Author's Notes: I'm in awe. You all seem to like this. Thanks, everyone
who has reviewed – it's made me feel a whole lot better, since I have exams
this week and next! Therefore (there is a point to the rambling) updates
may not be as frequent until the exams are over. Sorry!
Disclaimer: See part one for full disclaimer. JK Rowling rules over all. Except anything that I created, which belongs exclusively to my brain, although my friend Roz ought to take some credit.
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"Thor, what is it?" Draco demanded sleepily from the bed. Thor turned from the window to glance at his apprentice. Draco blinked at the smile of twisted agony on the Mage's face. "The Dragons are singing," Thor replied equally quietly. "Come and watch, Draco." He looked back out at the full moon, and a moment later he was joined by Draco.
"I can't hear them," Draco admitted after a moment. Thor reached for Draco's hand; a moment later a myriad of notes filled Draco's ears, and he could see the dragons flying high over the school near the moon. "Woah."
"Hmm," Thor agreed absently. "They're singing an ancient Dragon song about prophecies," he told Draco after a moment. "It's very long, and very complicated, but incredibly beautiful." He sighed. "I hate it."
"Why?" Draco inquired, startled. Thor raised an eyebrow at him. "Oh right, because of that prophecy about you…"
"Yes," Thor agreed. "I hate prophecies, and this song…it has a lot about my particular prophecy. And they," he jerked his head at the dragons, "know it. Of course they don't follow anyone, so I can't even ask them to stop."
"But if the prophecy is true," Draco ventured, "then aren't you meant to rule them?" Thor's bitter smile disappeared. "According to some," he agreed. "There have been many interpretations." He turned to look properly at his apprentice. "Now is not the time for a philosophical discussion," he said firmly.
A smile played about Draco's lips. "Then how about another kind of discussion?" he suggested. "You don't look as though you're going to be able to sleep." Thor bent his head slightly in acknowledgement, smiling faintly, then turned away to close the window. "Why don't you tell me why you hate the Council so much?"
Thor's head whipped around, his eyes narrowed suspiciously. 'I do not hate the Council," he claimed. "You shouldn't say things like that, Draco." He sighed, and moved to sit down in the single comfortable chair in the room. "But I do disagree with the way they go about things."
"Like what?" Draco asked curiously. Thor waved a hand vaguely. "The rules, and the Trials, and the strict way everything must be," he admitted. He met Draco's eyes seriously for a long moment. "Like the student- teacher bond," he continued softly. "It is sacred, the Council and I both agree upon that, but the Council…" He sighed. "The Council disapproves of romantic attachments when you're still learning magics," he admitted. "The bond between teacher and student is supposed to be non-romantic to make it easier on both when they move on."
"Did…do you love Zodiac?" Draco asked hesitantly. Thor was silent for a moment, considering. "No," he replied finally. "Not in the way you mean, not romantically. Zodiac was like…he was my teacher, and we had a close bond. Now he's like a very irritating older brother." Draco nodded, a faint smile on his face.
"It's not important," Thor said after a silent minute. "It's just my opinion. It's not like I'll ever get onto the Council, so I can't do anything about it." Draco studied him. "But today," he observed. "The Trial…you're friends with people on the Council, aren't you?"
"Only Seraph and Zodiac," Thor admitted. "The others either hate me or ignore me, mostly." He stretched. "Zodiac pretty much agrees with the Council, and Seraph," he chuckled, "is considered almost as odd as I am, only for her it's because she's the only Veela Mage in decades."
"So there are non-humans in the Circle?" Draco inquired. "I couldn't find anything about it in the book…"
"It's not really discussed," Thor observed. "It's just normal for us. Humans are the ones who find it easiest to become Mages, but there are several dwarves, and a couple of Half-Elves. None of the other creatures have ever been able to manage even the simplest Mage spells."
There was a long silence, where Thor lost himself in his thoughts and Draco thoughtfully stared at the floor, suddenly sombre. Then he yawned, and Thor grinned at him.
"You go to bed," he ordered. "You're up at dawn again tomorrow, remember? Same as today." Draco nodded, but didn't move. Thor frowned and leant forward. "Draco, what is it?"
"I was just thinking," Draco said quietly. "Tomorrow…tomorrow is five years since my father died." He looked back up at Thor and shrugged. "Sorry, I just remembered it. He died at dawn."
"How?" Thor inquired quietly. Draco shrugged again, unable to speak. "Come here, Draco," Thor suggested. Draco moved from his chair and sat down against the chair, leaning his head on Thor's leg. "Now. Tell me?"
"I…I didn't mean to do it," Draco admitted. "I…there was no choice. Ron was there too, only he was fighting Hermione…I would have, only he…my father just came out of nowhere." Thor's eyes widened as he realised what Draco was trying to say, but he kept quiet. Draco needed to tell him this himself. "We duelled," Draco continued, almost whispering now. "And I…I killed him."
Thor was silent for a long moment, his hand resting lightly on Draco's bowed head.
"Two years ago," he finally started, quiet and subdued as Draco had been, "there was a Mage…Virgo. She had been Named at the same time as I, only she stopped learning before I did…She fell in with a bad crowd. Very bad. The worst. A group of renegade Mages who called themselves the Chimaeras…The entire Circle convened. Virgo was good, and we wouldn't stand for them taking her away too…the Council decided that a group of us should go after the Chimaeras, destroy them once and for al, or return them to the Circle for what they call 'reconditioning' – which is a horrible, barbaric, inhumane process. Zodiac and I were chosen to be part of the group, despite Zodiac objecting that there was no way I could possibly be unprejudiced when it came to the Chimaeras. They ignored him, and three days later, after we had finally chased down the renegades, I was forced to kill my best friend."
"I guess we're really a pair, huh?" Draco said sardonically after a moment. Thor smiled wistfully. "We really, really are," he agreed.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Breakfast with Thor, Draco quickly discovered, was very, very amusing. Thor sat himself at the centre of the table, with Draco next to him, and proceeded to engage in a very lively debate with Charlie Weasley about the behavioural habits of dragons. When Snape turned up, about ten minutes after everyone else and looking as though he'd been trampled over by a hippogriff, Thor kindly poured him some coffee before turning back to Charlie. However, whenever Snape reached for the coffee mug, it moved out of reach, returning to its original position whenever Snape stopped trying to grab hold of it. It wasn't long before the entire Hall had realised what Thor was doing. Thor continued to ignore everyone except Charlie Weasley, until finally Draco nudged him.
Thor looked at Draco with a surprised expression on his face that was belied by the twinkle in his eyes. "Yes, Draco, is something wrong?" Draco merely jerked his head across the table at Snape. Thor looked across at Snape, now looking puzzled. "Is there something wrong, Severus?"
"What are you doing to my coffee?" Snape demanded, seething. Thor frowned slightly. "Why, nothing," he replied mildly. "Can't you drink it? It'll get cold soon." And he returned to his conversation with Charlie. The mug moved out of Snape's reach yet again.
Finally Thor finished his own coffee and rose. 'Come on, Draco," he smiled. "Outside." Draco dropped his toast and followed Thor quietly; when they were out of the Great Hall he burst into laughter. Thor joined him, and it was minutes before they became sombre and left the castle.
"I haven't laughed so much in ages," Draco admitted, still grinning. "You shouldn't have done that to Snape, Thor." Thor shrugged. "Probably not," he agreed. "But it was fun." He gazed across the grounds for a moment. "A run around the lake first, I think," he decided. "And I'll come this time." He raised an eyebrow as Draco smothered a grimace. "Or perhaps you'd prefer a jaunt through the Forbidden Forest?" he inquired.
"No, no," Draco said quickly. "A run around the lake is fine. Let's go." He set off at a steady pace, and after watching him for a moment Thor caught up, and passed, his apprentice.
Three hours, and numerous runs, jogs, and other physical exercises later, Thor and Draco dropped to the ground next to the lake to cool off.
"You said you do this every day?" Draco panted. Thor shrugged. "As often as I can," he agreed. "Mages have to keep in shape. But I don't usually do as much as this; after a while your body will be so in shape you don't need to do three-hour runs."
"Good," Draco said fervently. "I don't think I could do this every day for the rest of my life."
"And Mages have a longer life expectancy even than wizards," Thor agreed mildly. "But you have to keep in shape, Draco." Draco rolled his eyes, but his attention was caught by Thor's first remark. "How long do Mages live?" he inquired.
"Several centuries; the oldest Mage at the moment is four hundred and seventy-two. In comparison, we are mere children." Thor stretched. "It really, really doesn't do to dwell on it," he advised Draco. "Someday you'll be old and cranky and telling off the little apprentices for making too much noise." Draco guffawed, and Thor looked out across the lake as something caught his attention.
"Thor," Draco said suddenly after a moment, following Thor's gaze. "Isn't that…"
"Yes," Thor said softly. 'I wonder what they're doing here." He squinted, trying to make out the details of the things he had seen.
"Thor," Draco said curiously after a moment. "What on earth happening to your glasses?" Thor looked back at Draco, distracted for a moment. "Oh, they got broken when Zodiac sat on them," he said vaguely. "So the healers corrected my vision. Much simpler than having to take care of glasses – besides, they were bloody ugly."
"And we thought you hadn't realised," Draco quipped dryly. He looked back across the lake. "Thor – that looks like –"
"A dragonlet," Thor realised with a sinking heart. "By the Dragons, how on earth do they think I'm going to have time to babysit?"
"You mean dragon-sit," Draco corrected helpfully. But Thor was already on his feet, storming around the edge of the lake. With a weary sigh, Draco rose and started trailing his teacher. When he finally reached the other side of the lake and the three dragons there, Thor looked mightily pissed off.
"What's going on?" he asked curiously, glancing between the two adult dragons, Thor, and the small dragonlet who was clamouring for Thor's attention at the Mage's feet. "Thor?"
"Hold on, Draco," Thor told him. He looked back at the elder dragon pleadingly. 'Please, Mytrin-wythindril. I have my apprentice, and I have other business here – the prophecy.'
But the dragon was resolute. 'You agreed to this,' he told the Mage firmly. 'Accept it, little dragon, and do us this favour.' Thor glared, but nodded finally. 'Thank you, Dragon Child.'
'Midnight, you said?' Thor checked again. The second, slightly smaller dragon nodded her head. 'Alright. He'll be fine.' The dragons nuzzled his cheeks, and then took off into the skies. Thor looked down at the dragonlet, then up at Draco.
"Sorry," he apologised. "I really can't help it – they always manage to persuade me into it, somehow." The dragonlet's claws caught on his boots, and with a grimace he detached the tiny, scaly bundle. "Draco, this is Lythruwrl-mytptril, but call him Lyth for short." He hoisted the dragon into his arms, carrying him much in the same way a mother would her child. "Lyth, this is my apprentice Draco." He looked back at Draco. "He can't speak dragon-tongue yet," he explained, "so there's really no point my talking to him properly." The dragon gave a hiccoughing sort of noise; Thor lifted its chin so it could breathe easier.
"Well," Draco remarked, trying to keep a straight face at the sight of War Mage Thor, the most renowned fighter in the Circle of Mages, clasping a tiny dragon, whose eyes were barely open and whose wings were still thin and weak. "Perhaps we should call training off for the day." The glare Thor sent him told him that Thor knew exactly what he was thinking, and did not approve at all.
Lunch with the dragonlet proved to be equally, if not more hilarious than breakfast. When Thor, Draco and Lyth entered the Great Hall there was instant uproar at the sight of the baby dragon attempting to clamber onto Thor's head using his hair as a rope; Hermione shrieked, Sirius roared with laughter, Snape almost fainted from shock, Charlie Weasley went ecstatically happy, and Dumbledore raised his eyebrows curiously as Thor took a seat opposite him.
"Thor," he started carefully, "if you don't mind my asking, what exactly is that dragon trying to do?"
"Dragonlet," Thor corrected grumpily. "Baby dragons are called dragonlets. And I was persuaded to babysit." He shot a glare at Draco, who was suppressing a smirk. "Although some people," he said loudly, disentangling the dragonlet from his hair, "seem to find the situation incredibly amusing." Draco sombred and concentrated on eating his mashed potatoes. Thor set Lyth down on the table between himself and Dumbledore. "You," he said sternly to little dragon, "behave. Or you won't get any mice for supper."
"Dragonlets eat mice?" Charlie jumped in from one side. "No wonder we never had much luck breeding them…"
"Well, Lyth is weaned," Thor explained. "They drink their mothers' milk before then, and afterwards they eat raw meat, like their parents, only smaller stuff, like mice, rabbits, weasels…mice are a particular treat for most young dragons, one which you, Lyth," he directed his comment at Lyth, who was attempting to breath fire at his food, "are almost certainly not going to have." As if he understood, Lyth turned his back on Thor and sulked.
"Incredible," Charlie breathed.
"Irritating," Thor muttered.
"Hilarious," Draco said airily. "D'you want some more mashed potatoes, Thor, yours are all burnt?" Thor sent his apprentice a glare that had made dragons back down, and then nodded thankfully, relenting.
Lyth managed to make a nuisance of himself throughout the meal, and eventually even Charlie was grateful when Thor, exasperated, picked up the dragonlet by the tail and took him outside, followed by Draco.
"What are we doing now?" Draco wanted to know, as Thor deposited Lyth on the stone steps. Thor looked thoughtful and a little grim. "I think someone's trying to break through my barrier," he replied slowly. "So we'll go and have a look at that, and I'll teach you how to erect them. Barriers are some of the most useful things you can know how to do, especially in battles; always remember that whilst you can never win a battle using defence, you will definitely, at some point or other, need to protect others whilst you are engaged elsewhere." Draco nodded fervently, obviously remembering something or other from his past. Thor chose to ignore it for the moment, and, picking up Lyth from where he had been attempting to roast a stone gargoyle, they started walking in the direction of Hogsmeade.
"Who do you think is trying to break through?" Draco demanded after a few moments. "George told me what you told him – no-one should be able to get through your barrier in either direction."
"Mages can," Thor pointed out. "I didn't think to protect us from them. I should have after yesterday, it was stupid of me after finding out that Voldemort had had Mage training…he's probably told someone some way of getting through it that only Mages should know."
"He has a lot to answer for," Draco said coolly after a while. Thor glanced at him, then nodded grimly. "That he does," he agreed. There was silence for a moment, broken only by Thor's exasperated mutterings as he again extracted Lyth from his hair. Then: "Is your scar still a connection to him?"
One of Thor's hands automatically went up to trace his tell-tale scar. "I'm not sure," he answered truthfully. "The Circle is a place that is devoid of outside influence; there, I never felt a twinge from it, except it always hurts when I get headaches." He shrugged, effectively forcing Lyth to keep a tighter hold and stop messing around with his hair. "It probably does. I mean," he grinned, "it always used to be."
"Ah yes," Draco sighed. "I have fond memories of you collapsing in Potions lessons from the pain…" He trailed off. "Of course, the fond memories are countered by those of Snape in agony from his Dark Mark, so it's not all good."
"No," Thor agreed musingly. "Well, I have equally pleasant memories of beating you at Quidditch, so it all evens out in the end." They had arrived at the barrier. Thor wrenched Lyth from his head yet again, and dropped him onto the ground, quickly placing a barrier around him so that he could not escape. Then he began inspecting his barrier.
"Can you tell what's wrong with it?" Draco ventured after a moment. Thor turned his attention back to Draco with a forced smile that Draco saw through instantly. "I will be able to," the Mage told him. "Now, let's start you off with barriers. Watch how I do it, but watch from a magical point of view, not just a physical one, alright? Like I showed you last night with the Moons."
Draco nodded, and carefully watched as Thor erected another silvery barrier, this one around the two of them. Then he took it down again, and looked expectantly at Draco, even as half of his concentration was probing along his barrier, trying to feel who was attempting to break through into Hogwarts.
Draco managed a weak barrier; his was a shimmering emerald green. Then it collapsed, and Draco narrowed his eyes in anger.
"That's good," Thor remarked mildly. "I didn't even manage that on my first try. Feel up to another go?"
"Of course I do," Draco snapped. "Here!" he flung his arms up, and another emerald barrier was flung up around them. Thor's eyes sharpened, but when he spoke, he chose his words carefully, and spoke slowly.
"Draco," he started, "Mages never, ever act in anger. It helps nothing, and will eventually poison your magic if you continue to use your power whilst angry. I'm sorry if I upset you; I meant only to express my concern." He turned away, back to his own barrier, and began physically probing it. Draco came up behind him, anxiously placing a hand on Thor's shoulder.
"I'm sorry," he said quietly. "I'm not…I'm not really angry, it's just…I've always been able to do things instantly before." Thor turned to look at his apprentice. "Then that," he said gravely, "is the most important thing you must unlearn."
"How touching," came a sneering voice from the other side of the barrier. Thor flashed a reassuring smile at Draco before turning to gaze at Ron through the barrier. Ron was standing, arms crossed over his chest, just across the barrier. "The Mage and his apprentice."
"Ron," Thor greeted dangerously, "you ought to treat Mages with the proper respect they deserve."
"Oh, I do," Ron smiled maliciously. "Only not all Mages." He looked over his shoulder; a jolt of pain hit Thor's scar, and he gripped Draco's shoulder hard to keep from collapsing to the ground. Through his agony, he saw Ron's smile broaden. Then he put up a mental barrier around the pain, as he had long ago been taught, and his vision cleared. He straightened as Ron stepped aside with a reverent bow. Beside him, Draco muttered a curse under his breath. Thor spared him a nod.
"Don't worry, Draco," he muttered. "I've strengthened the barrier, he can't get through."
The figure – for he could not be called a man – came to a halt mere inches away from the barrier. Lyth let out a keening wail, and with a burst of magic he broke through his mini barrier and stumblingly ran towards Thor, who lifted him back up onto his shoulders without objection.
"Good afternoon," greeted the figure in a voice that would have been more suited to hissing, so rasping was it. "How…nice to see you again, Harry Potter."
Thor forced himself to smile pleasantly. "Hello, Voldemort," he replied mildly. "So it's you that's been trying to break through my barrier."
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To be continued.
Disclaimer: See part one for full disclaimer. JK Rowling rules over all. Except anything that I created, which belongs exclusively to my brain, although my friend Roz ought to take some credit.
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"Thor, what is it?" Draco demanded sleepily from the bed. Thor turned from the window to glance at his apprentice. Draco blinked at the smile of twisted agony on the Mage's face. "The Dragons are singing," Thor replied equally quietly. "Come and watch, Draco." He looked back out at the full moon, and a moment later he was joined by Draco.
"I can't hear them," Draco admitted after a moment. Thor reached for Draco's hand; a moment later a myriad of notes filled Draco's ears, and he could see the dragons flying high over the school near the moon. "Woah."
"Hmm," Thor agreed absently. "They're singing an ancient Dragon song about prophecies," he told Draco after a moment. "It's very long, and very complicated, but incredibly beautiful." He sighed. "I hate it."
"Why?" Draco inquired, startled. Thor raised an eyebrow at him. "Oh right, because of that prophecy about you…"
"Yes," Thor agreed. "I hate prophecies, and this song…it has a lot about my particular prophecy. And they," he jerked his head at the dragons, "know it. Of course they don't follow anyone, so I can't even ask them to stop."
"But if the prophecy is true," Draco ventured, "then aren't you meant to rule them?" Thor's bitter smile disappeared. "According to some," he agreed. "There have been many interpretations." He turned to look properly at his apprentice. "Now is not the time for a philosophical discussion," he said firmly.
A smile played about Draco's lips. "Then how about another kind of discussion?" he suggested. "You don't look as though you're going to be able to sleep." Thor bent his head slightly in acknowledgement, smiling faintly, then turned away to close the window. "Why don't you tell me why you hate the Council so much?"
Thor's head whipped around, his eyes narrowed suspiciously. 'I do not hate the Council," he claimed. "You shouldn't say things like that, Draco." He sighed, and moved to sit down in the single comfortable chair in the room. "But I do disagree with the way they go about things."
"Like what?" Draco asked curiously. Thor waved a hand vaguely. "The rules, and the Trials, and the strict way everything must be," he admitted. He met Draco's eyes seriously for a long moment. "Like the student- teacher bond," he continued softly. "It is sacred, the Council and I both agree upon that, but the Council…" He sighed. "The Council disapproves of romantic attachments when you're still learning magics," he admitted. "The bond between teacher and student is supposed to be non-romantic to make it easier on both when they move on."
"Did…do you love Zodiac?" Draco asked hesitantly. Thor was silent for a moment, considering. "No," he replied finally. "Not in the way you mean, not romantically. Zodiac was like…he was my teacher, and we had a close bond. Now he's like a very irritating older brother." Draco nodded, a faint smile on his face.
"It's not important," Thor said after a silent minute. "It's just my opinion. It's not like I'll ever get onto the Council, so I can't do anything about it." Draco studied him. "But today," he observed. "The Trial…you're friends with people on the Council, aren't you?"
"Only Seraph and Zodiac," Thor admitted. "The others either hate me or ignore me, mostly." He stretched. "Zodiac pretty much agrees with the Council, and Seraph," he chuckled, "is considered almost as odd as I am, only for her it's because she's the only Veela Mage in decades."
"So there are non-humans in the Circle?" Draco inquired. "I couldn't find anything about it in the book…"
"It's not really discussed," Thor observed. "It's just normal for us. Humans are the ones who find it easiest to become Mages, but there are several dwarves, and a couple of Half-Elves. None of the other creatures have ever been able to manage even the simplest Mage spells."
There was a long silence, where Thor lost himself in his thoughts and Draco thoughtfully stared at the floor, suddenly sombre. Then he yawned, and Thor grinned at him.
"You go to bed," he ordered. "You're up at dawn again tomorrow, remember? Same as today." Draco nodded, but didn't move. Thor frowned and leant forward. "Draco, what is it?"
"I was just thinking," Draco said quietly. "Tomorrow…tomorrow is five years since my father died." He looked back up at Thor and shrugged. "Sorry, I just remembered it. He died at dawn."
"How?" Thor inquired quietly. Draco shrugged again, unable to speak. "Come here, Draco," Thor suggested. Draco moved from his chair and sat down against the chair, leaning his head on Thor's leg. "Now. Tell me?"
"I…I didn't mean to do it," Draco admitted. "I…there was no choice. Ron was there too, only he was fighting Hermione…I would have, only he…my father just came out of nowhere." Thor's eyes widened as he realised what Draco was trying to say, but he kept quiet. Draco needed to tell him this himself. "We duelled," Draco continued, almost whispering now. "And I…I killed him."
Thor was silent for a long moment, his hand resting lightly on Draco's bowed head.
"Two years ago," he finally started, quiet and subdued as Draco had been, "there was a Mage…Virgo. She had been Named at the same time as I, only she stopped learning before I did…She fell in with a bad crowd. Very bad. The worst. A group of renegade Mages who called themselves the Chimaeras…The entire Circle convened. Virgo was good, and we wouldn't stand for them taking her away too…the Council decided that a group of us should go after the Chimaeras, destroy them once and for al, or return them to the Circle for what they call 'reconditioning' – which is a horrible, barbaric, inhumane process. Zodiac and I were chosen to be part of the group, despite Zodiac objecting that there was no way I could possibly be unprejudiced when it came to the Chimaeras. They ignored him, and three days later, after we had finally chased down the renegades, I was forced to kill my best friend."
"I guess we're really a pair, huh?" Draco said sardonically after a moment. Thor smiled wistfully. "We really, really are," he agreed.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Breakfast with Thor, Draco quickly discovered, was very, very amusing. Thor sat himself at the centre of the table, with Draco next to him, and proceeded to engage in a very lively debate with Charlie Weasley about the behavioural habits of dragons. When Snape turned up, about ten minutes after everyone else and looking as though he'd been trampled over by a hippogriff, Thor kindly poured him some coffee before turning back to Charlie. However, whenever Snape reached for the coffee mug, it moved out of reach, returning to its original position whenever Snape stopped trying to grab hold of it. It wasn't long before the entire Hall had realised what Thor was doing. Thor continued to ignore everyone except Charlie Weasley, until finally Draco nudged him.
Thor looked at Draco with a surprised expression on his face that was belied by the twinkle in his eyes. "Yes, Draco, is something wrong?" Draco merely jerked his head across the table at Snape. Thor looked across at Snape, now looking puzzled. "Is there something wrong, Severus?"
"What are you doing to my coffee?" Snape demanded, seething. Thor frowned slightly. "Why, nothing," he replied mildly. "Can't you drink it? It'll get cold soon." And he returned to his conversation with Charlie. The mug moved out of Snape's reach yet again.
Finally Thor finished his own coffee and rose. 'Come on, Draco," he smiled. "Outside." Draco dropped his toast and followed Thor quietly; when they were out of the Great Hall he burst into laughter. Thor joined him, and it was minutes before they became sombre and left the castle.
"I haven't laughed so much in ages," Draco admitted, still grinning. "You shouldn't have done that to Snape, Thor." Thor shrugged. "Probably not," he agreed. "But it was fun." He gazed across the grounds for a moment. "A run around the lake first, I think," he decided. "And I'll come this time." He raised an eyebrow as Draco smothered a grimace. "Or perhaps you'd prefer a jaunt through the Forbidden Forest?" he inquired.
"No, no," Draco said quickly. "A run around the lake is fine. Let's go." He set off at a steady pace, and after watching him for a moment Thor caught up, and passed, his apprentice.
Three hours, and numerous runs, jogs, and other physical exercises later, Thor and Draco dropped to the ground next to the lake to cool off.
"You said you do this every day?" Draco panted. Thor shrugged. "As often as I can," he agreed. "Mages have to keep in shape. But I don't usually do as much as this; after a while your body will be so in shape you don't need to do three-hour runs."
"Good," Draco said fervently. "I don't think I could do this every day for the rest of my life."
"And Mages have a longer life expectancy even than wizards," Thor agreed mildly. "But you have to keep in shape, Draco." Draco rolled his eyes, but his attention was caught by Thor's first remark. "How long do Mages live?" he inquired.
"Several centuries; the oldest Mage at the moment is four hundred and seventy-two. In comparison, we are mere children." Thor stretched. "It really, really doesn't do to dwell on it," he advised Draco. "Someday you'll be old and cranky and telling off the little apprentices for making too much noise." Draco guffawed, and Thor looked out across the lake as something caught his attention.
"Thor," Draco said suddenly after a moment, following Thor's gaze. "Isn't that…"
"Yes," Thor said softly. 'I wonder what they're doing here." He squinted, trying to make out the details of the things he had seen.
"Thor," Draco said curiously after a moment. "What on earth happening to your glasses?" Thor looked back at Draco, distracted for a moment. "Oh, they got broken when Zodiac sat on them," he said vaguely. "So the healers corrected my vision. Much simpler than having to take care of glasses – besides, they were bloody ugly."
"And we thought you hadn't realised," Draco quipped dryly. He looked back across the lake. "Thor – that looks like –"
"A dragonlet," Thor realised with a sinking heart. "By the Dragons, how on earth do they think I'm going to have time to babysit?"
"You mean dragon-sit," Draco corrected helpfully. But Thor was already on his feet, storming around the edge of the lake. With a weary sigh, Draco rose and started trailing his teacher. When he finally reached the other side of the lake and the three dragons there, Thor looked mightily pissed off.
"What's going on?" he asked curiously, glancing between the two adult dragons, Thor, and the small dragonlet who was clamouring for Thor's attention at the Mage's feet. "Thor?"
"Hold on, Draco," Thor told him. He looked back at the elder dragon pleadingly. 'Please, Mytrin-wythindril. I have my apprentice, and I have other business here – the prophecy.'
But the dragon was resolute. 'You agreed to this,' he told the Mage firmly. 'Accept it, little dragon, and do us this favour.' Thor glared, but nodded finally. 'Thank you, Dragon Child.'
'Midnight, you said?' Thor checked again. The second, slightly smaller dragon nodded her head. 'Alright. He'll be fine.' The dragons nuzzled his cheeks, and then took off into the skies. Thor looked down at the dragonlet, then up at Draco.
"Sorry," he apologised. "I really can't help it – they always manage to persuade me into it, somehow." The dragonlet's claws caught on his boots, and with a grimace he detached the tiny, scaly bundle. "Draco, this is Lythruwrl-mytptril, but call him Lyth for short." He hoisted the dragon into his arms, carrying him much in the same way a mother would her child. "Lyth, this is my apprentice Draco." He looked back at Draco. "He can't speak dragon-tongue yet," he explained, "so there's really no point my talking to him properly." The dragon gave a hiccoughing sort of noise; Thor lifted its chin so it could breathe easier.
"Well," Draco remarked, trying to keep a straight face at the sight of War Mage Thor, the most renowned fighter in the Circle of Mages, clasping a tiny dragon, whose eyes were barely open and whose wings were still thin and weak. "Perhaps we should call training off for the day." The glare Thor sent him told him that Thor knew exactly what he was thinking, and did not approve at all.
Lunch with the dragonlet proved to be equally, if not more hilarious than breakfast. When Thor, Draco and Lyth entered the Great Hall there was instant uproar at the sight of the baby dragon attempting to clamber onto Thor's head using his hair as a rope; Hermione shrieked, Sirius roared with laughter, Snape almost fainted from shock, Charlie Weasley went ecstatically happy, and Dumbledore raised his eyebrows curiously as Thor took a seat opposite him.
"Thor," he started carefully, "if you don't mind my asking, what exactly is that dragon trying to do?"
"Dragonlet," Thor corrected grumpily. "Baby dragons are called dragonlets. And I was persuaded to babysit." He shot a glare at Draco, who was suppressing a smirk. "Although some people," he said loudly, disentangling the dragonlet from his hair, "seem to find the situation incredibly amusing." Draco sombred and concentrated on eating his mashed potatoes. Thor set Lyth down on the table between himself and Dumbledore. "You," he said sternly to little dragon, "behave. Or you won't get any mice for supper."
"Dragonlets eat mice?" Charlie jumped in from one side. "No wonder we never had much luck breeding them…"
"Well, Lyth is weaned," Thor explained. "They drink their mothers' milk before then, and afterwards they eat raw meat, like their parents, only smaller stuff, like mice, rabbits, weasels…mice are a particular treat for most young dragons, one which you, Lyth," he directed his comment at Lyth, who was attempting to breath fire at his food, "are almost certainly not going to have." As if he understood, Lyth turned his back on Thor and sulked.
"Incredible," Charlie breathed.
"Irritating," Thor muttered.
"Hilarious," Draco said airily. "D'you want some more mashed potatoes, Thor, yours are all burnt?" Thor sent his apprentice a glare that had made dragons back down, and then nodded thankfully, relenting.
Lyth managed to make a nuisance of himself throughout the meal, and eventually even Charlie was grateful when Thor, exasperated, picked up the dragonlet by the tail and took him outside, followed by Draco.
"What are we doing now?" Draco wanted to know, as Thor deposited Lyth on the stone steps. Thor looked thoughtful and a little grim. "I think someone's trying to break through my barrier," he replied slowly. "So we'll go and have a look at that, and I'll teach you how to erect them. Barriers are some of the most useful things you can know how to do, especially in battles; always remember that whilst you can never win a battle using defence, you will definitely, at some point or other, need to protect others whilst you are engaged elsewhere." Draco nodded fervently, obviously remembering something or other from his past. Thor chose to ignore it for the moment, and, picking up Lyth from where he had been attempting to roast a stone gargoyle, they started walking in the direction of Hogsmeade.
"Who do you think is trying to break through?" Draco demanded after a few moments. "George told me what you told him – no-one should be able to get through your barrier in either direction."
"Mages can," Thor pointed out. "I didn't think to protect us from them. I should have after yesterday, it was stupid of me after finding out that Voldemort had had Mage training…he's probably told someone some way of getting through it that only Mages should know."
"He has a lot to answer for," Draco said coolly after a while. Thor glanced at him, then nodded grimly. "That he does," he agreed. There was silence for a moment, broken only by Thor's exasperated mutterings as he again extracted Lyth from his hair. Then: "Is your scar still a connection to him?"
One of Thor's hands automatically went up to trace his tell-tale scar. "I'm not sure," he answered truthfully. "The Circle is a place that is devoid of outside influence; there, I never felt a twinge from it, except it always hurts when I get headaches." He shrugged, effectively forcing Lyth to keep a tighter hold and stop messing around with his hair. "It probably does. I mean," he grinned, "it always used to be."
"Ah yes," Draco sighed. "I have fond memories of you collapsing in Potions lessons from the pain…" He trailed off. "Of course, the fond memories are countered by those of Snape in agony from his Dark Mark, so it's not all good."
"No," Thor agreed musingly. "Well, I have equally pleasant memories of beating you at Quidditch, so it all evens out in the end." They had arrived at the barrier. Thor wrenched Lyth from his head yet again, and dropped him onto the ground, quickly placing a barrier around him so that he could not escape. Then he began inspecting his barrier.
"Can you tell what's wrong with it?" Draco ventured after a moment. Thor turned his attention back to Draco with a forced smile that Draco saw through instantly. "I will be able to," the Mage told him. "Now, let's start you off with barriers. Watch how I do it, but watch from a magical point of view, not just a physical one, alright? Like I showed you last night with the Moons."
Draco nodded, and carefully watched as Thor erected another silvery barrier, this one around the two of them. Then he took it down again, and looked expectantly at Draco, even as half of his concentration was probing along his barrier, trying to feel who was attempting to break through into Hogwarts.
Draco managed a weak barrier; his was a shimmering emerald green. Then it collapsed, and Draco narrowed his eyes in anger.
"That's good," Thor remarked mildly. "I didn't even manage that on my first try. Feel up to another go?"
"Of course I do," Draco snapped. "Here!" he flung his arms up, and another emerald barrier was flung up around them. Thor's eyes sharpened, but when he spoke, he chose his words carefully, and spoke slowly.
"Draco," he started, "Mages never, ever act in anger. It helps nothing, and will eventually poison your magic if you continue to use your power whilst angry. I'm sorry if I upset you; I meant only to express my concern." He turned away, back to his own barrier, and began physically probing it. Draco came up behind him, anxiously placing a hand on Thor's shoulder.
"I'm sorry," he said quietly. "I'm not…I'm not really angry, it's just…I've always been able to do things instantly before." Thor turned to look at his apprentice. "Then that," he said gravely, "is the most important thing you must unlearn."
"How touching," came a sneering voice from the other side of the barrier. Thor flashed a reassuring smile at Draco before turning to gaze at Ron through the barrier. Ron was standing, arms crossed over his chest, just across the barrier. "The Mage and his apprentice."
"Ron," Thor greeted dangerously, "you ought to treat Mages with the proper respect they deserve."
"Oh, I do," Ron smiled maliciously. "Only not all Mages." He looked over his shoulder; a jolt of pain hit Thor's scar, and he gripped Draco's shoulder hard to keep from collapsing to the ground. Through his agony, he saw Ron's smile broaden. Then he put up a mental barrier around the pain, as he had long ago been taught, and his vision cleared. He straightened as Ron stepped aside with a reverent bow. Beside him, Draco muttered a curse under his breath. Thor spared him a nod.
"Don't worry, Draco," he muttered. "I've strengthened the barrier, he can't get through."
The figure – for he could not be called a man – came to a halt mere inches away from the barrier. Lyth let out a keening wail, and with a burst of magic he broke through his mini barrier and stumblingly ran towards Thor, who lifted him back up onto his shoulders without objection.
"Good afternoon," greeted the figure in a voice that would have been more suited to hissing, so rasping was it. "How…nice to see you again, Harry Potter."
Thor forced himself to smile pleasantly. "Hello, Voldemort," he replied mildly. "So it's you that's been trying to break through my barrier."
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
To be continued.