A/N: Heya. Sorry for the long update, but I've been very, very busy. I'm writing this just a few hours after I finished my last assignment and two weeks before my exams. Also, my main computers are broken- completely and utterly unusable, so I'm typing most of this on a borrowed laptop. I'll try to get one of the computer's working: Now, I'm hoping to get at least a few chapters out before my exams, so, without further ado, here's chapter 21.
Harry stared at the Drakon, his green eyes wide and his features reflecting amazement, shock and most importantly, fear. The Drakon roared again, a loud booming sound that blasted around the stadium as students and onlookers alike began to move from their seats. Distantly, Harry could hear screams of panic and fear but he blocked them out as grasped Meciel's power, allowing it to pour into him. Fire blazed in his veins and sulphur filled his nose as Harry glared at the Drakon with anger, his eyes glinting maliciously.
The dragon keepers almost instantly recovered from the shock of seeing a dragon morph into another dragon-like creature and several of them raised their wands, their voices shouting out incantations. Bursts of crimson lights streaked from their wands and struck upon the Drakon's thick hide to no effect and breaking apart in a shower of glowing sparks. The Drakon brushed off their attacks with ease, its fiery eyes turning back to glare at Harry, who ducked his head as he channelled Hellfire into his wand. Smoke curdled from the runes, dark power flickered at the tip as Harry levelled his wand at the Drakon and prepared to summon his most powerful spells.
It was at that exact moment that Harry felt a flare of blazing power and his eyes automatically shifted up towards the source. Dumbledore stood aloft the stands, his face white and furious and his eyes cold and hard. He held his wand aloft as blazing power struck forward in a devastating cone of magic, seemingly made up of pure light. The old wand-wizard's beard and long white hair swayed underneath a powerful force of his spell and his hat went whipping off his head as he thrust his wand forward. The Drakon let out a loud screech of pain as it staggered back by the sheer force of the spell as it was struck, its fiery eyes seeking Dumbledore as the Headmaster stood tall and strong, his face grim.
The spell dug deep into the Drakon, shattering apart hard scales and thick hide, but the Drakon opened its mouth and let out a single piercing snarl. Harry, who was watching with wide eyes, grunted in pain as the sound slammed into him and knocked him off his feet and he landed on the ground. He watched with stunned awe as the Drakon's spell shattered apart Dumbledore's spell and blasted forward in an invisible rush of power. Dumbledore twirled his wand and defensive magic's shimmered around his form, a haze of blue and green light that shimmered and sparkling as the blast of power struck it and shattered apart.
An instant later, the Drakon had opened its mouth and with a single whip-like movement of its head, spat out a blaze of searing molten flames. Dumbledore made no movement but his eyes widened a fraction as the green and blue magic solidified around him until it seemed as if he were encased in a sparkling crystal of light. With a deft flick of his wand, the blue-green left his form and blasted forward, striking the tip of the Drakon's fiery blast. Fire hissed and magic shattered as the powers enveloped each other in bright flare of light, leaving Dumbledore unharmed.
But the old wizard was too slow as the Drakon let out another piercing snarl. Although the Headmaster's wand came whipping up and another blue and green haze began to envelop him, Harry knew in an instant that it was too slow and struggled to get to his feet. For a split second, Dumbledore's hard blue eyes met Harry's defiant green eyes, and then Dumbledore sent forward the half-formed shield of defensive magic towards the Drakon's blast of power. There was a lesser flare of light as Dumbledore's spell shattered and the blast of power lanced forward towards the unexposed wizard.
Suddenly there was a flash of flames and something red and gold streaked forward like a fiery comet, slamming into the blast of power and exploding in a burst of flames. Although the fiery comet had taken the brunt of the spell, the backlash slammed against Dumbledore who was knocked off his feet and thrown backwards. Despite his fearsome powers and arcane knowledge, Dumbledore was just as fragile as a normal human- perhaps even more- and the elderly man slammed into the wooden benches, which cracked and snapped apart as Dumbledore came to a rest, his body still and unmoving.
The Drakon staggered back up, a furious but triumphant roar of pain and power escaping its throat as it recovered from Dumbledore's spell, while people crowded over Dumbledore's still body. The dragon handlers continued to cast their spells, crimson streaks of magic repeatedly blasting apart on the Drakon's hide with little effect to no effect. Harry had staggered back up and with a short swish of his wand and a muttered incantation, he summoned the bundle from the tent he had left it in and quickly unravelled it. A gleaming rune-etched sword met his gaze as he quickly opened up his overcoat, adrenaline surging through his veins as he took hold of the powerful magical sword and glanced up.
The Drakon was in the process of turning back to the Denarian Renegade, its fiery eyes gleaming with an ancient malevolence. Harry took a deep breath and channelled Hellfire from his wand and into his sword. His eyes glinted with dark powers, anger and blazing hatred appeared on his face and dark feelings of excitement, lust and pleasure filled his mind as searing power roared through him, urged on by Meciel as Harry started to prepare a powerful spell of evocation.
It was at that moment that Moody raised his wand from the head-box, his mangled face looking oddly hollow and etched with anger as he stepped past Dumbledore's still body and faced down the Drakon without a hint of fear.
"Avada Kedavra!" He roared angrily, his voice echoing in the large stadium and for a moment, everything stopped.
From his wand came a deadly flash of green magic, a beam of glowing death that streaked forward and struck the Drakon. The Drakon let out a loud roar of pain, its voice blasting forward and sending people tumbling as they ran from the stadium as the flash of green light dug into its hide. Grey scales darkened and shattered and drakon hide sizzled madly as the killing curse struck the Drakon on the chest. Moody's triumphant grin quickly faded away as he stared at the Drakon in horror, which, while scratching at its new wound with a growl of pain, was very much alive. Members of the crowd stared in disbelief at the Drakon and then the screaming seemed to intensify as the ancient creature turned around to confront Harry, once and for all.
"Any advice, Meciel?" Harry asked between gritted teeth as the sword shuddered and trembled in his hands, its runes glowing with an unholy red glow as he hoisted it up and levelled it at the Drakon.
'Attack it, beloved,' Meciel said grimly. 'And then run!'
Harry didn't say anything as he took in a deep breath, readied his magic and steadied himself. He slammed the sword into the ground with great force and closed his eyes as he lashed out with one of the most powerful pieces of magic he knew of.
His very form shimmered with repressed heat and the air thickened into something like a fog, as if Harry was sucking up all the heat around him. A bright yellow and red glow emanated from behind him as his green eyes glinted with dark power. Suddenly there was a loud blaring crack that sounded almost like a firecracker and a single ball of blazing fire streaked forwards from his shimmering form.
An instant later the air was filled with loud cracks as a barrage of streaking fire lanced through the air, spinning and spiralling as they lashed out at the Drakon, looping around the large creature and slamming into its hide in a wave of successive explosions. The Drakon roared in pain as its body was bombarded with small concussive explosions, billows of fire rushing out and threatening to envelop it as dark oily smoke pumped out into the air.
Harry clenched his sword and fought down a wave of fatigue as the last glowing streak of fire left his body and the shimmering aura around his body disappeared. His green eyes watched with a flare of satisfaction as the Drakon burned in bright yellow flames, but a second later they widened as the Drakon opened its mouth and let out a powerful piercing whistle, a single note that pulsed through the air and suddenly the fire was gone, washed away by the Drakon's counter-spell.
A second later, the Drakon turned its head down towards Harry, who avoided its deadly fiery eyes, and it opened its mouth and lashed out. Harry's eyes widened as a beam of magnificent power zapped forward like a jolt of cackling red lightning and making his own power look like a dog next to a dinosaur. With all of his strength, Harry tugged the sword from the ground and hurled himself to the side as the beam shot past him, making all of his hairs stand up on end and sending goosebumps down his arms.
He landed painfully on the ground as the beam struck where he had just been standing and sliced through thick boulders. The ground shuddered and rumbled as stone melted into glowing molten rock and steam hissed from the ground as the beam sliced into the earth. Fear coursed through Harry's veins as he picked himself up from the ground, ignoring the aches and bruises he had as he turned to face the Drakon again, just as it opened its mouth and let out another piercing snarl.
A blast of power rocketed through the air and with a cry of panic Harry brought up his wand and sword. He gritted his teeth as he poured Hellfire into a defensive shield. Dark crimson and black magic flickered as a globe of magic solidified in front of him. The shield had been formed in just the right way; there was enough power in its structure to keep the defensive spell up, so when the blast of power struck the shield, it didn't reduce him to a small smear. It did, however, hurl Harry off his feet and send him flying through the air as a loud clanging noise filled the air.
Harry landed on the hard ground with a wince of pain and for a moment just lay there, stunned. Flickering crimson and dark energies shimmered out of existence as the shield dissipated, having saved its owner from not only the spell but the fall, which would have snapped several of Harry's bones. With a small wince, Harry inclined his head and grasped his wand in his hand. With a quick flick and a small push of Hellfire, one of the large boulders in front of him groaned in protest as it was lifted from the ground and hurled at the dragon. It smashed on its hide with no effect, crumbling to dust as Harry staggered back on his feet.
The dragon keepers were still bombarding it with spells and had moved away from the stunning charm and onto some more dangerous and particular nasty ones- some Harry recognised as exceptionally painful dark magic. It wasn't enough to hurt the Drakon but was enough to irritate it and divert its attention for a second as it turned its head around. Harry raised his sword and concentrated his power as the Drakon was distracted, ignoring the ancient creature as it let loose a spew of blasting heat and liquid magma.
The wand-wizards scuttled away and most of them managed to get clear in time, but one unlucky wizard screamed in agony as a goblet of steaming lava splashed on his wand arm, disintegrating it before his very eyes. He gurgled with pain and shock, his eye staring unblinkingly at the arm as he fell to his knees, his face wrapped up in pain as one of his fellow wizards, a red-haired man, flicked his wand and hurled them man away from the Drakon and out of the stadium.
At the same time, Harry was breathing harshly as he prepared another evocation spell. Within his mind, Meciel helped him weave and form the magic together as he held his sword upright. Around him, the air shimmered with heat and flickered with fire as the runes in Harry's sword pulsed with an odd red light. The air around him flickered and shimmered with an oily black haze as thick smoke drifted into the air, while sulphur and the smell of dirty smoke filled Harry's nostrils as he pumped massive amounts of Hellfire and magic into his spell.
After several seconds, Harry heard a deafening series of loud roars and winced at both the noise and the sudden bright flashes around him as several blazing rods of roaring flames burst into existence. The flames roared with the dark power of Hellfire as Harry made a sharp gesture with his hand, his eyes glinting, and the flickered as they changed. The flames roared with a greater fury as they changed into fiery mimics of Harry's sword, runes, hilt and all, and continued to hover around him.
As the Drakon turned back to him, Harry allowed a tight and wicked smile to curve his lips, his eyes faintly glowing with an inner darkness as he, with Meciel's direction and occasional manipulation, finished weaving his spell and lazily lifted out an arm.
'I feel the sudden urge to shout out something like "Flaming swords" or "Blazing inferno",' Harry mentally remarked to Meciel and he ignored her exasperated sigh.
'Now is not really the time for your wit,' she snapped out in annoyance. 'Release the spell!'
Harry gave a tight nod, his face grim, and with a single broad gesture, he extended his arm out in front of him and pushed out. The swords of burning hellfire roared with the power of a blazing inferno and shot forward as Harry released the spell. Dizziness and weariness struck his mind and even with Meciel acting as a buffer, Harry gave a groan and collapsed to the ground on all fours and watched the end result of his spell.
In an impressive display of force and power, the glowing swords of fire shot through the air with great force. The Drakon appeared to be surprised by the pure force of the spell and took a rumbling step backwards, opening its mouth and letting out a single piercing note. Harry flinched as he lay sprawled over the ground and watched with despair as the swords of flame grew brighter and brighter as they travelled closer and closer to the Drakon, until just as the swords were about to pierce on the Drakon's hide, they exploded in a roaring inferno of deafening noise and blinding light.
Although the Drakon had dispelled Harry's spell, the aftermath was apparently troublesome or powerful enough to cause it pain and it let out a loud piercing screech that struck Harry's mind like a sledgehammer. An instant later, another roaring beam of steaming hot magma shot forward- right over Harry's head and splashed on the ground behind him. Rocks sizzled and melted and steam pumped into the air as Harry staggered up, his eyes wearied and fatigued.
'This isn't going so well,' He murmured in his head.
'So I see, beloved,' Meciel said tensely. 'And it's just gotten worse.'
Harry watched and as the Drakon bent down on its powerful legs and flapped its large wings, its malevolent eyes burning with ancient anger and irritation. With a huge roar, it hovered in the air with steady flapping movements and slowly flew forward. Dirt blackened and rocks seemed to sizzle in the Drakon's presence as it loomed towards Harry, who dropped his sword wearily and levelled his wand at it.
'Here goes nothing,' he thought grimly.
"Avada Kedavra!" He spat out, his green eyes glinting with rage and he felt a rush a power sweep through him, reeking of a decidedly different odour than Hellfire, but still dark in nature.
From the tip of his wand flickered eerie green sparks and a weak and dull flash of light zoomed from his wand, looking like a series of glowing green splinters. The half-formed curse flickered and seemed to wobble before it broke apart in a shower of sparks as Harry's first attempt at the Killing Curse failed.
"Crap!" Harry snarled angrily and swiped his wand through the air, Hellfire searing through his veins as it enhanced his next spell.
The devastation curse, a high-level piece of dark magic, blasted from the tip of his wand in the form of a powerful flash of violet light. The curse sliced into the approaching Drakon's hide and hard scales were asunder. The Drakon let out a loud screech but the wound was nothing more than a small cut to the ancient creature as it flapped its way forward and opened its mouth, fiery eyes peering from an almost-human face. A bright sparkling flare burst forward and Harry gave a panicked cry as he threw himself to the side, pain flaring in his side as he landed on the rocky ground with a grunt.
The flare flew past him and although Harry didn't look back, he could feel it explode as a wave of almost unbearable heat struck his back. He flinched but ignored the pain as he staggered up, his eyes bright with bloodlust as he bared his teeth at the Drakon.
"Cornollivo!" He spat out angrily. His arm buckled as a streak of dark-coloured magic burst from his wand, accompanied by an eerie screeching noise.
This time, the Drakon was ready and with a single piercing whistle, the curse was deflected aside by a massive force and struck one of the large jagged boulders, reducing it to dust with a dark flash of light in a matter of seconds. It opened its mouth once more as it swooped down on Harry and although it made no sound and produced no visible light, something huge and unseen rushed through the air.
Because of the close proximity of the Drakon- it was only a few metres away from Harry- and the sudden nature and power of its attack, Harry was barely able to raise any form of defence. He managed to cross his arms over his chest and fear surged in his veins as he hastily conjured a defensive barrier around him, but the blast of unseen power slammed into him and sudden Harry was in pain.
He screamed in agony as his barrier shattered underneath the powerful blow and barely felt his feet leaving the ground as he was thrown backwards. He slumped to the ground several metres away, distantly aware of cracks and a sudden burst of pain in his stomach as a feeling and awareness, like liquid fire, poured into his veins and slammed into his head. Unlike Hellfire, which was incredibly pleasurable and intoxicating, this spell burned with a different type of heat which produced an agony that Harry had never felt before. He was burning, he was being burnt alive. Flames were consuming his body, his limbs, his muscles, his heart, his mind.
And suddenly it was all over and the Drakon's massive presence abruptly left his head. Harry blinked tears of pain away from his eyes as he struggled to lift his head, his body aching all over, and distantly saw a swarm of crimson-robed figures rushing in at the other end of the stadium, a constant barrage of light bursting from their wands as they tried to strike down the Drakon. Some of the flashes of light glowed with an eerie green glow and combined, it was enough to make the Drakon roar in agony and turn away from Harry's prone body. A blast of power sent the crimson-robed figures scuttling for cover but they consistently and professionally resumed their attacks, drawing the Drakon's attention away from Harry and towards this new threat.
'Now, beloved,' Meciel said, her voice pained. Her perceptions came from Harry's, after all, and Harry was in a great deal of pain at the moment. 'Now is the time to flee. Your spells have done little damage to the creature. You cannot take much more of this beating!'
'How?' Harry asked painfully, wincing as he tried to stagger up on his feet. But a wave of dizziness struck his mind and pain flared in his chest and he gave a grunt and slumped back down on the ground. 'The anti-apparition wards are still up. I can't leave!'
'Try to make a portkey,' Meciel advised. 'Remember what I have taught you and focus your energies!'
Harry made another grunting noise and with tender fingers, he gripped his wand tight and tried to focus his mind. He lifted his eyes and picked the first loose item he saw, a small jagged rock, and gave a weak flick of his wand.
"Portus!" He muttered softly. The rock shuddered and trembled as a blue glow surrounded it, but an instant later Harry gave a groan and his wand dropped. The rock continued to shudder and tremble as the blue glow intensified, before it gave a loud crack and exploded in a small shower of thick black ooze.
'I think that last spell loosened my brains a little,' Harry muttered wearily as he flopped back down on the ground, blocking out the distant noise of spells, curses, bestial roars and human cries. 'Any other ideas? Or should I just lie here and wait for the Drakon to come and kill me?'
'You must flee!' barked Meciel, her voice both stern and worried. 'You cannot win this fight with your own powers…unless…'
'What?' Harry thought impatiently, wincing as he tried to block out the pain and aches lancing through his body. 'What is it, Meciel?'
'Unless you ask for help,' Meciel finished quietly, her voice remote and speculative.
'From who?' Harry thought incredulously as he tried to pull himself off the ground, hissing in pain as he felt his broken ribs jab into his flesh. 'The wand-wizards are getting their butts handed back to them!'
'The Fae can, at times, lend power to those who ask for it,' Meciel said rapidly. 'They can temporarily enhance your own magical abilities and allow one to perform powerful magical feats.'
'Wait, you want me to call a faery for help?' Harry thought in disbelief. 'How many times have you told me to never, ever, make a bargain with a Fae?'
'How many times have you ever fought a Drakon before?' Meciel snapped back.
'Valid point,' Harry admitted. 'But it doesn't matter how much I like the little sadistic and sociopathic girl, I just can't see Cessbulby giving me that kind of power.'
'Then I suggest you call Maeve,' Meciel said impassively.
The Drakon roared again as a flash of green light seared into its thick scales but Harry ignored it as his eyes widened with shock and surprise, a bubbling laughter of disbelief leaving his lips as he stared vacantly into the air, seemingly talking to nobody.
'You want me to do what?' He asked. 'Hang on! You don't like Maeve. I mean, I get the feeling at times that you would like to capture Maeve and roast her alive. Why the hell would you want me to call her of all people?'
'Because, beloved, she is powerful!' Meciel hissed, almost defensively. 'She is easily one of the most powerful Winter Fae's in the Nevernever. You have knowledge of one of her names, which will allow you to summon her. These facts combined lead me to the unavoidable conclusion that Maeve is the fastest and easiest way of gaining the power you need to kill that accursed beast!'
'It's just that…' Harry began, wincing in pain as he managed to sit up from the ground.
'Maeve and I have a personal history that you are unaware of,' Meciel said flatly and coldly, halting Harry in his tracks. 'I will tell you that she is one of, although not the primary, reasons why my last host was murdered. However, at this point in time, there is no other way. I do urge you to be cautious though and heed my word as you make your bargain! Now hurry, the wand-wizards are already falling back!'
Harry's eyes flickered to the other end of the stadium, where the crimson-robed wand-wizards were retreating from the fiery power of the Drakon, which roared in triumph as it opened its mouth and let out another blast of invisible power. The crimson-robed wizard ducked and the boulder behind him exploded in a wave of shrapnel and smoke. Harry frowned, ignoring the pain in his body as determination and anger gripped his mind and with gritted teeth, he focussed his mind.
His eyes flittered up and down and his mouth parted as Hellfire rushed through his body, its blazing warmth temporarily relieving him of his pains and aches as he wove his spell, a variant of the summoning spell that he used to use to trap Cessbulby- he didn't stand a chance trying to trap a Queen of Winter Fae. With a sudden exhale, Harry breathed out the name of the one he wanted to call.
"Maeve, of the Winter Court, I summon you."
The words washed through the air and seemed to sink into the hard rock and dusty ground of the stadium, a faint echo disappearing with a soft tinkling sound as Harry waited. The Drakon was still roaring in triumph as it sent wand-wizards scuttling with every attack. It seemed to be in no hurry to turn back to Harry- its belief in its own powers and its instincts to hunt and kill seemingly overriding rational thought.
Suddenly, after a few seconds, Harry shivered as goosebumps crept up his arms and a gust of cold air struck him. He blinked and swivelled his gaze around the stadium. The loud roaring noises of battle seemed to dim as he sought out the source of the freezing wind, which turned out to be a puddle of molten rock that the Drakon had created.
With a pained grunt, Harry crawled over the hard ground and peered down into the crater. Icy shards were crystallising along the sleet of liquid fire, which was shimmering as it solidified into ice. It was almost beautiful as red, yellow and orange hues flashed under the icy surface, but it only lasted a few moments before an image appeared within the frozen depths.
The first thing Harry saw was Maeve's eyes, strange canted, feline orbs of the deepest green. These eyes were set in a face too perfect to be human, with pale radiant features of a teenager in her late teens. Her hair, which had been bound into long dreadlocks the last time Harry had seen her, flowed down her back in long strands of differentiating colours, ranging from deep lavender to pale blues and greens to pure white. The hair seemed to sway under its own power, shimmering like a glacial waterfall. Only Maeve's head and the top of her chest was shown within the ice and Harry had to tear his eyes away from the dangerously tight shirt of blue silk, which exposed her cleavage in a very interesting way.
"Maeve," He murmured softly to himself and something raging rose up in him, primal and unbridled, and for a second Harry thought he would lose himself in pure desire. But this time, and without the help of Meciel, Harry focussed his mind and blasted apart the sexual glamour while wrapping his mind around a coil of protective Hellfire.
"My dear little Harry," Maeve said seductively and smiled a brilliant smile that curved her face in a very nice way. The Winter Lady just didn't need to rely on her magic to make her seem attractive. "I knew you would call on me one day. It was only a matter of time."
"I want to make a bargain with you, Maeve," Harry said bluntly and tiredly.
"You don't want to catch up?" Maeve asked with apparent surprise and she placed a perfectly manicured hand over her mouth, a devious grin curving her lips. "Pity. I am very interested in you, Harry."
Harry almost shuddered at the way she said his name but with an annoyed growl, he blasted apart her next glamour- a much more subtle charm that he had barely noticed in time.
"In case you hadn't noticed, Maeve, I'm bleeding a little," Harry said dryly and in annoyance. "And I have a Drakon trying to kill me. Can we cut to the chase now or should I just go and invite the Drakon for a nice little tea party while you indulge yourself with your glamour's?"
Maeve's face flickered with the first sign of her true nature, a void and alien expression coming over her face and wiping away all traces of her humanity, but at the mention of the Drakon she stopped and blinked in shock.
"A Drakon?" She asked sharply, her seductive voice replaced with surprise. "There, at Hogwarts?"
"It's either a Drakon or it's a bloody crocodile with wings that somehow learned how to talk and throw around powerful wizards with its voice," Harry retorted furiously. "What do you think?"
Maeve frowned, appearing troubled and something in her gaze told Harry that she was worried, although Harry could tell that it was more than just concern for his wellbeing.
"There are only eleven of the ancient Drake's left in the mortal world," Maeve said and her green eyes roamed Harry speculatively. "What did you do to annoy them so?"
"Long story, still don't know the details," Harry replied quickly and in annoyance. "What, with the thing trying to kill me and all. Can we make a bargain now?"
Maeve suddenly regained her confident and seductive poise and she gazed at Harry with dilated pupils, a pink tongue idly linking her lips, and Harry swallowed, partly because of the rush of desire that ran through him and partly because of the feeling of doom that suddenly slammed into his chest.
"What do you want?" Maeve asked softly, eying Harry beneath hooded eyes.
"Oh, you know, the usual," Harry replied. "World peace, cure for cancer, and all that rot. For now, though, you can just make that thing dead."
"Dead?" Maeve echoed softly. "You will have to be more specific, Harry."
"Kill it," Harry snarled and all traces of mockery left his voice as his glinting emerald eyes struck Maeve's, who appeared startled by his sudden vehemence. "Or give me the power and help me kill it. Just make it dead!"
Maeve nodded slowly.
"I can help you here," She said and a sly smile came over her face. "For a price, of course."
"What's your price?" Harry asked bluntly. "It better not be my soul- that's already been rented out to somebody else."
"Normally I would ask for a favour, a debt, a term of servitude," Maeve said softly and seemed to lean in. Harry shivered as he felt her breath, which was strangely warm, rush over his ears as a seductive breath tingled his face. "But for you, I have plans."
"What do you want?" Harry repeated softly, hardening his voice, but Maeve didn't appear to be affected as she gave him a suggestive smile as she licked her lips again.
"A child," she said softly, her voice hoarse with a sudden hunger. "I want you to give me a child."
"What, like from an orphanage or something?" Harry asked, a frown coming over his face. "Cause I can do that- depending on what you want me to do with the brat. I still have some semblance of morals, Maeve."
"No, no, no," Maeve laughed delicately and her eyes smouldered as she forced her wanton gaze on Harry, who was unable to look away as she continued softly. "I want you to give me a child."
"What?" Harry whispered and he felt Meciel give a giant flare of surprise as the sudden urge to shred the Drakon apart disappeared. "Did you mean what I think you meant?"
"I will aid you and lend you great power to strike down at this beast," Maeve began. "I will also send forward my own power and help you kill it. But, in return, you will give me a child…our child, which will be created at a later date of my choosing."
Harry's eyes widened as a surge of emotions bubbled in his stomach, a mixture of surprise, shock, confusion, suspicion and even a hint of anticipation. He opened his suddenly dry mouth and swallowed, his eyes never leaving Maeve's.
"What?" He whispered softly. "I…don't get…what?"
"That is my price," Maeve said with a tone of finality and she gave Harry a seductive smile, an almost-predatory glint in her slanted eyes. "I assure you Harry, it is not a hard price to pay…and you will enjoy it."
'Meciel, what do you think of this?' Harry thought quickly. 'I mean, she can't be serious, right?'
'I am unsure of her schemes, beloved,' Meciel said uncertainly. 'It could easily be a plot to tie you closer to her- although I cannot say why she would want such a thing. Perhaps she wants to bind you to the Winter Court- No; she would not ask for this if she sought that. I…I cannot be certain to what she is trying to accomplish here.
'Do I take the offer?' Harry asked hesitantly. 'It doesn't seem so bad.'
'She is a Fae. Their bargains are always bad for the mortals,' Meciel said, a touch of bitterness in her voice, as if she touched upon a subject Harry didn't know about. 'Still, you have come this far and you need the power. The Drakon is almost finished playing with the wand-wizards and it will be back for you. Just…be wary, beloved. Be very wary.'
Harry refocussed his attention back down in the frozen crater of lava, where the image of Maeve stared back at him with smug eyes, as if she knew what Harry had just asked Meciel. He narrowed his eyes suspiciously, trying to think of what she could be trying to accomplish here.
"There are no other costs?" He asked shrewdly. "You just want me to knock you up?"
"Yes," Maeve said, a smile curving her lips.
"And that's it?" Harry pressed. "No more debt? I don't ever have to call on you again?"
"You will not be compelled to, no," Maeve answered and her eyes glittered. "But you will call on me again. This is just the first of many bargains we will make, even if you do not know it yet."
Harry pursed his lips but a sudden roar at the other side of the stadium made him flinch and he gritted his teeth, indecision racked on his face. There was something going on here, something he couldn't see, and for some reason Harry thought he was walking into a trap. Still, there wasn't much he could do about it.
"Fine," He said abruptly. "You have a deal."
He looked down only to find that Maeve was gone and the ice was quickly melting back into molten rock. His eyes whipped around the stadium, furious and annoyed as he staggered to his feet, trying to ignore the pain in his chest. The Drakon turned back to him, its fiery eyes seeking him out, while Harry desperately searched for whatever Maeve was going to send him.
Suddenly his vision blurred and he let out a cry of pain as he doubled over, his hands clutching his stomach as he screwed his eyes shut. A roaring blizzard of pain was raging in his stomach and quickly spread across his body, making him shiver uncontrollably. There was something cold and icy running through his veins, a power opposite of everything he had every wielded before. Where Hellfire was hot, Winter power was cold but just as potent. Power roared through his veins as the pain faded away and Harry stood up, his eyes as bright as a storm as he faced the approaching Drakon, his aches and pains disappearing underneath the enormous amount of power flowing through him.
Above the stadium, the clouds rumbled ominously and the first trickle of snow started to fall. The sun disappeared behind a large and thick thundercloud, which flashed with unnatural power, and the thick scent of winter magic filled the air. There was another power at work here and Harry closed his eyes, probing the magical storm with his sense. He didn't feel any surprise when he felt the wild mind of Maeve directing the spell and his lips curved upwards into a malicious smile. This Drakon was going to die.
He raised his hands and turned to stare at the Drakon with a piercing glare. The creature in question had slowed its advance, its wings flapping uncertainly as it regarded the storm with something like unease showing on its humanoid face. Harry took a deep breath, focussed his mind, and suddenly let out a cry of surprise as an uncontrolled blast of icy power rushed through him, threatening to tear away his very body with its raging fury. It was more power that Harry had ever felt before, more power than he knew existed, and it took all of Harry's might to heave it out of his body before it destroyed him.
At the same time, the Drakon had obviously decided to stop playing around and had moved in for the kill. It opened its mouth and another blast of invisible power roared through the air, whipping up snowflakes and gritty dirt. Harry's power left his hand at the same moment and he flung two blazing thunderbolts of emerald and violet faerie fire at the Drakon. The two spells collided and detonated in a roaring boom. Fire and ice smashed together and despite the awesome powers of the Drakon, ice prevailed and dispersed the fire away as it lanced forward. The Drakon reared in surprise and was struck in the chest, the thunderbolt ripping into its body. It let out the loudest screech yet as it screamed in agony and its wings folded in as it collapsed to the ground, injured but still very much alive.
The clouds rumbled again and as a howling wind roared through the empty stadium, most of its occupants having fled a long time ago. Suddenly a beam of searing power cut through the dense snowfall, ripping through stone and dirt as the Drakon lashed out in pain. A section of the stadium shuddered and exploded in a bright wave of fire as Harry ducked, his eyes narrowed as he tried to avoid the Drakon's furious counterattack. A shockwave of pure power blasted from the Drakon and Harry braced himself, pouring his new found power into a defensive spell that surrounded him like a cacoon of fiery ice, deflecting the power away from him.
Harry suddenly sensed a tremendous amount of magic building up in the creature and he bared he teeth in rage, his eyes bright with bloodlust as a malicious smile came over his face. Without hesitation, Harry distanced himself from his magic and let Meciel weave it into an unknown yet strangely delicate spell. Icy power roared in his veins as Meciel directed Harry's hand forward, sharply gesturing at the ground. The end results of the spell were the complete opposite of its creation, all force and no subtlety, and frozen earth ripped up and exploded in geysers of ice. The Drakon roared in agony and the magic it had collected abruptly dissipated as its fiery eyes widened in shock. Large gleaming icicles of pure white ice had lanced from the ground and impaled themselves on the ancient creature, ripping into its wings and legs and holding it in place. Suddenly an aura of smoky fire surrounded the Drakon, licking at the gleaming icicles in a desperate attempt by the Drakon to unbind itself, but either Harry's enhanced spell was too strong for it or the pain and wounds were affecting the Drakon's ability to cast spells, because the icicles shimmered but remained firm.
The clouds rumbled again and suddenly Harry felt a jolt of weariness strike at him. The massive rush of power within him was slowly fading and he grunted, hesitance on his face.
'We need to finish this now,' Meciel urged. 'While the Drakon is weak and we are strong.'
'What should we do?' Harry growled, clasping his wand tightly as he peered through the falling snow at the struggling Drakon, whose fiery aura was beginning to send cracks through the icicles pinning it down. 'I hurled the strongest blast of power I could at it and it's not dead! I doubt I can do it again when the power is already leaving me!'
'The storm!' Meciel hissed. 'It's Maeve's work, her contribution to the battle. She summoned it for a reason! Use it! Tap into its power and destroy this Drakon!'
Harry frowned as he looked up and he cocked his head, staring at the rumbling clouds. As if Maeve were watching him, the clouds rumbled again and a flash of lightning lanced down. There was a concussive boom and one of the nearby boulders shattered in a blast of heat, and suddenly Harry had an idea. He took a deep breath and with an unspoken incantation, he summoned his sword back into his hands, holding it up towards the sky, and he braced himself as Maeve responded.
There was another flash of lightning and a boom resounded through the stadium as a bright bolt of lightning lanced down at struck the tip of Harry's sword. Harry gave a cry of pain as yet another type of power shot into him, raw, intense and utterly wild. He gritted his teeth as he fought and conquered the lightning bolt, entrapping it within his sword just as the lightning flashed again and again and again. The storm whipped around him, nature's fury struggling to break free as Harry's mind slowly bent under the pressure. The sword was glowing with a bright blue light, shuddering and hissing as it vibrated in Harry's hand. Every particle of the sword and Harry's hand was twitching in shock as he, with great effort, forced and bound the lightning into the sword
With great strain, Harry slowly lowered the glowing and shaking sword, his teeth clenched with sweat dripping down his forehead. Distantly, he could hear Meciel say something but his entire mind was focussed on containing the power. The blizzard raged around him as he dragged the brightly glowing sword down, the wind roaring in his ears, and levelled it out until the tip of the sword was pointing at the entrapped Drakon.
'Now!' Meciel roared.
'NOW!' A familiar feminine voice boomed in his ears.
Harry released his numb and shaking hands from the sword and fell to the ground as the sword shot forward with great force, searing through the air like a bolt of glowing lightning. It lanced out at the Drakon, gave on last roar as it produced the final vestiges of its power, a concussive cone of roaring magma and power, and levelled it at the sword. The sword broke through the globe of magma and shattered it, glowing with blue arcs of electricity and the icy white shine of Winters power, and is struck the Drakon.
There was an enormous roaring boom that made Harry's ears ring and a massive flash of light that seared into his eyes and he curled up on the ground as a loud series of shrieking hisses echoed in the stadium. A powerful gust of wind shot through the stadium, lifting up stray dirty and crumbled rocks, while the clouds rumbled again. Harry didn't see a massive explosion of white and blue fire blaze in the centre of the stadium and he didn't see coils of wild lightning lashing out from the explosions, tearing into wood and rock, leaving molten gouges or flickering fires in their tracks.
The flash of intense light and the piercing loud screech seemed to go on forever, but it was most likely only ten or so seconds, before it suddenly died down. Harry blinked, feeling nothing but weariness and aches in his body as he rolled over, gritting his teeth at the small cuts on his back from the flying debris. The first thing he felt was the sun on his face and he looked up to see that the massive storm clouds were quickly dissipating. He licked his lips and turned his gaze to the middle of the stadium. There was no trace of the Drakon, not even a corpse, and in the centre of the ground was a large jagged hole, with cracks running through rocks and ground. The stadium itself was damaged, whole sections had been ripped out and several were still on fire, but Harry didn't care as a smug smile curved his lips upwards.
He flopped back down on the ground and distantly, he saw a horde of crimson-robed wand-wizards storming into the stadium, their wands out and their faces grim. Following them was the furious figure of Dumbledore, who nursed a large bloody gash on his head, followed by Moody, who limped in with a livid expression, searching for a foe. Something flickered in the corne of his eye and Harry redirected his gaze down at the ground, at one of the quickly-melting puddles of snow. Maeve's face peered back at him, a smile curving her lips as her slanted eyes glittered with an unknown emotion As Harry closed his eyes and allowed the weariness to take over him, comforted by Meciel's warm glow that quickly enveloped his bruised body, he heard the Winter Lady's words in his ear, sounding oddly sinister.
'A bargain made and a service lent, now the price must be met.'