DISCLAIMER: Harry Potter and all other characters and locations belong to J. K. Rowling.
Chapter Twenty - In the Presence of Dragons
Harry stiffened as the order ricocheted through the air, hands balling into fists at his sides as he spun slowly to face the older wizard. Behind him the dragons rumbled anxiously, their fluttering wings stirring the grasses. Eyes blazing angrily, he stalked toward the pulsing green wards and sneered. A hand on his shoulder stopped his forward march, brought his eyes around to meet icy orbs gleaming with fiery determination.
"They can't pass through the wards unless they're invited." Draco murmured, tightening his grip in a quick squeeze before letting his hand fall away. Frowning, he crossed his arms and studied the quietly arguing group, his wand still dangling threateningly from his fingers. "Your call, Harry."
Drawing a deep breath, Harry glanced over his shoulder at the clan of Mage Dragons. Under his gaze, they hissed and dipped their heads, wings churning slowly. Gritting his teeth, he drew himself up and prowled gracefully forward with Draco following closely at his heels. "Moody," he greeted in a relatively calm voice. Tightening his fingers around his wand, he tipped his chin up and arched an eyebrow. "What can we do for you?" His question was met with stunned silence.
"What can we do for you?" Moody parroted, magical eye swirling in its socket. Shaking his head, he hobbled closer toward the glowing wards and extended a hand, cautiously testing their strength.
"Yes, I'm assuming something brought you here." Harry called, shooting Draco a quick look as the blond drew even with him.
"You've been missing for half a week, boy!" Roared Moody, jerking his hand back as the wards lashed out at him. Gritting his teeth, he yanked his wand from its sheath and leveled it at the wards, managing to point it in Draco's general direction at the same time. "Dumbledore has an entire division of the Aurors out looking for you and Malfoy and you ask me what I'm doing here!" The spell he snapped slammed into the wards, only to dissipate in a shimmer of magic.
"I see you're in no mood to talk." Harry commented with a shake of his head. Sighing heavily, he grabbed Draco by the elbow and turned the pair of them around, making the entire movement elegant as he slipped his arm through the blond's. "We'll come back later, after you've had a chance to calm down."
"Potter, get back here!" Mad Eye hollered, waving his wand in warning. Before he was given another chance to hex the wards, the swirling magic reached out and crashed into him, tossing him away from the transparent green wall.
"Now what do we do?" Draco asked, fingers absently rubbing at a stain on the arm of the raven-haired wizard's Quidditch jersey. He frowned when he received no answer, lifting his gaze to meet the glowing emerald's that were focused on their entwined arms. "Harry?"
Giving the blond a bitter smile, Harry turned his eyes to the dragons following quickly after them. "We wait," he breathed, sheathing his wand. Clearing his throat, he led the way into the dark manor and closed the door after Draco. "Moody will firecall Dumbledore. I'd rather deal directly with him than anyone else."
"So that's your plan? Wait for Dumbledore to come and get you?" Draco asked in astonishment. He unlinked their arms and slid his wand away, trailing after the Gryffindor as he glided silently down the corridor toward the library. Wincing as he bashed his toe off the leg of a collapsing side table, he shook his head and bent down to examine the injury.
Harry halted in front of the open library doors, turning around and searching for the blond crouched among the shadows. "No, that's part one of my plan. You don't actually think I'd just leave the dragons here, do you? Those wizards out there aren't going to leave until the Mages are gone." Frowning, he walked back to the blond and knelt beside him. "Dumbledore has influence with the Ministry as well as other high ranking officials."
"So?" Draco demanded, pulling his hands away from his foot and letting Harry peel his boot off. He hissed as the raven-haired wizard closed cold fingers around his aching toes, attempting to bat his tanned hands away.
"Simple, I get the dragons and Dumbledore gets me. If Dumbledore won't do anything to ensure their protection, I'll be forced to remain here and see to their safety." Harry explained softly, fingers smoothing over the delicate bones of the blond's foot. Sliding his fingers soothingly over the reddened toes, he glanced up at the Slytherin and arched an eyebrow in question.
"And that's your plan? Your one and only plan? See, to me, that sounds like a plan F, as in we're completely fu-" Draco began. His mouth snapped closed when Harry's flew open in shock, emerald eyes shimmering with amusement. "They're not broken." He snapped, trying to tug his foot away from Harry's caressing fingers.
"Yes, that's my plan, unless you'd care to contribute?" Harry asked, wrapping his hand around Draco's ankle to halt his jerky movements. When the blond stilled and crossed his arms, he released him and picked up the dirty sock lying on the floor at his feet. Straightening it carefully, he rested the blond's heel in his lap while sliding the sock back over his abused toes.
Cheeks reddening over the other wizard's gentle tending of his foot, Draco shook his head. "No." He grumbled, lifting his gaze as Harry straightened liquidly in front of him. He accepted the proffered hand and allowed himself to be pulled to his feet, immediately shaking his robes free of dirt and dust picked up from the gritty floor.
"Then that's the plan." Harry murmured, swirling around and continuing down the dark hall. His feet led him unerringly through the shadows, his heightened senses guiding him around any obstacles. Behind him, Draco stumbled along, muttering and complaining loudly the entire time.
"So what do we do for now?" Draco queried as they arrived in the hall beside the kitchen.
"Do what you want. I have no idea how long we'll have to wait for Dumbledore to get here." Running his hands down his robes, Harry shot Draco a quick look before moving closer to the door that led out into the back garden where the small well was located. "I'll be outside if you need me."
Without waiting for a reply, he pushed through the little door and allowed it to slam closed behind him. Tipping his head back, he stared at the pale sky. Sighing softly, he glided further into the overgrown garden and turned his gaze in the direction of the cliffs.
The dragons were huddled upon the twisting grasses, their wings opened to catch the sun's warm light. Even though they looked to be completely at ease, he could see the tension running through them. Druid and F'lor were positioned on opposite sides of the clan, their heads constantly moving as they searched for danger. And above them, the green wards rippled and flexed, providing some measure of protection.
Shrugging his shoulders, Harry strode toward them. This might just be his last chance to play around with the bond between himself and Basta and if something bad did happen, he wanted to be able to utilize it to the best of his abilities. And perhaps there was a part of him that craved the warmth and contentment that came when he was within their presence. As if by merely being related to Raveana earned him their unconditional love.
XxXxX
Lucius Malfoy stalked up the steps that led into Albus Dumbledore's office, his long dark cloak billowing around him. His cane tapped rhythmically upon the stone as he moved, the noise heralding his arrival. Halting before the door at the top of the stairs, he lifted a hand and smoothed his hair back. Inhaling deeply, he pasted his grimmest look on his face and raised a hand to knock.
"Ah, Lucius." Dumbledore called from behind his desk. He rose as the blond glided gracefully into the room, blue eyes scanning the office before landing with an arched brow on him.
"I was informed that my son was with you." Lucius stated calmly, trekking forward and seating himself in one of the red chairs before the large desk. He took a moment to arrange his cloak around his lithe body, flipping his hair over his shoulder and leaning the cane he carried on the front panel of the desk.
"Who was it you spoke with?" Dumbledore asked curiously, wrapping his hands around the tepid cup of tea resting atop a pile of papers on his desk.
"Mister Zabini." Lucius answered sharply, narrowing his eyes as the older wizard smiled and shook his head in amusement. Shifting uncomfortably in the chair, the blond crossed his legs and clasped his hands together in his lap.
"I'm afraid that Mister Zabini was incorrect. Draco is not here at the moment," Albus said vaguely as he sipped his tea. Sitting back in his soft chair, he glanced at the phoenix watching sleepily from its perch and sighed. "Why have you come to Hogwarts, Lucius?"
"I'm afraid I no longer find this school appropriate for my son. I've already spoken with the headmaster of Durmstrang and he has been persuaded to take Draco on immediately. So, if you would kindly alert my son to my presence, we'll be leaving." Lucius announced as he rose abruptly and shook out his robes.
Dumbledore blanched and straightened in his chair. Raising a hand, he smoothed his beard before placing the cup of tea back in its saucer. "I'm afraid I have some bad news for you, Lucius." He began. The sudden flaring of the fire had him pausing and rising slowly to approach the crackling blaze. Settling a hand on the mantle, he leaned closer to the orange flames as a face appeared in the ashes.
"Albus!" Alastor Moody shouted, his face twisting as he turned to talk to someone behind him. He reappeared seconds later, magical eye swirling as he stared up at the older wizard.
"Alastor." Albus greeted, grabbing his beard as the gray hair swung dangerously close to the writhing flames. Using his other hand, he pushed his glasses up his nose. The soft sound of robes hissing over the stone turned his head and drew his gaze to the blond wizard waiting impatiently behind him.
"We've found them." Crowed the Auror as a smile transformed his face. "They're at an old manor out near Owl's Glen."
Dumbledore smiled as he straightened and backed away from the fire. Behind him, Fawkes tilted his head and crooned happily, flapping his brilliant scarlet wings. "That's wonderful news, Alastor. How soon can you get them back here?"
"That's going to be a bit of a problem, Albus." Moody muttered, his eyes shifting to the wizard standing next to the headmaster. "They're warded up inside the manor and won't come out. I think you're probably going to have to come and attend to this matter yourself."
Albus sighed and put a hand to his aching back. "We'll floo over in a couple of minutes. I need to tell Minerva I'll be out of the office for the rest of the afternoon." Giving a nod of finality, he watched as other wizard's face disappeared from the fire. Turning slowly, he met the questioning eyes of Lucius.
"Care to tell me what's been going on here?" Lucius asked, fingers tightening around the length of his cane.
"During the Quidditch game several days ago, both your son and Harry Potter were snatched by a pair of dragons." Dumbledore explained, tensing as Lucius let out a low hiss and stepped back to sink into the chair he had abandoned earlier. "However, they've just been located. If you'd like to accompany me to their current whereabouts . . ."
Lucius pushed down the feeling of horror that was rising within him, standing and smoothing his robes back into place as he gave a brief nod of his head. Draco had already called the Mage Dragons . . . and they had actually answered. Shivering, he dipped his hand into the floo powder and followed Albus, praying that Draco was safe and unharmed.
XxXxX
Draco walked into the large bedroom he and Harry had been sharing for the last few nights. Ignoring the blush that rose to his cheeks over the thought, he walked toward the window and peered in the direction of the cliffs. A slow smile crept over his lips at the sight of Harry rolling around on the ground with Esdra, the pair tussling roughly on the grass. Around them, the other dragons watched in a combination of amusement and concern, their wings stretched across the hissing sea of green.
His enjoyment of the pair playing was broken when a bad smell managed to find its way to his nose. Frowning, he glanced around and wrinkled his nose. Sniffing delicately, he tried to figure out where the nasty smell was coming from before cringing and slowly lifting his arm. Making a face at the reek of sweat, must, dragons, and dirt clinging to him, he began to shed his clothes. "Disgusting," he announced to the empty room, kicking the pile of clothes away from him.
Standing naked in the center of the room, he gazed around unhappily before seizing a sheet off the bed and wrapping it around his body. Shouldering deeper into the mass of silver, he glanced down at the floor and wiggled his toes. Shrugging his shoulders, he looked back out the window, searching for Harry among the gleaming hides of the Mages.
When he failed to find him, he pressed closer to the window, yesterday's events flashing through his mind. Shaking his head, he fled the room with the intention of finding Harry before he did anything stupid again. After making a brief stop in the kitchens, he continued on his way, using one hand to hold the length of silver off the ground. When he pushed his way outside, he was delighted to find that the air had grown warmer, as if the warding was containing the heat from the dragons and the sun.
He found Harry sitting dangerously close to the edge of the cliff, his legs hanging over the edge as he glared out at the turbulent ocean. The raven-haired wizard turned suddenly, locking eyes with Draco as he tiptoed across the grass. Smirking, Draco held his right hand up, revealing the bottle of wine he had retrieved from the small cellar. "1558," he informed Harry with an evil grin.
"Let me guess," Harry said, arching an eyebrow as he accepted the bottle from the blond. "An excellent year?"
"Perfect." Draco replied seriously, seating himself next to the other wizard. He tugged his arm loose of the gray sheet and yanked his wand free of the mass of cloth before giving the bottle of wine a light tap on the cork. Tugging it free of Harry's hands, he raised it to his mouth and took a slow, cautious sip.
"You're not going to get drunk again, are you?" Harry asked, shooting a quick look at the sheet the blond was currently draped in. Shaking his head in amusement, he reclaimed the bottle and took a small sip.
Yawning, Draco slumped backwards and stretched luxuriously against the cool grass. "Nope," he replied with a smirk, rolling his eyes so he could peer at the dragons lazing in the sun. Frowning suddenly, he rolled over and pushed himself up on his elbows. The whisper of cool air against the backs of his thighs had him stilling. A discreet brush of warm fingers heralded the light tug as the sheet was pulled lower, the same hand rubbing against the soft skin behind his knee in an absent caress. "That dragon, I hadn't seen if before this morning."
Harry glanced over his shoulder at the dragon the blond was pointing at. "Neither had I," he said quietly, taking another swallow of wine before passing the bottle back to the Slytherin. "In Raveana's diary, she mentioned something about there being other dragons but I figured they would have been killed after her death."
Wrapping his hand around the neck of slim bottle, Draco tipped his head and observed the sleek dragon. "I don't know how they ever thought they could kill them all. Mage Dragons are amazingly powerful, their ability to wrap their magic around their bodies should have been enough to keep them alive." Running his tongue over his lips, Draco took a mouthful of wine and swallowed loudly. He rested his chin on the mouth of the bottle, watching the dragons thoughtfully. "Maybe the records are wrong. Maybe the remaining dragons just disappeared."
Harry nodded slowly, wrapping his arms around his waist as he turned to peer back out at the ocean. In the time that he had been at Shirestra, he had seen the Mage Dragons vanish among the rolling waters with ease, disappear beneath the broiling waters in an insane game of hide and seek. "Maybe you're right." He said, collapsing backwards and staring up at the sky. Rolling his head to the side, he stared at Draco. "What if there are more dragons?"
Draco lifted his chin off of his hands and tipped his head down to meet Harry's penetrating green gaze. "Wouldn't they have come with the others? Or when I played the Dragon's Maw?" He questioned before taking another quick drink.
Harry shook his head and sighed. Turning his gaze back to the sky, he watched from behind the shimmering green wards as clouds slowly drifted across the blue expanse. There was so much they didn't know about the Mage Dragons. Perhaps there were other dragons waiting to be called, waiting for the all's clear from Basta before revealing themselves to the population of the wizarding world. Allowing his eyes to drift closed; he dozed in the sunlight, enjoying the presence of the dragons and Draco.
A/N: Thank you to everyone who took the time to read and review.
Kindall Sidera - Glad you're enjoying it.
PleiadesWolfe - lol, I think I managed to answer all of your questions with this chapter.
fraewyn - Originally their intentions were to kill the Mage Dragons, however, Harry's presence put a halt to that idea. You've got the pronunciation of Raveana's name right, though I do believe there are two ways to say it. I tend to bounce back and forth between the pair.
NinjaoftheDarkness - lol, it is indeed a wonderful country. I like a much more dominant Draco but generally I tend to write strong/dominant Harry instead.
sbkar - lol, I'm afraid after the next chapter clothes and the manor will no longer be a problem.
Shinigami - Harry will definitely have a lot of help defending the dragons, especially after having a chat with Dumbles.