"Woah." That summed up what I was seeing pretty nicely, yeah.

"Woah, indeed, Rider Potter…" Oromis said as he, Sirius, and I gawked at the enormous vault in front of us - the Arch of Death nowhere in sight. The bare room we had walked out of was gone, replaced with what looked like a covered coliseum. The ceiling stretched so high upward that Glaedr wouldn't be able to reach it if he was standing on his hind legs. Rows of silver coins and golden bars dominated half of the room while the other side was a bit more interesting than precious metals.

"Bloody hell," Sirius muttered as all three of us stopped and stared at what was recessed into the outer walls. "Are those dragon eggs?"

"Yes, they are," I muttered, glancing at Oromis who was ghostly pale - his eyes wide in utter shock. The wall was simply covered in eggs ranging from about as big as the fake I had to retrieve in the Tri-Wiz tournament up to the size of small boulders (of course, those particular eggs looked like boulders too with their dull grey exteriors) coming in all colors of the rainbow. Thankfully, it seemed that the specific Noir who had organized this vault had a bit of sense as the eggs were color-coded. My curiosity was burning as I stepped forward to the first section, reading the bronze placard underneath, and immediately turned sheet white.

"Oh shit," I muttered as I read it again.

"What's wrong, pup?" Sirius asked as he practically materialized by my side as he read the placard too. "Oh… That's what's wrong…"

And the reaction was completely justified by both of us. The inscription read:

Swordtooth of Mali - Extant.

An astounding breed! Only eclipsed in sheer size by the Ironbelly of Ukraine (and that fell species of which name shall not be said), though this beast is more than a match in ferocity. Known to battle and triumph over young Basilisks, the Swordtooth is a quadrupedal dragon with a pair of wings on its back. It appears these wings are not suited to long flights but are used instead to power short, yet swift, leaps onto its chosen prey. Be careful when hatching this dragon, they are swift and aggressive - they will not hesitate to kill those they deem a threat or prey.

Pollux Noir - Head of Family; Twelfth March, This Year of Our Lord 1199

Containment Wards: Stasis field on vault, monitoring, and bonds of blood. No one not of the blood may remove the eggs from the field. War Wards.

"That is seriously not good…" Sirius muttered as he re-read the inscription too. "There were only five of these confirmed to still be alive before I went to Azkaban…"

"And three living when I died," I said as I looked at the hundreds upon hundreds of Swordtooth eggs stretching across the wall and even further recessed within. "You know damn well what would happen if any of these slipped the containment field," I said heavily, staring at the eggs and then back at my godfather when I felt Trae slip behind my shields.

"I would crush them if they posed a threat to us, Harry," the crimson dragon said hesitantly as I turned to meet his eyes. I felt my heartbreak for him as I thought about what would happen if he was forced to end a wild, if infant, Swordtooth.

"You won't have to do that, bud," I said as I laid my hand on his side. "That responsibility falls to us."

"You would kill a hatchling!?" Oromis barked, completely offended and enraged at the very suggestion. I just nodded sadly.

"Yes, I would," his anger flared even higher but I kept going. "You don't understand. The Swordtooth was one of the wildest, strongest dragons back in our homeland. They were infamous for two things: their inability to be tamed and their lethality. What do you remember about Basilisks?" His eyes flickered as he tamped down on his anger, obviously thinking quickly.

"The potency of their venom is… truly awesome," he said slowly, the old inflection of the word clear in the old elf's tone. "And that their stare is death. If this dragon is known to fight and triumph over these creatures…" the old elf trailed off, slightly horrified by all the implications crashing onto him. "They can kill other dragons?"

"Right in one," I answered gravely. "In fact, they've been seen making sport of doing just that. There aren't any other dragons in their habitat for a damn good reason." The elf shuddered and looked around the room in a combination of awe and terror.

"They must be sealed away," Oromis muttered as I grinned.

"Seems we're a few steps ahead of you there. If Sirius wasn't here with us then I doubt we would have been even able to see the vault - much less enter it. It also happens to be under the bonds of blood - nothing that is in this vault can be removed if your name isn't Noir or you have permission from the Noir."

"That is reassuring," Oromis relaxed slightly at the idea as he went back to scanning the room. "What are all housed here?"

"I've found Horntails, Ironbellies, Blacks, Greens, and pretty much all of the other common breeds along with some pretty rare: a couple of Tyrian Stormfangs and more than a few Arctic Whites. If I were to guess, they took at least one or two of every dragon egg they could possibly find." I whistled quietly at the names and implications they held. Hermione wanted to make me a Stormfang coat but the number of galleons it would have cost to get the hide in a legal manner without killing the thing? It would have bankrupted House Black. It was the draconic equivalent to the Thunderbird and some people thought that wearing its hide could give you the power to fly. I wasn't sure if that was true or not but if it was then there was a reason to pay that much for the hide. "And I found some that I know damn well are extinct," Sirius said as he examined a placard in front of a row of golden eggs. He looked up and pointed at them. "These are Pyrenees Kingsprides, yes, the one that House Bourbon hunted to extinction. Those," he indicated a section of eggs that were all the colors of the rainbow, "are Himilayan Jewelscales and I thought I saw one or two Prussian Pyrehearts over there but they're recessed into the wall with a few others, so there may be more than I thought," he said indicating a direction toward the door as he examined two monstrous eggs (that I honestly had mistaken for misplaced boulders) nervously.

"Sirius, what are those?" I asked cautiously, walking up next to him.

"Terrors," he muttered, obviously unnerved by what he saw, "real, live, Roman Terror eggs." I felt a shiver run down my spine as I read the placard with him.

Roman Terror

The Terror of Rome and Bane of Heroes.

Soon to be Extinct.

If these eggs are compromised, run. Do not look back, do not hesitate. For if you do, you will surely die.

When freshly hatched, a mature Basilisk may be able to face this monster though the odds are not with the King of Serpents.

If you are not quick enough to escape, pray it imprints upon you for if it does not?

Abandon Hope.

Draco Corvus Noir: Twenty-Fifth July, This Year of Our Lord 635.

Containment: War Wards. Bonds of Blood. Stasis. Death Curse runic array - breed has proven highly resistant to Avada Kedavra curse, there is no other known spell weakness. Trigger for vault reset. If they hatch, the vault will reset and the Noir possessions shall remain safe - save for those held within when a non-member of the family enters.

"A translation charm?" I asked quietly.

"Not that I know of. I think, think, the vault translates anything written into the language the family head speaks, or at least that's my theory."

"Let's get out of here," I muttered. "You'd think they'd destroy the eggs if the hatchlings are that terrifying…"

"No, pup," Sirius said gravely, "the reason they're here is so that they'll never hatch under the stasis fields. They're damn near impossible to kill and no Noir in their right mind would remove them to wreak havoc on the world. And in here, if they do somehow hatch, then they'll never be able to leave either, you know as well as I do that while they're powerful they still need to eat. They'd be dead in a year if they were trapped here. I'm just glad to see that Draco had the presence of mind to trigger a vault reset keyed to their life force, it makes it that much harder for them to escape and recovery much more simple. This is the 'fell species,' the note on the Swordtooth's placard is talking about."

"I am afraid I do not understand," Oromis said quietly, eyes blazing. "Just what are these Terrors of Rome?"

"A drake that we thought extinct for good reason," Sirius said quietly. "They always had a low birthrate but that comes with being the size of a Mountain," Oromis' eyes widened comically as Sirius raised an eyebrow. "What? Did you think the ten-foot tall eggs were for show?"

"Forgive me, I simply did not understand." The old elf said. Sirius stared him down for a few minutes before nodding.

"So… Am I the only one curious as to what else is in here?"

"Absolutely not, Prongslet," Sirius said with a broad grin.

"That was pointless," Sirius said an hour later. I couldn't have agreed more in all honesty, there were books on dragon taming, taxidermy, and some on magical snakes but considering none of them existed here it was practically worthless. I mean, Ashwinders aren't too hard to create, and Basilisks? I could practically make one of those in my sleep at this point - though I probably never will if I can help it. While there were a few snake eggs around the room, they were few and far between. The Quetzalcoatl was interesting but nothing to write home about but the Hydra and Drakon eggs… Now those were interesting.

"Not entirely," Oromis said as he sat beside the Roman Terror eggs with a book that Hermione would have considered light reading. "The theorems your ancestor Orion Gaius proposed on Fire Magics are astounding! Is there truly a cursed fire you can summon with naught but a flick of your wand?"

"That would be Fiendfyre," I said, wading through the piles of gold to see if there was anything accidentally buried in it. "It's nearly killed me more times than I can count. I saw someone cast that damned spell against me when they were seventeen - of course, he had no control over it and it killed him but the fact that he actually managed to cast it is nothing short of impressive. Though Galbatorix may have gotten a faceful too," I said with a small frown.

"What did you do, Rider Potter?" the elf asked with a ghost of a smile on his face.

"If you had watched the entire memory, you would know already, Oromis," the old elf looked suitably chastened so I went on. "After finding the Eldunari - Padfoot, I'll fill you in later after I get an Oath - I stumbled into the Black King's torture chamber. I was going to help the victim but he was long dead already, but it was the next room that was truly sickening. It was a menagerie made straight out of a nightmare. The animals - no, the monsters - the black king set upon the men and women in that room… Padfoot, they were so bad Hagrid would have wanted them dead."

"It was that bad?"

"Worse. They made his Skrewts look positively tame," I said grimly, turning from the stunned Sirius to a pensive Oromis. "There was one man hanging from the ceiling, long dead, being eaten by birds, some were strapped down but then there was one woman who was pressing herself into a corner to get away… The… things, attacking her… Oromis, they were eating her alive. I could have saved her but I was a split second too slow, the bugs dove into her brain and I felt her die. I cast Fiendfyre to make sure none of those beasts escaped and left it to burn, Galbatorix probably found it at its peak or as it was dying. Either way wouldn't have leant itself to an easy fight."

"This woman, did you know her?"

"No, she was an elf," I said, dropping the bombshell on Oromis who turned milk white. "She was an elf, the three being tortured with her were elves, and the one who was in the torturer's hands was an elf as well. I couldn't save them."

"He had elves?"

"Yes." Oromis was silent as he closed his eyes and clenched his fists.

"I must tell the queen," he said quietly, opening his eyes to meet mine. "I must see this memory, Rider Potter. The Queen as well." I nodded and flicked my fingers, conjuring a crystal phial as I raised a finger to my forehead and drew out a copy of the death of the torturer and the burning of the menagerie. I passed the phial to Oromis who looked at me questioningly.

"Dobby?" I called and a small stone basin appeared in front of me. I smirked slightly but sobered as I met the elf's eyes again. "This is a pensieve, or memory viewer. Pour the contents of the phial into this basin and you'll be able to not only see what I saw but stop the memory at will, be able to move about the area freely, and whatever you can imagine as long as you stay within the confines of the room I was in."

"Then I shall make haste, I will return within the hour," the old elf said as he picked up the basin and sprinted for the door with the grace and speed that would have put an olympic competitor to shame. I felt my jaw fall open as Sirius mumbled bloody hell…

"Indeed… I should claim my vaults while he's away," I muttered and Sirius nodded.

"I don't know why, but I don't trust him."

"I don't either, but we may in time."

"Time we don't have?"

"Possibly."

"But what Queen was he talking about?"

"Islanzadi, Queen of the Elves and a fickle woman," I growled, getting a raised eyebrow from Sirius.

"And what's she done to get that title from you, Prongslet?"

"She tried to lay claim to the Rider swords I liberated from Galbatorix and there wasn't a damn thing I could have done to keep them if it hadn't been for Rhunon stepping in, not in her own court."

"Do you think we can trust her?"

"Absolutely not, I don't even trust Oromis enough to see what's in my vaults yet. The Queen won't be able to even touch the trunk without my permission."

"As great as that is, what vaults do you have? I know I saw the Gryffindor crest but for the life of me I can't remember who the Dragon sigil belonged to. Though, I don't think I really want to know why Grindelwald's Mark is in your trunk."

"It's the Peverell Coat of Arms, Grindelwald stole it on his hunt for the Hallows," I growled.

"The Hallows? As in the Deathly Hallows?"

"Yeah. He and Albus were obsessed with reuniting them when Dumbles graduated from Hogwarts… Though, apparently I'm the master of Death. The whole thing with Albus and Grindelwald was detailed in Skeeter's book, I'm not sure but I may have a copy somewhere." I trailed off with a smirk, Sirius didn't seem impressed.

"That's impossible."

"Like being resurrected? Or how about being in a land where Dragons don't attack first and ask questions later? Where said dragons have a naturally produced soul jar in their chests? What about that seems possible to you? You can't tell me you didn't wonder how I wasn't dead after being stabbed with a cursed dagger. Or maybe you can tell me how you're still alive after falling through the veil?"

"The thought occurred to me… But the tale of the Three Brothers is a children's tale!" He said, focusing on that last sentence since the rest was a bit of an information overload.

"Maybe it is or maybe it's not, we can't exactly ask them now can we? All I know is that I died and I met Death itself. It claimed I was a son of Peverell - the descendant and pinnacle of the Brothers Three, were its exact words - and that I was given a choice of four worlds to dive headfirst into. I chose this one because it seemed like the easiest route out of all of them. Kill a king, have peace, wait to die again. Plain and simple. I should have known it wasn't going to be that damn easy."

"What's that mean?"

"That means I'm now immortal, thanks to being a Rider," Sirius looked utterly stunned so I explained a little more, "it appears that here, all the riders and Elves are functionally immortal for some Merlin forsaken reason. Now I have to visit the four worlds Death offered me and restore balance in all of them. Nothing like being Death's errand boy," I spat.

"That's some shite luck, pup… What do you have to accomplish that?"

"This vault, a battalion of House Elves, You, Astraeus, a few Auror gadgets and gizmos I had on me when I died, and now the Peverell, Gryffindor, and Pendragon vaults."

"Pendragon? You're serious?"

"Completely and utterly. I don't know what's in any of the vaults but I need to at least see what's in the Peverell vault first."

"And I don't disagree if Death addressed you by that name, pup."

"We have around an hour, let's do a quick sweep without Oromis and regroup."

"Let's do it, Prongslet," Sirius said with a small grin on his face as we walked out of the vault side by side. We reached the atrium and I glanced over at Sirius as we made our way to the Peverell vault. "Last chance to back out, Harry." I met his eyes and took a shuddering breath, staring down the Peverell coat of arms and raised my hand.

As soon as I pressed my palm to the cool metal, I felt pressure build up behind my eyes while lightning coursed through my veins. It was agony, terrible, burning agony but I stood firm. Strangely, a sense of approval washed through me but that transformed into determination as a brilliant wave of golden light surrounded us. It coalesced around me and I felt something shift inside my chest as I opened my mouth, I thought I was going to finally scream but it wasn't my voice that spoke.

"The Potter is Dead, Long Live the Potter. I, Harry James, father of James Sirius - the Lord Potter, and Albus Remus - the Lord Black, have no house and hold no ties. I beseech Magic to search my soul, my heart, and my Magic to grant me a new House among the blood of my ancestors. Who would answer the call? House Peverell is dead. House Gryffindor is dead. House Pendragon is dead. House Peverell answers the call, for Death Our Ally. I am Earl Peverell, The Friend of Death Arisen. House Gryffindor answers the call, On Griffin's Wings. I am the Duke Gryffindor, With Lion's Might, I Roar. House Pendragon answers the call, for We Raise the Dragon. I am Prince Pendragon, With Dragon's Rage, I Fight."

Gold, Silver, and Crimson light flooded the antechamber as it erupted from every pore on my body. When the light finally died, I fell to my knees gasping for air as the pain threatened to overtake me.

"Harry!" Sirius yelled as he knelt beside me, "are you alright?" I would have answered him if my entire body didn't feel like it was coursing with electricity. Slowly, I managed to get control back and shook my head slowly.

"Yeah… I'm good. Merlin that was awful," I muttered as I got to my feet.

"You just took on three noble mantles with one being royal, pup, there's a reason people usually never actually take on any besides their naturally born one."

"No kidding… Let's check out the vaults."

"We'll have to hurry if we want to finish before Oromis gets back… but where's your dragon? I figured he would have come running after a show like that."

"He's with Dobby and the rest of the House Elves, he got bored in the Noir Vault and wanted to stretch his wings," I said as I pressed my hand to the door in front of me and watched as the Coat of Arms glowed silver before twisting like a lock. I raised my eyebrow but the door swung open to reveal a library. Really. All that expectation of awesome, ancient treasures and it was a library. A really old library but one all the same - it actually reminded me a lot of Hogwarts, come to think of it. Though, what was more important than knowledge? Scrolls, books, and knowledge of ages passed were all sitting on shelves with arches that led up to windows pouring in what was probably fake sunlight. I looked back down and my eyes landed on something that was seemingly out of place, an obsidian stand with a massive, leather-bound book on top of it. I walked up to it only to find that it had no title. Frowning, I did what was only natural to do with a book, I tried to open it. The book was heavy but it opened all the same, but what really surprised me was what the first page said in flowing script: Αυτό είναι το Αρχείο της οικογένειας Πεβερελλ. Για γνώση και υψηλότερο σκοπό, έτσι ώστε να μην ξεχνάμε ποτέ. [1]

I almost smacked myself in the forehead at the thought that it might have been in English, instead, they went with Greek. One of the few languages I didn't know anything about. I just sighed and looked up for Sirius, hoping he may be able to make more sense of it than I could.

"Sirius!?"

"Yeah, pup?"

"Do you speak Greek?"

"Not a lick. Why?"

"This book's completely in it from what it looks like," I said as I thumbed through it as Sirius trotted up to look at it alongside me.

"Well, that's just bad luck. I'm sure there's a book on how to learn the language in here somewhere, though this place is enormous."

"I'll look for one later, but something tells me this book is going to be incredibly important…"

"And it may be, pup, but let's keep moving. I thought I saw a door over that way," he said, flicking his head to his right. "Want to go check it out?"

"What kind of question is that?" I asked with a mischievous grin. "Race you there," I transformed into my Eagle form, getting a squawk of disbelief from Siri as I shot off in the direction he indicated. Nearly instantly, I saw the door and barreled toward it at full tilt, pulling my wings up and slowing to just the perfect height and speed I could end the flight at a walking pace even as Sirius raced to catch up. But that's where the levity stopped for me, the door was another vault door - or at least that's what it looked like. I frowned and pressed my hand to the Peverell coat of arms but nothing happened. "I am Earl Peverell, open." Still, nothing happened. I frowned but turned around to see Padfoot hauling ass toward me as fast as he could before skidding to a stop.

"YOU HAVE TWO BLOODY ANIMAGUS FORMS!? AND YOU DIDN'T TELL ME!?" The man child yelled as he transformed back into his human form. I just grinned.

"Of course not! Where's the fun in telling you when I can do something like that!"

"Damn… you are your father's son, Prongslet," he said with a grin. "But why haven't you opened the door yet?"

"I tried to but there's either a password or key needed, we can find out later."

"We just got here and you're ready to leave already?"

"What can I say, Padfoot? I'm most certainly not Hermione. We can come back to the library later - I want to see what's in Gryffindors vault."

"Sold. What in Godric's name are we waiting for!?"

"Merlin…" I whispered with wide eyes.

"Morganna's saggy teats… How many are there?"

"I don't know, Siri." And I didn't, there were hundreds of eggs on the walls with stylized icons on the wall depicting a trio of Lions in the center of the room (one with a silver coat, another with a Scorpion's tail, and a Chimera with dragon wings) with two birds on the left and right of the far lions, the four birds looking in toward the three lions roaring proudly. "Do you have any idea what the birds are? I only recognize the Firebird and Thunderbird on the right."

"It looks like a Roc but, if I'm correct, the other has been dead since the fall of Egypt."

"So, are you going to say what it is or keep it to yourself?"

"It's a Sol Aquila and though that literally means Sun Eagle, it's actually closer to a Sun Falcon. They haven't been seen since the fall of the last Hellenic Dynasty when Octavian took Egypt. It's said that when Egypt finally fell, Ra did as well and so the Falcons disappeared, never to be seen again. More than likely they were hunted to extinction."

"So, we have two birds of Fire and two of Thunder?"

"It would look that way, yes," Sirius said interestedly. "I can't believe there are so many of the eggs though… How long did House Gryffindor collect these?"

"If Sun Falcons haven't been seen since the fall of Egypt, then that's the latest they would have been hunting them… But, by the looks of it, House Gryffindor is much, much older than anyone could have thought." I pursed my lips but nodded anyway, placing my hand on one of the Silver Eggs and felt it pulse with life.

"Dragons, Lions, Birds, Drakes, Serpents… Sirius, we have the power to rebuild entire species with what we've found just today…"

"Yeah, but what's behind those doors?" He raised his hands and pointed to the two simple, wooden doors on each side of the egg racks - one carved with a lion and one carved with an eagle.

"I'm not sure, but I want to check the lion door first."

"A fine choice, Duke Gryffindor," Sirius said as he strode up to the door and pulled it to, bowing as he held it open with his hand extended to the opening. "After you, milord."

"Oh hush you," I said but couldn't help but grin as I stepped through the door and into another circular room but this time there were no eggs in sight - just more doors and a book in the middle. Again.

"Oh, c'mon! Another book!?" Sirius cried as he stepped inside too. I frowned and walked toward the book that had a rampant lion embossed on the front. I opened it as Sirius squawked in terror. I jerked my eyes up to see him bent over examining the plaques placed by the doors. "They have Gigasleones!? Those went extinct centuries ago! How are these here!?"

"Okay, what on Earth are Gigasleones?" I asked as I looked at a plaque that said lesser chimaera.

"Name on the box, Prongslet. Gigasleon - Giant Lion. Simple as that. They're native to Greece and were constantly mistaken for Nemean Lions because of their sheer size."

"How big are we talking?"

"Twenty feet at the shoulder," I felt my eyes widen as Sirius grinned maniacally. "Yeah, it actually wasn't a bad thing they died out… 3500 years ago…" I let out a low whistle at the number. The more we found, the more questions that were raised…

"I couldn't imagine how it would have been a bad thing for them to die but 3500 years? Barmy," I muttered as I massaged my forehead but paused as another thought hit me. "How do you know so much about creatures anyway?"

"I didn't have Hagrid as my Care of Magical Creatures professor." Really there was nothing I could say that could actually counter that so the less said the better. We didn't say anything else as we moved through the room examining the plaques.

"Just more creatures in here then?"

"And the book," I said, frowning. I picked the book up and dropped into my bag unceremoniously so I could read it later. "But we can come back to sort or catalogue them later if that's not what I'm holding right now. Eagle door?"

"Eagle door," he grinned broadly as we left the Lion room and to the Eagle room. I'll be honest, my expectations weren't exactly high but the room blew me away. The place was a veritable museum of arms and armor divided by nation and era.

"Merlin…" I muttered as I looked around the room in utter awe.

"Couldn't have said it better myself, Prongslet. This is insane."

"That it is," I muttered as I examined the most recent compartment: crimson laminated Greenwich plate, circa fifteen hundred. "House Gryffindor was around until at least the sixteenth century."

"How do you know that, pup?"

"Hermione."

"Ah."

"That's all you can say?"

"That's all I need to say."

"Alright, point to you," I said with a grin as I examined the mail critically. While mine was definitely lighter I could see the appeal in this style. The strangest thing, though, was that the mannequin the armor was resting on had it's right arm raised above its head with a heater shield (bearing the Gryffindor coat of arms borne proudly on the face) on it's left… It almost looked like the armor should have had a weapon in its hand.

"Would not want that, looks too heavy for my tastes."

"It actually wouldn't be that bad, Siri, but I agree. I prefer my own."

"You have armor?" He looked genuinely surprised as I grinned manically and slapped my chest with a hiss, the metal bands springing to life instantly. Sirius jerked backward as the bands of metal, shoulder pads, greaves, gauntlets, and blank faceplate appeared out of nowhere. "Holy shit, you have armor!" I gave a bark of laughter and deactivated it, letting the plates slide back into my coat.

"I have armor! What do you think?"

"I think it's incredible!" he cried as he looked at me in awe. "Where can I get a set?"

"Hermione."

"Ah."

It felt like we were in the vault for hours pouring over the different armor sets, swords, axes, spears of all varieties, and rudimentary firearms that were few and far between - a wheellock here, a matchlock there, a few primitive flintlocks in the later periods but nothing that could be considered a modern weapon. It was probably the most pedantic, extensive, even bordering on ridiculous armory of Asiatic-European weapons and armor that I had ever seen. The tower of London came close but that was like comparing a Flobberworm to a Horned Serpent, while they both had similarities there was no mistaking which was better. But now we were standing in front of the vault that people had been hunting for centuries, the Vault of House Pendragon.

My hands were shaking as I raised my hand and glanced over at Sirius who was practically vibrating in excitement. I took a breath and laid my palm on the cold steel. I pushed gently and the door swung open easily. I stepped inside and felt my eyes widen in shock.

"The Dragon's den?!" I asked incredulously at the familiar room that was only slightly modified from what I knew.

"The what?" Sirius asked as he followed me into the almost locker room like area. Eleven alcoves surrounding a center stone in the room with a hilt protruding from it. I noticed the sword at the same time Sirius did. Instantly, the mutt ran over and tried to drag the sword from the stone, strain for all he was worth, only to let go with the sword still stuck in the rock. There was nothing said as I walked over to the rock. I felt my breath hitch as I wrapped my fingers around the cold leather and pulled up - but nothing happened. Defeated, I let go of the hilt.

"Damn, I thought for sure you would have had it pup," Siri said morosely, looking around the room as I stared at the hilt thoughtfully. "You said you knew where we were at?"

"I did."

"Well?"

"This is the Dragon's Den."

"And is that supposed to mean something to me? I mean the only thing I can figure is that there are ten other nooks besides the one we came in, each has a coat remarkably similar to yours, has a door on the left of it, and one alcove is lit up." My head snapped up immediately and a glow from in front and to the right of me immediately caught my eye. I rushed over and took the familiar coat in my arms, struggling to grasp what this meant. "Pup?"

"Morganna…" I whispered. For a few seconds I could only stare at the coat as my mind whirled with possibilities. I dropped the coat on the bench and turned to the sword, the elder wand already in my hand with a string of spells rushing through my mind. I cast the charms as fast as I could, forcing Sirius to back away so as to not be caught in the veritable tide of magic. "Harry! Talk to me, pup!" Sirius demanded as I finally stopped casting.

"I have to go…" I muttered, meeting Sirius' eyes as the spells, impossibly, connected.

"Go where?"

"Southeast. Eight-hundred, seventy miles - give or take about ten."

"You'd kill yourself in a trip like that Harry!"

"It's two jumps Sirius!" I roared, "And what would you have me do!? Wait!? No! I have to go!" I barked as I turned on my heel, summoning the coat to my hand as I left Sirius chasing me. I threw the vault door open only to come face to face with Oromis wandering around the chamber trying to open the Noir vault and failing miserably. The elf spun around but relaxed when he saw us exit the Pendragon vault.

"Rider Potter," he said as he met in the center of the room. "The Queen has asked to see you."

"Not right now, Oromis. Something's come up," I said as I went for the ladder.

"You misunderstand, Young Rider. The Queen has requested to see you post-haste. I'm afraid that as her guest it is polite to heed these summons. There is also the small matter that she is hosting a feast in honor of the dragon egg's recovery and would have you, and Astraeus, attend. You are welcome as well Sirius."

"Oromis, I'm sorry, but I have to go," I insisted desperately.

"To where?"

"I don't know exactly, but I know it's almost nine hundred miles to the Southeast."

"In the Beor mountains? Rider Potter, I do not know if you understand the enormity of the task you face. Especially as night has fallen. I urge you to heed the Queen and join the feast." I raised my eyebrow and summoned a ball of light to my hand. He looked at me flatly as Sirius spoke up.

"Pup, if these are this Queen's lands you need to go see her. But Oromis, what else can you tell us about the Beors?"

"They are the tallest mountains in the known world with the jewel of the peaks, Farthen Dur, reaching ten miles into the air," I nearly blanched at the number. Everest was only half that height… "And the Beors span over seventy-five million hectares of land, even if you can see by night you would need the Dwarves to assist you in your hunt. Feast, Rider Potter, your quarry shall wait."

"Hectares?" I asked dully.

"One hectare is two acres, pup," Sirius said blankly, "or one square kilometer is a hundred hectares, the Beors span seventy-five thousand square kilometers…" I did blanch this time. After all, that was a ton of land to cover. I clenched my fist and closed my eyes, sighing before meeting Oromis' shining eyes.

"Take us to the Queen."

Partner of my Heart… What madness is this?

'An elvin feast is what they call it, bud.'

Madness. The crimson dragon said from his place at my side as we tried to figure out what was happening.

"Harry, what in Merlin's name is going on?" Sirius muttered from my other side, getting a smirk out of me.

"I'm not sure, but if I have to eat one more freaking leaf," I muttered as I sat back in my chair with my wine.

"Quite."

Aye.

The feast was a large affair, I had thought the Queen wished to see me but no, in fact she just wanted to have me at the feast as quickly as possible, so summoned me without even speaking. So, here I was at a table large enough for five hundred elves to sit around comfortably while Astraeus laid his head on the table and Sirius drank as much wine as he could without getting drunk.

"Getting restless, are you boy?" a voice from behind me called as a chair next to Sirius was pulled out and Rhunon flopped into it.

"Just a bit, there's a lead I need to chase and sitting around a table feasting isn't doing me any good," Rhunon gave a dismissive wave of her hand as she snatched the wineskin from Sirius and took a drag of it herself despite the old mutt's protests.

"Then chase your lead boy! What's stopping you?"

"The lead's in the Beors."

"So what? The dwarves would help any rider at the drop of a hat, except those bastard Anhuin, that is. They're as likely to kill you as they would Galbatorix simply because the beast by your side hatched for you."

"And why's that?"

"Vrael and the last of the true riders fought Galbatorix and their clan got caught in the crossfire, lost thousands of men that day and blamed all the riders for it - free or Forsworn. Nah, you'll need to find Hrothgar. He's a good king, fair too. He's a member of the Ingeitum, the smith's clan, and has ruled the dwarves for nearly a century now. You'll find him in Tronjheim beneath Farthen Dur. Tell the Dwarves old Rhunon sent you or, failing that, the Queen did and they'll take you straight to the old war hammer himself - may not be gentle about it, but you'll get your audience with the King."

"Thank you, I'll be leaving at daybreak."

"What could be so important that you won't drink your arse off with the rest of us!? Take the night to relax, and tomorrow too, you'll need it when I break out the proper stuff. It's not everyday you get to celebrate the return of dragons and your best works after all! Ha! Bastard thinks he could steal from me! You showed him!" I grinned slightly as the elf leaned back in her chair much to Sirius' amusement but felt it slip from my lips.

"An old friend could be."

"Ohhh! I see! There's a lady you're chasing then!" Rhunon roared with laughter getting Astraeus to blow a puff of smoke as he turned to face her. "Tell us about this lady that has you rearing to cross the Hadarac, Argetlam! Not everyone's worth crossing that hell for!"

"I had a wife, Rhunon, I'm afraid there won't be another like her for a long time and this friend wouldn't be it. Unfortunately, I don't think I have the proper plumbing to excite her," I said with a smirk that had the old elf roaring even harder.

"Ah! That was a good one, Argetlam!" she said as she stood up, "come with me, I notice you still have that damn poker on your hip. No, that one's too long for you! It'll need to be shortened by at least half a foot if you want to swing it properly! Come now, we haven't all night if you want to leave on the morrow!"

"I have a second that may be more fitting to my size," I said after a brief second of hesitation.

"A second? Lad, you had near a hundred different swords that would suit you better than Undthin there," she said as I finally stood up. "But by all means, show me this magic sword you can pull out of your bottomless ruck. And summon a crimson one too, while you're at it!" I just grinned, unslung my pack, and summoned a red sword as requested. I handed it over only for her to shove it through her belt unceremoniously and look at me with a raised, unimpressed eyebrow. I shook my head at the bloody woman and reached to my mokeskin pouch, summoning the sword of Gryffindor. I pulled the blade out and, the moment it was free, Rhunon nearly snatched it from my hands.

"Careful," I said, keeping the hilt tightly in my hand and another hand on the special made sheathe. "It's coated in a terribly powerful venom."

"Poison?" She spat derisively, "I didn't take you as a craven, Argetlam."

"I didn't. I killed a great, ruddy snake and the sword did the rest. Soaked up the venom like a sponge, it did. Apparently, it's a special quality of the metal, I haven't quite worked out how it works yet and don't think I ever will."

"Let's say I do believe you and there is poison on the blade, just how strong is this alleged venom?" she asked as I handed the blade over to her. She drew the blade with narrowed eyes, giving a few slashes through the air.

"Strong enough that if you spilled a single drop in a well, it would kill any who drank it for centuries. And it wouldn't be a clean death, either," I said gravely.

"Either that's a load of shite and you believe it, or it's true… Either way, this is a shite sword to use against full plate. Will it break?"

"No, it's been spelled unbreakable."

"Can it be reforged?"

"I'm not certain. The blade was forged by Goblins and there are things about it that I'm still discovering to this day."

"Alright… Will this venom stay in the metal or vaporize and kill me if I heat it?"

"I… I don't know the answer to that."

"Hm, well, I've lived long enough as it is. Let's see what happens. I'll make you the finest sword in Alagaesia. I was a fool to make that thrice damned oath but as long as I'm not making another sword, my oath will remain true… Hand me Undthin, Argetlam, I may need it's steel too if I'm to do this properly. Either way, I'll have you a sword fit for a Rider or be food for a tree when you return. Since you don't wear this toothpick, I assume you have an alternative?"

"A dagger imbued with some of the same venom," I knelt and drew the blade from my boot to let her exam it.

"Oh, now this I like, Argetlam!" She said as she spun the KA-BAR styled knife in her palm. It too was Goblin made but this was reworked by a master smith I met in America who knew how to reforge Goblin steel to perfection - I actually had as many of them made as I could from an old Goblin wrought chandelier I found in my trust vault, though why House Potter had that was beyond me - and dipped in Juliet's venom. "A good, strong, fast knife! Yes, I do believe I'll be copying this style in the future," she said as she handed the blade back to me hilt first. "I'll have the sword ready for you when you return, Rider. But keep in mind, while the Beors are home to the Dwarves, they are not the masters of the mountains. There are more creatures there that could kill you before you knew you were dead. Stay alert, keep constant vigil, and you'll have your lady back in Ellesmera in no time!" Before I could get a word of protest in, she was gone with Sirius staring after her like a lost pup. I smacked the back of his head and his yelp got another puff of smoke out of Astraeus.

Tomorrow, you will leave me. The red dragon said mournfully and I felt my heart clench.

'I won't be gone long, Trae. You can learn from Glaedr.'

Aye, the old crippled one. No, I would be better to learn on my own devices.

'No, you wouldn't. Crippled he may be but he is still worthy to listen to.'

Tales of glory long past and failure that haunts Rider and Dragon to this very day… No, Harry, he is not a worthy teacher.

'Maybe you'll think differently one day, my friend, but if you don't then I'll hatch one of the Pyrehearts to help you.'

A beast without a true thought in its head? No, that would be worse… The last hope is in the pouch around your neck.

'The eggs? Yes, they would be helpful, wouldn't they? But they can't teach you about your history.'

The Eldunari can do that, I want a hatchmate… the crimson dragon said quietly and I felt my heartbreak for the not so little guy.

'I wanted a brother or sister too, Trae, and one day the eggs will hatch.'

When? When I am old and untouchable to the young? No. I know only you, the Dog-man, Yaela, Vanir, and Wyrden as friends. The old Elf-of-Fire-and-Metal is trustworthy but the Rider-who-is-crippled and the Dragon-of-three-legs are broken. The Eldunari were Dragons, whole and strong, until they were slain and ripped from their own chests. They died fighting. Oromis and Glaedr have already died, they just don't know it. I felt my jaw fall as I struggled to work out a response to that.

'Then learn from the Eldunari, and wait for the next dragon to rise… We aren't alone, Trae. We have each other.'

We do, partner of my heart. Go, rest, you leave on the morrow for the Beors without me…

'We haven't tried flying together, yet, bud…'

The journey would be long, Harry… He warned me seriously, pressing his head to my chest. But I would have it no other way.

'I wouldn't either, but if we have to fly separately, we'll fly high to make sure you're safe. You still have the portkey?'

Aye. It itches between my scales but it is a necessity.

'Tomorrow then?'

Tomorrow, Partner of my heart. Tomorrow, we fly. I couldn't help the grin that stretched across my face as I felt Astraeus' excitement flood through our bond.

"Rider Potter," and just like that my grin froze on my face and Astraeus' excitement transformed to annoyance.

"Queen Islanzadi," I said as I rose from my feet to face the Queen that snuck up from behind me. "It is a pleasure to see you, your Majesty."

"And it is good to see you well. Oromis told me of your… Shall we say incident?" I couldn't help a small wince as the Queen's delicate eyebrow lifted.

"It was not my finest hour."

"On the contrary, Argetlam," she said with a small smirk. "Oromis told me of the secret he holds for you," my eyebrows shot to my forehead at that particular revelation, "and I was quite impressed by what he said of your skills."

"Thank you, Majesty. Did he tell you how I fell?" I asked quietly.

"No," she said, her eye twitching slightly in annoyance. "He kept the specifics to himself, though he spoke of a chamber of seventeen doors with rooms that should not be possible. Though, most intriguing to me, were the five doors of metal."

"One of those is of no importance, Majesty. One I cannot speak of as it is not mine to speak of."

"No, that would be mine," Sirius said as he stood up and faced the Queen.

"You are the Master Black Oromis spoke of?"

"I am, Queen Islanzadi. But I am the Lord Noir."

"Lord Noir? An interesting title, one I have not heard before."

"I am a simple lord of my house, Majesty. Unfortunately, that is all we can be right now as we are seperated from our lands."

"Yes, this different world theory Oromis informed me that you believe in," she said with a dismissive wave of her hand. I felt myself tense even more as she dropped that particular bombshell - in that moment I realized I never got that oath from Oromis. I felt my rage build but shoved it aside ruthlessly as I glared down the Queen while berating myself. In the confusion of the haste to get to the Eldunari, the chamber I made for them, the magical exhaustion, and the Vaults, I completely forgot to get the oath from the old elf.

"You understand that secret is of the utmost importance, that it should not be discussed with any sentient being?"

"I do indeed," she said with a smirk, "though I remain curious as to what was behind the other three?"

"Those would be the vaults of my forefathers, filled with memorabilia I'm afraid. Would you like to hear about the families?" I asked, gesturing to my seat for her to take. She did so gracefully as I conjured another seat exactly like hers and took Astraeus' position at the table.

"House Gryffindor," I started slowly, "a house that history knows little about. The most famous Gryffindor was a man that went by the name of Godric, a warmage and swordmaster of renown," Sirius grinned as the Queen met my eyes with interest and greed plain to see. "Though, as strong a warrior he may have been, he preferred to be a teacher. His legacy was of education and of bravery, chivalry, and courage. He was a good man, a strong man whose line ended years ago - but his legacy lives in me.

"Then there is House Pendragon…" I said wistfully, "vaunted and royal, the house of Uther and Arthur. A legendary house of myth and legend thought lost to time, it was thought the line was cut with Arthur, yet I am here and his vault is there. House P-" I stopped as the White Raven from the throne room swooped in and landed in front of me. The Raven croaked and looked at me with it's head cocked to the side, though I could have sworn his eyes pulsed silver.

[2] "Once, three brothers… were traveling along a lonely, winding road…" the Raven said and I felt my blood run cold.

"In time, the brothers reached a river too deep to wade through and too dangerous to swim across." I looked over at Sirius and saw he was just as freaked out as I was. "However, these brothers were learned in the magical arts, and so they simply… made a bridge appear across the treacherous water. They were halfway across it when they found their path blocked by a hooded figure. And Death spoke to them. He was angry that he had been cheated out of the three new victims, for travelers usually drowned in the river. But Death was cunning. He pretended to congratulate the three brothers upon their magic, and said that each had earned a prize for having been clever enough to evade him." This couldn't be happening right now. I looked back at Astraeus only to see we weren't alone. I swore under my breath as I saw the Elves gathered round the Queen to listen to the Raven.

"So the oldest brother, who was a combative man, asked for a wand more powerful than any in existence: a wand that must always win duels for its owner, a wand worthy of a wizard who had conquered Death! So Death crossed to an elder tree on the banks of the river, fashioned a wand from a branch that hung there, and gave it to the oldest brother," I didn't realize I was clenching my fist, a fist that was strangely full. But I paid it no mind, already too busy trying to figure out what this could mean.

"Then the second brother, who was an arrogant man, decided that he wanted to humiliate Death still further, and asked for the power to recall others from Death. So Death picked up a stone from the riverbank and gave it to the second brother, and told him that the stone would have the power to bring back the dead," cold pinched around my finger, but again I ignored the sign.

"And then Death asked the third and youngest brother what he would like. The youngest brother was the humblest and also the wisest of the brothers, and he did not trust Death. So he asked for something that would enable him to go forth from that place without being followed by Death. And Death, most unwillingly, handed over his own Cloak of Invisibility." And a weight settled on my shoulders. Yet again, I watched the Raven.

"Then Death stood aside and allowed the three brothers to continue on their way, and they did so talking with wonder of the adventure they had had and admiring Death's gifts. In due course the brothers separated, each for his own destination.

"The first brother traveled on for a week more, and reaching a distant village, sought out a fellow wizard with whom he had a quarrel. Naturally, with the Elder Wand as his weapon, he could not fail to win the duel that followed. Leaving his enemy dead upon the floor the oldest brother proceeded to an inn, where he boasted loudly of the powerful wand he had snatched from Death himself, and of how it made him invincible. That very night, another wizard crept upon the oldest brother as he lay, wine-sodden upon his bed. The thief took the wand and for good measure, slit the oldest brother's throat. And so Death took the first brother for his own.

"Meanwhile, the second brother journeyed to his own home, where he lived alone. Here he took out the stone that had the power to recall the dead, and turned it thrice in his hand. To his amazement and his delight, the figure of the girl he had once hoped to marry, before her untimely death, appeared at once before him. Yet she was sad and cold, separated from him as by a veil. Though she had returned to the mortal world, she did not truly belong there and suffered. Finally the second brother, driven mad with hopeless longing, killed himself so as to truly join her. And so Death took the second brother from his own.

"But though Death searched for the third brother for many years, he was never able to find him. It was only when he had attained a great age that the youngest brother finally took off the Cloak of Invisibility and gave it to his son. And then he greeted Death as an old friend, and went with him gladly, and, equals, they departed this life." [2] The raven croaked out and shook himself, one of his eyes flashing crimson and the other gold before he gave a final caw and took wing.

"Interesting…" Islanzadi murmured, but I barely heard her - too far gone in my own thoughts. "Blagden has been known to spout prophecy and riddles but nothing like this."

"He is a cunning beast," a new voice said. I whirled around to see where it came from and saw a cloaked man walking towards us through the trees. "The tale is true. Death our Ally, Death our Liege. The Prophecy fulfilled. The Friend of Death Arisen. It has been many years since a Master has been revealed. We are Trion, Lord Peverell, and we are at your service." The man stopped in front of me and knelt, removing his hood to reveal a face whiter than bone and hair brighter than crimson. He opened his mouth to speak again but was interrupted by the screams of the Elves.

[1] - I do not speak Greek and to any who do, I sincerely apologize for the butchery that I most likely committed there. I will not be providing a translation but if it is wrong feel free to PM me if you know what I'm trying to get across.

[2] - Anything in bold between these two notes are direct quotes from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, making it JK Rowling's property and her property alone. She just graciously allows us to play in her sandbox. Chapter 21: The Tale of Three Brothers - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

AN: Hey guys, I know this fic said it was updated on Fifth February 2021 but those were just a few minor updates: I removed the first chapter which was two paragraphs of AN and edited the titles of each chapter slightly. Hope this makes up for that! Now, this is the last chapter of set up and we can finally get onto the good stuff. Here's something I've read before in another fanfic where an author referenced his beta, the gist of it was that there are two kinds of chapters: vegetables and meat. We're past the monotonous, boring vegetables now and starting toward the good stuff and getting to the meat of the story. Concerning Rhunon's character, she may seem a bit OOC right now but for good reason. Thank you all for reading and please leave your thoughts in the reviews! I'll see you all in the next chapter!