so I had a crush on the pair of you." Ron said causing Harry to laugh and Hermione to blush.

"Now that is a revelation and a half crushing after your two best friends it's a wonder that you didn't drive yourself round the bend." Harry said.

Just then their was a knock on the door which Draco answered and more of the friends walked into the rooms Sirius and Nate who was staying on at the school to help Harry with his defence classes.

"Hey Nate Sirius." Harry said in greeting to the pair before calling Dobby and asking him to send breakfast to their rooms this morning.

"First class with the Slytherin's this evening Harry how are you feeling." Sirius asked.

"Great just want to get the first class out of the way to be honest with you." Harry said honestly.

The group sat eating breakfast since classes didn't start back up until the following day Harry was happy to announce that they were going to pay a visit to the vault so they could do some work in peace with out the rest of the school badgering them.

Opening the portal into the vault with as much as ease as he normally did Harry stepped through the two of them and their friends came through into the large cavernous vault that was still one great big mess Harry liked the idea of being able to dive into all the gold searching for treasures which they kept finding all over the place.

"So what are we looking for today?" Hermione asked.

"What ever you like I came here to do something specific." Harry said smiling at his friend as she disappeared into the room with the rest of them all happy to help sort the place out.

Harry went into his meditation area that he had set up happily so as not to be disturbed all that often, Harry was sitting on the white beach the sun pounding down on him in his trance this was the place he came when he wanted to find calm and peace.

"Your back young one so soon as well." The blue phoenix he had met the first time he had come to this place said from beside him.

"Yes I like it here when all is going to hell so to speak I can find peace here." Harry said to the feathered friend.

"Ah yes the road ahead of you is a long and dangerous one for you and your mate as well as your unborn child, rarely is the road of a hero an easy path to walk and yours will be no different I fear." The phoenix replied.

Harry looked out across the sea the sun was high above them and it was like he knew this day would never end for him anyway, Harry looked down at the phoenix that seemed to smile at Harry which was rather disconcerting birds didn't smile.

"You seem troubled young one there is no need to be." A lizard skittered across the sand to him smiling he picked the lizard up. "What will come will come and you will face it head on no doubt like your ancestors before you." The gecko said to him.

"What if I am not ready?" Harry asked.

"In the end we all must face our demons whether they are living or not this Voldemort's time is drawing to an end the time of peace is approaching you are the one who is prophesized as the one to bring his reign to an end." A panther walked across the sand sitting down next to him.

"Are you saying I will win?" Harry asked.

"You are your worlds only hope young one losing is not an option." The gecko said to him.

"We come to you because you are like Merlin who came before you, he once faced dark trials like yours we helped him as we will help you." A hawk landed on his shoulder.

"You are more ready for this fight than you realize it is something you have known all your teenage life would come and in your heart you will know when the time is right to finish this war once and for all." The snowy owl landed next to him.

"Hedwig?" Harry asked.

"Your familiar or one of them no I am not her." The owl replied.

"You must always choose the path that is right and not the path that is easiest." The hawk said to him.

"How will I know which one is the right path?" Harry asked.

The panther placed a paw on his heart before saying "Because you will know it is right in your heart." Harry nodded in understanding.

"The long road is never safe but it is the right road for you." The horntail he didn't hear approach said with a puff of hot air from its nostrils.

"You will need your mate and friends close by you young one they are your greatest strength." The hawk said to him.

"And in that same instance they are your greatest weakness." The gecko replied.

"Keep your friends close and your enemies closer." The hawk replied.

"You will be like Merlin I feel he was able to take on the form of all animals magical and normal you will be no different." The gecko replied all but the phoenix that had first appeared jumped at him turning to mist as they did so which was enveloped into his body.

"The road is before you now it can no longer be avoided." The phoenix replied before enveloping him as well.

Harry opened his eyes to see that most of the people in the vaults were standing around him in shock he smiled at the all before standing up he looked at Draco who seemed to be in awe of him for some reason Ron and Hermione were just as stunned.

"So someone want to tell me why you all look like you have been slapped silly and staring at me?" Harry asked.

"You have been blowing bright white for the last hour Harry." Sirius said.

"What were you doing?" Draco asked.

"Meditating." Harry answered.

"That's it?" Hermione asked.

"Yes I do it quite regularly." Harry said shaking his head.

"Harry people do not glow when they meditate something else must have happened." Sirius said sitting down beside him.

"Well I was met by some spirit guides if you must no." Harry said then went onto explain what he had seen and heard on the beach how at ease and at peace he felt when he was sitting with the water lapping at his feet.

"Wow Harry most people only have one guide." Hermione said.

"Well I have been working on attaining my animagus form and meditating is one of the ways of attaining it, up until today only the phoenix as appeared but their were many creature's there not all of them spoke but I could see and sense them." Harry admitted.

"Strange Harry who did most of the talking?" Dumbledore who had been invited by Draco to join them when it had started asked.

"The panther the Gecko and the phoenix did most of it." Harry said.

"They are all wise guides Harry." Dumbledore said looking at him. "May I ask was the phoenix like Fawkes or Merlin or different altogether?" he added as an after thought.

"Merlin he was the same blue that you see in Merlin." Harry admitted.

"Ah a rare occurrence then tell me Harry have you attempted the transformation?" Dumbledore asked when Harry shook his head the headmaster nodded. "Would you mind trying it now?" Dumbledore asked.

Harry smiled at the old man knowing what he was asking he stood up thought of the black panther changed it slightly so it was as blond as Draco's hair and a moment later the panther was in place of Harry.

The panther itself had a darkened spot which was the shape of harry's scar and vibrant almond shaped emerald green eyes that stared up intelligently at the headmaster Sirius whistled in appreciation while Draco bent down to Harry scratching behind his ear causing the cat to purr loudly and happily.

"Well then that certainly was different I thought he said that he was training to be a phoenix so what's up with the panther?" Ron asked.

Harry looked at his best friend concentrating on the Phoenix and a moment later the cat was gone and the blue phoenix appeared in front of them all Draco let out a startled yelp as the change took place but was smiling happily at his husband.

"Harry would you mind changing back please." Dumbledore said to the phoenix which instantly started to change back into Harry who looked infinitely pleased with his newest change.

"Harry people tend to only have one form so how is you able to have more than one?" Hermione demanded.

"I happen to be more like Merlin than most." Harry said proudly.

"You mean that the spirit guides told you that you would be able to do as Merlin was and take any animal form you wish?" Dumbledore asked this was a shocking revelation he knew Harry was powerful but he didn't have a clue that he was that powerful a wizard.

"Yes that's what they said." Harry said.

"Weiver's are rare and their power levels are hard to predict Harry is just learning that the new powers he has will help him in the fight that is to come." Elderon said from the portal entrance that was still open. "I have a gift for my grandson it belonged to his father and to the ancestors that he has who were weivers ten of them in all." Elderon handed the boy a ring which Harry placed on his right wing finger Elderon said the counter spell and the staff appeared.

It appeared to be 6ft in height it was made of ancient oak at the top was a round orb not perfect but close to perfectly round and it was made if Harry wasn't mistaken of diamond not glass this thing had to be worth a fortune and the power that coursed through it was enormous he could feel it pulsing through the staff and into him or through him it was like nothing that he had ever experience before and he doubted that he would again.

"The staff will only go to those and allow itself to be used by those it deems worth the fact that you are holding that staff rather than in pain from where it burned you means that it has accepted you." Elderon said to his grandson who smiled.

"I can feel the power in it." Harry admitted.

"They say that Merlin himself crafted the staff." Elderon to the shocked room.

"Wow Harry." Ron said.

"Is that what I think it is?" Harry said pointing to the diamond.

"Yes it is a diamond one of the largest I have ever seen in my life, precious stones like the emerald and the diamond can be harvested when dragons die their scales tend to be made of the gems. The gems vary depending on the size age and race of the dragon a Diamond can be harvested from a few dragons but the most notable is the ridgeback and horntail." Elderon said to his grandson.

"So this was taken from a dragon?" Harry asked pointing at the gem in the staff.

"Not just any old dragon Harry the legend is that the diamond from this staff was taken from the dragon that saint George killed over a thousand years ago." Elderon said leaving a stunned silence in the wake of his words.

"Wow." Was all Harry managed to say at those words.

"I really am going to give that bastard a run for his money." Harry said.

"As we knew you would Harry." Dumbledore said smiling at his protégé.