Chapter# 4
"Wonderful," the queen said smiling down at him. "Harry Potter will bring his mate back from Shangri-La."
Harry gulped, wondering what exactly he had just gotten himself into. The veela queen looked just a little too gleeful, a slightly evil twinkle in her eyes. Something told him that this wouldn't be any walk in the park.
"Sit," the queen said motioning to a chair next to Draco's bed. It was rather disconcerting, sitting next to his mate's cold, lifeless body. Dumbledore conquered a chair for the queen and she nodded gratefully at him and sat facing Harry.
"First off, I believe that proper introductions are in order. I know your name, obviously, mine is Lady Ny'awen, queen of the veela." Harry inclined his head respectfully to the queen, remembering what Hagrid had told him about veela during Care of Magical Creatures. The queen smiled gently at him.
"The task that you have taken on is no small feat. Few veela have ever braved this path, even for their mates. However, if all goes well, it should be a fairly simple task." Harry did not miss the subtle suggestion that everything would almost definitely not go well. "Tell me, Harry, what do you know of Shangri-La?"
"Umm…nothing really. I read a muggle book once that mentioned a place with that name. It said that Shangri-la was a budhist temple in the Tibetian Mountains that vanishes and only reappears for the worthy." The queen nodded thoughtfully.
"That description is surprisingly accurate for a piece of muggle literature. Indeed, Shangri-La is a temple-like city that can not be seen by all. However, it can only be reached two ways: veela magic or death. You see, Harry, Shangri-La is not mythic Budhist temple, it is in fact where veela go when they die." Harry sucked in his breath sharply. He really didn't like where this was going.
"So…when you say that I can rescue Malfoy from Shangri-La, what you're actually saying is that…I would have to go into the afterlife to retrieve his soul?" Lady Ny'awen nodded shortly, her gentleness replaced by strict business. Harry steeled himself for his next decision. He could already feel the claws of depression cleaving at his soul where he now knew Draco Malfoy belonged. He knew that veela could not life without their mates, but that doesn't mean a veela's mate can live happily once their veela was gone. He nodded slowly but decisively.
"Alright. What do I need to do?" Lady Ny'awen grinned broadly at him and he heard Narcissa release a quiet, relieved sob.
"I will send you using my veela magic. You can't bring anything, not even your wand. Just you and the clothes on your back. Once you get there, you will see the main gates. Guarding the city are two sphinxes. When you try and enter they will sense that you are still alive and will not permit you to enter. You must challenge them to a riddle game to win entrance. If you win, then follow the souls into the main courtyard. From there you will be able to locate Draco. Touch him on the shoulder and you will be able to communicate telepathically with him. You will have to convince him to come back with you. That is the hard part. It is not in a veela's nature to defy something as final as death and even for his mate, once died, he will want to stay died. If you manage to convince him, then leave through the same gate that you entered by and you will both automatically be transported back here. There is, however, one very important precaution you must take. Don't say ANYTHING while inside the city gates, don't make a noise! You are completely invisible to the souls that live there until you speak aloud!"
Harry stared at Lady Ny'awen in disbelief. A riddle game? Telepathic communication? He had just found out about the wizarding world at the age of eleven and now this Veela was telling him that their was a mythical, invisible heaven that he had to rescue Draco 'Malfoy' from? This was insane! Why did all the trouble in the world seem to stick to him as if he were flypaper.
"Hurry up, now. The more time we waste sitting here, the harder it will be for us to pull Draco back into the world of the living. I'll open the portal here if Albus can assure no other students will be allowed in here." Lady Ny'awen glanced at Dumbledore for confirmation. The headmaster nodded his reassurance. The Veela queen turned away from them and, moving her arm in a large circle, seemed to cut out a piece of reality, leaving a brightly glowing portal in its place. Harry gulped. Did he really want to do this? This was, after all, his last chance to turn back…His heart decided for him before his mind could even disagree. A vivid picture flashed behind his eyes of Draco professing his love to him. Draco collapsing to the floor from the force of being rejected by his intended. Harry had been given a second chance and he wasn't going to let that happen again.
Squaring his shoulders, he stepped into the light…