Chapter Five

Secrets Revealed

Harry, Ron and Hermione were way ahead of the rest of the Gryffindors as they walked across the great lawn to Hagrid's for their Care of Magical Creatures class. The Slytherins were taking this class with them and Hermoine noticed that Hiro was walking apart from his classmates. It seemed to her like they were keeping away from him instead of it being the other way around. Ron also noticed what was going on with the Slytherins and snickered slightly.

"Couldn't happen to a nicer bunch," Ron said sarcastically. "Too bad Hiro missed Malfoy. If anyone deserved to be bashed about in a windstorm its him."

Hermione looked at both boys saying, "That spell he used is very advanced. I tried to look it up based on the description of what happened. What I found was something I'm not sure we even learn here at school!"

"Told you there was something not right about him," Ron commented.

"Just because he knows more than we do doesn't mean there's something wrong with him!" Harry defended. "His school is different. How they learn magic is different. And, in case you haven't noticed, he does all his magic without using a wand!"

"Ron stopped walking and faced Harry forcing both Harry and Hermione to stop as well. "Now that's exactly what I'm talking about! It's wack, Harry!" Ron declared. "No wand? There's got to be something up with that! Who ever heard of a wizard working magic with no wand?"

Hermione interjected, "There are spells you can cast without a wand, Ron. I've read-"

"Yeah, I know, another bloody book!" Ron cut her off. "Look, a few magic's here and there I'd accept, but he does it all with no wand! The only thing I've seen him do was a piece of paper or he would draw some weird designs in the air. What is up with that?"

"Maybe if you asked him he would explain it to you," suggested Harry mildly as he headed off to Hagrid's.

Both Ron and Hermione exchanged dumbfounded looks while watching Harry's back as he walked away from them. Harry wasn't the one to slap them in the face with logic – usually Hermione was responsible for this – but neither of them could find fault with his idea. The duo let out a collective sigh as they picked up the pace to catch up with Harry.

Hagrid was in a particularly good mood when he greeted everyone. He was bouncing, or at least, moving with as much lightness of step as someone who is a half-giant is capable of doing. Around his hut were bristle brooms and hand held brushes that looked like the type used to groom horses. Two dozen pails filled with coarse sand were also there near the brooms. Everyone in both Houses were looking at the assortment of cleaning tools trying to figure out what Hagrid had planned for them.

"I want each of you to grab a pail and a broom or a brush and come with me!" Hagrid told them in a jovial tone. "Today we are going to do something special!"

"What? Clean the stable?" sniped Malfoy and the Slytherin girls giggled at the crack.

"No, these are grooming tools!" Hagrid explained. "Come with me and you'll see what we'll be caring for today!"

The Slytherins grabbed the tools grumbling as they did so and the Gryffindors also took brushes and pails in hand. With tools in hand the group followed Hagrid as he led them to a clearing just skirting the entrance to the forest. Being that close to the woods made some of the students nervous but their fears were overcome quickly by their curiosity. They looked around to see what Hagrid had sent them out to groom.

A shadow passed over them and everyone looked up. In the sky above was a creature that looked like a snake the length of a football field. It's face looked like that of a wolf and from where a wolf's snout would have whiskers this creature had long thin tendrils that were pulled close to its body as it flew. Its red-scaled body had a raised short golden fin that went the length of its spine and its forelegs and hindquarters were short and stubby although its claws looked like they could rip through stonewalls. The morning sunlight sparkled as it was reflected off the creature's scaly body and golden fin and it slithered through the sky like a giant serpent making a sharp turn before descending swiftly to land within a few feet of the assembled crowd.

Hagrid stepped forward to greet the strange creature and Hermoine whispered softly to Harry and Ron, "That's a Chinese Fireball!"

"That's a dragon!" Ron cried out louder than he meant to because his outburst drew stares from half the class.

Everyone who heard Ron say dragon looked at Hagrid and the creature and quickly put two and two together. Almost everyone in school knew how much Hagrid loved dragons. The chance to get close to one was the one thing guaranteed to make Hagrid happy beyond words. However, not everyone shared Hagrid's desire to get close to dragons. Most of the students were edging away from the dragon and Hagrid as subtly as they could.

"Gather round everyone!" Hagrid enthused as stepped away from the dragon walking towards the class. "This is a very special opportunity. You never know where you'll find yourselves. If you ever go to work at a dragon preserve, like Charlie Weasley did, you'll need to know how to give a dragon a sand bath. That's how they stay clean. The sand gets under the scales and brushes away any mites, dirt of other nasties that can get trapped in there and make things really uncomfortable. Dragons normally can care for themselves, but if you've got a sick one to tend to, you gotta do the washing for them. So today you are all going to learn how!"

"I'd rather wash a blast ended Skroot!" Crabb stated. "At least they don't eat people!"

"Neither do Chinese dragons!" Hiro declared stepping forward carrying the pail and curry brush. "They feed on great horn sheep and mountain goats. Humans taste disgusting!"

"Like you'd know!" sniped Malfoy.

Hiro turned to face the person making the jibe stating icily, "I do know."

The Slytherins stopped snickering and even the Gryffindors were looking at Hiro like he'd lost his mind. Harry didn't know what to think. Hiro might be saying things like that to shock them but, then again, there was a lot about Hiro Yui he didn't know. However, the idea that anyone at Hogwarts engaged in cannibalism was just too disgusting a thought to contemplate.

Hiro approached Hagrid and bowed the polite formal bow he always did when greeting a teacher. Hagrid didn't know what to make of Hiro. He was the only one, other than himself, who was not afraid of the dragon.

"Ever do this before?" Hagrid whispered to Hiro.

"Lots of times," Hiro replied softly. "We see dragons every day where I live. They are our friends and neighbors. Maybe if I start working, the others will see its safe and join in."

Hagrid nodded in agreement and Hiro quietly walked towards the dragon. From the dragon's nostrils came thin wafts of white steam that made it look like it had two small chimneys on its face. Its gold snake-like eyes followed Hiro's approach with interest and it let out a throaty noise that sounded almost like a purr when Hiro scratched the great beast on its right eye ridge in greeting.

"Bloody hell," Ron breathed. "It likes him!"

"It knows him," corrected Harry. "That dragon probably came from his school. Might even be their family pet."

"A pet dragon. Imagine that!"

"Come on!" Hermione said grabbing pail and brush. "Let's show the Slytherins we aren't afraid!"

Ron and Harry followed her and soon the three of them were helping Hiro groom the dragon's massive head.

After a short while and some prodding by Hagrid, the rest of the class joined the foursome in the task of dragon grooming. They were all spread out along the length of the great creature's body scrubbing away with the brushes and brooms. Although no one looked very pleased with their task, they didn't look particularly frightened by it either. It seemed everyone was quite content to work on the parts of the dragon that were no where near its head and the source of its magical fire breath.

Harry, Ron and Hermione watched Hiro as he worked on the dragon. It was obvious to them right from the start that their comrade knew what he was doing. While the four of them were working on the dragon's huge head, Hiro would gently correct their technique or show them where they missed a spot. Harry was enjoying this lesson and liked finding out little nuances of dragon care, such as the fact that Chinese Fireballs liked have their eye ridges scratched. He also liked seeing Hiro acting more like he did when they first met. He was being much more warm and friendly, the way he was when they worked together on Aunt Petunia's garden. He was even giving Harry, Ron and Hermione a smile whenever he met their gazes.

When Harry got close enough to Hiro to talk to him without anyone hearing him he asked, "Does this dragon belong to you?"

Hiro suppressed a laugh and replied, "No way! No one owns the dragons that live in the Himalayas. They are our neighbors and some of them chose to live at the Temple as part of our religious community. Those that live with the Brotherhood are the Temple's protectors. They keep the students and monks safe from the dark forces."

"So he is a friend?"

Hiro nodded. "Yes, he is our friend and now is a friend to Hogwarts too. Master Dumbledore made him welcome and Hagrid has been spoiling him rotten since he arrived!" The dragon snorted steam at Hiro in response to this declaration and Hiro said to it, "You are getting a spa day! Two dozen people scrubbing your back while you lie here in the sun like a prince!"

The dragon's gold eye turned to look at Hiro and Hiro scratched the eye ridge affectionately. More steam wafted out of the beast's nose coiling lazily upward as the dragon let out a large contented sigh. It may not have liked being called spoiled but it was certainly enjoying the treatment.

"Is he…happy?" Harry asked unsurely.

Hiro nodded. "This is dragon nirvana. We only give them sand baths when they are ill or injured. They normally look after themselves. However, in the New Year that is the Year of the Dragon, all the brothers will gather to bathe and pamper our Guardians as part of the holiday celebration. But the Year of the Dragon only comes once every twelve years so there is a long gap between draconian spa dates at the Celestial Temple."

Harry chuckled. The more he heard about Hiro's school the more he wanted to go there. A school where dragons stand guard and wizards cast spells without wands. He always thought Hogwarts was the most magical place in the world but it sounded like Hiro's Celestial Temple was even more magical than his school. He wasn't sure if it had all the secrets and secret places Hogwarts had but he had a feeling Hiro's school had enough wonders of its own to more than make up for the lack of mystery.

As they were finishing up Hiro asked, "Harry, could you do me a favor?"

"What?"

"I want to get out of Slytherin House and the only way I can make the change is if someone from the House I seek to join is willing to vouch for me. Could you be that someone?"

Harry did a double take. No one had ever asked him to be a character reference before. He was honored Hiro thought to ask him but he wasn't sure if he wanted Hiro in Gryffindor. Had he been asked to do this when school first began a month ago Harry would have leaped at the chance to have his new friend as a part of his House. However, now he wasn't so sure. There was too much about Hiro that Harry didn't know and it was the not knowing that made him uncertain about what he should do.

"Had you asked me to do this when we first got here, I would have said yes without hesitation. But now I'm not so sure," Harry began. "I do like you, Hiro, but I'm not sure I want to be responsible for getting you into Gryffindor. Especially after what you did the other night at Slytherin. Enough people already don't like me, I don't need to make any more enemies."

"You won't!" Hiro declared. "I promise I won't wreck anything! Besides, that fight happened because those guys were abusing me since the day I got here! I just couldn't take it anymore!" He paused taking a deep breath to calm himself and then added, "Look, I know what I did was wrong but it won't happen again. I promise."

"What won't happen again?" Ron queried as he joined Harry and Hiro.

"What happened at Slytherin," Hiro told him.

"Oh, that," Ron said unable to keep the glee out of his voice. "Too bad you missed Malfoy!"

"Ron, you're not helping!" Harry stated.

"I can't believe you're defending them!" Ron shot back.

"I'm not, it's just that what Hiro did nearly killed them! It's one thing to argue with people and not like people but its another when hate leads to murder."

"I wasn't trying to kill them!" Hiro interjected. "I lost control and the windstorm was more powerful that I intended it to be! It was supposed to scare them not hurt them!"

"That's why I'm not sure about recommending you for Gryffindor," Harry explained. "You're casting spells that are more than you can handle. You've been doing a lot of things that no one in my class can do, not ever Hermione. And the fact you're…dating Lady Cassiopeia also makes you not exactly well-liked in House Gryffindor."

"I thought everyone liked Lady Cassiopeia!" Hiro said rushing to his Lady's defense.

"We like her!" Ron put in. "Just that everyone's dead jealous that she likes you!"

"We knew each other before we came to Hogwarts," Hiro explained. "Before I was chosen to be a Temple Guardian, we were planning on getting married."

"Married?" Harry and Ron said in unison their shocked voices drawing a few curious looks from the other Gryffindors and Hermione's attention as well.

"Who's getting married?" Hermione asked getting into the 3-way conversation the boys were having. "Anyone I know?"

"Yeah," Ron said and pointing at Hiro added, "Him!"

"Really? Aren't you a little young to be getting married?" Hermione asked.

"I'm not getting married," Hiro said. "I was going to but my being chosen to serve as a Temple Guardian changed all that." Hiro sighed. Now that all three of the friends were together he felt he could tell his story just the one time and have it over and done with. That is, after he made sure the trio could be trusted! "Harry is right. There are a lot of things about me you don't know but, if you agree to help me get into Gryffindor, I'll answer any questions you have about me and my school. Agreed?"

"Anything?" Ron asked.

Hiro nodded. "Yes, so long as it's not things bound by our religious covenants. But since you know little about our faith, I doubt you'll be asking me things I can't answer."

Harry, Ron and Hermione considered the offer. There had a lot of questions and the chance to finally get these questions answered was an offer too great to pass up. Besides, thought Harry, Hiro won't be wrecking Gryffindor House because he's going to be around friends. He wants to be there so maybe it'll all work out in the end. After a few minutes of the threesome exchanging some meaningful looks it appeared they came to a consensus.

It was Harry who gave Hiro the news. "Okay, we'll do it. But you have to promise not to cast any magic beyond your ability to manage. Agreed?"

Hiro nodded. "Yes. So, I can tell Master Dumbledore you three will speak to him on my behalf?"

"Yes, but first you said you would answer our questions and I have one for you!" Hermione said. "What is this dragon's name? If he's your friend, you must know who he is!"

"I know him very well," Hiro said softly reaching out to lovingly stroke the side of creature's great snout. "His name is Xiouxien and he is my father."

If it were physically possible for their jaws to hit the ground and their eyes to pop out of their sockets then they would have at that moment. They knew Hiro had his secrets but this was not one they were expecting!

"Your father?" Ron asked. "But how? You're…you're human!"

"I'm half human," Hiro explained. "My mother was a witch and my father is an animagus. He can make himself become human, which all of you have seen! The human form is his shape change. What you see here is the real Xiouxien."

"So does that mean-" Ron began.

"Hiro is a dragon too!" Hermione finished for him.

Harry looked at Hiro for confirmation and Hiro nodded. "I am but because I am half human I can switch between my true self and this body much more easily and stay human for longer periods of time. And if I were to marry a human witch any children we had would be born in a human form. My wife wouldn't be brooding over a clutch of eggs like my mother was while waiting for the dragonet's to hatch!"

"That must have been a surprise," Ron remarked.

"Yes, it was. It's the reason why my parents divorced. Had my father been honest about what he really was I think my mother wouldn't have walked out. It's not that she married a dragon; she's a very open-minded witch. It's just that my father never told her he was one until she was pregnant and found out she would be laying a bunch of eggs like a chicken instead of having a baby! The shock was a bit much and she never forgave him for the lie."

"Do you ever see your mother?" Hermione asked.

"Yes, I saw her just before I came here," Hiro said. "She's the one who gave me Francois, the motorbike I was riding when Harry and I first met. He was a friend of hers and she was hoping Master Dumbledore might know how to reverse the magic he did that got him trapped inside the bike. No one at Beauxbatons was able to figure it out so that is why he's here with me."

"Your mom teaches at Beauxbatons?" Harry asked.

"Yes, she's their Potions mistress."

"Wish she'd get a job here. Maybe Snape and her could trade spots!" Ron suggested.

Hiro laughed. "I know you don't like Snape, he is a bit of a git. But he does know his craft. If you ignore all his bluster you will learn a lot from him."

"He doesn't scare you?" Ron asked.

"If you were a dragon, would Snape scare you?" Hiro stated more than asked raising a solitary eyebrow at Ron and looking rather snarky.

"Guess not," Ron said feeling really stupid.

Hiro gave Ron a teasing punch on the shoulder. "Come on! You don't have to be like me to have the courage to stand up for yourself! You're a smart guy! You just have to project the attitude that you aren't going to tolerate being bullied and the bullies will leave you alone!"

"It's not that simple!" Hermione said.

"It is that simple!" Hiro countered. "The three of you have done more than any other student in this school. Each of you in your own way are brave, intelligent and perceptive. The Slytherins pick on you because they are jealous of your abilities and achievements. Next time Malfoy gets in your face, tell him to get stuffed and mean it! I think he would leave you alone if he truly believed you weren't going to put up with his attitude."

"The only thing Malfoy would understand would be a swift punch in the nose!" Ron stated. "He's as thick as a brick!"

"I know," Hiro agreed. "I dorm with him, remember?"

"And he doesn't bother you?"

"Oh, he hates me. I think the only one around here he hates more than me is Harry," Hiro told them. "He just doesn't bother me because he's seen what I'm capable of and he is afraid of me. We just avoid each other. And, if Malfoy and I can avoid each other and we're in the same house, how hard can it be for you Gryffindors to avoid the Slytherins you don't like?"

"We do try to avoid them, but it's hard when you have classes together," Hermione said glancing back at the Slytherins who were now part of a group sand bathing the dragon's stomach. She noticed no one was paying attention to them and sighed with relief. This was one conversation she didn't want any of the Slytherins to overhear.

"True, but you can make them treat you with more respect. I could teach you a few things that you could use the next time Malfoy and his friends start abusing you," Hiro offered.

"Some of your magic? The stuff you don't need a wand for?" Ron queried and Hiro nodded. "Awesome! Count me in, Hiro!"

"I would like to learn too," Hermione put in.

Everyone looked at Harry, who had been strangely silent throughout the exchange.

"Is something wrong?" Hermione asked him.

"Not wrong, exactly," Harry began. "But there is one thing I have to ask because too many people have been saying all kinds of things about you and Lady Cassiopeia. And, well, none of it has been very nice. I got the impression you knew her before you got here but, still, you are too young to be…um, dating a teacher."

Hiro tried to keep the amusement out of his voice as he said, "Actually its she who is too young for me! I'm…older than I look."

"How much older?"

"About sixty years older," Hiro told them.

The threesome didn't look all that surprised; After being told he was half-dragon, there really wasn't too much else Hiro could say that could shock them any further.

"For a dragon this is quite young and that's why I look the way I do," Hiro continued. "My human form reflects my true maturity level and I'm going to look like this for another decade or so. I won't have the true draconian lifespan because I'm a dragon-half but I will still live ten times longer than the average human."

"So long as you don't fight anyone you can't take," Ron interjected.

"Very true! Being a Temple Guardian can cut one's life expectancy down quite a lot!" Hiro stated and they all chuckled quietly so no one would notice. "Anyway, I met Lady Cassiopeia when my father went to the Arcadia to help Lord Elrond with a project. I accompanied him and well, let's just say we connected. Having to say goodbye to her was the hardest thing I ever had to do in my entire life. Seeing her again has been a dream come true. Too bad in a month I'm going to have to wake up."

"Why can't Temple Guardians marry?" Hermione asked.

"Because the distractions of a wife and family would be counterproductive to the performance of one's duties to the Temple," Hiro said sounding like he was quoting a line out of a textbook. In a normal tone he added, "I think that's a bunch of crock but rules are rules and I have to abide by them. I was told I should be thankful I'm not required to take priestly vows. This means I don't have to be celibate, just unmarried. Which for me has been very hard since a lot of our culture and faith revolves around family. Everything I'm working to protect I can't have!"

"That rots," Ron commented.

Harry was about to speak when Hagrid's booming voice drew all of their attention. "Gather round! Gather round!" he called.

The quartet at the dragon's head gathered up their buckets and brushes and joined the rest of the class that was clustering around Hagrid. The groundskeeper looked quite pleased and Harry wasn't sure if it was because everyone did such a good job bathing the dragon or because there was a dragon here to bathe. Hiro had rejoined the Slytherins but was only standing near enough to be included as a part of their group. They didn't want him around them any more than he wanted to be there. However, Hiro was being careful to keep his liking for House Gryffindor unknown until it was time for him to officially join the House.

"Good job everyone!" Hagrid complemented cheerfully. "Put your buckets and brushes back where you got them. Next class will be with Master Yui. He'll be teaching you all kinds of dragon facts. The Himalayas are home to many kinds of dragons and his school, the Celestial Temple, is right near where a group of Chinese Fireballs have their wyrs. Wyrs are dragon homes or nests if you will. Chinese Fireballs like nesting in the crevices of very high mountains or in caves. So he's going to be teaching you and I'll be there because I'd like to know more about Chinese Fireballs myself. Not too much is known about them, since they almost unheard of in these parts."

The group dispersed and headed off to return the bathing equipment. Harry, Ron, Hermione and Hiro lingered behind hoping to get a chance to talk to Hagrid. The foursome watched as Hagrid affectionately scratched the dragon's right eye ridge and talked softly to it. They weren't sure if he knew the truth about the dragon's identity. Harry didn't know how Hagrid would react if he knew the dragon he was fussing over was Hiro's father. He also was curious about what he'd say if he knew Hiro was a dragon too!

Hiro whispered to Harry, "You're wondering if he knows, aren't you?"

"Does he?" Harry queried back softly.

"Only one way to find out."

Harry caught Hiro's arm before the other could leave. "Wait!"

"You don't think he should know the truth?"

"That should be your father's decision, don't you think?"

Hiro looked at Harry and realized his friend was right. It wasn't his place to reveal his father's secret. He stayed with Harry and the others until Hagrid was done saying goodbye to the dragon and came over to meet with them.

"You have no idea how lucky you are, Hiro my boy," Hagrid said as he joined the four friends. In a mock whisper he asked, "Got any openings for a groundskeeper?"

Hiro laughed. "If we ever did, you'd be the first person I'd ask for!"

"Hagrid, can you tell us anything about the dragon?" Hermione asked.

"Yeah," Ron put in. "Like how it got here."

"Or its name?"

"Whoa, one at a time!" Hagrid said liking the chance to talk about his favorite subject but too many questions at once were a bit much to handle. "Okay, it got here by flying. Long trip but the ancient ones can fly for days without getting tired. That's a part of their magic, along with making themselves unseen by Muggle eyes. Master Yui told me that Shen Long – that's his name by the way – used to be a Temple Guardian but he's retired now. He said Shen Long's great-grandson is now one of the three Temple Guardians. There's always three Guardians, because, according to the beliefs of the monks, three and multiples of three are lucky numbers."

"My father told you that dragon was Shen Long?" Hiro asked wide-eyed in disbelief.

Hagrid nodded. "Yep, he said he was famous among your people. A hero."

"Shen Long was more than a hero," Hiro explained. "He was the original Temple Guardian. He was the first of the mountain dragons to embrace Akasha's Buddhist teachings and pledge his life and the life of his descendants to the keeping of the Buddha's peace. Shen Long and his kin are the only Chinese Fireballs in the Himalayas that are friendly to the Akashic Brotherhood and to the other peaceful humans who live in the foothills of our mountain. Because of Shen Long the other mountain dragons ignore us. If it weren't for him, the Brotherhood would never have survived! Dragons are very territorial would have long ago destroyed the Temple if Shen Long hadn't befriended Akasha and promised to keep him safe."

"That dragon can't be Shen Long!" Hermione said. "Your Temple is as old as Hogwarts! He'd have to be over a thousand years old to be Shen Long!"

"Dragons can live to be that old Hermione," Hagrid told her. "It's rare to find one that ancient but, when you do, be careful. The older they are, the more magic they have and the less patience they have for uppity wizards."

"He didn't seem to mind us," Ron said. "I think he liked us!"

"He liked the sand bath," Hiro pointed out. "Dragons still think wizards are crunchy and good with soy sauce. Never forget that!" Harry, Ron and Hermione fixed Hiro with a very pointed look and Hiro added quickly, "Well, at least that's what everyone back home says is the reason why you don't do anything to anger the Great Wyrms."

"Well, no one got our Great Wyrm mad at them!" Hagrid noted and, with a sly wink added, "Not even Malfoy peeved him. Guess he learned his lesson after what happened with Buckbeak!" The Griffin Buckbeak bit Malfoy after Malfoy was incredibly rude to him. After that incident it seemed Malfoy was a little more careful around magical creatures that could have him for breakfast. "But, I agree with Ron. I was watching you four at work and it was obvious that old Shen Long did take a shine to you. If you'd like to say goodbye to him before you go back to the school you can."

The four of them were more than willing to follow Hagrid back to the huge dragon, who was now coiled up in an almost snake-like ball as it settled in to sleep. It looked at them through tired heavy-lidded eyes and a slight amount of steam vented out through its nostrils. Hagrid approached the beast first talking softly and, after a moment, motioned to the four of them to approach.

"He's going to settle in for a nap," Hagrid told them. "Best to thank him for letting you practice on him before you go."

Harry, Ron and Hermione each took turns scratching the dragon's eye ridge and showing their gratitude for his patience before saying goodbye. It acknowledged them with a steamy snort. After the three of them were done Hiro went to his father and hugged him around the neck. His grasp barely reached a tenth of the way around but Hiro's presence and affection were well noted. It seemed to Harry, Ron and Hermione the dragon looked happy. At least that is what Hagrid told them the strange murmurings and venting of steam that were coming from it meant.