"Lord Dumbledore, we received a report that another village is under attack in Northern Scotland." A young man stepped into his tent with a wooden shield strapped to his back and strong mail armor covering his body. His great black helm was resting in his left hand and his long spear was held tight in his right, prepared already for battle.
Dumbledore looked up from the map he was studying to inspect the messenger, "We shall go to their defense. Sound the horns." The man nodded his head and quickly moved out of the tent. Only a few seconds later, a large horn echoed through the camp and was met by the cries of men who began to shout out orders. Others answered the horn with cheers as they now actually had something to do other than waiting around the makeshift camp.
Albus put down the quill that rested in his hand and stood from his chair. He moved to the far side of the large tent and grabbed his silver cloak that he normally wore about him while outside. He drew the hood to shroud his face in shadow and placed his wand inside its old but trusty holster.
After a brief glance over a mirror, he left his tent to watch the army of vikings prepare for battle. Most of them were already anxiously waiting around, long had they wished for this moment. Harald appeared from a nearby tent dressed in his full armor, black mail with a large black bears coat, his great weapon strapped to his back. His helm which he kept in one hand for now was carved from dragon bone and was truly a menacing sight to behold when upon the head of the large viking king.
The vikings formed into ranks and the captains moved up and down the files to quickly inspect their men. After they all gave the okay to Harald, he turned to Dumbledore and gave a simple nod. Dumbledore pulled his wand, the Elder Wand, the one he had won off Grindelwald many years ago, and waved it in front of himself.
He began to chant a string of words in ancient Gaelic, and the surrounding area began to turn a dull gold. The night was illuminated by the magic Dumbledore began to perform and the quiet of the forest they camped in was broken by his words.
With one last cry, the dull gold flashed bright yellow and in an instant, everyone vanished into nothingness. They all reappeared just outside a small village that was nestled into rolling green hills. Already they could hear faint screams as the muggles ran from the dementors that hunted them.
No one charged, all patiently waiting for Dumbledore's orders. "Protect the villagers, slay the dementors." Dumbledore said in a whisper. A great cry answered his order and the battering of shields sounded from the vikings as they swelled up in glee at the impending battle.
With one last shout by Harald, the great vikings charged from the green fields they had been transported to and rushed into the village. It was an older village with cobblestone streets and dainty houses. Screams and cries of pain echoed through the streets and a deep silvery mist had descended upon the village, obscuring vision and causing an increased chaos to the ensuing battle. What was normally an advantage for the dementors had now been turned against them.
Dumbledore moved in just behind the charging vikings and watched as they began breaking into houses and others raced across the small town square, disappearing into the thick mist. He could hear the vikings hack and slash at their foes and piercing wails cried out as the dementors were struck down. The vikings weapons were imbued with ancient magic long lost to the rest of the world and that allowed them to cut down these fell beasts without impunity.
Standing just behind Dumbledore were the five giants he held in reserve. All of them were just as anxious to get into battle, but despite their size, they stood no chance against the dementors. They were not immune to their cold fear, and the weapons they carried would simply pass through the dementors as if they were just smoke.
Dumbledore stepped into the middle of the village and sent his own patronus, one that had changed from the royal phoenix into a beautiful silver mare, and sent it, not after the dementors, but the mist. It drove the cold and damp weather away from the village and took away the dementors natural environment. Screeching sounds echoed through the village and overtook the cries of the villagers that still sounded throughout, even piercing high above the shouts of battle from the vikings.
Black cloaked figures began to flee from the village in fear and the vikings chased after them with reckless abandon. Dumbledore briefly caught sight of a blue spell speeding towards him and turned abruptly, batting it away with ease.
Emerging from a nearby cottage was a man dressed in Death Eater garb, his wand at the ready, and instead of a white mask, he wore black. Dumbledore knew that meant the man was a trained mercenary, a warrior wizard by trade who only fought for the highest bidder; Dumbledore had little respect for such men.
He waved his Elder wand and sent a blast of white light at the man that was far too quick and powerful to stop. The Death Eater was sent flying back, only a small yelp escaping his lips, and landed in the street with a bone-crushing crunch. Dumbledore was about to finish the filth off when several figures appeared from black smoke just behind the Death Eater. He brought up his wand to engage what he thought would be more Death Eaters, but hesitated for a moment.
Six in total appeared, and two figures immediately caught his eye. One wore a bright gold mask and stood at the lead position, but just off to the mans left was a shorter man who wore a dark green mask with silver, gold, and blue designs inlaid in it that seemed to glow in the moonlight. It was not the mask that was the dead give away as to who this young warrior was, but the two wands he held at the ready. Harry Potter and his Ghosts had come to join the fray.
One of the black masked Ghosts pulled his wand and stunned the Death Eater who lay gasping for breath just before them, but none made a specific move for Albus. Dumbledore held up his hands in a nonthreatening manner and slowly began to back away. He did not yet wish to fight Harry, in fact he never would pick a fight with Harry unless absolutely necessary. His whole plane hinged on Voldemort killing the boy, a task he thought would already be accomplished by now, but alas, he had to wait a little longer.
Dumbledore took a quick glance of the small village which really only consisted of a few streets of houses and noticed that his vikings had already finished dispatching of the dementors who were escaping into the night sky. "Run for the forests!" He called to the men and women under his command. His job here was done and he was once again on his way to restore his proper place amongst the world.
Harry took a step forward and away from the other Ghosts who all had drawn their wands and were fixing to curse the former headmaster. Harry though, only watched his former mentor, this being the first time he had seen him in a year. They stood staring at one another for a brief moment, green meeting blue, until blue broke contact and fled the village with the remainder of his men.
Harry watched as the silver cloaked man vanished with a hushed word and the other vikings fled over the green hills, disappearing from view. The giants had been the last to flee, their great height only vanishing when a flash of gold briefly lighting up the sky. The Ghosts gave no chase, their mission was to dispatch of the dementors, not fight an army of vikings and giants. Revenge for Scrimgeour and the other aurors would have to wait for now. The sound of popping broke the sudden silence that had descended upon the village as aurors apparated onto the scene and began to fill the village with life once again.
Specter moved off to talk quietly with Amelia who appeared alongside Kingsley, her new second in command. Several aurors who had begun to move through the houses looking for survivors reappeared with black cloaks that still had smoke coming off of them. The vikings had clearly possessed a way to kill the foul creatures and had done the ministry a service today.
–
"You must be quicker!" Olaf commanded as he brought his heavy sword down upon Harry, who swiftly brought his own sword up to block the attack. Harry then swiveled to the right, but his movement was already foreseen by Olaf who swiped his left foot across Harry's legs and caused him to crash to the floor. Olaf's sword was brought high into the air until he swung it down with great speed. He held his attack just before the point of his sword could cut into Harry's neck, only the tip slightly scratching skin and drawing a small amount of blood.
"You will get better with time." Olaf said as he helped Harry to his feet. Harry could only nod his head as he searched for his breath, great beads of sweat ran down his face. The other Ghosts had been watching in fascination at the combat prowess of Olaf and of Harry. No one could contend with Olaf in a duel for longer than three seconds other than Harry, and as such, Olaf had taken Harry under his wing.
Moving from September to October, and with November quickly approaching, the war between Voldemort and Potter had begun to swing in full. Riddle was attacking village after village without relent to devastating effect. The aurors were being stretched thin and hardly had time to rest, despite their increased numbers. Casualties had begun to build up on both sides, and the unspoken toll of the loss of life fell on the muggles which is what Voldemort mostly targeted. Dementors had proven Voldemort's greatest fighting force since little of the aurors knew how to repel them properly, and the muggles couldn't even see them to begin with.
Because of the increased loss of life on the muggles behalf, the muggle government had begun to take a greater involvement in the affair of wizards, even if they didn't quite know they had. Prime Minister Edgerton was constantly demanding status reports of the ongoing civil war and had even begun to order SAS strikes on targets that muggles could actually hit, such as muggle ships that were being used to bring in wizards since the magical ways were blocked off or being watched. It was effecting little in the grand scheme of things since the wizards the SAS rounded up mysteriously disappeared when placed in jail, but some good was still being done. Harry wished more could be done in regards of the muggle military, but the need to keep the statute of secrecy between wizard and muggle was greater.
Maybe if the world were a brighter and more understanding one then those of different backrounds could live among another. But such a world Harry had yet to see, the only muggles he knew hated him for his gifts, and if they felt that way, there were bound to be others who felt the same. The ways of wizards and witches was better left a secret, not just for the betterment of magic kind, but for those of non-magic as well.
Despite the wary ways of muggles and wizards towards one another, Amelia had begun to talk with Prime Minister Edgerton abut merging a force between SAS members and the Ghosts. Still, such talks were far from producing anything as of yet. Laws and regulations were fickle things and required a great amount of trickery of words to surpass.
The last two months had brought about the start of what was looking like a long and grueling civil war. Voldemort would use terror tactics, strike a village and vanish into the night just as the Ghosts and aurors arrived. Images of dead women, children, and men flowed through Harry's mind and it did much to humble him, and also light a fire in his heart to end this as soon as possible. The other ministry's had begun to see the cost of the war, most notably to their own aurors and were growing more wary by the day to keep them there.
Because of the hit and run, terror attacks that Voldemort had begun to employ upon England, Scotland, and Ireland, the papers had ripped into Fudge and his inability to successfully predict the attacks. Of course, it was impossible to predict Voldemort's attacks since he was striking completely at random, wishing to inflict pain and break the ministry from within. Fudges popularity was beginning to decline as a result and the minister grew more and more panicky which caused even more irritation onto Harry.
He was already angered by the great loss of innocent life that occurred within the country, but the Minister constantly asking him and the Ghosts to do something was getting on his nerves. Sirius, Amelia, and Daren would constantly tell him war is war and innocents are always sacrificed, but it didn't make the fact any easier. Harry was quickly becoming depressed at the state of the war and the only thing keeping him from rushing out to meet Voldemort in a state of fury was Fleur and her calm words.
Slight hope had begun to flow within him though just last night when he came face to face with his long lost mentor for the first time in a year. The old headmaster was back in England, that much he had known for a while, but he never knew why until now. Dumbledore was still continuing his old war against Voldemort, which was good. He only hoped that was all Dumbledore was interested in, but something told him it wasn't to be, that Dumbledore wanted something else, more than likely to take England for himself.
At the moment however, they weren't strictly enemies, merely foes against another greater foe, which meant they would soon be fighting one another. Dumbledore had giants, Voldemort too had giants that had yet to be seen. This war was becoming increasingly difficult for Harry to adjust to, and with simple and quick math, he found himself without much hope, and despair was beginning to seize his own heart.
"Olaf, any word from those you've sent messages to?" Daren asked, stepping out from the side of the room. He handed Harry a towel to wipe away the sweat, Olaf stood by without looking even a little tired. Upon reentering the world of the living, Olaf had agreed to try and rally some of the older, more ancient warriors of the world that he knew of, those that had remained lost to time.
"I have only received word back from one man, though he cannot be trusted." Daren raised his eyebrows and waited for Olaf to speak further. "He has long wanted to kill me."
"And why is that?" Angel asked, stepping in behind Specter.
Olaf narrowed his eyes at the question, "I may have had a disagreement with him over a woman."
"Many a men do." Daren said through pursed lips. "Will this man fight with us?"
"Again, he cannot be trusted. I think it a trap to kill me."
"I do not care." Reaper hissed, also stepping out from the side of the room. Olaf turned his narrowed eyes onto him, but didn't say anything back. Due to his resurrection, he was honor-bound to help the Ghosts in their plight, and revenge against his father kept him from breaking the oath, no matter how much he was annoyed by these wizards.
"I will leave as soon as possible." Olaf answered through gritted teeth.
"Good." Daren responded simply.
–
Harry watched as Hedwig flew into the Great Hall and landed on the table before him. It was now rare for him to receive any mail at Hogwarts unless by Fawkes. Sirius had begun to take precautions and set up a system where his mail would be delivered to Grimmauld where the new Kreacher would sort through it then give it to Dobby. Only the most important of mail would go straight to Harry and only a few could send such mail.
Fleur who sat next to him as usual, snatched the mail away before Harry could grab hold of it. She had recently begun to take it upon herself to check his mail in case there was anything vile in it. It was something Harry had numerous times told her to stop doing but had given up hope that she ever would. She had a deep anxiety that he would be taken from her by some obscure mail that was poisoned or contained a hidden portkey, and she wished to take the bullet for him if such a thing were to occur. It was something that unsettled Harry greatly, but Fleur refused to listen to him on this matter, and he knew her to be the most stubborn woman alive. There were many safeguards in the mail he received from Hedwig and even his faithful companion acted as another safeguard, for Hedwig would never carry anything dangerous to him.
Once she had ripped open the letter and nothing happened, she simply handed it back to Harry to read and returned to her breakfast as if nothing had happened. It was like risking her life by opening mail for her boyfriend was a fate she accepted long ago and was okay with dying as long as he lived on. It was scary yet breathtaking to Harry the love and care she showed to him with such an act.
Harry grabbed the letter and slid out the contents. He didn't recognize the scribble upon the first page and opened up the rest of the letter. He was acutely aware of many others in the hall who watched for his reaction as he read.
H,
I have urgent news from the East.
Please meet me tonight at 2300 by your tree.
CW
Harry quickly folded it up to keep prying eyes from seeing the message. Charlie Weasley? That was the last person he was suspecting to have written him a letter. News from the east also sounded ominous and the fact that Charlie worked with dragons meant something serious was afoot in Romania.
Hedwig hooted once before taking flight and heading out of the Great Hall. If Hedwig's appearance hadn't attracted everyone in the hall, her disappearing flight certainly did. Harry received many suspicious looks and questioning glances, but he didn't say anything on the matter, and they all knew better than to ask at this point. The war had begun to take its toll on the students, and though magical villages hadn't yet been attacked and very few in the castle had experienced any real losses yet, the growing anxiety and fear was setting in.
Harry headed for his classes that day with deep and troubling thoughts as to what he was about to learn. The day passed slowly for him, but the night was taken up mostly by his training with Olaf. The former viking king would soon be heading off on his trip to unknown lands. He refused to tell them where he was going as of the moment, and it was a great risk to let him go in the first place. Specter wanted to send Shadow with him, but Olaf was adamant about going alone and so Specter gave up fighting it.
Harry got off training early in order to meet with Charlie by the Black Lake at 2300 as asked. The night sky was full of stars and the moon was only in crescent form. The Blake Lake was peaceful and reflected the night sky perfectly, the stars glittering off the water like shining diamonds. Harry moved to his favorite tree by the waters edge and drew his cloak close to himself; the had descended on Scotland. Below the tree he saw a hooded figure that kept his head on a swivel as if looking out for a grave threat. The hooded man stopped looking about and his eyes focused entirely on Harry as he approached.
"Harry, its good to see you again." Charlie said, taking off the hood that hid his face from the light.
Harry quickly approached and shook the Weasley's outstretched hand. "It's good to see you too. Why all the secrecy?" Harry asked, cutting straight to the point. He was never one for small talk.
Getting the hint that Harry wasn't here for anything less than an important discussion, Charlie began to speak, "Death Eaters have began to approach us at the Romanian Dragon Reserve. We have said we aren't interested, but they are getting...pushy."
"Did they threaten you?" Harry asked, concern immediately showing through his voice. Due to the darkness of the light, his face was completely hidden as well as Charlie's and they were working off the sound of each others voices alone. Neither wanted this meeting to be seen by many, and a light would surely give them away to whatever spies remained in the castle. It was after hours, but Harry had placed several wards around them anyways for precaution.
"Most definitely they have. You-Know-Who plans on taking and bending the dragons to his will. However he plans on doing that I have no clue. They were hoping that we would freely let them go and even help in the process of keeping them stable."
"Would they even be able to control the dragons without you?"
Charlie only shrugged, "I'm not sure. We hardly can keep the dragons docile ourselves. If they were to take them, there is no knowing what would happen."
"How long do you have until the Death Eaters try and take the dragons into their own care?"
"We were given only three days to decide our fates."
Harry stood silently in the darkness, "Harry?" Charlie asked after several quiet minutes.
"Head back to the reserve and wait for Fawkes. He will bear you a message from me."
"So you have a plan?" Charlie asked with surprise etched into his words. He wasn't expecting to be heading back with any amount of hope for Romania was far away and Harry was in the midst of war.
"I'm forming one, yes." Harry replied quietly, his mind beginning to delve deeply inwards as his thoughts turned to what he could accomplish with this news. Real tangible hope may yet be on his horizon.
–
Harry passed by the Gringotts goblin guards who stood proudly in their dark steel armor, their spears held out before them. The two guards bowed lowly to Harry as he passed and returned to staring menacingly at the other nearby wizards. Harry walked into the great wizarding bank wearing midnight black robes and the Gryffindor sword strapped to his back. He walked alone through the bank floor and kept his eyes focused in front of him.
Upon Harry's entry to the Great Hall of Gringotts, many a goblins heads looked up and grew wide eyed. A door opened at the far side of the hall and a grin formed on Harry's face as he recognized who soon approached him. Wizards, witches, and goblins alike all watched as Harry casually approached the goblin who stepped out from the bowels of the bank to greet him.
"Griphook! How good to see you." Harry called out to the approaching goblin. He was clad in a dark pinstriped suit and had glasses that were hastily laid upon his face. His beady black eyes displayed no emotion, yet the slight upturn of his green lips showed his demeanor.
"Honorable Potter, a pleasant surprise as always." Griphook bowed low to his account holder. "What business do you have today?"
"I wish to speak with King Ragnok. I have an urgent matter to discuss with him." The hall which was already silent, all wizards and goblins equally invested in what was happening before them, grew static with anticipation after the question. Wizards were not known to have dealings directly with the king of English goblins, and none knew of Harry's relationship with Ragnok until now.
Murmurs began to break out and Harry knew immediately that the press would be all over this story in a matter of minutes. Upon conclusion of this meeting he would undoubtedly be called upon many reporters alike to discuss what transpired today. These stories could very well be ones told for many centuries to come, and possible pave the way for closer relations between the goblin nation and the wizarding one.
"He can see you now." Griphook said with a feral grin, his eyes tracking the looks of astonishment written on many peoples faces within the bank. Griphook had already been in talks with Harry prior to the meeting today and was greatly looking forward to what entailed. He then led Harry through to the far end of the bank hall and into the maze like depths of Gringotts. Harry was lead through winding passages and towards a simple, small wooden double door. Two goblins stood on the outside, resplendent in gleaming golden armor and holding wicked steel-tipped spears. They stepped aside upon spotting Harry and Griphook and Griphook opened the doors for Harry to step through.
Ragnok stood up upon seeing his doors open, knowing that only those of importance were allowed into his office without notice. Harry stepped in and bowed deeply to the king of goblins before taking his seat. "This meeting has come at last I see." Ragnok opened the conversation, his deep gravely voice breaking the electrified air.
"We both knew one day it may come to this." Harry responded casually, a small smile upturned on his lips. Ragnok's own lips upturned and he took his seat upon a simple wooden chair. Harry sat down himself and Griphook moved around to the other side of the table and sat next to his king.
"Griphook tells me you have something to bargain." Harry nodded his head and unclasped the scabbard that held Gryffindors sword on his back, and placed it in front of King Ragnok. The kings grin grew feral for a moment when he spotted the glittering, ruby encrusted handle.
"Death Eaters have begun to encroach upon the Romanian Dragon Reserve and Voldemort wishes to use those dragons in his war. A friend of mine who works their believes that Voldemort may have found a way to control the dragons minds."
Ragnok kept his eyes focused on the sword for a minute longer, not muttering a word before he looked up to meet Harry's naturally glowing eyes. "And this news should concern me?"
Harry titled his head to the side slightly, "We both know that Voldemort is not too fond of your race or the power you hold over wizards wealth. You also happen to have several dragons of your own and he would wish to control them."
"My people are warriors, we would fight him and his followers." Ragnok responded with a hiss.
"Yes your people are warriors, good ones." Harry paused for a moment to gage the large goblin across from him. They had talked of the time when they may have to join forces, but Ragnok was always hesitant of it. His people had been deceived by wizards before and Harry didn't blame his lack of trust in them now. "But alone, they would never stand a chance against the combined might of Voldemort's dragons, giants, dementors, and other fell beasts he has yet to unleash, should he defeat us. He would crush you and your people and so goes into the night the legacy of Ragnok King of Goblins under Gringotts."
Ragnok's eyes turned into small black beads and hew as about to snap something out. Griphook next to the large goblin grew wide-eyed at Harry's words, not expecting the meeting to go like this.
Harry however wasn't done and where his features were once hard, softened slightly as did his tone. "But that does yet have to be the history of your people. I will give you the sword of Gryffindor, for I know its value to your people, and the Romanian Dragon Reserve also gift you their dragons, for they know no better dragon tamers than your people."
Ragnok's gruff and leathery features softened slightly as well when Harry laid out the price for what he was about to ask of him. "And for the kingly gifts you offer, what is it that you wish?"
"For your warriors." Harry replied, his tone even and his eyes stayed firm on Ragnoks, neither blinking. Griphook could only look back and forth between the two and waited for his kings response. Goblins fighting alongside wizards had never been accomplished before in the written histories of their peoples, but times changed, and people along with it.
Ragnok finally broke eye contact and looked back down at the sword before him. He reached out to grasp the handle and pulled free the silver blade of Gryffindor. The sword glinted in the firelight of the stony room they sat in and the two goblins looked in awe of the sword.
Suddenly, Ragnok sheathed the sword and pushed it back over to Harry. Harry felt his heart drop as Ragnok stood up and took a step back from the table. He had thought he could convince the goblins to join their side finally, to fight with them.
"It is no longer our people's sword, but yours Lord Potter. Use it well." Ragnok turned his back and approached a back door. Griphook gave an apologetic look to Harry and made to follow his king out of the room. Ragnok stopped suddenly in the doorway and turned his head to look at Harry who still sat in his chair, looking dejectedly at the sword. "The Goblin Nation shall rise to fight our foes like days of old."
–
Harry sat in the astronomy tower with his legs dangling off the edge. The cool breeze that came with the morning light caught his bare legs and sent a shiver up his spine. He sat in much needed silence, meditating on the days to come. Neither Dumbledore or Voldemort had shown their faces in the last several days and for the first time in the last few months it seemed as if things had calmed down. The war had grown to a stalemate with the appearance of Dumbledore and none of the three sides were sure how to react. Harry hoped to use this lull of battle to progress his own side, a side that was in dire need of help.
Two days had passed since his meeting with King Ragnok and he had yet to hear when the army would be assembling, or even if they actually were going to. Maybe it was the goblins turn to deceive the wizards in times of war?
Olaf had also left the Ghost castle in search of his own allies to further aid their cause. Harry had half a heart to think they would never see the former viking king again, but a gut feeling told him Olaf would not disappoint with his promise. He said he would bring soldiers, and Harry was putting faith in the wraith turned man. From what he could tell, Olaf was a man of honor, and his honor tied him to the cause, for as long as some hope remained at least.
Harry watched as the sun rose above the towering green hills to the east of Hogwarts. The rays of sun began to catch hold of the Black Lake and illuminate it with strands of gold. He kept his eyes keen on the western horizon however, half suspecting dementors to come flooding into Hogsmeade which rested peacefully within his eyesight. A great uneasiness had settled within him the last few days. Voldemort had not attacked and neither had Dumbledore shown his face. It caused Harry to sit more on edge than usual.
Instead of dementors and the cold they brought however, a loud trumpet blew to the south from where the Forbidden Forest lain. Harry's head jerked in the direction of the horn blast and watched keenly upon the forest edge. Several more horns answered the call and Harry began to feel a vibration even in the tall tower he sat in. Thud! Thud! Thud! Echoed from the forest and birds and other critters sprang away from what marched through the tree's.
Harry watched enthralled as leagues of goblins, a thousand in total, marched out of the Forbidden Forest, led by a large goblin displayed in golden armor that caught the reflection of the rising sun, illuminating him as if he were a sun on Earth. Harry pushed himself off the edge of the astronomy tower and at the same time, pulled his Yew wand and held it below him, slowing his fall. He landed upon the soft grass with little impact and quickly walked over to the goblin army which had stopped marching once clear of the Forbidden Forest. They formed ranks proudly on the grass that separated the castle and the forest. Aurors and professors began to stream out of the castle to meet their new guests, but it was Harry who reached them first.
The goblin warriors were dressed in heavy grey armor and all carried long spears twice the goblins size along with thick shields that were decorated with intricate designs. Harry approached the lead goblin who wore pure gold and immediately recognized him as King Ragnok.
Harry bowed low to the King and the gesture was returned in kind, "King Ragnok. I did not think you would lead your people."
"I am a warrior, as are my people. We are ready to fight with you, Lord Potter." The goblins behind Ragnok all beat their spears against their shields once and let out a grunt in unison sending a shiver down Harry's spine. He was about to reply to Ragnok when a loud screech sounded through the morning air, causing everyone to stop in their tracks and look to the skies. Minerva had rushed out of the castle still in her nightgown and a black robe thrown around her. Sirius was not too far off, staring in wonder at something high above the broken clouds.
Harry saw Charlie and several others wearing the garments of dragon handlers emerge from the forest just behind the goblins, their figures much taller. Another screech cut through the air and Harry found himself bathed in shadow as a great beast flew high above him before settling on top of the astronomy tower.
Charlie approached Harry with a wild grin, "Norbert was intent upon helping his friends." Harry looked up to the astronomy tower and saw Norbert, the great dragon he had helped to get to Romania. It sat proudly high up on the tower, its great red scales glimmering in the morning light. As if hearing his introduction to Harry, Norbert let out a loud howl that shook the very castle and answered it with a burst of fire that lit the sky.
"I'm glad to see he thinks so highly of me." Harry muttered to himself as he stared in awe at the great dragon.