PART 13

::speaking in parseltongue::

::Uh…nice dragon…er…Merlin. Please, please don't make a snack of me. You win! I am sooo sorry I started this and promise never to do it again!::

Harry had taken several steps backwards as the dragon crept closer to him, steam slowly curling up from it's nostrils with each breath. Staring at the boy with unblinking eyes, the mythical creature drew its head back, inhaling deeply, before abruptly blasting the young wizard with a thunderous roar. Harry yelped and leapt back, the heel of his right foot catching on a rock protruding from the bank of the lake.

Wind-milling his arms frantically, Harry tried to save himself. He would have succeeded, too, if it hadn't been for the giant claw that suddenly poked him gently in the chest. Flying back, Harry landed full length in the cool waters of the lake behind him. Spluttering, he sat up and looked to the edge of the water to see his grandfather resuming his human form.

The ice blue eyes glittered with suppressed mirth, "Now I win."

The youngster scrambled inelegantly out of the lake and shook his sopping hair back out of his face with a grin, "I'm pretty sure you would have won regardless, sir. I'm only a kid still and don't know nearly as many spells as I'd like for a duel against someone as powerful as you."

Merlin laughed heartily before becoming more serious, "Too true, lad; however, you show much potential for the future. One day, Harry, in the not so distant future, you will truly be a force to be reckoned with. Already you have mastered control over your magic and are far stronger than most wizards. I would hazard a guess that the only others who could match you reside within yonder manor. When you attain adulthood, you will be hard pressed to find any to match you in pure magical supremacy. Even young Lord Black may be unable to defeat you in a matched battle; and that is saying something considering the sheer power in his own magical core."

The teen shivered a moment when a cool breeze swept over him from the lake; then, without a truly conscience thought, his clothing and hair were abruptly dry and warmed for his comfort. He smiled faintly up at his honorary grandfather and weakly joked, "At least absolute power has its perks on occasion."

Taliesin placed one hand firmly on the smaller wizard's shoulder and leaned in close, "Just remember this advice, child: absolute power can corrupt absolutely if one is injudicious in its use."

Harry nodded his understanding. Why couldn't he, for just once in his life, be a normal, simple kid? He was the savior of the wizarding world, not once but twice. He'd had to deal with an abusive upbringing. He was the godson of a former prisoner of Azkaban. He was the adopted son of said prisoner now. He was wealthy beyond imagining (at least once he came into his majority). His animagus form was a night black winged unicorn. He could claim the Merlin of Britain as his grandfather, many, many, many times removed. And let's not even get into everything that happened during his Hogwart's school years up to this point!

Once again, Harry was different.

And once again, Harry didn't like it.

Things settled down again in the manor house. Merlin continued to tutor the teenagers in druidic magics while the professors in residence made sure they not only did their summer homework, but also had time to be kids and have fun. Hermione quickly grew accustomed to the daily hexing wars that occurred between the three men and joined Harry in double-teaming on occasion.

As July began to wane, Sirius took Harry aside and asked him what he would like to have or do for his birthday. "Anything you want, pup; just name it." Harry took a couple of days to think about it before returning to his father with his ideas.

The canine animagus was seated at his desk in the library going over accounts when the teen walked in. Harry closed the door behind him, a tacit request for privacy in a home where doors were usually left wide open or at the very least cracked. As soon as he approached the seated man, Sirius raised one finger as he continued writing with the other hand quickly. Once he finished, the young Lord turned all of his focus on his son.

"Sorry about that, Harry; I just needed to make a note to check something with one of the properties before I forgot about it. What can I do for you?"

The youngster settled himself on the chair beside the desk, "I thought about my birthday, and had a couple of ideas." The older wizard nodded for him to continue. "I thought, since last year we had my birthday at Hogwarts with a bunch of people, this year could be a little quieter and just be you, Remus, Sev, Hermione, Ron and I. Maybe a trip to Diagon Alley for ice cream and a dinner out someplace? Does that sound do-able?"

Grey eyes studied the teen for several long moments, "Are you sure, Harry? We can do anything you want, you know. A trip someplace, something special you're wanting or needing as a gift? I don't want you to feel like you can't ask for something because of cost or that you don't deserve it in some way." When the boy dropped his eyes abruptly, Sirius knew he'd hit upon something, "Harry, son, look at me, please."

Slowly, the brilliant green gaze came up to meet his father's eyes, and at the same time, he began twisting his hands slightly in his lap. Sirius spotted this instantly and scooted his chair so that he was directly in front of his son, taking the much smaller hands in his own.

"Tell me," he murmured softly.

Harry blinked a couple of times to try to clear the gathering of moisture as he clung to the warm, steady hands on his, "I know that you have a lot of money, Siri, but I don't want you to waste it on me for something silly. Something big that involves everyone should be discussed and agreed upon."

The older wizard leaned in closer, trying hard to find the words he needed to reassure the teen, "Harry, it's for your birthday. You only turn fifteen once in your life. If there is someplace you want to go, or something you want to see or do, we can do it. I know that you haven't had many birthdays in your short lifetime worth mentioning and I want to erase that from your mind. Your aunt abused you because she was afraid of your magic and angry that Lily died and she had to take you in. She made sure that Christmas and your birthdays were not celebrated by you or for you in any way." One large hand caught Harry's chin and he lightly feathered his thumb over the boy's cheek, "But you are my child now, and I will do everything in my considerable power to make sure you have not only everything you need, but also some of the things you want."

He released the boy and leaned back in his chair, "So, Harry, what would you truly like to do for your birthday?"

Harry studied his father for a long moment as the wheels in his mind began spinning. Sirius knew the moment something came to mind when the boy's eyes lit up and Harry smiled, "Well, there is something I've been wondering about…"

As he continued to talk about his idea, a smile bloomed on his father's face that quickly grew to a huge grin. This would be a great birthday!

The Merlin of Britain studied the man standing before his painting in surprise, "The child wants what for his birthing day celebration?"

"A trip, Taliesin. He wants to see the Tor and the lands around it."

The ancient wizard dropped into his throne-like chair, robes billowing gently around his legs as he settled himself more contentedly, "I assume the fault of this lies with me and my tales of Arthur?"

Sirius chuckled as he made himself comfortable on the sofa facing the canvas, "I'm sure that was part of it, however, he says that he has been curious about it since discovering his heritage. At first, he only wanted some ice cream and a meal out with the family and his friends. When I pressed him further and made it clear that he could go anywhere and do anything, he started talking about the Tor."

Ice blue eyes took on a far-seeing look as Merlin contemplated the man's words, "I have not been there in…well, I am not certain how long."

Leaning forward, Sirius spoke up, "Much of it has been turned into a place for pilgrims to visit and learn about the area, but there are still many portions of it that have been set with spells and barriers that only wizards can access. We could shrink your picture down again and bring it with us so that when we arrive, you can join us and talk to Harry about what he sees."

"Yes, I would take a great deal of pleasure in that. Is there any way to ensure that we will be the only ones on the grounds? I would much prefer having no crowds around."

"Let me see what I can do about that…"