The Dragons Return

by viningc

Harry had a war with Earth but he had been given the gift of a lifetime, a place where his dragons and riders would be unconditionally safe. This story continues the trilogy by Bobmin356 and Alyx started at: /s/7591040/18/The-Queen-who-fell-to-Earth

25. Chapter 25: Revelations

Chapter 25: Revelations
Bermorg's Hold, Oct 15, 2056...
It seemed to Harry that the recent chapters of his life had been starting with someone's death. Sometimes it was someone he hardly knew, others, like today, it was someone he knew who had helped push his vision of a unified Pern forward. Master Trader Faye had died yesterday, almost four years and three months after her husband, Master Trader Bermorg, had died. He had been asked by their oldest son to say a few words at her memorial, and Harry was remembering all that they had done to improve the lives of their fellow Pernese.

"When Master Trader Bermorg came to the Southern continent back in January of 2028, he brought his entire family and all their belongings. He thought he was going to set up new trade routes in uncharted territory and create his own Trade Empire. Well, he was right and he was wrong. He and his wife, Master Trader Faye, who we are memorializing today, found out fairly soon that they needed to re-learn what they knew about trade. We helped them learn our way of trading and they set out anew to find their way to fortune.

"They found it soon enough, and their discovery led to the financial boom Northern Pern has enjoyed since. Without their tireless efforts to create a continuing market for Pernese products, the entire planet would be much worse off than it is now. In the time since her husband's death, Master Trader Faye has helped to improve the numbweed manufacturing process, has been instrumental in introducing Pern Traders to the benefits of off-planet trade for arts and crafts, and, most importantly, has led the movement to standardize education and equality for all Northern Pern inhabitants.

"Today we lay to rest a leader in the advancement of Pern and a true friend."

Harry stepped down to applause from all the Traders attending the memorial. Master Trader Nubrax, Bermorg and Faye's oldest son, started his part of the memorial. He had agreed to take over the running of Bermorg's Hold with his wife, Master Trader Feza.

The Gryffindor Forest, Inverness, Scotland, Dec 23, 2057...
North of Loch Monar was a small lake beside which there appeared to be a ruined castle, which was, in fact, the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. North of there was the Gryffindor forest and north of the forest was the hotel. It was small, with only 20 double occupancy rooms, and had only just been built. The only way to reach it was via helicopter from Inverness to the east.

All the dangerous creatures had been moved out of the Forbidden Forest, north of Hogwarts, and moved to areas where their kind already existed in relative peace with their surroundings. Now the forest's name had reverted to its original name, the Gryffindor Forest, named so because Godric Gryffindor had originally planted the trees that made up the forest. Minerva McGonagall had asked for, and received, money to hire a professional Forester to take care of the area and he brought in a team to repair any damage done by the inimical creatures that used to live there. The area where the Acromantulas lived took the longest to clean up because the huge webs had to be carefully burned without burning down the rest of the forest.

Now it was again open for visitors. There were wide paths covered in old shredded rubber tires which were comfortable to walk on and gave a preferred route for those simply wanting to see the sights. There was even a muggle hotel on the northern border now, which is why Mary Potter was here. She had come to greet Monique Vernier and escort her to a very special discovery, one that couldn't have taken place in this area until the forest had been thoroughly cleaned of anything that might attack people. Monique had finally flown in yesterday afternoon and had gone straight to bed, exhausted from the roundabout journey.

Mary stood from her seat on a couch in the lounge when she saw Monique coming down the stairs and walked to meet her.

"Good morning, Monique. My name is Mary Potter. I am the oldest daughter of Harry and May Potter. I was told you had a dragon flight suit you could wear."

"Oui, I do and was told to bring it," said Monique. "I was told I would get a chance to 'elp Monsieur Potter. Why could not I have ridden on my dragon friend?"

"We need you to 'discover' something important and truly unique for us. In order for that to happen, you need to be able to tell anyone who asks how you got here and why. The why is that you 'won' a free, all expenses paid vacation to Scotland. The how, you've already been through.

"Have you had breakfast yet?"

"Non, I was on my way to the restaurant when you met me," said Monique.

"In that case, let's both go get a nice hot breakfast, and then you might wish to dress a little warmer. It's extremely cold outside. I would suggest you change into your flight suit before we leave. I have some oversized boots that will easily fit over the flight suit boots to hide them and a heavy coat to hide the rest. It may be cold, but there is no reason for you to be cold too."

-oooOOOooo-

A leisurely hour later, Mary and Monique were walking down one of the tourist paths when Monique heard the most sorrowful sound she had ever heard. There was an almost human-sounding wail mixed with the whinnying of a horse. She immediately turned off the trail, towards the sound as Mary silently followed her. They pushed through some low bushes between the widely spaced giant, gnarled trees and came upon a heart-rending sight. A pure white female horse had somehow broken her leg and died, sometime in the last couple of days. It had to be recent, because there, at her side crying, was her foal.

"They are so beautiful!" cried Monique as she slowly approached the foal. "I have never seen a horse so white but her foal is pure gold! Is this what you wanted me to find?"

"Yes," said Mary. "We weren't sure you would be able to hear the foal but were hoping you would. Her Dam stepped into a hole and died before anyone could help her, leaving her foal to fend on her own. She has been crying for her lost parent ever since."

"But why didn't you drag me out here sooner?" cried Monique sadly. "This poor dear is so lonely. I would have loved to try to help her."

"There was no real rush, her sire was near in case of danger and we have been feeding the foal since she was found, but, so far, no one has been able to entice her away from her dead mother. We wanted to make sure you were well-rested in case you wanted to try to help."

Monique slowly made her way up to the golden-colored foal.

"Zese are not horses, no? They have horns on their heads, even the foal has a tiny nub on 'er forehead!"

"No," said Mary. "They are Unicorns. We were hoping, if you can connect with the foal, that you could stay for a week or two until she has gotten over the loss of her Dam."

Monique slowly approached the foal, knelt down slowly in front of her, and gently started stroking the side of her head. The foal started at first but settled down as Monique proved she was no danger.

"Do you have a brush?"

"Yes, I thought you might want one," smiled Mary as she handed over the stiff horse bush. Monique gently started brushing the tangles out of the tiny, golden, horned horse. As Monique slowly and gently communicated her love and concern for her, the unicorn foal slowly quieted.

As Monique continued to calm the young foal, her sire approached and touched the tip of his horn to Monique's cheek in a display of thanks and acceptance. Before he could move, they were captured for eternity on extremely high definition, digital video. A crew of scientists, exploring the woods, had stumbled upon the scene just a few minutes after Monique and Mary had arrived, but just after Mary had hidden the dead mare. The tableau held until one of the scientists made a noise and the stallion jerked its head up and disappeared.

Monique kept working on the coat of the foal as the scientists slowly approached in awe. The camerawoman stayed back from the others, content to use her telephoto to capture as many close-ups as she needed. She didn't want to scare away the foal as well. She silently wept at the tragedy shown here. The other women of the team slowly approached and talked to Monique about her amazing discovery. Mary handed them more brushes that she had brought with her, knowing they would be needed. She knew the stallion would eventually take the foal away, but there would be fine gold hair left behind on the brushes to prove that the scientists had actually seen what they had filmed.

The Dumbledore Plan had just revealed a bit more magic to the muggle world.

After about a half-hour, the group of scientists, all women except for one man, left to start broadcasting their amazing discovery to the world. As Monique worked over the unicorn foal, Mary called to Linoth.

'Linoth, would you please let Minerva know she should come to collect the body of the Dam now?'

'She says to tell you she is on her way. It is all so sad.'

'Yes, it is, my love, but, hopefully, something good will come of it,' said Mary as tears rolled down her cheeks. 'I will be sleeping with you tonight.'

'I would have it no other way,'

Minerva would know how best to use the magic potion ingredients that had been unfortunately provided and they would be collected, stored, and used with the utmost reverence for the life that had been lost to provide them. The Stallion had agreed to their taking his mate. He had grown to trust the wizards and witches of Hogwarts again and this forest was now safe once more because of their efforts.

Spath's Weyr, The Weyrleader's Quarters, 29 Dec 2057...
"Thanks for suggesting they allow Monique to find the unicorn, Harry," said May. "I got a letter from her which made me cry with happiness. She was so thrilled to not only see but to actually be able to touch a baby unicorn. It made her so sad that the mother died, though. I'm glad Mary was there to help her through the wonder and the grief. She said she will make a yearly pilgrimage to take apples to the unicorns … if they allow her to approach them again."

"I don't see why they wouldn't, she has proven trustworthy and helped that foal to overcome her grief. We just need to do our best to continue to protect the forest and its contents. I will contact the goblins to see if we can purchase the entire area north of Hogwarts. Then I can encircle the whole forest with detection and protection runes as well as a muggle fence that the centaurs and unicorns can open with magic which will warn that the area is protected by dragons."

"I think that would help. Maybe Monique would agree to conduct guided tours of small groups. We could even make sure she had a magical assistant in case any of her tour members try to do something they shouldn't."

"Sounds good to me. I want to go to Earth for a visit next year anyway. Why don't we all go and I can visit Gringotts there while we are 'in the area'."

"Or you could go to Gringotts Pern and do it this year," said May exasperatedly.

"Or I could go to Gringotts Pern this year," said Harry placatingly. "I just thought you might like another vacation and we would be on hand to help take care of the unicorns."

"Oh," said May, thoughtfully.

Harry smiled, knowing May was now tempted.

Spath's Weyr, Grangers Quarters, May 2, 2058...
Dan Granger woke feeling nauseous probably from the massive headache he had. He tried relaxing as much as he could in the hope that the headache was simply a tension headache brought on by a bad dream he couldn't remember. When the ache in his head continued to throb blindingly, he decided to get up and take some aspirin.

As he carefully sat up, he felt extremely dizzy and the headache increased. He tried to say something to his wife, who was still sleeping by his side, but all that came out was gibberish. Emma was awakened by the loud thud of her husband's body hitting the floor as he passed out.

Emma rolled over and sat up, wondering what had awakened her. The bed next to her, where Dan had lain, was still warm, so he couldn't have been gone for long.

"Dan, where are you?" she called. She looked over to his side of the bed and finally noticed a hand on the floor. She scooted over for a better look and saw her husband lying on the floor.

"Dan!" she screamed. "Dobby, help!"

Dobby popped in, looked at Emma, and then where she was looking. He immediately ran over to Dan, grabbed his hand, and popped them both down to the Emergency Room.

Spath's Weyr, ER#1...
As soon as Dobby arrived, he levitated Dan into one of the beds set up for emergency care and then grabbed a doctor to help. He then popped back up to find Emma.

"Mister Dan is now in healer place," said Dobby. "Missus Emma needs to get dressed so Dobby cans take her to tell doctor what happened."

Emma had dragged on her heavy dressing gown before Dobby had returned. She simply reached out to take Dobby's hand and they both disappeared from her quarters only to reappear in the ER.

When Emma appeared, a nurse moved up to her to find out why she was there. Emma just pointed at her husband, who was lying on the hospital bed as a doctor cast diagnostic spells on him. The Nurse then started getting information from Emma which was transferred to the open patient board the doctor was already using.

Meanwhile, Dobby called Hermione's dragon, 'Comaloth, your rider's father is in ER1!'

Moments later Hermione apparated into the ER. Fortunately, she had already been up to start her day, so was fully dressed. She moved over next to her Mum, took her hand, and led her over to a nearby waiting area where they could still see her Dad. Shortly after that, Susan, Harry, and May showed up. Once they were seated, Dobby brought tea for everyone and set it up on a small table he brought over from another area.

Emma didn't seem to even realize anyone else was there, she just stared at Dan, lying on the hospital bed. He had been moved into the operating theater and had a tube running from a bag of fluid down to his arm. While others continued to work around Dan, the original doctor walked over to where Emma was sitting.

"Mrs. Granger?" asked the doctor.

When Emma didn't reply, Hermione spoke up, pointing to her Mum, "This is Mrs. Emma Granger. I am their daughter, Hermione, and this is their daughter, Susan."

The doctor turned to Hermione and said, "I am Doctor Kate Williams, the magical resident on duty when Mr. Granger was brought in. I'm sorry, but the prognosis is not good. He had a brain aneurysm burst and is currently sedated to help with the pain."

"It sounds serious. Can anything be done?" asked Hermione.

"I'm sorry, no. Aneurysms need to be repaired, not cured. In this case, it is located deep in a part of his brain that would take us hours just to get to and the trauma he would go through during our attempt to reach the site would almost certainly leave him almost brain dead anyway. Even as we talk, blood is still leaking into his brain, causing pressure which, if he were not sedated, would cause him intense pain.

"The aneurysm is located near his speech center, so, even if he were somehow conscious, he would be unable to remember how to talk. Right now, all we can do is help keep him comfortable."

Emma started to sob into Harry's shoulder. Hermione said, "Thank you, Doctor. Do you have any idea how long he has?"

"Probably only hours. I'm sorry. I wish there was something we could do."

Hermione nodded to the doctor and then called Comaloth, 'Coma, can you touch my dad's mind? Can you let me know what he is feeling?'

'He is confused and feeling pressure in his head, but is not in pain anymore.'

'Can you let him know we are all here and send him our love?'

'I will try, my rider, but it will be hard.'

'Just do what you can, please.'

'He has calmed down since I started talking to him. He now knows what happened. Emma, he said to tell you he loves you very much and hopes you are not too sad that he is leaving you so soon.'

Emma 'heard' what Comaloth has said, but only continued to cry into Harry's shoulder and clutch his arm even tighter. Daniel Patrick Granger died quietly while talking to Comaloth, less than forty minutes later.

Spath's Weyr, Grangers Quarters, May 5, 2058...
Emma sat dejectedly in the living room of their Pern Quarters. In the aftermath of Dan's death, all their grandchildren had come home to help share the pain of his passing. Others who had known them both, in particular riders they had helped chaperone, had also come by to express their condolences.

Emma had lost all will to live when Dan died. She knew their only child and their grandchildren were well taken care of, so she didn't feel obligated to try to keep going. She now intimately understood why dragons wanted to go between when their rider died. Food tasted like nothing to her and water was just too much to get down. She had emotionally shut down when Dan died and her body wasn't far behind.

She sat in a comfortable armchair, propped up and wedged in with pillows because she didn't care what happened to her body. If she fell over, she would lie as she landed until someone came along and settled her again. She didn't talk to anyone, even Comaloth said her mind seemed to be a big blank. She and Dan had been married for over 80 years; partners in life as well as business for so long that she was lost without him there. She no longer had the will to live.

She finally noticed that the light in the room was getting brighter, almost as if someone were opening a door in the wall right in front of her. It got so bright, she was forced to close her eyes. When she opened them again, the area in front of her seemed to have returned to normal brightness, but the rest of the room appeared to be dimmer now. She saw a figure approaching and, as it got closer, she recognized her husband, Dan.

"Oh, Dan, I thought you were dead!" she cried, happy that he was with her again.

"I did die," said Dan. "It's now time for you to join me. We will explore 'The Next Great Adventure' together."

He reached out his hand towards her and she leaped to her feet to take it, never looking back at the empty husk she was leaving behind.

A few minutes later, Susan came in to check on her and try to get her to eat some lunch.

Spath's Weyr, Memorial Vault, May 8, 2058...
Hermione was much improved since losing both parents within three days of each other. Harry had almost forced a calming potion on her so she could make it through the funeral and memorial service. She was at least able to walk on her own now, though sometimes she didn't really know where she was going. She had really loved her parents. Harry now saw the downside of having a loving family, but he still thought it worth the pain.

Hermione looked out of red-rimmed, puffy, bloodshot eyes at all the people. Her sister Susan sat next to her, not looking much better. She hadn't really started crying again until about halfway through the memorial service. People who had known her parents got up and shared anecdotes with everyone and Harry had arranged for copies of all the memories to be saved for their memorial vault. Now he was slowly escorting her back to their quarters. She would be resting the rest of today and the next day and then he was going to make sure she had some interesting Dragon Nation problems to work on to help take her mind off recent events.

'Go ahead and grieve,' Harry thought to her. 'Grieving, after all, is for the living. We will never forget them, but they would still want us to continue on with our lives.'

'I know,' Hermione thought back, 'I just never realized it would hurt so much. I really appreciate all the shared memories. I learned a lot more about them to love. Why do we not truly realize what we have until it's gone?'

'It's probably best we don't have foreknowledge of such losses or we wouldn't be able to live our own lives. Now we experience a sudden sharp pain and it's over relatively soon with only a lingering ache. If we knew when a loved one was to die, we would experience the pain not just on the day they died, but all along from the time we found out.'

Hermione just leaned into him more after that and started crying softly again.

BBC WORLD NEWS, Dec 23, 2058...
IS MAGIC REAL?
By Melissa Fletcher
BBC World Service

23 December 2058

Over the past fifty-plus years we have seen the emergence, or in some cases, the re-emergence of new plants and animals with odd and sometimes fantastic characteristics. From the discovery of a bird that heralds the approach of rain (Augurey) to an Australian insect whose bite causes one to levitate (Billywig) to odd crab-like parasites that seemed to only infest certain areas (Chizpurfle) to an odd-looking creature with a growth on its forehead that sometimes glows red (Clabbert) to a double-tailed dog that looks like a Jack Russell terrier which eats old tires (Crup) to the rediscovery of the long thought extinct Do-do bird (Diricawl) to what was obvious to everyone seeing it was a tiny human-shaped Fairy, barely three inches high to an odd worm now used as soup thickening (Flobberworm) to Gnomes and Horklumps to a tiny blue bird whose feathers are now used in a treatment for Alzheimer's Disease to the Royal Family's super-intelligent cat-like creatures (Kneazles) to the recent discovery of an actual Unicorn in a forest in northern Scotland.

Each of these creatures has unique properties that have defied scientists to properly explain. One even jokingly said, "They must be magic!" But was his joke actual fact? While researching information for this article, I found the date of discovery of all the above creatures and listed them in order of 'discovery' date only to find that they were then suspiciously in alphabetical order, almost as if someone were referring to a publication and selecting them in order to present them to the public.

In recent years, there has been much speculation as to why so many new plants and animals have been discovered, especially when they have such unique and unexplainable properties. Some, like the numbweed plant discovered on the planet Pern, can be partially explained by an alien environment, but there have been just as many new plants discovered during the same time frame right here on Earth that scientists have been unable to explain. If plants and animals are being discovered with such 'magical' properties, isn't there at least the possibility that some of our oldest stories about sorcerers, witches, wizards, and mages might actually be true.

Three days ago, I was invited to Number Ten Downing Street for an exclusive interview with the Prime Minister. When I arrived, I was told that the information I was going to be given was all true and the governments of the world had been working together for the past fifty years to slowly expose a previously hidden world to the rest of us.

Magic is real.

After giving me a prepared press release packet, I was then handed off to someone identified to me as an assistant Minister for the Ministry of Magic in the UK. He quickly identified himself as Arthur Weasley and said that every major area on Earth had a similar Ministry. What follows are the highlights of an interview I conducted with Minister Weasley after we left the Prime Minister's office and moved to a private interview room.

BBC: Minister Weasley, I find it hard to believe this is real. Are you and the Prime Minister serious when you say that magic exists?

Minister Weasley: Please call me Arthur, I prefer a more relaxed atmosphere. Yes, magic exists. I, myself am an average strength wizard, capable of real magic as opposed to the tricks that a lot of your so-called 'magicians' perform.

BBC: Fascinating. Can you provide any actual examples?

MW: Certainly.

At this point, Minister Weasley pulled out a stick he called a 'wand' and proceeded to cast a light from the top of the wand with what he called a verbal incantation of 'Lumos'. He then canceled with another incantation of 'Nox'. I was unimpressed until he aimed his wand at me and cast a levitation spell. I was instantly floating in the air as if I were still seated in the chair! In my surprise, I almost threw my pencil and notebook across the room. He then settled me back into my chair and levitated my pencil and notebook from the floor back to where I could take them. He then had me move to another chair, next to the one I had been sitting in and, once I was re-seated, he somehow changed the chair I had been sitting in only a few moments before into a small table of just the right height to use for note-taking.

MW: I can perform many other acts of magic, but I hope what I've shown you will be enough to at least partially convince you for now.

BBC: I find your demonstration so far to be fairly compelling, Minister … ah, Arthur. How many wizards are there worldwide?

MW: We currently do not have an exact census, but there are probably less than a million witches and wizards total, worldwide. Since before the Salem Witch Trials, magical beings have been terrified of the non-magical population of the world. We have done our best to hide away so we would be safe from a vastly numerically superior population that seemed bent on destroying any of us they could find.

BBC: If that is true, why are you now revealing yourselves to us again?

MW: Your world has advanced so much faster than ours in technology that we can no longer remain hidden. In the not too distant past, if a non-magical person witnessed an act of actual magic, they were forced to forget what they had seen. In some cases, false memories were implanted to protect the magical community from the non-magical. Now, you have satellites that can see everything, including large areas where there are houses and other buildings that have no corresponding addresses and cannot be found when someone goes to look for them. Your weapons can attack from a much greater distance than even the most powerful mage can cast a spell and you have methods of seeing even the most well-hidden magical person when we don't even know you are there. We are revealing ourselves to you in the hope that our worlds can be brought back together peacefully so we can survive the resultant re-discovery of our magical world.

BBC: That sounds horrifying for those in the magical world, but it also sounds like things have been done to non-magical people that should not have been done, in order to hide from us.

MW: I agree on both counts. All I can say is that anything that was done was because we felt it was required for our very survival. When it comes to the survival of an entire species, many things will be done which would be frowned upon if survival were not a concern. During your first and second world wars, people routinely shot each other with firearms, dropped bombs on cities, and tortured and executed millions. I think, when compared to that, us changing a few memories might be considered a mild response.

BBC: I think I can agree with that. Now that you are revealing your world to ours, are you afraid of a renewal of violence towards your people?

MW: We are concerned, but not afraid. If you recall, dragons were revealed to the world back in 1996. Their Weyrleader is a very powerful Mage and, though he very seldom uses his magic because he doesn't believe in doing anything his non-magical riders are unable to do, he still has connections with our world. He is aware of the plan to reveal the magical world to the non-magical and he has pledged to help protect us from each other. Right now Corath, the leader of the Flight of dragons acting as my protective detail is sitting on the roof of this building listening in on everything being said in here. Dragons are extremely intelligent, caring, and fun-loving people, but they can also be fierce and terrifying when aroused. But dragons will not protect only magical people, they will protect any and all human beings, because of their heritage. While The Weyrleader is a mage, most of the Dragonriders are non-magical.

BBC: That is … scary, to think of dragons as a police force.

MW: Actually, I find it very reassuring. Remember, dragons always tell the truth and are honest to a fault. They have already been cooperating with police forces worldwide. They can be invisible to the unaided eye and anyone riding on them is also invisible. Can you imagine how incredibly useful that is for observing criminals and helping to protect those needed to testify in trials? Not to mention the fact that their tough hides are impregnable to any firearm a criminal is likely to have. Without the pledge of protection from the dragons, we might have tried to stay hidden, but we would not have been able to for much longer in any case. I cannot think of any intelligent being I would rather trust my personal wellbeing to, as well as the continued welfare of the rest of the world, than a dragon, bonded or unbonded.

BBC: Will there be any magical community that will be made visible to non-magicals, so we may have a chance to visit with, intermingle with, and get to know our magical brothers and sisters?

MW: There has been talk about opening up one community in each major nation, just for that reason. In the UK, we will be opening up a community called Hogsmeade. It is located in a fairly remote area of Scotland and will probably only be available through specially escorted tours, because of the means required to arrive there. We are currently working on removing the magical wards that have been in place for centuries so that non-magical visitors will be able to even see it. Once that is done, I expect daily tours to be available.

BBC: One final question, if you will, then. Earlier I mentioned the magical plants and creatures that had been revealed to us. Was there a reason they were revealed in alphabetical order?

MW: There was a very good reason, the creatures to be used for the reveal were selected from a book that is famous in the magical world. It lists all those revealed, plus many more … in alphabetical order. Wizards, just like non-magical people the world over, can be lazy. The plants were chosen a little more carefully, as there are only a few that are beneficial in both worlds. The cure for Arthritis and the treatment for Alzheimer's are two such, for example. Those we chose on their perceived benefit to the non-magical world. Those we thought the most beneficial were 'discovered' first.

BBC: Thank you very much, Arthur, for your candid interview. Is there anything you'd like to add for our worldwide readers?

MW: Only that I have high hopes that we can all 'just get along'. Magical or non-magical, we are still all people. Individuals may disagree with each other, but that is no reason to fear each other.

Village of Hogsmeade, Apr 1, 2059...
The muggle repelling charms and notice-me-not charms had finally been removed from almost all of the Village of Hogsmeade. A few of the people who lived there had been bought out so they could relocate to other communities, but most of the residents, especially those who owned or worked at businesses there, were actually looking forward to being visited by muggles. Price tags for all merchandise had already been altered to show two prices, one for Galleons, and one for Sterling.

The first group of tourists was going to be flown in by Dragon Egg this morning and several hundred dragons, both bonded and unbonded, were scattered all over the village. Some of them remained visible to anyone to see, some remained invisible. Three D2 Tour Eggs, capable of 40 passengers each had been assigned to ferry passengers between special terminals in Dublin, Glasgow, and London. Anyone wishing to visit the UK magical enclave would have to provide their own transportation to one of those three locations.

Harry and his family had decided to take some time off to visit on the first day. They weren't planning on getting personally involved with the tours but were interested in seeing how things progressed. This was, after all, the culmination of the expanded Dumbledore Plan. They were dressed in their flight suits with normal muggle clothing over them so as to better mingle with those new to the magical world.

They had all seen the coverage of the Magical Reveal by the BBC and could understand people feeling apprehensive. Harry had volunteered his dragons to help make sure nothing went wrong. His Dragonriders were in paired teams; magical with non-magical riders and two unbonded dragons with a pair of specially hired civilian Security Police in a distinctive uniform. The security Police would be the most visible, but there would also be a good number of dragons visible. One of the things Harry was hoping to accomplish was the idea that dragons were friendly and could also act to protect.

The landing area was northwest of the village, and the final approach was made so the Eggs presented an aerial view of Hogsmeade shortly before landing to give the visitors a chance to see the general layout of the village. Maps were provided which showed the streets, shops, and other points of interest with a brief description of each. After landing, the passengers were then transferred to tour buses for the short ride to the village. The mountain path leading into the High Street had been newly widened and paved from the landing area into Hogsmeade. There was talk about adding muggle plumbing and paving the cobbled streets, but that, if it happened, would be in the distant future.

A consortium of witches and wizards were also applying for permission to build a muggle-style five-star hotel capable of holding up to 200 guests for those who wanted to stay longer than the standard one-day tour. It was to be located closer to the landing area than the village.

The Hog's Head Inn had already magically space enhanced an additional eight guest rooms for anyone who could afford to stay in the village. Each room was fully muggle interactive, using verbally activated charms that muggles could use. One of the first things to be pointed out to new muggle visitors would be the size discrepancy between the outside and the inside dimensions. (It would take a while before the magical community came to understand the muggles' references to 'the Tardis'.) The proprietor had also hired four house-elves to take personal care of the guests.

The Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry would remain hidden to muggles, but the students were free to mingle with the tourists on those weekends when they were allowed into the village. Since today was a Tuesday, there shouldn't be any students about. Tourists were to be allowed year-round access to Hogsmeade except for one day: September 1st of each year would be reserved for students returning to Hogwarts.

Harry and his wives walked down High Street from the landing area and mingled in with the first tourists. The village presented almost a holiday air. Everything had been scrubbed clean and freshly painted in bright primary colors. There were witches and wizards randomly wandering the streets performing various obvious acts of minor magic.

'Harry,' called Chekiath, 'there is a suspicious character hiding in the side street just past Gladrags Wizardwear. I told Boranth and Team 1 is converging now.'

'Thank you, Cheki. Let me know when they apprehend whomever it is and where they take him. I want to find out what happens.'

'They just stunned him and are taking him to the Village Hall.'

Harry excused himself from the girls, who were aware of what was going on, and cast a quick Notice-me-not charm on himself before disapparating to the Village Hall. Once he arrived, he removed the notice-me-not charm, entered the Hall, and quickly found where the Team Leader and his crew were setting up to interrogate their "suspicious character". As he walked in, the Teams prisoner had just been administered Veritaserum. Two of the hired Security Guards were watching the entire evolution curiously.

Samuel Walker, the wizard in charge of Team 1 looked up at Harry as if to ask if Harry wanted to conduct the interrogation. When Harry shook his head 'no', Samuel started.

"Tell me your name, please"

"I'm Charlie Bates."

"What were you hoping to accomplish in Hogsmeade today?"

"I heard we were going to get a bunch of muggles visiting and wanted to see if they had anything worth stealing." The two Security Guards gasped at such a blatant admission of guilt. It was obvious they hadn't been informed about how effective Veritaserum was or just hadn't believed it if they were told.

"Have you ever committed or attempted to commit a crime before?"

"Yeah, I used to do a lot of petty theft back in the twenties until I got caught in the early 2020s trying to rob Joyero's. Got sent to prison for five years. I've been mugging individuals and confunding them after ever since I got out."

Harry started when he heard about Joyero's. He quickly reviewed his memories of the time and then recognized the man in front of him. He signaled turned to Samuel, and said, "I remember this man. He and three accomplices tried to rob me when I went into Joyero's to pick up a delivery of Dragon Earrings. He thought I was carrying the gold to pay for the Earrings I was picking up. Two of his accomplices were killed when the curses they cast rebounded from my protective spells and hit them instead. He and his outside lookout were captured. I wondered what had happened to him."

"If you will provide us with a copy of that memory, Weyrleader, I will include it with my report to the DMLE." He turned to the two Security Guards and said, "You can take him to the holding cell now."

Samuel then handed Harry an empty memory vial before getting out one for himself. They both pulled copies of the appropriate memories, placed them into the vials, and sealed them. Once Harry handed his over, Samuel cast an unbreakable charm on both, labeled them, and handed them off to his second in command, Dragonrider Joe Griffith, to arrange for them to be sent with the prisoner to the Wizengamot.

Harry thanked Samuel for his courtesy and congratulated him on his professionalism before leaving to get back to the tour group.

'Cheki, where are the girls?'

'They are near the back of the tour group which has just entered Honeydukes.'

Harry disapparated to Scrivenshaft's Quill Shop so as not to unnecessarily frighten the tour group and walked the block to Honeydukes where he re-joined Hermione and May just inside the front door to the shop. He quietly explained about the just averted disaster and about meeting an old 'friend'.

"That was fortunate there were so many people and dragons watching out for just that sort of thing," said Hermione. "It would have definitely ruined the first day of the official opening of the Wizarding world to the non-magical world.

"We have been watching the tour members and they are having a blast! It was really funny watching their first, up personal, exposure to magic when a preoccupied young mother walked past with her daughter on a tether."

"How is that an exposure to magic," asked a puzzled Harry.

"The daughter was being levitated along behind the mother as if she were a living balloon and clearly wasn't pleased with not being allowed to run free!" exclaimed May with a chuckle. "You should have seen them all taking pictures. I even heard one of the women in the group say that she would have definitely found that useful when her children were younger."

Harry gave a small laugh at the mental picture he'd received from his wives and asked, "Did they visit the Post Office yet since it was on the way?"

"No, the tour guide said they would visit that last so anyone who wished could send themselves a souvenir Owl Post letter. I understand they have some really fancy blank forms that will auto-fill with information about the trip and who the sender is. That will probably be another memory they will enjoy."

Harry and his family spend the rest of the day and early evening with the tourists just walking along enjoying themselves. They also made a few small purchases as gifts for some friends back on Pern. Other than the one near catastrophe which had been well and truly handled by the security forces assigned, there were no problems between the magical and non-magical people visiting Hogsmeade that day. Harry hoped that every future meeting of the two worlds would go as well, but wasn't about to hold his breath.

Yokosuka, Japan, Apr 2, 2059...
Harry and his family decided they wanted to visit Japan to personally find out how 'their' gang were doing and who better to tell them than Dragonrider Oshiro Akio who had taken personal responsibility for them in the past. They had spent the night at The Hog's Head after the tour group was safely seen off. They had immediately gone to bed to catch what sleep they could and left an hour before midnight to arrive in Japan, 2.6 seconds later, at eight in the morning of the next day.

Since Harry had called ahead, Akio had 'her' gang members all gathered in a large clearing in Kinugasa Yama Park. She had her dragon, Sallinth, with her, as well as several of the unbonded dragons who had become friends with individual gang members. In total, there were 45 gang members and 14 unbonded dragons present, not counting Akio and Sallinth.

Harry chose to make as rapid an appearance as possible while his wives, initially flew CAP (Combat Air Patrol) over the area.

'Cheki, how fast can you appear and land?'

'I can go between just over the surface and land immediately if you want, my rider.'

'Let's do that. I want to almost appear instantly, as if by magic. I have heard Akio is still having a few problems with some of the older gang members. If we can over-awe them, it may help her.'

Two point six seconds later there was a sharp gasp from everyone present, including Akio, when the largest dragon in two worlds suddenly appeared in front of them. None of the dragons were surprised, as Harry had included them in the conversation when he talked to Cheki. When Cheki landed, he pulled his wings in but remained as upright as possible to make anyone wishing to see him fully be forced to crane their heads way back to see his head. Harry used a levitation spell to slowly move down to the ground level in front of Akio.

"Honored Weyrleader," Akio almost squeaked, still slightly startled from his sudden appearance, "you honor us with your visit. May I present to you all of "The Dragons" gang as well as most of the unbonded dragons who have been helping us."

"Thank you, Akio," responded Harry with a small smile at her obvious awe, mostly of a dragon so much larger than hers. "Please call me 'Harry' when we are in private, like this. We are, as always the same, just two Dragonriders." He looked up at the gathered gang members and said, "Please, gather close so you all may hear what we are talking about."

After Harry and Akio were closely surrounded, Harry continued, "I have heard many good things about The Dragons over the years since you have been guiding them in their new mission to help and protect. I have heard that Yokosuka has become one of the safest places in all of Japan to live in and to visit."

"Thank you, Hon … er, Harry. Many of our original founding members have gone on to become respected members of the Yokosuka community and our gang has become officially recognized by both the City Council and the City Police as having a beneficial effect on life here. We have even started participating in workshops with the police to explore how better we can coordinate our efforts."

"How have you been getting along with the rest of the gangs in Yokosuka?"

"When we first started, many fought us, but I rallied the unbonded dragons to make an appearance anytime it was needed, and they mostly leave us alone now. They have nothing that can overcome a dragon."

"I want you to start actively recruiting from the other gangs, especially those who have no other place to be. Bring them into The Dragons as Apprentices and teach them the Way-of-the-Dragon. Let them become members until there is no other gang but The Dragons."

"But, Harry, where will we live, how will we feed, clothe, and even house all those new members? I am having trouble even with just these fifty now!"

"I have a surprise for you. I have been in talks with the Japanese Emperor and he has granted me an autonomous area in the Sagami Bay where I have contracted with the Goblins to create a new Weyr. It should be finished within the next few days. There you will find Dragon apartments where dragons and their riders may sleep in comfort. There will be barracks for Apprentices and apartments for full members. There will be a kitchen on the lowest level where everyone can eat whenever they wish. The center of the main cavern will be a huge garden where you may grow what you will, but you might want to give thought to growing some of your own food there.

"It will only be three levels, so will not hold all that many, but you will soon be able to fill it, I'm sure … Weyrleader Akio."

She looked at him at first in shock and then almost started crying she was so happy. Harry could hear the murmurs of wonder and awe from the surrounding gang members.

Yokosuka City Weyr, Apr 5, 2059...
Harry watched as The Dragons gang disembarked from their permanently assigned D5 Dragon Egg transport to finally see their new home for the first time. The 'Sun' in the ceiling not only provided light and heat, but it also provided more electrical power than such a small facility could ever use. Part of the income for the Weyr would come from selling their extra generated electricity to the local power grid. More income would be generated from the two Dragon ambulances that were now permanently assigned to the local area surrounding the Weyr.

As the bewildered gang members huddled around the transport, Harry walked over to Akio. At his approach, the gang members started getting quieter and gathered around to hear what was going on. He noticed there were more than fifty people there, so they must have taken his order to recruit more members seriously.

"Akio, let me introduce you to some very important people who will be working with you to help maintain your Weyr. Deesey, Tinny."

The two house-elves that he called popped into place next to Harry. This caused quite a few startled exclamations from the gang members who had very little exposure to magic, if at all. Even Akio, who knew about magic didn't have that much experience with other species.

"I can surmise from your reactions that none of you have ever met a house-elf. Now that magic has been revealed to the world, I am free to show you many things that will make your life here a lot easier. House-elves have a form of magic that allows them to perform many tasks quite a lot easier and faster than you could ever do. However, that does not mean they are to be treated with anything other than total respect and courtesy. They may not look like another human, but they are every bit as smart and feeling as you are. They are to be considered to be your partners in the ongoing job you are performing for the Weyr. They, just as you are now, are members of the Weyr."

Harry indicated the female house-elf and said, "Akio, this is Deesey. She is in charge of a contingent of about five house-elves. I say 'about', because she has the authority to call in additional help if necessary, totally at her discretion. She is also to be considered the 'personal' house-elf of the Weyrleader in charge of the Weyr. If you need anything or have any questions, she is the one you will call first."

Harry then indicated the male house-elf and continued, "This is Tinny. He will be one of the ones helping Deesey and has been trained in many mundane occupations, carpentry and cooking are just two of those. As such, he will be the main one in charge of your kitchen. He will be the one to order sufficient food for your needs. If something happens where you think you might need more, you should let him know. He will probably already have ordered in extra, but it never hurts for a Weyrleader to make sure.

"The transport you have arrived in is permanently assigned to the Weyr. It will be how you normally travel between here and the city for your patrols. I am now going to ask Deesey and Tinny to show you around the Weyr and familiarize you with how everything works. They will start by showing you where you will be living, so you can get settled in. There is a large open barracks for Apprentices and those full gang members assigned as apprentice leaders. There are two and four-person apartments for full gang members which contain everything that such an apartment would normally contain except a kitchen or food storage. Everyone will be expected to eat all their meals in the kitchen on this level.

"Deesey, Tinny, would you now please show everyone around while I show Weyrleader Akio her quarters."

As the group moved off towards the first barracks, Harry led Akio over towards the Turbolift.

Yokosuka City Weyr:
The Weyr rises 1,200 ft from the sea in the typical conical form of a volcano, but was entirely created by Goblins using directed volcanic action and then finished off by Goblin Miners and Gringotts dragons. When finished, it contained an undersea entrance for dolphins; Level 1, fifty feet above high tide sea level, for the gang members, support staff, the kitchen, a small visitor center with conference room, and the all species hospital; Level 2 was designated for any overflow and visiting bonded and unbonded dragons; and Level 3 was reserved for the Wing of Dragonriders permanently assigned to the Weyr. Level 3 also held the, now standard, circular running track and exercise room and several VIP dragon apartments, one of which was permanently assigned for the use of The Weyrleader and his family. The Turbolift system was used exclusively to get around the Weyr and could be easily disabled, if required, by one of the magical riders assigned the task of Weyr Security.

The Weyr was commissioned after "The Dragons" gang had made an honored name for themselves under Oshiro Akio's direction by helping the City Police maintain order in the city. Upon completion, a ferry service was initiated between the Weyr and Yokosuka for those wishing to visit the Weyr officially and not having access by dragon. There was a floating dock at sea level where the arriving ferry could tie up and offload or load passengers. A set of wide shallow stairs cut into the side of the Weyr led to the one and only opening in to the Weyr. This opening led through an easily defended tunnel into Level 1 of the Weyr. The Visitors' Center and conference room could be found closer to the entrance than to the main cavern of the Weyr.

Excerpt from The Weyrs of Earth by Remus John Lupin, Second Edition, published 2070.

Kings Cross Station, Platform 9¾, Sept 1, 2059...
Harry had browbeaten the School board into allowing the tourist Egg flights to be used to pick up and deliver students to Hogsmeade instead of the Hogwarts Express. Eight pick-up locations had been carefully defined to minimize any difficulty returning students had getting to their "local" departure point. Word about the change had gone out to all students, both new and returning a month ago.

There were four departure points in the UK and two each in Ireland and Scotland. One of the departure points in the UK was at the Hogwarts Express departure point, platform 9¾, which would allow those students wishing to do so, to ride the train instead of the Dragon Egg. Since the size of the Egg used in each case could be decided upon at the last minute, all students from each departure point could ride in the same Egg. Since it did take a certain amount of time and gold to set up each departure point, they would become permanent portals where tourists would later be able to purchase tickets to visit Hogsmeade. Harry expected Beauxbatons and Durmstrang to study the success or failure of this new method of student transport and, if impressed, was expecting them to request similar facilities be made available to their students. They would have to pay for the departure terminals themselves, however.

He had already been in contact with other schools worldwide about setting up similar facilities for them. He planned to give the students of the Uagadou School of Magic in Uganda and the Castelobruxo school in the Amazon rainforest access to free food and snacks during their flight for the foreseeable future, because of their much lower average level of income. Africa had made tremendous strides in recent years in catching up with the rest of the world in terms of finances and infrastructure, but they still lagged slightly behind even those European countries considered to be of average development. The Amazon area was behind even Africa for now.

For this inaugural flight, it was decided to allow the dragons to fly straight instead of going between. They would follow, roughly, the route the Hogwarts Express followed, but they would be traveling much faster. Future trips could be shortened drastically if desired. However, the shortest travel time would not allow much time to renew friendships and visit, as the length of the trip would only be 2.6 seconds. Large video monitors evenly spaced around the upper and lower levels allowed the students to see what was around them as they flew along.

Each of the Eggs used was a special two-level, space-enhanced design. The upper level was simply a balcony surrounding the entire lower level. The lower level was not divided into compartments, it was one large space. Student seating was extremely flexible in that the sofas and armchairs could be rearranged to the students' desire up until time for departure. There were also low and high tables scattered around that could be used as the students wished. At departure time, after all students had been seated and strapped in, the seating was locked into whatever arrangement it had been placed.

After the Egg was safely airborne and on its way, students were allowed to unstrap and wander at will. Bathroom facilities were provided as well as a snack bar, along one of the walls, which offered the standard fare students had come to expect but more filling and healthy options as well. Knowing that some of the students were not as well off as others, there were quite a few of the most popular selections that were extremely discounted or free in limited quantities to each student.

On this first day, a large Egg was situated at each departure point two hours prior to departure so that students and parents could walk through and explore the facilities and see what was available if they wished to use this mode of travel. None of them were hidden to anyone, magical or non-magical, but anyone not related to a student was not allowed to enter any Egg. Since this was the first day of the service, a special dispensation was made to allow Hogwarts Alumni and their parents to tour the Eggs as long as they disembarked prior to the start of the actual flight.

Since security was paramount, detection charms had been inscribed on rune stones attached to the sides of each Egg. If anything even approached within 20 ft of the Egg that could be harmful to the Egg or a person, a silent alarm sounded in the flight compartment so that a Dragon and rider could be dispatched to investigate.

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, June 12, 2060...
Minerva McGonagall looked proudly over the students gathered below her for the end-of-year feast. Today she had a very important announcement to make and she had invited Harry Potter and his family to join them for the feast because it would involve part of his family as well. The students were unnaturally quiet. They were obviously curious about the strangers at the head table. Harry was no longer as well known by this generation, which obviously made him happy. Unfortunately for him, she was about to remind her current students all about him.

She saw that everyone was now present and ready, so she rose to her feet to give her pre-feast announcements. The Great Hall grew silent as everyone waited.

"Special guests and students, welcome to our leaving feast. N.E.W.T.s and O.W.L.s are finally over for another year and tomorrow, instead of boarding the Hogwarts Express to return home, as has been the tradition for centuries, you will board the Dragon Transports to be whisked almost instantly back to your home areas. While it took you several hours this year to arrive, I am told by a reliable source, your return will take less than three seconds. And for those who do not live near London, there will no longer be the dreary trip just to get to and from London, you will be much closer to your homes when you are dropped off.

"As added security, I am told that you should remain inside the transports after they arrive until your parents or guardians show up to take you home. There will be no more arriving at the station and wondering where your ride is. If there are any students left after a reasonable wait, Dragonriders will be dispatched to find out what has happened and you will be given individual rides back home if necessary.

"For those who took their O.W.L.s and N.E.W.T.s, your results should be sent to you sometime in July.

"The House Cup here needs awarding, and the points stand thus: In fourth place, Hufflepuff, with four hundred and fifty-two; in third, Ravenclaw has four hundred and seventy-five; in second and first, Gryffindor is tied with Slytherin, with five hundred and ten points each. Due to the tie, we will have both house colors displayed side-by-side. Well done Gryffindor and Slytherin!"

Everyone watched as the appropriate house colors were shown on the walls of the Great Hall. Everyone cheered the two winning houses. A lot more camaraderie was shown by all than when Harry had attended. It felt good to see the school running the way it was meant to. When the cheering was over, McGonagall raised her hand to get everyone to quiet down so she could finish.

"Tomorrow, you will have the choice of going home using the new Dragon Egg transports or going home using the Hogwarts Express. I need all Prefects to collect the names of anyone wishing to use the Hogwarts Express. If there are insufficient names to warrant using the train, those not wishing to use the transports will be provided alternate transportation home. I need that information prior to curfew, please. If anyone has any concerns, feel free to talk to your Prefects. If they cannot answer your questions, feel free to seek out your Head of House.

"This year has been bittersweet for me. I have enjoyed interacting will all our students, both old and new, but I have started to feel my age. I feel it is time to retire. I will be emigrating to Pern to spend the rest of my life getting to know my sister again. So, next year, those returning will see a new face up here as their Headmistress.

"But first, I'm sure a great many of you are curious about our mysterious guests up here on the staff platform with me. The guest seated third away from my left is Professor May Potter. She is the creator of our medical curriculum and was instrumental in redesigning our curriculum for the Care of Magical Creatures."

She waited for the polite applause from some and the enthusiastic applause from those taking their medical track. Once the applause died down, she continued. "Next to me is a Hogwarts Alumnae, Professor Hermione Potter, known as Hermione Granger when she attended here. She taught the very first course on 'How to Fly Without a Broom.'

She had to wait while her students cheered the founder of one of the most popular classes at the school. Finally, after the cheering had subsided a bit, she was able to continue.

"Second from me, and in between the other two, is someone everyone here should recognize from their History of Magic course. Here we have none other than the great Harry Potter in the flesh!"

She again paused as the immediately shocked hush was quickly replaced by a standing ovation as the students, joined by the staff this time, paid homage to the proclaimed conqueror of Voldemort and the first Weyrleader in Millennia. She gave a satisfied smile to see he blushed just as much now when given recognition as he did when he attended classes all those decades ago.

"And finally, the reason we have these special guests with us tonight. It is with great pleasure that I appoint Professor Mary Rose Potter, the daughter of Harry Potter and May Potter, as my successor as the Headmistress for the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."

Professor McGonagall gestured to Mary to rise as she sat down.

Mary rose smoothly to her feet and bowed to Professor McGonagall. She then turned to the massed students before her and said, "While I'm not sure I will be able to accomplish as much as our dear Professor McGonagall has achieved during her tenure here, I, and my dragon Linoth, will do our best to uphold all that is right with our school.

"You've chosen an auspicious date to announce your plan to emigrate. Today marks the beginning of the fifty-year anniversary of our colonization of Pern. You will also be able to live in a mixed magical and mundane world where magic is known about by all and hidden to none. We already have on Pern what Earth will start to experience now that the magical world has been revealed to the mundane world through the efforts of many, many people." Mary sat back down to enthusiastic applause as Minerva rose yet again.

She raised her hand and the applause quickly subsided. "Now that the announcements are finished, let the feast begin!" With that, all the tables filled with food, and the noise level in the Great Hall rose as everyone started talking to their tablemates about what they had just learned as they served themselves.

Harry leaned forward and mock glared at Minerva. "That was a mean and underhanded thing to do," he complained. "Are you sure you will feel safe living on the same planet as someone you've managed to firmly embarrass in front of so many people?"

Minerva just smiled back at him and replied, "I trust your dragons to protect me and do what is right."

Harry returned her smile and said, "So, I take it you will be returning to Pern with us tomorrow after the students leave."

"Yes, if that's alright with you. It has been years since Eddie and I have seen each other and I really want to get a chance to renew our friendship before much more time goes by."

"Then meet us at the entrance to the Great Hall tomorrow after the students have gone. Wear your flight suit, as we will all be departing on dragons."

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, June 13, 2060, 0800 hours...
Professor McGonagall looked out over the students as the last few late arrivals took their place for breakfast. As the last of the students took their places, she rose to make this morning's fairly important announcement.

"Good morning, students. I apologize for the early wake-up call, but I didn't think any of you would want to miss out on what is planned for this morning. We have an hour and a half until it is time to depart on the Dragon transports. As of this morning, it appears that no one wants to take the Hogwarts Express, so the train will not even run today. I wanted everyone here because we are going to tell you the procedure that will be used to determine which transport you need to board. Weyrleader, if you would?"

Minerva sat as Harry rose to his feet and looked out for a moment at all the young faces gazing back at him.

"Today you will be getting what we call a boarding pass for the correct transport which is designated to take you back to the same place you were picked up from. All your parents and guardians have been informed of your expected arrival time, so we don't want to have any delay on this end. After all, the sooner you get home, the sooner your summer vacation starts."

Harry paused at the wild cheering from the students and not a few snorts, chuckles, and outright laughs at the students' antics from the staff.

"Breakfast will finish at 0900. At that time, after the tables have been cleared, eight stacks of boarding passes will appear on the head table. There are eight transports that have been marked above the loading doors with different colors, the same colors as the boarding pass you will receive. As soon as the stacks of passes appear all you need do is use your wand and perform an Accio. The incantation will be as follows:

"Accio Pass Full Name"

"Instead of saying 'Full Name', however, you will actually say your full name. For example, if I wanted to get my own boarding pass, I would say, 'Accio Pass Harry James Potter', and the boarding pass would be pulled off the table and into my hands.

"Once you have your boarding pass, please remain where you are until we have verified that everyone has their pass. Once that is done, it would speed things up quite a bit if you would all rise to exit the Great Hall. Students should turn towards the doors and file out in an orderly manner, center rows first. Don't worry, there will be plenty of time.

"Once you exit the hall, you will see all eight transports aligned in order outside, around the circular path outside the entrance. As you exit, the order will be, from the farthest left: Black, Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Violet, and White.

"If you wish to travel near your friends, you should form groups of no more than four students. Once you find your designated transport and have organized who is going to sit next to whom, please enter your transport and start filling in the seats from the farthest side first. The seats are fixed this time in groups of four separated by aisles.

"Once seated, please attach the seat belts provided. If you do not understand how to do so, don't worry, one or more of the crew will be demonstrating before the flight. It is extremely important that everyone is firmly strapped in this time, as the flight will be considerably faster. We don't want anyone injured.

"Once everyone is seated, please follow any further directions provided by the flight crew."

Harry resumed his seat and Minerva rose, only to say, "Let breakfast begin!"

As she sat down and started filling her plate, she also turned to Harry and asked, "How do you think it will go?"

"If anyone was listening to my instructions at least some of the students will get their boarding passes and get on the right Egg. As far as exiting the Great Hall … I expect there to be a blockage of students trying to exit the hall," Harry said with a smile. "I'm basing this on my time at Hogwarts and how much attention I paid to announcements. I think a reminder on how to summon their boarding pass might not go amiss after the tables are cleared and before the passes are available."

"Point taken," said Minerva before she started eating. She was already wearing her flight suit under her robes.

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, June 13, 2060, 0900 hours...
Most of the students had finished their breakfast fifteen to twenty minutes ago and all were finished by the time the tables were cleared. An expectant hush followed.

As Harry rose from his chair, all eyes turned in his direction. "Professor McGonagall and I thought it might not be a bad idea to remind you how to summon your boarding pass. Simply use the incantation. 'Accio Pass Full Name' where Full Name is your own name in full."

Harry now drew his wand, tapped the table, and said, "Passes." Eight different colored stacks of stiff cards appeared at the front of the head table. There was a distinct pause and all of a sudden incantations could be heard throughout the hall. Almost as soon as they started, the eight stacks seemed to explode in a flurry of paper. The room looked like a blizzard of multi-colored snow made up of stiff cards instead of snow.

Once the blizzard died down and stopped, Harry again stood and asked, "Is there anyone who did not get a boarding pass? If so, please stand."

Harry watched as five students slowly stood. A house-elf quickly appeared next to each one, found out what the problem was, corrected it, and had the student sit back down. Finally, no one was left standing.

Now that everyone had their boarding passes, Harry gave the instructions to begin the exodus of the Great Hall. He was pleasantly surprised to see very little confusion. The house Prefects stood at the foot of their houses tables, where they had just moved specifically for this exercise, and directed when their house should start exiting. A few first years started to run but were quickly calmed down by their older classmates or a prefect. Sooner than he expected, the Great Hall was empty of students.

Harry turned to Professor McGonagall and asked, "Care to join me in the London Egg? I wanted to ride one of the Eggs to see how the students reacted to the ride. Our dragons will be waiting for us there."

"Lead the way, Mr. Potter."

Harry led her over to the Dragon Egg with the Green square painted above the door and joined the end of the queue of students waiting to load. There were excited discussions going on as the students waited to see if their return transports would be as luxurious as the one that had brought them.

As Minerva walked in the door after Harry, she could see 10 rows of eight comfortable seats with an aisle running down the middle. With an entrance at each end, the crew had started seating students in the middle and filled each row working towards the ends. Minerva could see that the front two rows were empty, as there were more seats than students going back to London. She and Harry sat down in the front row as the doors were closed.

There followed a quick talk about how to fasten and release the seat belts followed by the crew carefully checking that each seat belt was fastened and pulled tight. Once that was done, the crew members walked to the two doors, opened them, and one said, "Would everyone please release your seatbelts and exit the Egg in an orderly manner."

Minerva was confused, as were most of the students. Weren't they going to London after all?

As she exited the transport, it became plain to her. While the crew was distracting their attention with the seat belt talk and check, they had already been transported to London and were sitting on the ground waiting to exit. There had been no real reason for the seat belts at all!

"That was very sneaky, Mr. Potter, but very well done. I expect most of the students will prefer a quick trip home more than they would want to socialize during a long ride."

She and Harry moved to one side and watched as students were reunited with their parents or guardians. In almost all cases, the students were asked why they arrived and just sat there for five minutes before getting out. Most of the students thought it great fun and excitedly explained what had happened.

The crew of the Egg carefully watched as students met up with their rides home. After each and everyone was seen to be escorted from the area, they waved goodbye to Harry, re-entered the Egg, and closed the doors. The Egg then vanished from sight.

"Where did they go?" asked Minerva.

"Today, they have returned the Eggs to storage and will swap them out for the standard twenty-two passenger Tour Egg to get ready for their first tourist flight. On a normal day, they might have as many as 8 flights a day between here and Hogsmeade. A new crew will relieve this one in the middle of the day. On the first of September, they would take their Egg back to storage and take the rest of the day off."

"That sounds very efficient."

"I'm not sure about efficient, we just didn't want a huge crowd of tourists descending upon Hogsmeade all at once. We figured that 160 or less turn-around per hour, with each tour of 20 lasting about an hour, would not be so many as to overwhelm the residents of the village. Some people want to stay on and simply wander around on their own after the tour, but there are always extra seats available on return flights and we gather up all remaining tourists about two hours after the last tour and shepherd them back home. So far I haven't heard of any complaints from any residents or tourists."

"So there has been no trouble?"

"There have been a couple of potential problems that were caught early and resolved. The very first day we caught a wizard who thought he would be able to steal from the incoming tourists. He was recognized and taken off the street before the first tourist even got anywhere near."

"What kind of things do non-magical visitors tend to purchase?"

"The most popular has been bags charmed to be feather-light. Someone did some research and found that a bottomless bag didn't work very well for a non-magical user, because most of them lack the discipline to be able to even remember all they've placed in the bag, therefore won't be able to get everything out again. With a featherlight bag, they can put in whatever will fit and it won't weigh very much, but they will be limited by the size of the bag as to what they can put in it.

"The Owl Post Office seems to be the next most popular 'attraction'. They have had to quickly bring in thousands of additional owls. And the owls have been told that they may have trouble delivering some of the mail. I don't know how that is going to turn out.

"Zonko's and Weasley's Wizard Wheezes are doing a lot of business, but have been warned it might be bad for business if they sell any of the more dangerous pranks to non-magical customers.

"Dervish & Banges have developed a series of specialty instruments powered by a small magical accumulator. They can be charmed to perform all sorts of useful actions, such as continually track the location and health of a child or spouse, warn if the person at the door is a friend or a salesman, etc.

"Gladrags Wizardwear has developed a series of muggle styleT-shirts that have various sayings on them. They have been enchanted to be automatically self-sizing to whoever puts them on. I watched one family share a T-shirt around out in front of the store. They were amazed that it fit perfectly, no matter who put it on.

"The Three Broomsticks has started stocking a lot more butterbeer and some of their more popular wizard snacks, while Honeydukes has had to put a warning up in their window about Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans and a few other treats, as their non-magical customers didn't understand what they were attempting to buy. They had so much trouble, they have set up a special section that only contains those items that are proven safe for non-magical customers and every selection in the shop now has a placard that explains exactly what the selection does if eaten."

"It sounds like fun, but I imagine I will find out soon enough what it's like to mingle with non-magicals when we get to Pern. Do you know what the ratio on Pern of magical to non-magical is now?"

"Last time we checked, about five years ago, it was about 20/80, magical to non-magical. The magical population has been steadily increasing though, ever since we brought the Pern Mother out of hiding."

"Pern Mother?"

"I'll let Eddie explain that to you in detail, but basically it's the planet Pern's equivalent of Earth's Earth Mother. Something the Druids know a lot more about than anyone else. While the Earth Mother is elusive to anyone not a Druid, the Pern Mother actually seems to enjoy contact with new people."

They had been walking while talking and were now approaching Hermione and May. Hugs were shared all around and then, after checking all helmets were securely fastened and gloves properly attached, the four mounted their waiting dragons and disappeared from sight …

Spath's Weyr, June 13, 2060...
… only to reappear inside Spath's Weyr, in front of the great clock above the main ground-level entrance.

After landing and clambering down from the side of her dragon, Minerva turned to her long-time dragon friend, and said, "Thank you very much for the ride to Pern, Hamanth. Will you be returning to Hogwarts now?"

'I think I would like to stay here with you and continue to be a part of your family if you would have me, Professor Tabbycat.'

"That would be lovely!" explained Minerva. "I would have missed our talks and your friendship. I would love it if you would be a part of my family!"

"I can arrange for you to move into a dragon apartment today if you wish," said Harry, as he'd overheard their conversation. "If you want to spend more time with Eddie, though, you'll have to convince her to move in with you. She's been staying on Level 1 as she says it puts her closer to those who need her. Perhaps the arrival of her sister will be the reason that finally gets her to literally 'move up in the world'. You would be staying in one of the dragon apartments above Level 3."

"Who would be staying above Level 3?" asked Eddie Took as she walked up from behind Minerva, not recognizable in her flight suit.

Minerva turned around to face her sister and saw a look of shock cross her sister's face to be replaced almost instantly by pure joy. Minerva was pulled into a warm, loving embrace by her sister whom she hadn't seen for too many years to think about.

"That would be me, I think," said Minerva into her sister's neck. "It seems I have become such good friends with a dragon that she wants to be a part of my family. Who am I to deny family?"

"Dobby," called Harry.

"Master Harry calleds Dobby?" asked the excited little house-elf who hadn't been allowed to go to Earth with his human when they left.

"Yes, Dobby. We have a new tenant for a dragon apartment in Spath's Weyr. Would you please ask Susan to join us?"

"Of course, Master!" exclaimed Dobby, just before he disappeared.

"I do wish he wouldn't do that," grumbled Harry, good-naturedly. "It gets Hermione all up in arms about house-elf rights!"

That earned him a smack in the arm by the named wife who had been standing right next to him the entire time.

"Oh, Hermione! I didn't realize you were there," said Harry, with a perfectly straight face.

Both Eddie and Minerva laughed. "It's good to see you still enjoy good humor," said Minerva. "Life is so much drearier if you aren't able to laugh."

Just then Susan apparated in next to Minerva, squealed happily, and joined the hug with Eddie.

Harry just smiled and left the three women to their mini-reunion. If he needed to talk more with Minerva, he was sure he would be able to find her.

July 31, 2060...
Harry had carefully blanked his mind so that even Chekiath would not know where he was and had apparated out of Spath's Weyr late last night. In a single apparation, he had ended up well around the rim of the planet. Someplace, he hoped no one would think to look for him. He rose before the others in the barracks and made his way to the common kitchen, typical of all those found in any of the Weyrs or Holds created by Harry's Engineers.

He was wearing a glamor against the off chance that someone here might recognize him. He was relying on the large number of inhabitants to not be recognized as new to the Hold. As he ate, others came in for their first meal of the day. A day filled with hard, but rewarding, labor.

Still maintaining his mind shield, he could sense Chekiath's casual search for him. He let just enough out past his shield that Cheki knew he was alive, well, and intentionally hiding, but not enough that Cheki would be able to find him. Cheki thought it a great game and was happily playing along, trying to find him, but not concerned Harry was in any kind of trouble.

He was seated on the edge of the dining areas as far from the kitchen and any doors as he could get. He had also cast a mild Notice-Me-Not charm on himself so others would know he was there, but not really pay any attention to him. He just had to get through this one day and then he could return home ... until next year. He watched closely as people finished up their meals and got up as individuals or as groups, returned their trays to the kitchen, and most went out the doors opposite those leading to the barracks.

Finally, he rose as well, returned his tray, and walked through the doors, following the last group to leave. As he walked through the doors, he could see they were walking along a long corridor, leading to yet another set of doors. Once beyond there, they entered into what appeared to be a changing room. There were heavy sets of coveralls hanging neatly folded in stacks on shelves around the room. There were numbers above each stack that, after a few moments of watching, he decided were some indication of size. Since he was the last in from the dining hall and there were plenty of coveralls left, he felt it safe to grab one of the larger sets to put on over his flight suit. He quickly pulled out his helmet and put it on, making sure it was well sealed. After he put the coverall on, he cast a quick charm to adjust the size to fit him better.

By the time he was finished, he noticed the group ahead of him exiting into another room. He quickly caught up with them and saw there were soft hoods with clear plastic faceplates and attached cylinders of compressed air. Everyone took a set, put them on, turned a valve on the tank, and checked each other to ensure the hoods were sealed properly. Knowing that the air supply in his flight suit would last far longer than the air supplied in the tanks, he didn't bother to turn on the valve, but he did make sure the hood was sealed tightly. After all, he didn't want his flight suit smell to give away his hiding place.

As he was walking out the last room into the extended fields, he became aware of his wives querying Chekiath.

"Where is he!" yelled Hermione, half angrily, half anxiously.

'I don't know,' responded Chekiath equanimously, 'he has very successfully hidden himself from me. Yelling at me will not find him any faster.'

"Is he hurt?" asked May, worriedly.

'He has left enough contact that I know he is safe, unharmed, and slightly amused at the situation.'

"Where is he? Where could he have gone?"

'I know he is on Pern somewhere, that is all I can tell you right now. It'sa most delicious puzzle and my consorts and I will enjoy trying to solve it.'

Harry smirked to himself, he had finally escaped his dreaded birthday party. He didn't mind throwing them for others, but felt it a waste of time for himself, especially since he still felt he didn't deserve any special recognition.

By now, Harry was riding on a cart with the others, out into the fields of numbweed, where they would be involved in that day's harvest and processing of a section of the fields. He wondered if the team he was with would wonder about their increased production for the day. He might be playing hooky, but that didn't mean he would just do nothing with his time. He planned on helping while he was here.

Suddenly Harry sensed Cheki much stronger than before.

'Very clever, my rider. It took us a while to figure out how you were eluding us. Now that we know where you are, we can just enjoy a shagging flight until the next time your consorts ask where you are. Then you will be captured and returned to their plans for you. We can at least give you a few more hours.'

'Thank you, Cheki. How did you figure it out?'

'Sight is very hard to disguise, especially if you are trying to do anything else at the same time. You have done very well, but your shield slipped just for a second and I was able to catch a glimpse of your surroundings.'

'If the women ask again before lunch, please tell them I will be home in time for lunch. I don't want them to know where I went … I might need to do this again.'

'As you wish, my rider.'

Harry sensed a smug satisfaction from his dragon. Harry had given him a hard problem to solve but Cheki had eventually been able to solve it. There truly wasn't anything that could come between a dragon and his rider, not even a birthday party.

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