CHAPTER 40: Romania

Once he was back in his dormitory Harry tore open the first letter from Charlie.

Harry,

I had no idea Dumbledore did that to you, I'd be happy to help. But

Are you sure it's a good idea to come here alone though? I guess

If you're anything like I remember you probably not going to change your mind.

I won't tell anyone except a few of my closer friends that you'll be coming, I

won't even tell Dumbledore or the Order about this. How'd you get a hold of Fawkes to deliver the letter though? Just apparate to Serbanescu street outside

a hotel called the Crystal Palace. It looks more like a giant mirror than a

hotel. I will pick you up, if anyone else approaches you run, I'll find you.

-Charlie

Harry went to open the other letter but thought that he should let Hermione read through it first in case there was anything personal in it. Just then he heard the dormitory door fly open and Ron's footsteps approached. Harry listened to the curtains across the room fly open, something heavy hit a bed, and the curtains close again. He didn't want to risk opening his curtains and making his former friend aware of his presence so he cast an imperturbable charm and opened the letter himself.

Hermione,

Is there something happening between you and Harry Potter?

I am not understanding why you would like him to come visit me,

But I will gladly approve the visit. He was a good friend when I

Visited two years ago and I wish to return the hospitality. Krum Manor

Is located in Sofia, Bulgaria's capital. I wonder how he will arrive, though?

My house cannot be accessed by your floo network and it is almost

Impossible for one to apparate across borders. If he does find out how to

Get here than almost anyone can direct him to my house, it is quite large for a small city.

-Viktor

Harry almost laughed at the fact that a famous, International Quidditch hero was worried that Hermione was interested in Harry instead of him. Although after that kiss Harry wasn't sure anymore. He had never thought about Hermione like that, but it was definitely more than a kiss goodbye.

Harry shook the thought from his head. He couldn't get caught up with his feelings for Hermione, the only reason she was still alive was probably because she was no more than a friend. If they were both still alive after this battle than maybe he would explore that possibility.

He put his focus back on the plans at hand. He needed to get in touch with Ollivander to get an idea of where, exactly, he should apparate too. He lifted the charm on his curtains and apparated to Diagon Alley. When he approached Ollivander's there was a commotion inside.

"I cannot just give you a second pair of wands. I understand where you are coming from but there are laws."

"But we can pay you!"

"Fred? George? What are you guys doing here?"

"Harry! Spiffing to see you old boy." Fred told him, shaking his hand vigorously. Harry could see that the twins had changed, their once happy faces had the same look but there was a sadness in their eyes.

"We were just trying to cut a deal with Mr. Ollivander here, but he wasn't warming up to the idea." George added.

"You were asking for a second wand?" Both twins nodded glumly. "You guys want to get back at Voldemort don't you?" They both nodded again. "I have a list of things I'd like you to work on. If you can create this stuff then I'll see what I can do about your wands. Even if I can't get them this stuff will be more important in a battle than you could possibly imagine." Fred took the list from Harry and looked it over.

"This is some interesting stuff, mate. It will take some time, but we can do it. It's mostly just tweaking stuff that we already have. I can see how this could come in handy though…"

"So how are you guys holding up?" Harry asked quietly.

"We just want that bastard to die. Bill and Charlie had pretty much the same reaction. Mum won't stop crying and Dad is just burying his head in work. Ron took it harder, he was ready to strike out at anything."

"I know, he struck out at me and Hermione." Harry explained the situation and they just shook there heads.

"Ron was never good enough for her anyway. We all knew it and I think he did too. We knew it wouldn't last, had no idea it would end like that though."

"You guys didn't think your brother was good enough for Hermione?"

"Well, look at it this way."

"Sometimes Ron can be a bit of a…" Started George.

"Prat, but he means well." Finished Fred.

"He never treated Hermione well."

"And she was like a sister to us."

"Just like you're a brother to us."

"You guys are better family than Percy."

"But that's not saying much."

Harry was getting dizzy trying to follow the conversation. He held his hands up in surrender and the Twins stopped.

"I've got some work to take care of. Get started on that stuff and I'll be in touch, ok?" They both nodded and left.

"What can I do for you, Harry?" Mr. Ollivander asked. After the exchange Harry had almost forgotten where he was.

"Oh, er, You once told me that you knew Gregorovitch, right?" It was more of a statement than a question.

"Yes, he's a good friend of mine, even though I do not agree with some of his wand mixtures."

"Have you ever been to Bulgaria?" ollivander's eyes lit up.

"Oh, yes indeed I have. It's a most interesting place. Why do you ask?"

"I wanted to visit. Do you think you could describe the are by your friend's shop?"

After receiving a lengthy description of 'Gregorovitch's fine wands' Harry thanked the old wizard and left. He apparated back to Hogwarts and left a note for Hermione to let her know he had left and he'd be back soon. He then concentrated on the hotel that Charlie described. He dissaparated but when he reappeared he knew he was in the wrong place.

"And who, may I ask, are you?" A man had just appeared in front of Harry. When he looked around he realized he had apparated into a jail cell. That was rotten luck.

"My name's Dean Thomas." The stranger lauged. Harry noticed that he wasn't a very big man but he was in incredible shape. When he walked he looked more like a large cat than a human.

"Liar. So, Mr. Potter, you were trying to apparate out of the country without a license? You must understand that while your Ministry of Magic did not detect your illegal apparitions throughout your country we did. We are outside the jurisdiction of your country, or any country for that matter."

"So who are you?" Harry snapped. He was getting tired of the games. The man smiled.

"You can call me Alistair. If you are asking who I work for and why you are here, you are in a detainment center owned by the Paradias Corporation. The Paradias corp. is a multinational company in charge of international apparition among other things. We do not spend much time in one country or another, but we do have certain…assets on the ground."

"So what's going to happen to me now?" The man smiled once again.

"You may be the first person that hasn't tried to draw their wand or another weapon on me, and I can see that you are…well armed. This proves to me that you should be allowed to leave. Aside form that, I am quite a fan of yours Mr. Potter. Take this and continue on your way." The man walked towards him and Harry tensed. He wasn't comfortable with a stranger who was obviously dangerous approaching him. The man, however, only took out a small card and tossed it at him. When Harry looked at it he saw that it was blank.

"What's this?"

"That is a form of identification that can come in handy. Just put your thumb on the lower right corner and think about what you need the card to say. It will automatically put a picture of you, however you look at the time, and any name, birthdate, address, and card type you want. You can use any fake name or information you want. You can use it as an apparition license or it can even look like a muggle drivers license if you want it to." Harry sputtered his thanks and the man just laughed. He turned and left through an unseen door. As soon as the door closed the room disappeared and Harry appeared outside the door of the Crystal Palace in Bucharest.

He listened as people passed by him speaking in a harsh sounding language. He tried to understand it but it was nearly impossible. He sat on a bench in front of the hotel waiting for Charlie. He sat there for a while before he began to worry that something had happened to Charlie on the way to pick him up.

"Harry!" He spun to see where the excited whisper was coming from. Charlie was kneeling behind the bench pretending to tie his shoe. He was dressed in muggle clothing and, aside from the pale skin and bright red hair, fit in almost perfectly. "Don't stare at me, just sit there like you were doing before. There have been some reports of death eaters in the area so I had to take some extra precautions to lose them. Go walk to the end of the road and turn right. You'll be in an empty alley. I'll wait a bit and make sure nobody followed you. From there we can head to the reservation." Harry listened carefully to the instructions. As he stood up he glanced at his watch irritably as if he had just been stood up and walked down the street. When he entered the empty alleyway he pulled his wand but kept it hidden from view. Seconds later Charlie came striding in.

"All clear, we should get going though." Charlie's eyes widened when Harry leveled his wand at him. "Harry…what are you doing?" He spluttered.

"Stay calm and look into my eyes." Charlie did as he was told and Harry gently entered the man's mind. He searched for a memory that would prove who the man was and came upon it quickly. It was the memory of meeting Harry for the first time at the Burrow before the Quidditch World Cup. Harry retreated form Charlie's mind and lowered his wand. "Sorry about that, I had to be sure though."

"Yea no problem. Just don't scare me like that next time." He said grumpily, pulling a small crystal from his pocket. "Hold this crystal and you'll see the apparition point for the reservation."

"How'd you know I could apparate?" Charlie's face fell.

"Ginny told me before she…"

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have brought it up. Let's get going." Charlie nodded glumly and handed Harry the crystal. After studying the apparition point Harry tossed it back to the elder Weasley and dissaparated.

When Harry and Charlie reappeared they were in an open green field a few hundred feet from a large brick building. Charlie signaled for Harry to follow and walked towards the building.

"I told the guard that I'd be bringing a guest back with me, they don't like surprises here. I didn't tell him it was you though, guess there's no getting around that now though." Harry smiled to himself and decided to put his new toy to the test.

"Has the guard ever seen your family?" Charlie shook his head.

"None of them have ever been here before." Harry pulled his wand and changed the color of his hair to a bright red to match Charlie's.

"Tell him my name is Ron Weasley."

"It won't work. You need an ID to get in, security is pretty tight. I was planning on using your scar as proof of identification to tell you the truth."

"Don't worry about it. Just tell him my I'm your brother Ron." Charlie shook his head but acquiesced. When they reached the guard Charlie introduced him.

"Can I see some ID please?" The guard asked gruffly. Harry pulled the blank card out of his pocket and thought of 'Ronald Weasley' and the burrows address in Ottery St. Catchpole. When he handed the card over it had a picture identifying him as Ronald Weasley of Ottery St. Catchpole. The card had taken the identity of an apparition license. The guard examined it and handed it back to Harry. "Have a nice day Mr. Weasley." Charlie was beside himself.

"Where in the name of Merlin did you get that, Harry?" he asked as soon as they were out of earshot.

"From a friend. Cool isn't it?" Charlie couldn't get the words out and just nodded. "Don't tell anyone ok?" Charlie agreed and led him on.

"This is the common area, where most people come to hang out while they aren't getting burned. Through there is the dormitories, but I'll show them to you later if you want. Your letter gave the impression you wanted to get to work right away." Harry nodded. "Follow me then and I'll take you out to the pastures."

When Harry arrived at what Charlie had called the pastures he almost gasped in surprise. The area was an enormous green field but there were large enclosures where the Dragons were kept. There must have been fifty enclosures with two or three dragons in each. There were about ten wizards stationed nearby each enclosure in case the dragons got out of hand as well.

"Welcome to my world, Harry." Charlie said quietly, putting a fatherly hand on Harry's shoulder.

When Harry came out of his stupor he tried to decide where he should start.

"I guess I should introduce you to the dragonmaster on duty if you'll be asking to borrow some dragons." Harry nodded and followed Charlie to a rather large, barrel chested, middle aged man. He had a very deep tan, black hair and brown eyes.

"Nikolai Marinescu this is my youngest brother Ron Weasley." The man gave Harry an appraising looke before thrusting his hand out.

"Nice to meet you. Not many people visit, what brings you here?" He asked, Harry had the odd feeling that this was more of an interrogation than a simple greeting.

"I have come to ask for your aid in the upcoming battle against Voldemort." The man's face remained hard and unreadable.

"And why should I help you against someone who has never bothered me?" He asked pointedly.

"Because sooner or later he probably will. He's a megalomaniac, he wants to take over the world and your part of the world. That puts you in danger."

"And if I side with him?" He asked. Harry could tell that it was more of a hypothetical situation than a real threat. The man didn't seem like the type to follow Voldemort.

"Than I'll take your dragons without your approval and I'll pray I meet you on the battlefield." The man gave him another look.

"And what is a sixteen year old kid going to do to me?" He asked, drawing himself up straight trying to seem intimidating. A year ago it would have worked.

"I have a confession to make; I haven't been completely honest with you." Harry snapped his wrist and his wand appeared in his hand. Marinescu dropped into a fighting stance but relaxed when Harry pointed the wand at himself. He changed his hair back to the jet black it had been before. The dragonmaster narrowed his eyes as if realizing that the face was familiar, but Harry knew he hadn't figured it out. He lifted his hair to show the scar and the man nearly jumped.

"Harry Potter!" Charlie snapped at him to be quiet and he obeyed. "Why didn't you tell me it was you? I'd be happy to offer you some assistance, but you must understand that I cannot lend you more than five of my dragons. I will, however, accompany them with fifty of my specialists to keep them and control them in battle." Harry smiled.

"May I choose the dragons?" The man looked at him skeptically.

"What do you know of dragons? I will choose the best fighters for you!"

"I would like to see the dragons for myself before making any decisions. If I am to make preparations I must know what I am dealing with. You understand, don't you?" The man gave him a skeptical look but agreed. He and Charlie accompanied him as he wandered the reservation.

"Isn't that Norbert?" Harry asked Charlie, pointing to a rather large Norwegian Ridgeback.

"Yes it is. He's grown up quite a bit though. I'd say he's one of the most dangerous around." Harry walked up to the ward and watched the dragon until it noticed him. Norbert stared at him through one huge eye before lying down. Harry and the dragon were now face to face. Harry took a step forward but Nikolai grabbed him.

"You do not wish to cross the wards, the dragons are dangerous even for you." Harry never took his eyes off Norbert.

"He remembers me, he won't attack." Harry stepped through the wards and knelt down in front of the giant dragon.

Can you hear me, Norbert?

How…How is this possible?

I knew I could not interpret your language, so I am speaking to you inside your mind. How have you been?

You look familiar.

I am Harry Potter. I helped raise you with Hagrid.

The Dragon lifted his head quickly and Harry heard Nikolai and Charlie gasp. He didn't move though, he wanted to show that he was not afraid.

I remember you now, you have grown a great deal.

As have you, Norbert. I wanted to ask if you would like to visit Hagrid again.

I have missed Hagrid, what must I do?

Hogwarts will soon be under siege, I need your help protecting the castle. Hagrid will be able to see you everyday once you arrive.

I will help you, Harry Potter. It will be nice to return home once again.

Harry thanked him and bowed. The dragon raised itself onto it's hind legs and flapped its wings in a rather amusing salute. When Harry backed out through the ward Nikolai put his arm around him.

"I would have picked this dragon for you anway. You have four more to choose." He said before letting the young man go. Harry walked around for a while onger before spotting the Hungarian Horntail that he had faced in the triwizard tournament.

"I wonder if she remembers you." Charlie said quetly, following Harry's gaze. Harry led the two men towards the wards and once again stood perfectly still until the dragon saw him. When Harry looked into the dragon's eyes he knew that she did remember him. The dragon stood quite still as it watched Harry, almost wondering if he were going to try to get past it again. Harry took a deep breath and stepped through the wards. The Dragon let out a loud growl but didn't attack.

Do you remember me?

Yes, you are the one who stole my egg! The dragon responded venomously.

It was part of a game, the egg held no living creature, just a riddle.

Why was I guarding it then?

Because it was my challenge, I had tor retreive the egg from under you in order to pass.

I have never been bested before.

I do not doubt that, you made my task extraordinarily difficult.

Why did you not attack me as some of the others did?

Because you did not know that it was a game, you thought you were protecting your babies and I could not bring myself to hurt you for that. I would have done the same in your place.

Then you have earned my respect, young one.

Will you accompany me back to Hogwarts then?

Why would you want me to do that?

Because there will be a war there soon and I need you help. My friends will be in grave danger without you there to help protect them.

A few minutes later Harry had procured the dragon's aid and moved off with Charlie and the dragonmaster to find three more candidates. After some searching Harry asked Nikolai for his opinion.

"I knew we would get there sooner or later. I would strongly recommend using the Ukrainian Ironbelly over there. He's quite easily the largest and most powerful dragon that we have here. Ironbelly's are also notoriously hard to kill, virtually nothing can penetrate their hide. Despite all that he's come rather accustomed to us and very rarely do we lose contol of him. Harry looked over at the metallic gray dragon with deep red eyes. He immediately knew that the Ironbelly would provide a great defense for the castle. After just a few minuts of mindspeaking with the dragon it had agreed.

"Next I'll show you the one Hebridean Black we managed to get from the blasted MacFusty clan's reservation in Hebrides. He's that thirty footer over there with the ridges on his back and spiked tail. Not nearly as strong as the Ironbelly or Horntail but still incredibly dangerous." Harry followed him over to the enclosure. The Hebridean was much more difficult to convince, but in the end it agreed to protect Hogwarts.

"The last dragon I'd tell you to take is the Romanian Longhorn. It's not a terribly good fighter but it's probably the easiest for us to control. It's the one over there with green scales and the single golden horn. To be honest if you'd want to take another dragon instead I wouldn't be offended. There are a few better fighters out there but I'm not sure how any of them will react to a battle."

"I trust your judgement, Mr. Marinescu. Let me see the dragon and then I will be out of your way."

"It's no problem, Mr. Potter, and please, call me Nikolai. We still need to work out delivery of the beasts and my employees."

"I would like them to arrive as quickly as possible, bu I understand it won't happen in a day."

"No, but being dragonmaster and having you as a customer will certainly help speed things up. It shouldn't take longer than three weeks." Harry thanked him and left to speak with the dragon. Nikolai had been right about its demeanor and it agreed to help almost right away. Harry just had to sign a few papers before shaking the man's hand and walking back to the building with Charlie.