Author's notes: I do not own Harry Potter nor associates. Please review.
Explanations for new terms/spells/magical items are at post-fic author's notes.
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By evening, Harry had finally mastered enough Chinese to understand the message in the wooden box, together with the dragon and phoenix rings. Harry was bushed from the studying, but the eagerness to unravel more secrets from the message drove him to continue.
Looking intently at the small, neat Chinese handwritings, Harry knotted his brows. "Do you want me to translate it for you? It is rather long," Harry offered, noting that the Slytherin was anxious about the content of the note. Draco nodded and begged Harry to go on, who prompt did.
"The dragon and phoenix rings, represents two most powerful leaders and thinkers of the ancient Magical world. The dragon represents Sethia, while the phoenix represents Osiria," Harry looked up. The two had the common understanding and acknowledge that Sethia and Osiria are two of the few wizards who made a statement, and a name for themselves. Sethia was the first few wizards to make use of destructive incantations; the Unforgivable Curses were some of them. He might sound like a dark wizard, but he was not. In his quest to find charms to revive the dead, he discovered many of the functional charms of today. Osiria was a great Diviner and thinker. He put across the idea of life after death, and had the ability to see into the future as well as the underworld. His works laid the path for Divination today.
"The Chinese have a saying of the match between the dragon and phoenix, this affinity between them is one of the highest in stature, and the attraction between them comes naturally. They complement each other in terms of strengths and weaknesses, as well as their behaviours and attitudes," Harry translated the message, and in his mind, he knew it might have referred to Draco and himself.
"There is a misconception that the phoenix is the female, and dragon the male. In fact, the phoenix in this case means a male. Two males bonded by the supreme of love and brotherhood, which is what makes their partnership a strong and powerful one," Harry paused. The two looked at each other, both clearly aware of the situation.
"The rings are charmed, only when worn by the chosen ones, and their hands placed side by side, will the magical creatures come to life, otherwise, the ring will glow red hot and scorch the wearer." The note ended and Harry put it aside. By some unspoken understanding and agreement, the duo stretched out their left hands and just when they were about to conduct the test, Draco suddenly drew his hand away.
"Wait, if these rings are meant to be a pair, does that mean that one of us would have to wear it on the right hand?" Draco asked. While Harry pondered on this issue, Draco slipped the ring off his left hand and switched it to the ring finger on his right hand. "Let's try." They slowly moved their hands next to each other, facing the same direction. Time seemed to stand still as they conducted the test, and both feared that they were not the chosen ones and would have to endure the scorch of red-hot gold.
All of a sudden, a high-pitched call was heard, distinctly that of a phoenix. At that instant, Draco screamed and watched as light poured out from his ring. At the same instant, a deep roar was heard, reverberating about the room. Harry drew in a deep breath and held it. The two nearly fainted from the next scene they witnessed. A beautiful phoenix, far more beautiful than Fawkes appeared and called. Its plumage was gold, like Fawkes, and the crimson of its other feathers was astonishingly red, as though they were made from rubies. The dragon from Harry's ring was no doubt a Chinese Fireball, no less awesome and charming as the phoenix. The two magical creatures suspended in the air and entwined each other as they flew in circles about the duo. Their next move caught the teenagers by surprise- they flew straight and the two and drove hard into their bodies, each creature bearing a part of the other. "They complement each other in terms of strengths and weaknesses, as well as their behaviours and attitudes," Harry remembered. The teenagers felt no pain, just a sensation of warm liquid spreading over their chests and into their hearts. Yet Draco felt his stomach convulse, threatening to be sick any moment. When the last of the creatures disappeared into their bodies, Draco rushed to the bathroom and threw up. Harry, on the other hand, tried to control his laboured breathing and his palpitating heart.
Draco reappeared at the bathroom door, looking sick. "What just happened?" Draco asked, as he walked towards the Gryffindor.
"I believe, we have just become the chosen ones," Harry replied. The two remained silent for a while, not knowing how to react.
"Do you think, our patronus have changed? It's just a gut feeling, but I feel that this inheritance is more than just this fanciful jewelry," Draco broke the silence. Nodding in approval, the two first cast a locking charm on the door, before proceeding to check out their patronus.
Harry started first, as light poured from the end of wand, Harry had expected to see a stag, and true, his patronum was still a stag, that shone bright and reminded him of Year 3, when he first learnt the charm and had thought the stag was James. Draco then tried his, fully expecting a white tiger. Just as no change had happened to Harry's patronus, Draco's white tiger appeared.
"I guess there's no change after all. Come, let us go grab our dinners." The two then left for the Great Hall.
As Harry sat at the Gryffindor table for dinner, Ron couldn't help but noticed the ring on Harry's finger.
"Harry, where did you get that from?" Ron held Harry's hand up, turning it in the light to see it glimmer. A few of the other Gryffindor boys crowded round to admire the beauty of that jewelry.
"It's from..." Harry stuttered, not knowing if he should tell about it.
"Is it from Draco Malfoy?" Ron questioned accusingly. Harry did not reply but pretended to be engrossed in his dinner.
"He proposed to you?" Ron, typically, gave an out-of-the-world suggestion. This caused Harry to choke on his dinner, nearly suffocating as the meatball clogged his oesophagus.
"So I take it as a yes? And you accepted him?" Ron laughed, clearly showing that it was all a joke. The other boys joined in his strange sense of humour and even Hermione laughed. They all knew perfectly well that it was impossible for the two arch enemies to get together. Fred always said, "it would even tickle You-know-Who to hear about their holy matrimony".
Harry had a hard time saving himself from near death, and resumed his dinner like as though nothing had happened, except that the blush on his cheeks refused to go away. At the Slytherin table, Draco was too taunted, but his retort rendered his followers speechless- it was a gift from his boyfriend in Beauxbaton. Some of the Slytherins actually fell for this, for they knew Draco swung both ways, and since his recent interest in French they were all the more convinced.
That night, Harry had a dream. He saw himself running in the snow, the surrounding devoid of any structures or plants. It was just a great big field covered with ankle deep snow. He was running towards a mound, and upon reaching he plunge his knee in the snow and lifted a single glass rose from the snow. He broke the glass stem, and plunged the jagged edge into his wrist, and watched as his blood rose up the stem and to the petals. The once colourless rose then became crimson red, as blood filled the petals, the rose turned into a live rose, its soft petals felt warm in Harry's hand. Then Harry was awoken by a piercing pain in his scar. This familiar pain, the same pain Harry felt whenever Voldemort was nearby.
"Harry! Where are you? Are you all right?" Harry heard Draco's voice, yet was certain he wasn't around, at least no where near his bed.
"Draco! Where are you? I can hear you but I can't see you!" Harry ran these thoughts through his head. Before he opened his mouth to speak, he heard Draco's replies.
"Harry! I felt that your forehead was burning! And you had a bad dream! Right?" Draco replied. Harry was amazed at how Draco could read his mind.
"Draco! You can read minds and talk to me?" Harry again ran this thought through his head, and hoped for a reply.
"Harry. I think we're able to read each other's thoughts and communicate using our minds. Remember when our magical creatures taking parts of each other before they entered us? I think that's how we have changed." Harry was shocked to realize this. They were bound together by the ability to mind-read each other.
"Draco. I dreamt of this rose. I believe it's that rose thing Belthazar was talking about this morning," Harry replied, gradually getting used to this form of communication.
"I thought Professor Lupin said that he was just talking nonsense?" Draco asked. It certainly felt weird to be able to talk to someone living on the other end of the castle, furthermore, through their minds.
"I think Lupin is hiding something. I need to go to him tomorrow," answered Harry.
"All right. Let's try to sleep. Good night and sweet dreams." Harry wished the other boy sweet dreams too before falling asleep again. That night, they dreamt of each other.
I'm serious about the Chinese saying about Dragon and Phoenix. I'm Chinese, see ;P.
I made up Sethia and Osiria, but if you are sharp, you should notice something already? And if you are really a pro, you should be able to guess the ending of the story .This is a very big clue.