November 24th
Horror filled green eyes watched from the champion's pavilion as Viktor Krum was carried away from the arena and one very brassed off Chinese Fireball. Harry swallowed hard, trying to fight back the rise of bile in his throat at the thought that he could very well be going out to face his own dragon.
"What a sad day. She lost all those hatchlings...wizards are barbaric are they not?"
Nodding slowly, Harry looked up at Newt Scamander where he stood on the other side of Professor Snape. "And they...they still expect me to go out there?"
"You will not be on the field, Mister Potter." Severus placed a hand on the boy's thin shoulder. "I was instructed to protect you and so I shall."
"But what if she doesn't show?"
Newt chuckled ruefully. "I have never known your Godmother to back out of her promises. She will show."
Harry's eyes widened and he paled further when the final dragon was led into the arena. "Oh…god…"
"Althea doesn't care for the climate here, poor old girl." Newt clucked his tongue in distaste when the Horntail flung one of her handlers over the stands. "She's a wee bit grumpy."
Severus shot the man an incredulous look. "Just a wee bit grumpy?"
"Of course, you see…" Newt smiled. "Althea hates men with every fiber of her being."
Harry blinked and turned his frightened gaze back onto the irate Horntail dragon. "And they wanted me to get an egg from her?"
"Oh I suspect you would have been alright. Too young to be a threat in her eyes. She's a wiley one though, so you definitely would have gotten banged up and tossed about."
Harry turned green and was grateful when Professor Snape squeezed his shoulder in reassurance.
High above the crowds and arena with the Hungarian Horntail snarling at the people surrounding her, a solitary Snowy Owl banked into a sharp turn, yellow eyes studying the spectators. The owl's head cocked to one side at the peg-legged man scowling at the pavilion where the tournament's champions were supposed to be gathered. Something was out of place, but a quick turn of her head to the other side proved that the tournament officials were all in place and rather impatiently waiting for her appearance. Satisfied with her surveillance, she flew higher into the air then, with a loud and haunting cry, pulled her wings tight against her body and plummeted towards the ground and steadily growing dragon.
Broad feathered wings snapped open and she spiraled around the dragon's head then beneath her body to come up on her other side, pumping her wings steadily to regain altitude. Her large eyes focused again on the peg-legged man as he casually made his way toward the champion's pavilion. She banked hard to the right, cutting perilously close to a swiping claw and clacked her beak in irritation at the larger predator. Impatient old bint.
One last run had her swooping through the pavilion, over her godson, friend, and mentor before she knocked the peg-legged man with a side swipe of fisted talons. Content with inconveniencing the strange man, she winged upwards and back towards the dragon before spiraling back towards the ground and, with a pretty flip, transforming back into her human form.
Long brown hair settled down her back in a heavy curtain that shifted when she cocked her head to one side and met the blue eyes of Albus Dumbledore. She smiled, an unfriendly curl to her lips, even as she forced a wall of thickly packed earth up in front of her with a casual lift of her hand. Blistering flames hardened the earthen wall even more, but she was no longer there.
She reappeared on the Horntail's left side with arms crossed over her breasts.
"Meu deus, mãe. Calm Althea, I have a thing about fire old girl." Walking forward unflinchingly, she ignored the spiked tail whistling past her head so close that it caused her hair to lift from the wash of air currents it created. Brown and yellow eyes rolled affectionately and she slapped a palm against Althea's hind leg. "Yes old mother, you are very fierce. Very scary indeed."
Althea grumbled low in her throat and lowered her jaws to press against the woman's side. Her hot breath came out in an explosive snort and she crooned affectionately to her old handler.
"Aye, you should be loving on me dearest one. I've missed you…even if you are a cranky old bitch." Terra smiled and patted her jaw. "Now, stand up you lump, I need to get the bad egg out."
Althea shuffled her feet and lifted up just enough for the woman to squeeze into the hollow beneath her body.
Newt smiled. "Oh it's definitely her." He cleared his throat and blinked rapidly. "Merlin…she uh…Althea was her pet project before she went to the Amazon. Only human that cranky lady would tolerate."
Severus nodded, eyes intent on where his friend had disappeared beneath the Horntail's bulk. "I would assume that no one would be able to fool a dragon."
"Not Althea…she was not happy when we left the reserve."
Terra shoved the golden egg through the small space Althea had left for her then grunted as she wriggled back out into the open. "You know…you could have just stood up you contrary lump of scales."
Althea blew a smoke ring in her face then lifted her head and stared at the nervous handlers waiting to take her and her eggs back to the forest.
Terra got to her feet and brushed sooty dirt off of her clothing. "You behave, it's not their fault you're here." She picked the egg back up and patted Althea's flank again. "With any luck I will be back to see later, mãe."
Scaled sides heaved in a heavy sigh.
Shaking her head, Terra walked out of the arena and headed straight for the pavilion. She could see her godson's wide green eyes staring at her as though she might disappear on him again. Her right eyebrow lifted upwards and she shot the boy a sideways grin as she got closer. "You can figure out the clue for me."
Harry nearly fumbled and dropped the heavy golden egg that had been tossed against his chest. "What?"
"I'm going to be quite busy proving that I am alive. Won't have time to work out the clue." She ruffled his hair then stroked gently stroked her fingers through the messy strands. "Lord knows it took some work to convince myself that I was not, in fact, a mail owl."
"Oh…" Harry's face screwed up in thought. "I could see how that would be confusing."
Terra smiled fully and leaned forward to whisper in his ear. "And this summer…no Dursleys. No endless chores and no getting locked up in your room."
Tears welled in Harry's eyes. "Really? You can do that?"
"I'm a Hufflepuff Harry, there is nothing I cannot do if I put my mind to it." She wrapped her arms around his skinny body when he flung himself against her. "And just think, Uncle Newt can show you his Swooping Evil. Just protect your brain if he does."
Newt Scoffed. "I will not be showing him a Swooping Evil. Maybe an Occamy…"
"Of course not Master Newt, you would never show off dangerous brain eating creatures to school children." Terra smiled at her Master then slid her gaze to Severus, holding his ebony stare over her godson's messy head. "Hello meu coração, it's been much too long."
Severus lifted an eyebrow in response to her blatant understatement. "Perhaps so. Then…that is the side-effect of supposedly dying."
She nodded and continued to stroke the messy mop of hair beneath her hand. "If Remus hadn't triggered my human memories last year…I might as well have been dead. And you have A Lua, Artemis suits her so much more."
"I'm glad you approve, now my life is complete."
"Smartass. And Severus…contacting Queenie? Really?"
Severus leaned forward and held her gaze. "Twelve years Terra, you have been gone for twelve years and show up out of nowhere."
Her hand lifted from atop Harry's hair and touched Severus' cheek gently. "And I am sorry meu coração. Do not think I've forgotten the last time we spoke."
He nodded faintly, his face turning into her palm. "Nor have I." Brushing a soft kiss against her palm first, he pulled away and glanced over at the judge's table. "Ah, you've scored abysmally."
Terra laughed, she didn't care about the stupid Tri-Wizard Tournament. Everything and everyone she truly cared about was in that pavilion with her, except Queenie who was in the stands and Tina, still in New York.
So...I realize Terra is a bit over the top bad-ass with certain things, she's really not. In a later chapter she will admit to Harry that she could have gone with a Transfiguration Mastery as she excelled in it and had instead, chosen to work as a magizoologist.
