Disclaimer: Harry Potter and everything in the franchise is the property of J.K. Rowling, Dungeons & Dragons is a property of TSR. Rating is PG-13 for mild violence and swearing, may turn to R in later chapters
Harry Potter and the Coming of the Dragon Ch 14
The tone of the school in the weeks following Halloween changed significantly. Professor Dumbledore, with the help of Lord Silverheart, strengthened the warding around the castle and grounds. Special attention was given to the dungeons and great pains were taken to identify any previously unknown passages leading into them from the outside.
Harry and his friends now spent much of their free time in the room of requirement. They had restarted the D.A. and with Professor Snapes urging and help they were giving the other students crash-training in defence as well as training on their own to improve their skills. Hermione and Draco, likely the two best students at Hogwarts, had made it their mission to discover as much as they could about dragon prophesies and also anything they could find out about the Drow.
They had been given a name for the dark elf that very same night as the attack. They had returned to the room of requirement as Professor Snape had ordered and had told their friends about their confrontation and how the potions master had saved them. "Hold on," Ron broke in, "Snape save you? Harry, that greasy git has had it in for you since first year, you're lucky he didn't try to help that..."
"Drow." The raven-haired Gryffindor, busily trying to hold Draco back from strangling his friend almost didn't hear Alec speak.
"What did you say?"
The olive-skinned boy responded, "They're Drow, dark elves. Professor Silverheart's talked about them before, they're a race of elves that turned on their kin and hid themselves in the underdark. That's deep underground. They hate everybody that isn't one of them, but especially surface elves." He shrugged, "The only thing else I can remember is they're supposed to be wicked-powerful fighters and have really strong magic."
"Well if that's true," Asked Ron, "Then why are they here and how did Snape stop him?"
"Because, Mr. Weasley," Everyone whirled to see the potions master standing in the portal at the front of the room, "The dark lord has most likely recruited them as allies due to Professor Silverhearts presence. As to my driving off the creature, it was years of skill, constant vigilance, and not a little bit of luck that helped in our escape."
Harry started as the Professor turned his gaze on him, he realized that Draco had stopped struggling some time ago and they stood close together and his arms were still around the Slytherin boys chest from his attempts to restrain him. They both leapt apart as if scalded by the others touch and Draco questioned his uncle about his report to Dumbledore to defuse the moment.
"The headmaster will be wanting you both to see him in the morning to hear your impressions of our little encounter, until then you should wrap up this little get-together and return to your houses... Have you explained everything to your friends Draco?"
The boy shook his head, "We were about to when you came in Sev.. I mean Professor..." the boys godfather smirked,
"Do so now. Mr. Potter, a word with you if I may?"
Fearing the worst, the raven-haired boy separated himself from his friends and walked a distance with the professor as Draco began the task of explaining his spirit quest to his friends. "Mr. Potter, please do not interrupt me until I've finished as this will be difficult enough as it is. I've been unfair to you since your first year here. Your father spent a large portion of our youth making a fool of me and I have never forgiven him his acts, I doubt that I ever shall..." he turned to face the boy, his face dark and set. "Because of the hate... yes, Mr. Potter, hate I feel for him I have treated you horribly and would continue to now if it wasn't for what you'd done for my godson."
The potions master looked over towards his charge as he continued to speak to an increasingly agitated Ron and Hermione; Alec simply looked interested. "The boy has gone through much this past year," glancing back at Harry with a slightly raised eyebrow he continued, "Not so much as you of course but, sadly, your entire life has been an ongoing tragedy and your own personal strength is quite impressive, almost frightening... Draco, however, has been pampered all his life and I was deathly afraid he would break under the pressure but he is dealing with it, due in no small part to your own assistance. "
Snape stood staring at his godson for a few moments before going on, "Don't think this changes how I'll treat you from here on Mr. Potter, I am at least big enough of a man to admit my faults, I will probably always see your father in you and it will affect my judgment where you are concerned but I wanted to.... Thank... you. I doubt he's ever had real friends before rather than the lackeys he's used to..." Snape straightened himself, turned to a speechless Harry Potter and took him by the shoulder, "Now lets get back to the group as Mr. Weasley seems to have fainted..."
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The following weeks had been a whirlwind after the attack. The D.A. had started meeting the next week, including all fourth year and above students that were interested. All of the friends had become instructors in the group under Harry's leadership, and even Professor Snape, an unofficial member of the organization now, was tutoring willing students advanced healing and combat potions. The classes were having their effect and the students were becoming adept at more powerful spells, some of which were beyond even newt level. The only area they truly lacked in was in physical defence, though Alec taking them beyond their limits with his training.
"It's impossible," he confided to Harry one day, "I've been training almost every day since I was thirteen and I've barely scratched the surface of what Silverheart knows." He ran his fingers through his wavy dark-brown hair, "No offence, but most of you guys are in horrible shape and barely know which end of a sword to hold. Jayxom says that most Drow train for at least a hundred years before they ever come to the surface... I just don't see the point sometimes..."
"It's because we have no choice," said Harry, "I won't stand and let them take the school, the world away from us without a fight, anyway we're not all hopeless..." Harry grinned and nodded his head across the room at Draco and Professor Snape, both in leather padding, squaring off with practice swords.
Draco's progress with martial training had been phenomenal. His ease with a sword seemed almost instinctual, he had advanced beyond all but Alec and Professor Snapes skill level. Severus had been another surprise. Harry hadn't thought that he would have any more skill with a sword than the students, wizards of this world depended almost slavishly on their magic but the potions master had a secret. He had spent every moment outside school training physically and mentally to be the best at defence against the dark arts. Now, facing his godson and going through the complex attack and defence routines he truly looked a man to fear.
Their research had yielded not so much progress as their training but some advances were made. Hermione and Draco, arguably the two best students at Hogwarts, had dedicated what little free time was left to researching Draconic legends. They discovered That Bahamut and Tiamat were not the only children of IO. Aasterinian, the name mentioned in the letter was also one of them and she was the messenger of the Great Dragon. To her would likely go the task of calling on the great deity when the time came. Chronosepsis and Faluzure were two other children, though little was written about them though the impression was given that they were closely connected to death and destruction. Nothing was certain but Hermione seemed confident that all five of IO's children must be present to bring about the prophecy.
The Christmas holidays had come and most of the students were packing for the trip home. Ron and Hermione were both packing their trunks in the dorms while Harry Draco and Alec spent some quality time in the room of requirement. Malfoy was draped over a book-strewn table, exhausted from his research, Harry and Alec faced each other, sitting cross-legged on pillows as the boy-who-lived stared at a ball bearing sitting on a low table between them.
"Relax Harry," The other boy said with just a touch of impatience creeping into his voice. They had been at it for more than an hour already. The boy's attempts to tap into his latent psychic potential had met with conflicting and irritating results. He had mastered the mental shields necessary to protect his mind from intrusion but progress past that point was sporadic at best. "You're trying too hard again," an exasperated Alec reminded him. "The power's there, you just have to relax so you can find it... Alright now, clear your mind... what?" Letting the sudden glare from Harry pass the boy continued his instruction. "Pretend like you're floating in a big ocean, all you can hear is your breathing, concentrate on it..."
The boy grimaced and followed his friend's instructions; they had been trying this for the past week with little success. He could feel the power at times but as soon as he did and reached for it, it was gone. As he sat, counting his breaths he felt the tingling of the power, like little electric ants crawling up and down his spine. Without opening his eyes he said, "I feel it, should I..."
"Don't do anything yet, get used to it, I bet you're barely even feeling the contact... when you can see me without opening your eyes, then you've got a hold of the power."
Harry lay as he was for several minutes as the tingling spread, first all over his body and then all throughout. The feeling, a bit creepy at first was now warm and comforting. Then as he became truly relaxed with the sensation a picture started to form in his mind. Like a poorly tuned television slowly coming into focus he could now see the table, the ball bearing and Alec before him.
He wasn't seeing them in the true sense but more sensing the energies around them. The other boy was the most intense but that was to be expected, as he was alive but even the table and ball-bearing in front of him had energy wrapped up in them and he understood some of his difficulty's in learning how to use his hidden abilities. He had spent hours trying to change the object as he saw it, but it was only now he saw he only had to nudge the energies to get the response he wanted. Concentrating on the metal ball Harry could see the kinetic energy holding the ball in place... with just a nudge in the right place he could get it to roll across the table.... So...
---CRACK---
The boy was pulled out of his trance by a loud noise, looking up at Alec he said, "I did it! I can do it now! What?"
The other boy just grinned and nodded towards the table and then off to his left. Where the Ball had been there was now a smoking scratch along the length of the surface in the direction of the wall, where an old wizard in a portrait was anxiously inspecting a newly created hole in the surface of his home. "Vandals!!! Murderers!!! Look at my portrait. Ah the youth of the day, no respect for their elders!!!"
"I'm sorry sir, I'll get you rep..."
"MURDERER!!! I'll speak to the headmaster I will, Why I never..."
"Dobby!!!"
At the boys desperate call the house-elf appeared before them. "Mr. Harry Potter sir! So good to see you again, what can poor Dobby do for you sir?" Grinning the boy continued,
"Could you take this portrait and have it repaired? Its come up a bit damaged..." Jumping with excitement the house elf answered, "At once, At once... Dobby is proud to serve Mr..."
"Potter," Came a sleepy voice from the other side of the room. "Hold it down would you, some of us are trying to study..."
Harry grinned in the blond Slytherin's direction, thinking that the boys complaint would probably go much farther if it weren't for the image on his cheek from the raised lettering on the cover of the book he'd been using for a pillow the last hour. Hearing a thump, Harry turned back to Dobby, only to find him face down on the floor in front of him, shivering furiously. Shaking the trembling elf a few times and calling his name, the boy was unsuccessful to get any response until the elf suddenly leapt up and grabbed Harry by the front of his robes, the expression on his face hysterical.
"Please Mr. Harry Potter sir!!! Dobby begs of you to explain to the Shining One that I did not know! I would never have left his service if I had... Please beg his mercy!!!"
Now fully awake and seeing the frantic house elf accosting his friend, Draco said, "Right... What's on with him then?"
Looking between the two, Harry shook his head with exasperation and replied, "Not a clue, one minute I'm telling him about this damaged painting and the next thing I know he's gone mental...
Leaving his books and coming over to the pair, Draco was absolutely shocked when on seeing the approaching Slytherin, Dobby promptly passed-out. "Bloody hell," the dark haired boy said, looking at his friend, "he's terrified of you."
The boy shook his head, "Don't ask me, I mean I was a proper prat when he was ours but we've been on good terms ever since you and I became friends. I don't know what could be causing him to do this..." Harry was pulled from his thoughts as he felt a slight pull on his sleeve.
Alec stood by him looking at Draco, "I think I do. Look at him like I just taught you."
Focusing on his blond friend first with his normal aura sight he saw nothing different except a faint silvery haze around him. Relaxing himself he was surprised to find the feelings from before coming back much easier now that he'd become familiar with it and turned his senses on Malfoy and gasped. The haze around the boy had solidified into a shimmering ghost-like image of a dragon. As he watched the beast turned its reptilian head towards him and its eyes glowed white with power. For the first time in weeks, agony exploded on his forehead, a flash of green light and echoes of maniacal laughter dragged him into blackness.
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Don't you love Cliff-hangers?
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Neither do I
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On we go then...
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Harry found himself in a cavernous stone room, seated on what could only be described as a throne. Ancient and rotted weapons and armour lined the walls and dark figures lurked in the shadows. Before him stood a beautiful black-skinned elvish woman, dressed in provocative leathers and a flowing black cape. From her hip swung a short, nine-tailed whip, each tail was the body and head of a living serpent. From the woman's carriage and expression, she found his presence distasteful and his company beneath her. Smirking up at the throne she spoke. "The human child has been broken, her knowledge is ours. Do you have a Plan for the girl or will you simply let your followers to continue playing with her?"
The boy felt sick, realizing the meaning of what had been said and implied left him cold and furious. Being only an observer he listened instead as a hissing, silky voice answered the woman. "I think Dumbledore and his pathetic followers need a lesson in power my dear." Too deep in his own musings the dark lord likely missed the woman's set expression and the twitching of her hand near her whip as he spoke the words but Harry noted them with interest. "Take her to the gates to Hogwarts near Hogsmeade, let her see that her friends cannot protect her even this close to their seat of power then kill her. Let her last breath be a curse on her protectors..."
Harry snapped up with a yell. He was sitting on the floor with Draco and Alec on either side, keeping him steady. He tried to rise but the blond Slytherin would have none of it. Holding him down gently he urged, "Relax Harry, you had some kind of fit. Dobby went to get professor Snape..." the boy shook his head and pushed himself to his feet,
"It's Bethany, I had a vision. Voldemort is having her killed at the gates to Hogsmeade..." Even as he spoke the portrait to the room opened to allow the potions master to enter. Harry quickly re-stated the highlights of his dream and his plans to prevent the girl's death.
Shaking his head, Snape replied, "No Mr. Potter, you won't be foolishly sacrificing yourself and leave me to explain it to the headmaster. Take yourself to the Hospital wing and have Madame Pomfrey check you out. Meanwhile I'll track down Professors Dumbledore and Silverheart... They've gone walk-about in that damn room again..." Snape took two steps towards the door and stopped, "I think I'll have a little insurance of your behaviour... Mr. Malfoy, Potter, your wands please..." Both boys looked ready to continue their argument but seeing the set expression on the potions masters face stopped any attempts. With wrathful glares both boys surrendered wands to the professor and watched him sweep from the room.
Both boys swung about as a string of profanity that would shock even Peeves burst from Alec. "How can you give up so easily? You've forgotten my friend's out there and she's going to die unless we do something now... well I'm going even if you're not..."
Harry and Draco both grinned and pulled wands out of hidden pockets in their robes, "Whoever said we weren't going?"
The curly haired boy gaped, "You... But how... I saw..."
"Early Christmas gifts from Fred and George," supplied Draco, "lets just hope Severus doesn't get it into his head to try using either of those wands... "Shaking his head and trying to ignore the boys giggling and references to flatulence charms he created a portal to Hogsmeade and they vanished from the room.
They arrived at the gates moments later with nobody in sight. The landscape was covered in snow and the landscape would have been a sight to see if they weren't so wrapped in their task. Quickly scouting the area they settled on a clump of closely packed trees to hide behind and wait for their enemies. "I wish we'd had time to get Ron and Hermione, we could use the help."
Harry's words were barely out of his mouth when Draco reminded him, "Relax Harry, we don't have to beat them, just distract them until Alec can get to her and portal them out. Besides, Dumbledore should be coming soon so we'll have them to back us up before too long. Remember, the Drow are resistant to magic and are wicked fighters, be ready.
Their wait didn't last much longer as the sky darkened and night began to fall they heard a faint whimper. Quickly hunkering down they watched as four dark figures pulled a large sack into the clearing before the gate. Coming to the entryway to Hogwarts one of them opened the bag and dragged a dirty, injured girl onto the snow. "Hardly seems worth all the work doesn't it?" Said the dark elf, "All this trouble to kill a child, would have been easier to do it back in the cavern, not out in this... openness..." turning to another of the figures he asked, "How much longer do we have to take orders from that iblith? (A/N iblithoffal or any non-Drow) He's incredibly arrogant for a lower being."
"Silence fool," returned the other with a recognizably female voice, "The will of the spider-queen isn't for the likes of a male, besides at least he's given you a throat to cut, and when the time comes his blood will run as easily as hers. Finish this, I want solid stone over my head quickly..."
Grinning, the dark elf grabbed the girl's hair and pulled her head back to expose her throat. Raising a wickedly barbed black dagger he made as to bring it to her throat when they were all distracted by a wet popping noise. Had any of them noticed the three humans watching them they would have seen the curly headed boy pull out a golf-ball sized piece of lead and put it in his left hand. Concentrating on it, he brought up his right hand and with a flicking motion he sent it hurtling towards the elf just as he raised the knife. The popping noise had been the sound of the lead ball exiting the Drow's skull, spraying his intended victim with blood and gore as h e fell limply on top of her.
Galvanized into action the mans companions spared him not a glance. Instantly three globes of darkness sprung up around the group, hiding them from their attackers. Hearing the woman call for the girl's death yet again Harry spotted a fallen tree and attacked. "Wingardium Leviosa!" The trunk lifted ponderously from the ground and launched itself into the darkness barely three feet off the ground. Draco followed Harry's attack with a brace of icicles, their points as deadly as any spear.
The darkness surrounding the Drow vanished as if it had never been. Two of them remained fairly unscathed, the third, however lay crushed under the weight of the tree at the far end of the clearing. Using the moment of confusion to his advantage he yelled to his friends "I'll be right back!" He ran to Belinda, picked her up and vanished in a flash of purple light.
The boys watched the Drow closely as they prepared for the next attack, "I hope he gets back soon," Harry said.
"Oh I don't know Potter, I don't think we've done so bad on our own." Harry could only hope that their luck would hold out, unfortunately his hopes died moments later as the female put a silver whistle to her lips and let loose a piercing note.
"I don't think this is a good thing Draco." From beside him he heard nothing until he heard his
Friend's terror stricken whisper, "Oh Merlin!"
Out of the trees where the Drow had first entered the clearing new figures emerged. Standing nine feet tall they looked like dark elves from the waist up but below, instead of legs they had the bloated bodies of Giant spiders. With Glowing eyes, gleaming fangs and long, wickedly sharp halberds they advanced on the boys at a frightening pace.
Harry turned to his friend in a panic, begging silently for any suggestion to help them... "Err. Run?" Not even bothering to discuss, the two boys tore off into the forest in an attempt to lose their attackers in the gloom. Unfortunately these creatures were born in the blackness of the underdark. The darkest night would be almost painfully bright to these creatures and they had no difficulty tracking their prey. The boys did get a respectable lead on their pursuers but they couldn't loose them and the creatures showed no signs of tiring.
Stopping at last by a tree, unable to run any farther the boys rested. "Might as well... Face them here... can't run anymore..." Harry Gasped out.
"Make 'em work... for it though... good thing... good thing Weasel wasn't here after all Harry... he'd of wet himself after the... spider things came..."
As the boys waited to make their final stand Harry looked to his friend, "If we don't get out of this..."
Draco snorted, "IF?!"
"If we don't get out of this, I want you to know, I mean after Sirius and everything... thank you..."
"The same and more mate, you saved my life... if there was just more time..."
The boys were pulled from their conversation as a dry, hissing breath echoed in the trees around them. Quickly turning back to back they watched for the first attack and weren't long in waiting. From three sides the creatures pounced, with three halberds swung down at them the boys had little choice but to separate as they both tumbled out of the way of the swinging blades.
Harry, his body burning had an undeniable urge to run up the side of a tree, to his utter amazement it was exactly what he did. Unknowingly he had accomplished something he had been unsuccessful at doing since Halloween he had transformed into the second and most powerful of his animagus forms. Now perched on a limb above the gathered monsters a two hundred and fifty pound panther waited to spring, he didn't wait long.
Draco was having an epiphany of his own. As soon as he'd dodged the first attack he knew what they were and how to fight them. They were driders, cursed Drow warriors. He blocked the swing of the first monster and ran to keep it between him and the third monster. He blocked the creature's slashes with a speed and power that he knew would cost him later if he survived, his biggest worry though was that Harry had disappeared. He slashed again with the sword that his wand had transfigured itself into and drew blood from the underside of the bloated body, hardly mortal but he knew he could take it if he had the time. He was suddenly distracted by a thunderous and screeching roar as a huge black panther landed on the back of one of the driders and clamped its jaws around the creatures neck.
The moment of distraction was enough for the drider to knock the sword from his hand and send him sprawling to the ground. He scrambled wildly trying to avoid the spidery creature, getting a bloody gash across his chest for his efforts from one of its eight legs. A loud, pained screech whipped his head around, the panther had finished its victim and was sprawled on top of it, the cat's shoulder was gashed from a bite caused by the third creature, which now stood over it preparing for the final strike.
Draco's entire world went white his own attacker no longer existed, only the one about to hurt his... Harry. Running wildly he threw an open handed slap against the creatures side, not even noticing as it, weighing nearly half a ton, was thrown bodily twenty meters to land a bloody mess, claw marks covering its body, each more than three feet apart.
Something shattered against the boy's back; he turned to face the last creature as it stood with the handle of its broken weapon in its hands. The rage built up beyond the breaking point and he screamed his anger and grief. The last drider and a large swath of forest simply disappeared in a blinding firestorm. Draco turned and staggered back to his friend who had returned to his human form. Lying on the ground, pale and barely breathing, the boy-who-lived didn't look like he would be for long. Dropping to his knees and cradling his friend's head in his lap he stroked the boys head, rocking and calling out to the boy lowly,
"Not again, you can 't leave me too, no more..."
Ok so maybe there is a cliffhanger.... :P