I own neither franchise! Most of World of Warcraft's 'Shadowlands' lore is not going to be cannon in this fic, because Pebble was outlined and early chapters written before the lore was available. I think my fic will make more sense with ignoring the expansion anyway.
Chapter 15: Many Whelps! Handle it!
That night, after the feast had wound down, all eight hale dragons, their Lord, Hermione Granger, four Weasleys and the Tonks couple stood in a side chamber of the Chamber of Secrets. Between the users of magic, it had been expanded greatly, given a shallow pool, and now their 'nursery' was ready for its occupants. Harry felt decidedly nervous as they gathered food on the side of the room, enough to feed all of the new arrivals. Luckily the dietary needs for all seventy-nine creatures about to be released was the same: meat, organ meat, and some bones to chew on. Between the Castle's elves and the Basilisk corpse, which Alira and Dalistraza both agreed was safe to eat, there was enough food handy for several weeks at least.
Another discussion before dinner had wiped away most of Harry's doubts about using the oath ritual. In a room magically sealed off the Chamber of Secrets main hall, Caliona, Talion, and Vespiona had brought their concerns to their Lord. Harry had honestly not given much thought to the incredibly powerful creatures that had crafted the Dragonflights. The gist of their discussion was that the 'loyal' Dragonflights considered the Black, Chromatic, and Twilight Dragonflights slaves of the Old Gods, while those three groups considered the 'loyal' Blue, Bronze, Green, and Red Dragonflights slaves of the Titans. (The Storm Dragons fell into this category as well, though they simply didn't seem to leave their island home often.) Sadly, both sides were right.
He felt a spark of hate towards the Titans for what had been done to his friends. Though the dragons born of the four original, loyal flights would argue until they ran out of breath the benevolent Titans had uplifted their race, the truth was uglier. The Titan Pantheon had, for whatever reason, seen a powerful race of creatures on Azeroth and through either compulsion, deception, or threats 'gifted' that very young race with service to the Titans. When the Pantheon re-shaped the dragons, they had left a void, a need inside of each of them, regardless of color, that ensured their service. On Azeroth, this was filled by the magic that flowed from each Dragon Aspect imbued with Titan's power and magic, to every member of their Dragonflight.
All dragons that shared a color also shared a magical bond that flowed through the entire Flight, and more than anything else, it was apparently intended to usurp their will. Malygos's madness and the war he started, Alexstraza's captivity and the unwilling service of so much of her Flight; Harry was even convinced that the fall of the Black Dragonflight into madness and evil was the result of Deathwing's madness flowing through this bond and directly into every mind it touched.
Now, Harry Potter would step forward and offer what protection he could to seventy-nine minds. Good God, I hope I can give them better than what they'd have. This Oath, at least I can give them my loyalty in return. I will be a better leader than they've had. I will give them a better future on this world! I Refuse to fail them!
Aurogos, the resident expert (or honestly just the closest thing they had) on the Prison Sphere finished one last measurement of the room before nodding. There was a large X scratched into the stone, directly in the middle. Now, they were absolutely sure there was enough space for the released creatures to fit.
Caliona, once the third in command of the Twilight Group, handed Harry the necklace that had been around Ralion's neck when he first stepped through the portal not quite a week ago. While Caliona hadn't spoken as much with Harry due to her injury, she had been watching him carefully. In him, she saw another hurt soul, a great deal of potential, and perhaps hope.
Harry had done everything he could for them, ever since she'd stumbled through the portal and a human teen had treated her bleeding, infected throat. The next morning, she found she much preferred his solution to feeding her, it had more dignity than one of the others chewing a rabbit and giving her the results. He even had Hermione use magic so she wouldn't eventually soil herself laying on the floor. Harry had been kind to her, and in her life that was so very, very rare.
Giving him a smile, showing a lot of teeth, she gave him instructions. "That is the key. Touch the key to the sphere without touching the sphere with anything else, then turn it like this. It will probably take magic from you to release the seal. You will need to move backwards quickly. We really have no idea what orientation those inside will have when they emerge. Don't die under a pile of whelps please."
Her last few words carried a light, humorous tone. Harry gave her a smile and turned back to his assigned task. Looking back as he strode towards the sphere, he saw the drakes and humans were standing as had been suggested by Vespiona. It was collectively agreed that those who had traveled with Valistraza should be in the more prominent position, with the new drakes in a more submissive posture to the side.
The humans stood behind the new faces, save Hermione who was standing with the original three. Talion had actually insisted, arguing this would help show those in stasis that she was with them and could be trusted. Harry would take his place between the two groups of drakes as soon as he was able.
Feeling as if a great responsibility was about to settle onto his shoulders, Harry steeled his wits and carefully activated the mechanism. While a rather significant drain on his magic, it was not as bad as casting a Fidelius Charm. Once his magic was taken, the sphere glowed briefly, and Harry sprinted away. With so many healers here, he was unlikely to die if he was stepped on, but just the same he preferred to avoid having a mature dragon dropped on top of him.
In a flash of pink light and a 'whoosh' sound, the empty space around the sphere was no longer empty. The nameless mage that had been experimenting on whelps, covetous of the dragon's longevity and power had stolen whelps wherever he could over at least five years. Apparently he had built his tower a decade before that, beginning the foundation as soon as he could summon and control water elementals according to his journals. He had been careful and clever with his collecting, and had never been caught. With so much war and chaos on Azeroth, those poor souls he stole away in the dead of night were simply assumed dead.
Now, with some luck, their fortunes would change for the better. Eight each of Black, Red, and light purple Twilight whelps found themselves on the floor, looking around to take in their new surroundings. Mixed around the room were five Blue whelps, sixteen teal Netherwing whelps, five Bronze whelps, thirteen Storm whelps with varied colors from silver and light blue to a shade of purple distinct from the Twilight and Chromatic, and fifteen dark purple Chromatic whelps. While there were certainly some differences beside color, the whelps all held the same body-structure: proportionally larger heads than the drakes, rounder bodies, two tiny horns on their heads, (except the Netherwing, who had just the single horns) and small enough that Harry could comfortably carry one under each arm.
And towering above them, blinking to restore her vision, was the Red Dragon Broodmother Valistraza. A creature of crimson red scales with a white-cream underside from the end of her tail club to her lower jaw, her head was decorated with five horns: The first on her nose, then a longer pair sweeping up and backwards from the scales on her forehead above her eyes with the short final pair behind and above her mouth. All five horns were rounded down, to prevent accidents with the whelps.
Harry's first thought upon seeing her was that he would need a bigger castle for the drakes that had given their loyalty when they became adults. Well, Potter Manor is rubble right now, might as well build it bigger than it was before.
His second thought compared her to the other adult dragon he had experience with. She's about the same size as the Horntail was, but holy crap that's a lot more muscles under her scales. Those spikes on her tail aren't as long as the Horntail's, but I'm sure hers are sturdier. An altogether different creature, not even counting the intelligence I can see in her eyes. I would not have survived stealing an egg from her.
Looking Valistraza in the eyes as she began to take in the sights around her, her eyes soon focusing on the Red, Blue and Green drakes, Harry brought attention to himself, wanting to reassure the new arrivals. With the aid of a minor charm to increase the volume, he welcomed her. Ƥ: "Valistraza, you are safe here! Your charges are safe here! Your clutch is safe here, mixed blood or not! The eggs you carry will be subject to the Titan's laws only over my charred, smoking corpse!"
Harry ignored the gasps from the drakes and kept his eyes locked with the Broodmother's own. Ƥ: "You are on a different world than the one whereyou took your first breath. There are still dangers here, but none threaten us right now. Please, fill your stomachs. But first, all of you! Alira the Green is a Broodmother in training, Dalistraza the Red is a healer and her brother Senastrasz is her assistant, two of the humans behind them are trained healers of this world. While you eat, they will begin examining you for what healing you may need, please allow them to help you."
With that, most of the tension in Valistraza's bearing was released. She stalked forward, outpacing the whelps to turn her flames onto the offered food as was expected. Very young whelps needed their food 'prepared,' and it didn't harm the nutrition much for the older ones either. Taking a seat, allowing her greatly varied clutch to swarm forward onto the offered feast, she began eating herself. Her recent experiences had taught her not to turn down a meal when she could. There were few things that could poison a dragon, and the food smelled safe, if unfamiliar.
Valistraza watched closely however, as the healers and others began to move among the whelps. It seemed all the drakes had learned the language of this land, and had become fluent in it. Directly checking the health of every whelp would be vastly easier with so many extra hands, though the presence of the new drakes unnerved her. She had fled her Dragonflight for a reason, after all.
The absence of both Tendrion and Ralion unnerved her as well. Though Vespiona moved with the healers, assisting them as they began assessing the various whelps, to one who knew both her in particular and draconic body language in general, there was something deeply wrong. She was grateful when Caliona came up alongside her. Đ: "I'm glad to see you looking well Caliona. Tell me, what's become of those not with us?"
Sitting against the larger dragon's side, Caliona laid her head on the elder's right forelimb in what was honestly the most unguarded gesture the Broodmother had ever seen from this drake. Valistraza had become comfortable around Tendrion's group, not just because he was free (And after knowing him for several months, there was no doubting that he was.) from the choking mental influence of the Old Gods, but because the drakes around him were giving their best efforts to be better creatures. Though they sometimes failed, they made every effort that was possible for them.
Caliona herself had an altercation with the Broodmother that involved bruises, a few drops of blood, and Valistraza gaining an enormous pity for the Twilight Flight when she had embraced and comforted the drake, and Caliona had been confused. To see her now comfortably seeking out physical contact, seeking comfort in touch without expecting harm in return was truly a blessing. Less so were her words when she spoke.
Đ: "Tendrion did not come to this world. To open a portal, we needed far more power than we had and also a destination. When we were out of options, he called on Cenarius and Elune for help. To ensure our survival, he sold himself into the service of Elune. Ralion was injured yesterday in battle with the insane wizard who was master of this magic school. Our new Lord, the drakes that enrolled as students, and the students themselves rebelled and threw the wizard out.
"When Ralion helped destroy the lethal magic woven against us, his flames fed him far too much. The Blue used an ice stasis spell and the Reds have been feeding their magic in to heal his flesh. Ralion sleeps, but we've awakened you now because two drakes lack the power to keep him alive for more than a few more days, they will lose him to exhaustion alone. I don't understand how exactly they're healing him; I'm just grateful they are. In my mind I can still see Twilight drakes taking too much power in and falling from the air, screaming."
Đ: "And our position here? Are we truly on another world if humans walk it?"
"The stars are different. We had hardships before we reached this world, Vespiona was gravely injured, and we had to briefly abduct a priest to save her. The drakes here were hunting us with a group of mortals, but they're not the best representatives of their Flights.
"The Red male lost so much in the Second War, he ignored his orders to stand guard over his only remaining sibling. The Bronze saw his future on Azeroth and rebelled to join this group, where he couldn't see his end. The Blue knows what life enthralled by an insane master is like, the Nexus War nearly broke him entirely.
"The Green, Alira, was in training to tend a brood before she was forced to war. She's told me that the human, Harry, makes her feel safe. If he wasn't broken himself, taught to believe he's unworthy of affection and made to suffer most of his life, Alira might be carrying his Dragonspawn already.
"Whatever else, the human has a good heart. My throat had been slashed before we came here, I made it but the wound… We arrived here in the middle of the night, and Harry Potter and the person he trusts most were both there, Elune had sent him a dream so he would open the portal on this side. They both spent the following few hours treating our wounds, cleaning us, and giving what comfort they could.
"You can probably tell Val, that I'm different than I was. All four of us that made it here are. Elune's portal showed us what we are, what we'd done. It didn't free us. Half a day later and the darkness was clawing at us again. Tendrion once taught us a ritual he'd discovered, 'An Oath to a Loyal Lord.' Before the darkness claimed us again, we all swore that to Harry, even Talion, restrained and fighting with everything he could against what lurked within him. He's our Lord, and his presence chased away those awful whispers."
Valistraza, forgoing table manners for now, paused in swallowing as much of the prepared meat as her gut would allow, turning her complete attention to Caliona, the drake relaxed and comfortable against her side. She had been watching the whelps entrusted to her care as they fed. Whoever had cut up the meat knew what they were doing, even if she was unfamiliar with the animal. It had an odd taste to it, but it wasn't bad. There were even a few deer and rabbits, and parts of others mixed in. Đ: "You bound yourselves to serve the human? All of you?"
"Yes, Val. We were desperate, we could see the truth and we refused to fall back into madness. Maybe Tendrion would have been proud of us after all. But you misunderstand. We are not simply loyal to him. The magic we've used, that binds us to his will, forces him to be loyal to us as well. He can't betray us. His Orders to us have been simple and just what we needed, no more, no less. Elune was kind to us. Harry Potter is a fundamentally kind human. And he has potential, so much potential!
"His people have chained his mind and tried to grind his spirit into dust, but it wasn't enough to break him. Senastrasz said that Harry Potter could have just as easily been Harry Lothar, were he born elsewhere."
Around them, the healers and those assisting were still examining whelps. Valistraza saw the mature human woman cast magic, some spell that gave results in symbols and colors on the little ones. She's trying to get a baseline on the whelps and writing down the results? Not a bad idea. That's the fourth she's tagged, a Red, two Nether and a Storm. Ah, now she's getting results on a Chromatic. I know that frown, perhaps there's some way to help those harmed by Nefarian, but I have yet to find it. As for this 'Harry,' I'll reserve judgment for now. He's earned the chance to prove himself, but I won't be careless with my clutch. Tarengos, my love… I'll see our children healthy and strong, no matter what I must do.
Feeling a stirring at her side, Valistraza saw Caliona rise and step back as the female Red stepped up to her. The Twilight drake she'd known for the last few months, mired in darkness but trying nuzzled her briefly before moving to assist others. Đ: "Greetings Broodmother. I am Dalistraza, perhaps now formerly of the Red Dragonflight. I'd like to examine you, but feel free to keep eating, I can already tell you're too thin. I'm our best trained healer right now, is there anything I should know about you?"
Looking at the drake that was every bit the eager healer she'd seen time and time again through her four centuries of life among the Red Dragonflight, Valistraza inclined her head briefly. Đ: "If you don't mind, a few questions first drake." Pleased at seeing the traditional deference to an elder as the drake gave her consent, Valistraza continued. "First, are you bound to the human as well?" At her nod, worries began to eat at the Dragon. "Why? Why would you submit yourself to that?"
Valistraza didn't expect the drake to chuckle self-depreciatively. "Ah. My hunting team had become desperate to capture the group you joined. We felt the portal open. We were almost positive you were in the sphere, and we had guessed correctly on what that island was, though we had no idea about the scope. To buy time, the Twilights had flooded a cave passage to our shoulders and poured faceless blood into the water. After they were free, the drakes regretted it, and when we used the speak-stone left in sight of the portal for us, the first words were to avoid the water.
"By then, of course, it was too late. Harry had come through the portal to convince us to leave the fourdrakes in peace, but the water had seeped through skin. Hell, most of us had drunk it. We were left in the position of slowly sinking into the same madness as the Black or Twilight Flights. It might even have been what we deserved."
Dalistraza paused, looking up into the shocked eyes of the older dragon. "We, all of us at Hyjal, were far too quick to kill the Twilight dragons. The Twilight Cult? Oh yes, they deserved to die for choosing their side, but the Flight was never given a choice. They were our eggs once, stolen away and tortured in their shells until they would do anything to stop the pain. And we killed so many of them."
Instinct, inborn and carefully nurtured, called to Dalistraza then, as she saw the Red drake before her droop. There was a kindness, a softness that called Broodmothers to their chosen profession. With one of her great wings, she drew the drake to her side, looking into the smaller dragon's eyes.
Đ: "Listen to me now. That is a failure of our leaders. For most of our kind, when the Aspects command we have no choice but to follow. We can not ignore their orders. Believe me, it is a bitter medicine to realize the Aspect you've served loyally is wrong. My last question Dalistraza: What are your thoughts on inter-Flight pairings?"
For the Broodmother, this was the most important question. While she admitted that she needed a healer after her time on the run, not to mention the possible complications with her clutch, there would be no trust given to one who would want to kill her children. The drake's answer calmed her greatly.
Đ: "Your clutch is under my Lord's protection. I know you're worried, but I give you my word that I, nor anyone else here will harm you or yours. Before we came here, I think most of us would have balked at enforcing the Titan's orders to murder your children. I can't say if we would have helped you, but I think we would have tried. The Law itself… I can't understand why it's enforced! I don't understand how the Aspect of Life could condone it. Am I just seeing it from a new perspective? Or is my Lord's opinion on the law overwriting my own?"
Deciding to step in, Valistraza spoke up, her front limb rubbing soothing talons gently over Dali's back. "No, little drake. I don't think your lord has changed your mind on this. You're simply seeing the Law more clearly now than even Alexstrasza herself. Please, continue your examination, and afterwards tell your Lord I would like to speak with him in private."
From there, the next few hours went well. Most of the room had stopped and stared when a contented rumbling echoed through the room as Dali climbed onto the dragon's back and channeled warm, soothing, healing magic into an injury her elder had been ignoring for weeks. Valistraza was also diagnosed with several minor mineral deficiencies and given a bucket's worth of raw liver and hearts to consume. Most of the whelps had deficiencies associated with lack of sunlight, though with the magic being worked on the ceilings to allow light in, it wouldn't be a problem for much longer. There were some injuries Valistraza had missed, but with so many healers in the room it wasn't a problem for long. Every diagnostic spell cast on the Chromatic whelps returned troubling results, but that didn't surprise the Broodmother.
The Chromatic Dragonflight was an artificial creation, shaped by the mad Black wyrm Nefarian to be a weapon. His goal was to incorporate the distinct powers of all five Flights in one creature. None of them had proven stable, but his research had played a part in the creation of the Twilight Dragonflight later. While Valistraza intended to do everything she could for them, the prognosis wasn't good. She wasn't even sure she could keep them comfortable as their conditions worsened.
Rising, she shook off her worries. As Broodmother of this motley Flight of dragons, she would do everything possible for them, but most importantly she would not give up hope. In her experience, the leader she'd abandoned had given up far, far too easily on those that had been 'tainted.' In her time with Tendrion and the others, even the Black drake had been making a real effort to be kind to her. If the rest of her Flight had seen a Black or Twilight drake leaning into Valistraza's side in sleep, wracked with nightmares ("Please don't leave us here Broodmother! I don't want to watch all my siblings die!" Or "I'll serve, I'll serve! Just please, let the pain stop!" had just been a few of the things she heard that broke her heart.) or seen them so confused by simple kindness, there would have been much more mercy shown.
Thankfully, with the exception of the Chromatic, most were healthy or nearly healthy. An hour later, after the whelps had all been seen to and were mostly stretching out to rest, Valistraza stood when the human, Harry, told her he'd be more than willing to speak with her in private. The Broodmother even agreed when the Blue drake strongly suggested that a drake bound to Harry accompany them, suggesting Caliona.
.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.
A few moments later Harry, along with Caliona and Valistraza in their mortal forms were comfortably seated inside the Room of Requirement. Harry had been surprised to learn the person in control of the Room could create an exit to anywhere in the castle, though that would seem to be an extremely useful ability. After he and the two dragons entered, Aurogos's Dragonsworn Sarah Summerland left through a door already present to her dorm room, blushing madly. With a little practice, an Azerothian Dragon could retain their greater than human senses while in their second forms. Both Caliona and Valistraza had given the teen knowing grins as she left the Room in Harry's hands.
(Thankfully Aurogos and his Dragonsworn had taken some time to clean themselves and the room itself earlier in the day. Between Naomi and Sarah, they had come up with a few ideas on how to use the Room of Requirement as a control center, observation room, and maintenance assistant for the castle's wards. As they spent time with Aurogos, he had admitted that his kind tended to lack imagination in some areas, so they decided that his three sworn would aid him with that.)
Harry had been given a longer explanation of what exactly a Dragonsworn was, and had carefully given an additional command to all his oathsworn. His direct order commanded them not to entrap mortals into their service with false promises, and that the drakes give careful consideration to taking others into their service.
The drakes understood that Harry was hesitant about magic that compelled obedience, and they gave him their word to respect that. In return, Harry told them he would make every effort to understand their culture and traditions, and that he would not make any hasty judgments in their regard. Hermione had blushed darkly in embarrassment, in hindsight S.P.E.W. had been her attempt to impose her sensibilities on a race of creatures without all the necessary information.
Under the circumstances however, Harry understood after some thought that there really hadn't been any better choice. Aurogos certainly seemed happier that evening, one Dragonsworn or another trailing behind him. After some discussions with the drake in question, Harry felt much better about Hogwarts going forward. Many new varieties of useful magic would be taught at the school. And, for those that chose to side with Harry, 'combat magic' would be taught to those willing to fight.
Apparently, the Defense Association would still be going forward, and between Hermione, Senastrasz, and the new Headmaster of Hogwarts, there were ideas forming on what to teach. "This will help the students survive what's coming and besides you never know when you might need a skilled group to raid your enemy's lair."
In addition to teaching combat to those who sided with Harry, Senastrasz was looking forward to getting a forge prepared and teaching his hobby to the general population. He was already sketching designs for replacing the wrecked suits of armor.
Dobby was happy to serve tea for the three of them as the Room shifted into a warm, comfortable parlor with an illusion of no wall or roof at all. Judging by the pleased look on Valistraza's face, she approved of the change in scenery. Harry realized that a house elf might give this newcomer the wrong idea about him, and began a rambling explanation of house elves and how they came to serve his people. Taking mercy on him, Valistraza held up a hand in her mortal form to silence him.
Taking a moment to order his thoughts, Harry took in her mortal form. She appeared as a Night Elf, and stood at nearly seven feet tall, with pale pink skin, dark purple hair in a simple braid, glowing silver eyes and facial tattoos reminiscent of scaled wings. Đ: "Peace, young man. That creature bears a great resemblance to the Grell of my world. Unless their nature changed upon arrival, I don't begrudge their treatment. If you were cruel however, it would be an entirely different matter."
Deciding to spare his voice a conversation in parseltongue, Harry responded in Darnassian, assuming a dragon that wore that form would speak their language. "I have not been cruel to them, but sadly I can't speak for all of my kind. We're beginning to think this isn't the first portal that's been opened between our two worlds. We have a number of creatures similar to those in your world, and apparently Azeroth has humans as well. It's interesting, but I assume not what you wanted to speak with me about."
Deciding she didn't get to speak Darnassian often enough, the Red dragon switched languages. Caliona might not be able to speak much of the tongue, but she could comprehend it easily enough. "True mortal. I understand you wish to use the same loyalty magic on my charges as you did with your other drakes? And me as well?"
Sighing, Harry thought a moment before speaking. "I don't want to bind them to myself, but from everything I've been told about the Black and Twilight Dragonflights, they will need it, and soon. I'm not sure about the Chromatic, and I'm even more hesitant about the others. To be honest, I do not like the so-called 'Flight Bond.' I've found that the second group of drakes are hesitant to even doubt the Titans no matter what evidence they see, can you help me understand how that's possible?"
Finding the warm beverage pleasant, Valistraza enjoyed another sip before answering the teen. There was more than one reason she had requested Caliona for this meeting. "Because it isn't just the 'fallen' dragonflights that are slaves to dark powers. We all are. I have a unique perspective on this sadly."
A sarcastic sneer crept onto Harry's face at that. "Really? You mean your race wasn't 'uplifted,' by wonderful and benevolent beings that have no problem wiping out sentient life in impossibly vast numbers?"
Here, Valistraza snorted. "Someone's watched the invasion of Ulduar recordings. 'A million, million lives wasted!'* That isn't the work of creatures that have our best interests at heart. Our world was moments away from destruction then, and I failed to see any help materialize for getting the loyal servants of the Titans off the planet. Even if we'd fled to Outland, unless the Dark Portal could be completely closed in time, the destruction would have taken that world as well. Well, 'world' is a bit much to describe Outland. Not that we had time to even sever the Dark Portal, let alone evacuate."
All three of them had shuddered at the thought of so many lives thrown away. Slumping back into his chair, Harry thought a moment before asking a question. "Do you know how the mental slavery is applied? And how is it you understand this, when the drakes bonded to me can't?"
Locking eyes with the young man, Valistraza responded. "I broke the Taboo, one of the highest laws we have. One that should be death for myself, my clutch, and my mate. It's too late for the Dragon Queen, for the 'Life Binder,' to sentence my mate. If he were alive, he would have returned to me and we'd have fled together. To be specific on how I'm free, that requires a little more of an explanation.
"When the Titans empowered the five Dragonflights, each Titan imbued an Aspect with a different magical essence to serve their purpose for us: they're powerful energies that grant our Flights powers over Earth, Magic, Time, The Dream, and Life itself. The essence that runs through every dragon binds us to their will, though we don't need much holding us really. Even in our shells the magic seeps into our heads, shaping our minds to better serve the Titans. But when Tarengos and I mated, when we created life together, the essence of the Blue and Red Dragonflights conflicted. As my mate's children began to grow within me, the disharmony of the two magics freed my mind."
Sighing, she looked down into the cooling cup of tea. "It took time however. I think my mate was affected as well, but not to the same extent I was. I had started asking delicate questions of all those around me, and it served me well with him. Even when he learned what fate awaited us, he was still conflicted. He did give me his oath to wait and see if our children were abominations before acting. I felt dirty convincing him we should leave Azeroth behind, only the fact that I was sure another, safer world would see him eventually freed let me act. We were supposed to leave together, he was making one last trip to the Nexus for information we needed, but he didn't make it back."
Harry let the conversation die out for a time. He wanted to comfort Valistraza, but he really had no idea what to say. "I'm sorry for your loss, Broodmother. You are welcome in this castle and any home I build. I wish it was more, but my family home was razed almost twenty years ago; now I've decided to rebuild it as a fortress. After seeing your real form, I also think it needs to be much larger than before.
"This castle, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, is supposedly the most secure magical fortress in the world. The defenses are controlled solely by Aurogos now, and he's going to be hard at work making it as secure as possible. Between himself and his three Dragonsworn, who are aspiring ward specialists, the castle will soon have every protection he or they can think to add to it. We're also working on hiring someone trustworthy who's skilled at tearing down wards to ensure the ward scheme is immune to known methods of 'ward-breaking.'
"My godfather has a private island that is open to us as well, but Stine has suggested keeping it empty, or I should say empty to the best of our knowledge. It… honestly reminds me of an 'adventure' several years ago that involved a 'time-turner.' Long story short, myself and another could go back in time a few hours, but we couldn't change what had already happened. We could, however, act to get a better result as long as we didn't change what we knew had already happened, or thought we knew. We did save Sirius from our government though. Time travel is just a big headache."
The next hour was spent discussing events around Harry, and the state of the government and nation. In return, Valistraza told Harry more about her people, and what she'd learned about Nefarian's efforts to create the 'ultimate' dragon. Harry found himself at ease with Valistraza, she seemed to exude maternal comfort without the somewhat overbearing behavior of Molly Weasley. It was easy to relax with her.
Noting the time, Harry spoke again after a comfortable silence. "I think I should bind the Black, Twilight, and Chromatic whelps tonight. Or as many as we can until I run out of blood. For the others, I will leave it to your discretion. As for you, I don't mind you remaining free so long as you don't endanger the others under my protection. Just give me your word that you'll come to me immediately if the Titan's hold on you starts to restore itself. Magic like that, on that scale, is so far beyond me it's terrifying."
Nodding her head, long ears bouncing slightly, she responded. "That's acceptable. I know you're worried about the 'Flight Bond,' and if it's needed for the whelps. I'll keep a very close eye on all of them. I am free for the first time in my life, but if you prove to be worthy of my loyalty I will give it to you. I admit to having nightmares where I lay my clutch, and then I lose my mind again and I… follow the Titan's law. There's one other thing I wanted to discuss with you, if there's time."
At Harry's nod, Valistraza started to speak again. "You understand how Ralion was harmed, correct? Good. Now, Tendrion and I had many lengthy discussions about his Flight, and the weakness of the Twilight Flame came up more than once. Between stolen tomes and a few books he was planning to take from Karazhan, he thought he could turn that weakness into the greatest advantage our group would have on a new world.
"Harry, I'm sure the others have mentioned the Dragon Aspects before. Right now, the important part is to know that they aren't born, they're made. Do you have any idea how?"
Thinking for a moment, a thoughtful look appeared on his face as the seconds went by. "It obviously altered them on a physical level, their physical size is proof of that, was that the effect of the Titans giving them so much extra power? Would it be possible to channel excess power harming Ralion away into a separate object or person, make it useful or just dissipate it safely if not?"
"Ha! Young human you are clever. Tendrion truly thought he could accomplish this, but there's more. You see, as far as we know, an Aspect's very physical form alters itself in response to the gifted power. The amount of magical power available to them, and that they generate, is enormously more than even an aged wyrm. Their children are born stronger, more robust; Alexstrasza's offspring are almost always the most powerful in our Flight.
"But the greatest thought, the greatest idea Tendrion and I came up with together, during those times we had alone together while the others thought he was 'showing me my place,' was that excess power could be used to slowly create a new Aspect. And over a long time, a second, and then a third. It would require great amounts of foreign magic fed into a dragon, preferably in the late drake or early dragon stage, but it was possible. He… offered me empowerment first, he didn't think himself worthy of it. I had him convinced he should be the second. That was our great plan.
"I wish he was still with us, but I think the guilt of what he'd done was eating at him. You see, he had kept his mind through the tortures of the old gods, but he still had to do awful things to survive. When he was sent to Hyjal with the first wave of Twilight Dragons, he was so very sure that the other Dragonflights could be convinced to spare his kind, that together with the protectors of life, his entire Flight could be saved. But the first time he met them… He saw only hatred in their eyes. He saw his brothers and sister being killed as if they were nothing but rabid animals. And even though he knew he was on the wrong side of the war, he fought for them. It took him some time before he began to fight back against the Cult.
"He told me that he saw a Green drake injured, and he knew that he could get her away safe, and that she'd die if he did nothing. That was the start. He never told me how many lives he saved on Mount Hyjal, but I'm sure it was no small number. But to him, it was never enough. I think he still thought himself a monster, a coward for not fighting sooner. I still think he's the bravest five year old I've ever seen. I hope he finds peace with himself while serving Elune."
Showing off the pointed canines possessed by the Night Elves, Valistraza yawned widely. "I am looking forward to sleeping without fear of what lurks in the night. But, duty first. Ralion is safe and stable for now, I charged the healing rune with enough power to last him for a day at least. Dalistraza's method of healing him has likely drastically increased the amount of magic he can wield while destroying the hard-earned control he had over it. But I think he'll be grateful to be alive at all. I'll get my notes for that magic-siphoning spell out, might as well have your Blue look them over before we use it. Is there anything else we need to discuss before we take care of the whelps?"
Standing and stretching his back, Harry spoke after yawning himself. "Only a request that you take Alira under your wing and finish her apprenticeship if she agrees. I'll let her tell you in her own time but she's been through a lot, so please be kind to her."
"Not a problem at all. A brood of twenty is considered large, seventy-eight whelps would normally need four Broodmothers, so I will take all the help I can get. I'm going to lay my own eggs in less than a month, and that will make my job even harder."
With that, the three of them left the Room of Requirement behind for the moment, and moved through the conjured door into the Chamber of Secrets.
.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.
When Harry returned Alira, Andromeda, Dalistraza, and Valistraza began a bi-lingual discussion on the state of the Chromatic whelps, with Andromeda's notes and a larger pile from Valistraza in Draconic. Hermione ended up joining them as well, Alira hoping her mind would find something they had thus far missed. Harry was content to let them brainstorm for now. Most of the whelps had eaten until they fell asleep, becoming drowsy with full stomachs for the first time in far too long.
With Ron at his side, Harry went up into the school proper, intending to visit his familiar. A small stop inside what was previously Myrtle's Bathroom gave him privacy for a mirror call with Sirius. Sirius was doing well for the most part, most of the Order had been treated and sent on their way from Headquarters. Oddly, the wards at Number 12 Grimmauld Place had registered no visitors, and no attempts to breach the defenses. (After the battle with Albus, Sirius had locked the building down, no one should have been able to get in or out undetected. Given that Albus Dumbledore was a man of no small skill with magic, everyone possible was going over the building with a finely toothed comb.)
Daniel and Emma Granger were rather unhappy, and Harry spoke briefly to them. A brief summation of his history with Sirius, and his own experiences with the Ministry of Magic helped to calm them. As did his unwavering pledge that Hermione would be as safe as he could ensure, and with his new allies, that was getting safer all the time. Although hesitant, they agreed to keep some secrets if Harry arranged for them to visit with their daughter come morning. With help from Kreacher, a notice had been given to the third dentist at their office that a family emergency had come up and they would not be available for some time.
Sirius had also come through on something Harry had requested in a quiet moment. As Harry ascended the stairs to the Owlery, his fingers brushed the pair of identical mirrors Sirius had crafted for him. Two shrunken rectangular mirrors now the size of his hand, adorned along the edges with blue scales and wings and on the back with sapphire blue dragons, an older, larger one covering a much younger dragon with a wing while both dragons looked over a scroll. Harry had thanked his godfather extensively for the effort he'd put in. (Apparently Nymphadora Tonks had helped, when she heard some of what the item was for.)
In a separate pocket, Harry grasped bacon as he and Ron walked into the Owlery. Hedwig had always been a very smart owl. Now that he thought about it with a clear head however, over time she had developed some personality traits, and had seemed to become even more intelligent. I wonder… Did I create a partial familiar bond with her without fully meaning to? Did my magic respond to my desire for a friend?
When the two boys entered the school's Owlery, carefully avoiding other students, they found the owl they were looking for sitting on a perch next to the entrance. In fact, the snow-white owl was looking directly at them as they walked in. Harry found himself smiling as he handed his familiar several strips of bacon. He waited patiently as she consumed her treat until she looked at him again. Smiling, the teen gently rubbed her head. "Hey girl. It feels like it's been too long since I've seen you. How are you holding up?"
To Harry, the hoot he got in response told him a lot. While it wasn't something he could make words out of, his familiar still conveyed that she was doing well, but bored. That second part was mostly in her body language and eyes. Holding out his arm, he smiled when his owl took the invitation. "Well girl, I think I can help with that. You up for a tricky delivery?"
There was no hesitation in the owl's response as she held out a leg. Harry laughed and gently stroked her with his free hand. "Sorry, but you need some preparation before you do this, along with a little protection. We're going to sneak you into the school now, and send you out in a few hours probably. Try to stay quiet in the halls, we're trying to be sneaky."
Carefully, Harry took his invisibility cloak out and draped it over both of them. "I know you don't like having this draped over you, but I bet you've never been invisible before girl. Ron, do you need a moment or are you ready to head back down?"
Shaken out of his thoughts, Ron headed over to where his tiny, hyperactive owl was flitting around, harassing other owls. Harry felt the disgust rolling off the bird on his left arm and chuckled. Hedwig was a very regal creature, with a strong sense of dignity. Pigwidgeon was not.
Harry's amusement at Ron attempting to catch his owl was cut short when he saw a pink cardigan coming up the stairs. Snarling to himself, he flexed his wrist, and from the holster on his right forearm, integrated into the bracer Stine had crafted for him, his new wand fell into his waiting hand.
At the start of term, he would never have considered cursing a Professor first. Now, between the detentions and the months spent conversing with those who had survived wars that made Voldemort's insurrection look like a tea party, he realized that the only thing that mattered was that the woman was his enemy.
Dolores Umbridge had proven more than willing to torment children for her goals, and it was hard to categorize that as anything other than evil. And his new friends had made compelling, logical, and reasonable arguments against allowing evil any foothold. Evil if allowed to take an inch quickly spread a mile, creeping, corrupting, turning people against each other for its own gain.
Of course, it was important not to fall into zealotry, lest you leave suffering in your own wake. Harry had listened intently to the tales of the fall of Lordaeron. How the undead had swept through the land, leaving a nation of corpses. The cautionary tale was how some survivors allowed themselves to be twisted by loss, hate, and fear into an enemy of all not a part of their order, the Scarlet Crusade.
The Scarlets became fanatics, and in them evil blossomed. Their Highlord was betrayed by his son into an ambush, and then died when that son thrust his own sword into his back. In an ironic twist, an order of humans with the aim of destroying all 'evil' was eventually suborned by demons and used for their ends. Not once, but twice.
So, evil had to be fought, without allowing oneself to become what they struggled against. As he held his wand ready, he watched the witch accost his friend, demanding to know where he was. Carefully, he snuck up behind her, still balancing his owl on his left arm under the cloak. When she began to threaten Ron, Harry sent a whispered spell out. "Confundus." He smirked as her posture relaxed. Revealing his face he smirked at Ron for a moment before pulling the hood up again. "You want to tell us why you are here."
It took two more spells, but the woman admitted to placing monitoring magic on the Owlery to target him. She had already been tipped off about the Defense Association, from students not a part of it and some residents of Hogsmead. Harry thought very hard on what to do with her. Letting Ron see his face again, Harry shrugged.
Ronald Weasley knew his friend well enough to guess Harry's thoughts were along the lines of: 'Well, she's a problem, how do we get rid of her?' He gestured for Harry to cast the spell again and spoke after Harry had intoned it. "It is unwise to bother Harry Potter at this time. Albus Dumbledore is at fault, focus your efforts on him."
He saw Harry gain a dark smirk, and almost stopped him from speaking. He would have, but the supposed teacher deserved anything she got. He had seen Harry's bloody, shaking hand after his detentions. He had to fight not to start laughing as Harry spoke.
"An informant is waiting for one of pure blood to help him protect the Ministry and lead Aurors against Albus Dumbledore. You will find him in a sea cave on the southern coast of Argentina. He desperately wants to do his duty to magical England, but you must find him quickly! You must leave immediately and tell no one where you are going, there are spies everywhere! They're even listening when you speak to the Minister! You need to leave now or all will be lost!"
Ron was truly impressed as Umbridge repeated Harry's words. "… I need to leave now or all will be lost!" Seemingly coming out of her daze, she sneered at Ron. "I will deal with you later, something important has just come up." Neither could really believe that had worked as the witch stormed out of the Owlery.
Still feeling a bit of disbelief, Ron turned to where he assumed Harry still stood. "How far do you reckon she'll get?"
Harry's chuckles were moving towards the door as he answered. "Hopefully all the way, if nothing else that would get her out of our hair for a while. And if she doesn't make it back I won't cry for her."
And that was that. Ron sent off his owl to Bill, letting him know of a full-time position for a curse breaker, with an employer willing to buy out his current contract. The new Headmaster, when Ron had gotten a moment to talk with him, had mentioned bringing in an introductory curse breaking class, as well as someone to test various methods of ward breaking against the castle. Ron wasn't sure if his brother would be eager to leave Gringotts, as he seemed to get along fine with the goblins. And he had mentioned he was dating a co-worker…
.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.
A half hour later two boys and an owl were back inside the Chamber of Secrets. Valistraza had woken the whelps up and explained what was happening. The Black, Chromatic, and Twilight whelps were seemingly alright with accepting Harry's offer after it was explained to them.
In the main hall of the chamber, Hedwig had taken a perch on an outcrop near the ceiling. Various individuals were amazed when she had listened to Harry's explanation that the older dragons wouldn't hurt her, but she shouldn't surprise them because they still had a predator's instincts. And the whelps had the same instincts coupled with a distinct lack of self-control.
All the dragons were inside the whelp's chamber, soothing fears. It still felt like they were being rushed into this, but whatever magic Elune had incorporated into the portal did only last a few hours. Harry would prefer to get this over with before the darkness tried to take them again.
Harry stood with Hermione in an open space, silver goblets stacked to one side. Harry was glad the one that could double as a bird-bath wouldn't see use tonight. Looking around, he spoke to Hermione, the four youngest Weasley children, both Tonks, and Aurogos's Dragonsworn.
"Everyone understands what I'm doing and why?"
It was actually Ron that responded. "Evil gods, nightmare imperious, creating a loyalty bond that goes both ways to stand between their minds and dark magic, right?"
"Yeah. The only difference is that this time they're much younger. I'm not actually sure how to handle this, some of the whelps will need consoling, for some the evil lurking in their minds made their first acts after hatching fratricide. I appreciate you all being here, to be a comfort to the little ones. Feel free to try comforting them, physical touch does a lot of good. Just remember what Alira said earlier about their poor impulse control and watch your fingers."
There were a few chuckles at that. A door opening at the other end of the hall called attention to the widely colorful mass of scales coming into the room. Alira actually looked happy, four different varieties of whelp were riding on her back. It was a bit rowdy as the group came in. There were as many personalities as colors on display as the Broodmother ordered her charges. Soon, a group of seven whelps, two Black, one Chromatic, one Nether, and three Twilight were lined up in front of him and Senastrasz was handing Harry a note with a list of names written on it, thankfully with pronunciation instructions in English. The Red drake, taking his humanoid form leaned in to whisper in Harry's ear.
"It turns out the Nether drakes don't all survive the change from whelp to drake. Bavaku is well past needing to change and weak enough that he isn't likely to make it; the healers think a bond with you can help his odds a little. They're going to force his change at dawn tomorrow."
Whispering back, Harry gave his idea. "If they think it might help, we'll take him to Potter Manor before the sun rises tomorrow. The latent magic there might help a new Potter, and the new tree ought to help as well."
Smiling at his Lord's idea, Senastrasz backed up and relayed his idea to Valistraza.
Steeling himself, Harry took a deep breath and smiled to the seven frightened young ones in front of him. Speaking to them, deciding to ignore the hall at large he started their ceremony.
Ƥ: "Hello little ones. I know your lives have been hard, you wouldn't be here if they weren't. My name is Harry Potter, and last week I was just another student here at this magic school until I got a very strange dream. When I woke up, I raced to the right place and opened this side of a portal to your world. I did it because I knew there were people in danger and I could help them. That's what we're about to do now.
"The magic we're about to do might seem scary, but it's really just a promise. I promise you to keep you safe, to keep you healthy, to take care of you as best I can. And because it's magic, it's a promise I can never, ever break. With this, you're making a promise too. You're promising to work together with me, as long as we live. I wish there was another way to keep you all safe, but if there is I don't know it.
"I won't force you to do this, because of the magic, I can't force you. If you work with me, together we will have a safe home, a purpose going forward, and a future we can be proud of. Will you help me?"
With shy affirmative responses in draconic, the first ritual began.
A shy Twilight whelp accepted the silver knife and goblet from Dalistraza, and began the ritual. Đ: "I, Andestraza, the Twilight Dragon, do hereby swear myself to Harry James Potter so long as I draw breath." Saying this, she paused, with a trembling claw drew blood and while spilling much, got a small amount into the silver goblet. "I offer you my life's blood to bind myself to you, the Lord I have chosen. Please accept my service."
(Later, Harry would ask Valistraza about this whelp's, and some of the other's names as they broke what he understood to be a fairly strict custom. The answer was heartbreaking. Many of the rescued whelps did not have names at all, some had been hatched by the cruel mage and simply left in their cages with their shells.
Valistraza told Harry that she had been working on a list of names for her clutch since she learned she was carrying, and when a little whelp had admitted to not having a name, started giving out those she was saving for her own children. From another source, he learned that this was culturally tantamount to a formal adoption, a promise that she would do everything she could for all of them until they left her care as drakes.)
When the shaking claw handed him the goblet, nearly spilling it in the process, Harry smiled at the little creature and sipped the blood.
Ƥ: "I accept your service, given in good faith Andestraza of the Twilight Flight." Bending down to accept the knife offered to him handle first, he cut a finger and added three drops to the goblet before passing it back to her. "Take my blood that you may know the bulwark of a Loyal Lord."
With that the whelp drank the contents of the goblet, though with the amounts of blood involved it looked more like licking residue out of a bowl. "Will you, Andestraza of House Potter give me your service, in whatever manner I ask of you to your very last breath?"
"I give you my service to my last breath, of my own free will my Lord." With that, a bright white flashed through the Chamber of Secrets and the silver goblet shifted until it formed a thick bracelet on the whelp's right forearm. Once more, the symbol of House Potter, a rapier crossed with a wand over the words "Timor non est in facie mali." or "No fear in the face of evil." appeared on the new jewelry.
Harry gently reached down and took hold of the whelp, holding her in his arms before he set her down next to Caliona who was obviously amused with the little whelp curling up under her wing and quickly falling asleep after Harry's command: "You will never hear any voice projected into your mind, be controlled or influenced by any foreign mental influence other than this oath. Rest now, as long as you need."
With a fatherly smile, Harry left Andestraza with Caliona and moved on. Bavaku was next, and afterwards he felt Netherwing whelp pulling at his magic. With a gentle touch, Harry simply told him to take as much magic as he needed. Bavaku ended up resting on Harry's shoulder during the rest of the rituals. While he felt a little silly, Harry could tell the small guy was nervous so let him rest there. Harry did get smiles from the group at large when the young male leaned into his hand every time he rubbed or scratched him.
After Bavaku, the Black whelps Lethordia and Uldames, the Chromatic Khadagos and the Twilight siblings Bodresrasz and Ylistrasza finished up the first group. Sevendown, twenty-fiveto go if there's no others that need this tonight.
It did end up being a late night. After another half hour, Harry asked in English for the healers helping tomorrow to turn in. Later that night, when he finished, Harry's entire arms were in agony from the ritual. After the first six, he started only bleeding his left hand, but something in the ritual sent power through both arms. Both arms shook badly by the last he intoned the ritual and gave the orders to protect young minds.
Parseltongue did not cause pain in small doses, but prolonged use was a painful reminder that his tongue and throat were not, strictly speaking, built to make those sounds. Alira had been helpful, a delicate elven hand on both locations channeled soothing magic helped to heal, but still left it feeling painfully raw. In addition to everything else, his magic was drained and flickering oddly within him.
As various creatures moved to rest for the night, Harry had one last task ahead of him. Gesturing at Hermione, who was starting to nod off against the wall, he spoke with her in a raspy, painful voice with Aurogos waiting to take them into the Room of Requirement. "Hermione, I need something out of my pocket but my arms won't work. This one on my left side."
A few moments later, Aurogos was holding the two beautiful mirrors in his hands. Fighting past the building pain, Harry explained. "Paired mirrors. Activation phrase for both is 'Learning by Teaching.' They're private to all others. At least while the portal holds, you can keep in touch. Felt like he meant something to you."
Gratitude in his face, Aurogos bowed low for a moment before Teleporting into the Room of Requirement. Shortly after, a door appeared in front of Harry and Hedwig alighted on his shoulder. Ted Tonks followed Hermione, Harry and Senastrasz through the door.
.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.
Their plan for the first mail delivery between worlds involved a carefully made portkey, which would take Hedwig most of the way to the Azurewing Repose, Senegos's lair/home/magical fortress. Aurogos explained it was built into a hillside and covered in so many illusion spells you could walk past it and never know anything was there. Once Senegos allowed you in, it was possible to ignore the illusions and see his home.
It was a rather intense briefing, involving maps of Azeroth, a full-scale model of Senegos that made Harry realize Valistraza still had a good deal of growth coming to her later in life, and a fast review of the magic Ted Tonks would need to craft a portkey so Hedwig would end up in the air above the island in question. (While he wasn't licensed by the Ministry of Magic, Ted had studied portkey creation and knew the spell well.)
As they covered the necessary information, Aurogos watched his Lord's owl study the maps. As they continued, he became convinced that Harry already had some kind of familiar bond with his owl, though it could probably be improved. There were 'smart' animals and then there were ones enhanced by magic. Unless he had missed something and this was normal behavior for an Earth owl, instinctual magic from his Lord had likely formed parts of the magical familiar bond that he'd seen in a tome reproduced in this room.
Feeling adventurous, Aurogos was already planning to combine parts of that magic that shared intelligence, magic, and minor traits (Enhanced eyesight, or slightly faster reflexes usually. Minor effects that were still useful.) with a spell called 'Tame Beast' in Common. More interesting than Tame Beast were a number of other dependent spells that became possible upon a successful cast. 'Eyes of the Beast' allowed one to see through and directly control the familiar, while 'Revive Pet' actually resurrected a dead animal companion. It was much easier to return a fallen animal to life than a human thanks to the lack of a soul.
Harry, exhausted after all that he had done found himself nodding off. No one begrudged him that, though he did join the group heading through the portal when he was gently shaken awake later. When all was ready Hedwig was prepared with a shrunken trunk attached to one leg and a band of blue stone on the other. Azeroth was a dangerous place, so as many protections as possible were placed on the small stone. (For this delivery the obvious magic of a Blue Dragon clinging to the owl would let the locals know Hedwig was friendly.) She was also to carry a small note with instructions on how to enlarge the trunk.
Aurogos smiled as Harry blearily walked through the portal, following Senas with Hermione and Ted following behind him. Hedwig had retaken her place on his shoulder when he woke up and got moving. While it would have been easier to simply step through the portal himself and cast a simple Mage portal spell, the drake had already determined that leaving Earth would sever his connection with Hogwarts and cost him the post of Headmaster. Sadly, that was too useful a thing to give up just now.
.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.
Just to the side of the portal, Senastrasz was watching the three humans as they stepped through. Harry wavered a little before moving to lean against a wall, Hermione stumbled and fell over before he caught her, and Ted followed Harry's actions his first time through and simply passed out. He chuckled as he laid the three against the cavern wall.
A quick look around proved no one had penetrated the Fidelius covering the portal, and from what he could see the cave outside was undisturbed as well. Unless Ted Tonks had learned Darnassian recently, they would need to step outside the Fidelius to send their message, but that could wait a few moments. It was about half-past two in the morning now, (In Scotland; the drakes had admittedly lost track of the local time on Azeroth.) but after this last task everyone would sleep for a time. A quick report through his speak-stone let the other side know Ted was down for the moment with magic intoxication, but the others were mostly fine.
Ten minutes later Ted was up and alert, and after a few tests in the adjacent cavern showing that portkeys worked the same on this world, they were ready. Though bleary, Harry handed Hedwig the small scroll.
"Okay Hedwig, I need you to take this to Senegos in Azsuna on the Broken Isles. Stay there until he sends a response, we should be able to organize a return trip so you don't have to fly all the way back here. Remember the cave here is south of the big troll city, Zul'Gurub. But don't fly back if you can help it, it's a dangerous world out there and there's a lot of things that would try to hurt you."
With that, Ted handed the portkey to Hedwig and tapped it with his wand. With luck, his owl would safely reach the air high above Azsuna and reach Senegos within a few hours. But for now, Harry was simply exhausted. With few words said he led them back through the portal, and gave an order to the drakes to wake him at least half an hour before dawn so he could prepare to help with Bavaku.
.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.
*- A direct quote from 'Algalon the Observer,' a Raid boss in Ulduar. He's basically part of a Titan fail-safe and responsible for wiping out all life on the planet if set criteria are met.
A/N: If you're confused about how Valistraza had her eyes opened in regards to the Titans, think of what happens if you have two different radio signals or sound waves that almost but don't match up on the same frequency. Basically, they either cancel each other out entirely or disrupt each other.
I'd like to thank hkurtz2013 on this site for looking my chapters over, he's been a big help.
Thank you to everyone who's left a review! I appreciate every one and the keep me motivated to write more!