Chapter 3
"The job is almost done chief" Harry told the blackened skull that over the last week had become his constant companion. "But I have one last job to do. I must enter the caves I have the feeling that the dragon didn't escape that night unscathed either" The chief didn't care much for his reasoning. "You fool boy I told you the dragon slaughtered us all that it was invincible and now you think to help it and even make the same foolish mistake we didn and enter those accursed caves" "You know where I come from we have a saying "Don't Tickle A Sleeping Dragon'' I am aware of the dangers, StoneFist but your viewpoint is twisted by your experience. Dragons, while strong and magical, are simply animals." Harry set the skull down on a tree stump and waved his hand in the air. "Do you feel the winter wind StoneFist do you feel it watching you? that is the real enemy I feel that the dragon is most likely dead but if not this is a problem that must be dealt with either way" The skull sat there silent for a while before speaking up. "You might be right Potter you do have more knowledge of the magical arts but don't get cocky if that dragon is still alive it shall be by far the strongest foe you have ever faced" The skull went silent and Harry knew it was time he cast a few spells to keep the chief safe and then he turned around trudging towards the largest of the caves which the dragon had emerged from all those years ago. The cave was dark and Harry summoned little lights to hover behind him. The bright magical light illuminated the cave and Harry noticed it glittering and catching on black veins. He walked closer to one and touched it. It was smooth, almost glass-like. And to his magical senses it tasted like fire, life, and brimstone. Harry made a mental note to investigate further before trudging further into the cave. He walked for nearly 15 more before reaching a large open section of the cave. It had several tunnels branching off of it but they were small to small for a dragon to fit through. He commanded half of the lights following him up into the air sending them into the dark absence that hung above him. When they got close enough they illuminated the vaulted ceiling above. There was a large gaping maw in the ceiling with the edges stained red and Harry knew he had found the dragon's lair. "Flyht" he intoned and drifted upwards into the lair. It was a grizzly scene, corpses shred to pieces littered the floor although long dead some hair and skin still clung to their bones, the dry cave air protecting it from decay. And in the center lay the largest corpse of all a massive dragon lay curled on the floor Its eyes and flesh had decayed but it's great scales still stretched over its back bones.
Harry walked around the dragon to view the front and saw a shocking scene lodged in its rib cage was a massive spear made of glowing ice that practically radiated death. And underneath the dragon's wing a clutch of eggs sat in a pool of dragon's blood still hot enough to make the air above shimmer. Harry extended his magical senses and noticed that the eggs seemed alive after hundreds of years but that they were cold as if hibernating. He quickly levitated the eggs and collected them in a magically expanded pouch that hung at his side. He gazed at the corpse once again while the bones and hide were valuable; he had no need for them at the time. But the pool of blood was a great boon while not quite as learned about dragon blood as Dumbledore Voldemort had learned quite a lot about its various uses and it was perfect for what he wanted to achieve on this icy peninsula. Levitating the blood out of the pool he drew it in front of him rolling it in the air into a large ball before encasing it in a giant conjured crystal ball. With his looting finished Harry focused back on the true purpose of his visit: the dragon's soul was clearly the source of the aura of death around Hardhomes strength and the icelike spear was the cause of not only the dragon's death but also its binding to the mortal plane. The spear needed to go, Harry first tried to remove it with a simple summoning charm but it resisted so he transfigured some rock into wolves who pulled it out with their teeth. "Evanesco" Harry intoned trying to vanish it but again it resisted his magic. Harry sighed regretfully before casting his most destructive spell "FIENDFYRE". A giant plume of fire left his hand focusing on containing it Harry brought it together and formed into a stag an avatar a fiery mirror image of his patronus. The Stag charged forward and collided with the icy spear. The spear held out for a couple of seconds before beginning to melt, letting out an eerie screech. Soon it was no more and Harry reined the fiendfyre forcing into a small ball devoid of fuel before it sputtered out. He then walked over to the dragon and placed his hand on its skull muttering a blessing before focusing on releasing it into the great beyond. A green and black glow washed over the corpse before disappearing taking much of the stench of death with it. He then repeated the tasks with the other corpses finally freeing the last of the ghosts of Hardhome. Setting the orb of blood to levitate behind him like his lights he walked back to the opening of the cave. Once again using his favorite spell to leave "Flyht" he landed down in the cave a moment and began the walk back. A short while later he reached the cave full of the black glass and he stopped staring at the veins contemplatively. The Tom Riddle inside him was practically screaming about the great but often terrible things he could do with the glass and dragon's blood together. However only one truly interested him although it was slightly risky.
Waving his hands through the air the veins of glass answered him slithering down the walls before circling around his feet slowly drawing a large celtic knot on the ground he carved out stone in the way and the glass filled in the newly made etches in the floor. Once finished he levitated the orb of blood in front of him and vanished the crystal then he drew out the blood into long strands and painted the glass with it making it glitter like a thousand rubies. He then began a long chant in celtic praying to the goddess Brigit for her blessing. He pushed magic into the ritual both from his own reserves and from the earth itself. Soon the fiery magic expanded going far past the small cave and at around a mile away in all directions Harry reeled it in tight anchoring the magic to the array of glass and blood. Exhausted from the creation of his wards Harry fell to his knees breathing heavily before succumbing to the darkness growing in his eyes.