Disclaimer: The Harry Potter Universe and all characters and ideas associated with it are property of J.K. Rowling. Characters and ideas that are not found in either the Harry Potter books or the movie were invented by me, therefore I own them. There are quotes and references to other books, movies, series, etc. throughout this story, disclaimers for these will follow each chapter.

Flash Forward: Prologue

Three figures rushed over the Forbidden Forest. Any onlooker from Hogwarts would have sworn they were dragons. One of them was nearly twice the size of the other two, its body robust and armored with scales and plating. The two smaller creatures darted about in seemingly evasive flight—the larger of the two an emerald green, and the smaller mint tinted ivory. The armored dragon increased its speed and swooped before the ivory—the female—with a loud roar that boomed like a freight train. The ivory gave out a cry of surprise before diving backwards in a change of direction. The emerald reacted to her cry. As the armored dragon moved after the ivory, the emerald blocked its path. The armored dragon collided with the emerald, shoulder to shoulder, and the emerald let out an agonized scream as the bones in its left shoulder were shattered. The emerald dove blindly toward the trees trying to regain its balance. It pulled from the dive, its right wing catching the uppermost branches of some of the taller trees. It screamed again as the skin between the wing-fingers was torn. Again it tried to regain its balance and with a heavy and painful beat of its wings rose quickly back into the air to guard the ivory dragon. The armored dragon had circled about in the air and moved in to ram the emerald a second time.

Several strange sounds issued from the ivory's throat as the armored beast approached, and instants before it would have collided with the emerald a second time it met what seemed to be a barrier in the air. It roared in rage and rammed the barrier, a light green haze appearing where it struck as if the invisible wall was bending with the force. The armored dragon circled the two smaller dragons, ramming the barrier every few feet in search of a weak spot.

The emerald was fighting to remain consciousness in spite of the pain from its wing and foreleg—not only had its shoulder and possibly some of its ribs been broken, but the scale armor that covered the attacking dragon's body had ripped the emerald's flesh like a grater. The ivory helped its comrade stay in the air, however, the attacking dragon continued the assault, each time drawing closer to its prey as the barrier began to give. The same light green glow issued forth as the beast rammed the invisible bubble, and small glowing fissures appeared on each successive collision.

Finally, whatever the barrier had been shattered in the air and the two smaller dragons sped forward, first going into a deep dive to pick up speed. At the last second they twisted out of the dive and barreled forward only a few feet from the treetops. The attacker roared again and dove after them.

Again, a set of strange sounds issued from the ivory's throat—sounds that could have been mistaken for language.

Before the two fleeing dragons a bright white light split the sky like an explosion, opening into what seemed a tunnel. Without hesitation the two dragons entered the tunnel and immediately it closed and the light disappeared.

The attacking dragon rushed forward to reach the tunnel but was too late. The light disappeared and the attacker flew straight through the air where its prey had been. It let out a howl of rage and circled the area in frustration.

……..

The tunnel opened in daylight over the ocean miles away from Britain off the coast of Africa. The emerald dragon momentarily lost consciousness and its limbs hit the water, only to rouse it a second time. The ivory dragon flew close by the emerald, trying to get it higher in the air so that it could help support it. The ivory spat out several more of the word-like syllables and a haze appeared before the two over the water. It became clear at one side, an entrance forming amidst the gray fog. As they passed through the entrance disappeared in the fog, which also vanished so that all that appeared in the area was sea and sky.

But they had not been transported as before. They were inside that barrier and before them was an island. They descended quickly, the emerald's strength waning before they'd even reached the shore. It collapsed in the serf as its wings gave out before it could slow the landing or reach the sand. The ivory drew up to the shore, pulling up from the shallow dive to land on its hind legs. As its feet hit the sand it suddenly transfigured, its form shrinking to the minute size of a human woman who ran back towards the emerald.

The emerald pulled itself up from the serf and hobbled out of the water desperately trying to favor its left foreleg and letting its right wing drag without the strength to lift it. Once it was out of the water and towering over the woman it also shrank to the form of a human man who fell onto his knees clutching at his left shoulder, which was bleeding profusely down his arm.

"Are you okay?" the woman gasped, falling on her knees beside him. She pushed his dark hair away from his sweaty brow with one hand while supporting his weight with her opposite arm.

"What the hell was that thing?" he gasped through clenched teeth.

There were voices coming from the trees and people appearing on the beach.

"Talia! Primus! What's happened?" one voice boomed over the rest. The white-haired man was at their side in an instant. "Primus…" he whispered, laying his hand on the injured man's shoulder.

"Something attacked us, Cashawn—what—I don't know… but I think I've seen it before... in the books…"

"Mari, help me," Cashawn said, and a woman, also with white hair knelt down and helped lift the injured man from the shore.

"Talia," Primus choked out, "check the books—if you think you've seen that thing before—I'll be fine…"

She nodded and kissed him lightly on the forehead before Cashawn and Mari took him into the trees.

"You know you're really lucky," Mari said as she searched through some storage units, "you'd probably be dead now if you had been hit any closer to your neck."

"You're telling me," he answered as Cashawn healed his arm, the warmth from the Healer's energy coursing through the bone and the flesh.

"You've really gotten yourself in deep shit this time—this isn't healing very well," Cashawn mumbled. "The bone mended fine, but the tissue damage isn't repairing…"

"Why is that?" he asked.

"It looks like some kind of poison… but I've never seen it before…"

"Here," Mari said, handing him a pair of thick-rimmed glasses, "I know you don't like wearing them, but I don't want you using any extra energy—not even for the shields you use on your eyes."

The man groaned and took the glasses from her, "You know, this isn't going to help my control any."

"I know, but I don't want to take any chances, Primus," she answered.

"You don't have to call me that in private," he said.

"We know, but it helps not to have slip ups in public."

"There," Cashawn said, "It's finally sealed. It was worrying me there for a minute. How does it feel?"

He moved his arm back and forth and up and down while he held his shoulder, "Good as new," he answered. "Is Talia in the library?"

"Yes," Mari answered. "Mios said she was tearing though the books like a mad dog."

He nodded before getting off of the cot. "I'm going to go check on her," he said before he left the medical area, though Cashawn and Mari followed behind him.

The library inside a dry cave in which they had been keeping books, scrolls, maps and whatnot. It was where Talia did her research and where they planned attacks. If she was going to find out what had attacked them on their return she would be searching there.

On reaching the cave he took a torch from the entrance of the cave. He muttered several words and the torch became ablaze with fire. He then proceeded into the mouth, followed by several other people including the two Healers. The cave was like a maze—there were dozens of tunnels and hollows throughout the rock. Parts of it were used as living quarters, others as training fields, but the tunnel that went the deepest into the rock lead to the library.

He reached the door and pushed it open, the torch light from inside meeting that of the fire they carried. As he entered he placed the torch in a holder on the stone wall before he looked about the room. There were books strewn everywhere, on the tables, the chairs, even the floor—and in the corner Talia crouched, huddled into a ball. She looked up when she heard the people enter the room, tears streaming from her iridescent eyes.

When she saw him she gasped and pulled herself to her feet. He moved forward, "Talia, what is it?" She shook her head, her bottom lip quivering before she ran into his arms.

"Oh, Harry," she gasped, "It's horrible—it's just horrible…"

He was taken by surprise when she said his name. She called him by the human name "Harry Potter" in private, but never in the presence of other people because it undermined his authority. If she was this upset, to call him Harry rather than Primus, then it really was bad.

He glanced to the side where she'd come from. On the table directly beside him a picture caught his eye. It was the top book, and the picture depicted an armored creature like the one that had attacked them on their way back from visiting Ron and Hermione Weasley in Britain. It stood in a hind-foot rise, its wings spread and its jaws gapping in a roar. His eyes moved to the writing on the opposite page. It was written in ancient Kreonian—a language he'd just started to learn to read. He struggled to understand the slash-like writing.

The Prophet Krysta, A.A. 0

The Crayaton Empire is no more. The Hand of Keoya came down with wrath and judgment through the Powers that Be. The sacrifice of Cashawn, the son of a Crayaton—the son of a Dambile, has saved us. For Keoya turned back time and unmade that which he created. I am the only one who has been permitted the memory of what has happened. I alone know the horror and destruction that the Crayatons created—the oppression the Dambiles faced under them. Their cruelty is unmatched in all of Dambile history. I pray that their evil will never be seen again.

His eyes wandered to a caption below the picture…

The Crayaton—the Winged Death.