Definitions Shifting: Best described as, "You're one place one moment then a different place the next." It doesn't hurt mages to shift, it's just like walking a foot in front of you. Also Magi make no sound when they shift. For a wizard to shift it hurts ten times more then aparanting.

Chapter Sixteen: Summer/Fall

Harry felt his body being pulled forward sheer pain, yet in an instant, the smouldered feeling. Aniko was now pulling him down elaborate, rich hallways. Harry watched the hanging carpets go by him in a rush of colours. Yet as he passed one wall hanging he swore he saw, the name "Potter". But Feathers was in to much of a rush to let him stop and examine the gorgeous cloth. Suddenly, Aniko stopped. She let go of Harry and turned to face him. With a snap of her fingers there was a stunning crimson and gold cape hanging on Harry's well-formed shoulders.

"Why do I have to wear this?" Harry asked.

"Because then the Peir inside will know you're a wizard and we can't have that." Aniko answered as a glittering sliver and ivory cape hung around her shoulders.

"The what?"

"The Peir, elders. They're Politician that work with my mother and her High Kings."

"High Kings? What? You're not making sense." Harry thought.

"Lets go, we're going to be late and yes I can read your mind when I want to." Aniko told him as she stood across the hallway, posed to open the heavy oak door.

"Ready?"

"As I'll ever be."

"Good. Let's go Potter."

Harry stood frozen in the doorway. The hallway in front of him was so wide and long it went on forever. The walls were about six stories high, and after the third floor, small balconies lead into offices. Like Hogwarts, the ceiling showed the weather outside. Yet unlike Hogwarts, if the weather outside was raining, it would rain indoors as well. A man showed up beside Harry. He was a tall man, thin with a jolly face and he wore a simple blue robe. The man handed Harry an umbrella out of nowhere.

Aniko opened her umbrella and headed off into the thrall of the crowd. Men and women were running left, and right around her, each wearing different robes. Harry had also noticed that there were people his age running around too. They wore what looked like school capes, black tops, and bottoms that looked like something out of a Japanese manga. Harry had to run to keep up with Aniko, she was already a block ahead of him, and soon she would be out of sight.

When Harry had finally caught up, Aniko was standing at the bottom of a large and impressive building. The marble staircase lead out from the massive door. The doors were thick and as tall as trees. Each door was covered in silver, gold and jewels. The windows were thick stained glass in white, clear, and smokey grey with thick black leading. The roof which was 13 thirteen floors above him was grey slate and the building itself was white stone and marble. The building had Gryphon's perched on its edges and a massive Phoenix on the very top.

The rain had stopped now and the man from before had appeared again at Harry's side to take away the umbrella. "Where the heck do they come from?" Harry thought. Yet, just as he thought that and looked away for a split second, when he looked back, the man was once again gone. Harry decided not to dwell on this little mystery. This place was weird, even for him. He took off up the stairs running to keep up with Aniko once again. When he reached the top of the great staircase she was waiting for him. She smiled and grabbed his hand.

"Come Harry, there's someone you should meet. But first, we're going to meet my uncle." Aniko told Harry flatly. "I think you'll like him. So awesome."

Airius Dumbledore sat in his office, completely unaware his young, and rather loud niece would be visiting with a friend. He was not alone. A man sat across from him in a crimson and gold cape, with a well-done dragon pattern playing out on the heavy velvet fabric. His hair was black and his eyes were blue, he had a well-chiselled jaw. His nose was slightly crooked from a childhood fight with his brother before he left for his first year of school at AsVoria. His brother at the time was a third year at a wizard school in the Non-Magi world. He missed his brother very much. Like Airius this man was a High King, yet he was not from the kingdom of Air but from the Kingdom of fire.

Just as the two men began to talk more intently about the upcoming crisis Aniko rushed into the room in a fluttery of emotions. Cain pulled his hood over his face. Airius just laughed at him. To this day, his little niece could read Cain to perfection just by looking in his eyes for a split second.

"I'm going now Air, I'll see you in the Great Hall." Cain told Airius.

"Yah, sure I'll see you there. What this all about anyways? Why has Amelia called the Royalty and Peir in for a meeting? Is she nuts?" Airius asked him.

"Don't know why, Mia's a little off lately. Least she got His Majesty back to normal. Yet when you talk to him you can see he misses the Wizard World and his godson." He stated.

"Yes, well the boy never knew his father so he was the closest thing he had to a Father."

"I know, don't be late Airius, or Mia's going to kill you. Remember, being her brother doesn't save you from her fury." Cain joked as he left the room.

King Cain of the Fire Kingdom stood stone cold in his place, behind the closed door of King Airius of the Light Kingdom door. The boy in front of him wore the same cloak as he did, which meant he was part of Cain's noble house. The boy looked about seventeen, his eyes were blue; his hair was black and long. He had a well-built body and a gentle air about him. Yet he couldn't put his finger on who this boy reminded him of.

"Hello. I'm Cain, and you are?" He asked the boy with his hand out stretched for him to shake.

"I'm Harry, Harry Potter, it's nice to meet you Sir."

"Shall we walk then Master Potter? I dare say you're waiting for His Majesty. He's talking with his darling niece." Cain told Harry full of sarcasm not realizing that this was one of Aniko's new friends from Hogwarts.

Harry and Cain walked pace by pace talking about random things. Harry had great interest in the wall hangings. Cain explained that there was tons of them around the Imperial Palace. Each hanging was for a noble house, battle or a coronation of a Imperial monarch. He also explained that they started in alphabetical order from the divination tower. Harry shuddered at the thought of divination class. Whenever they passed a wall tapestry, Cain would explain what the battle was or what the artist was trying to say. Harry liked Cain a lot.

"Would you like something to eat or drink Master Potter?".

"Yes that would be great Sir. Do have pumpkin juice?" Harry asked.

"Sorry Master Potter We do not"

"Whatever is fine then. Sir".

"Please don't call me Sir, it makes me feel so old." Cain told Harry. "I hate that word, OLD."

"Alright Sir, what would you prefer."

"Cain, just call me Cain."

"Alrigth."

Harry knew Cain was keeping something from him and he wanted to know what it was. Hermione would know a good way to get the truth out of him.

"Come Master Potter." King Cain called to Harry from the other end of the hall. Harry ran to catch up to the older man's long steps.

"Cain, why don't you have pumpkin juice?" Harry asked. Cain just laughed.

"Bad memories for the Empress" He told Harry.

"Oh" Harry trailed off.

"Yes Harry, you see some boys played a quite nasty trick on her during her school years." Cain said matter of factly "Four boys I believe. Nowadays no one would try something like that except for the Princess. She's got quite a thing for trouble. Now come, we'll go to the kitchen and see what we can punk." Cain told Harry with a wink.

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