Chapter 1: Harikae's Story
Disclaimer: Only my OCs belong to me, so, basically, if you recognise a character, chances are, it's not mine.
Sitting up, Syphon cast an eye over his audience, watching as they made themselves comfortable.
"This is a story I heard a while back on the grapevine, I think it was about twenty years ago?" Syphon cocked his head, counting back. "Yes, twenty years ago. I heard it from Zu, who got it from Wayne, who heard it straight from Harikae herself. Now, before we begin, allow me to explain some things about Dragons. Some dragons prefer to live on their own, with their own nests, and look after their own eggs. Others live in Colonies called Tatsus – named after the dominate female, who is also known as the Nest Mother. It is her job to guard all the Tatsu's eggs and young until they are deemed able to leave the nest. Harikae is one of the latter, and takes her responsibility very seriously.
Now, Harikae's nest sat at the back of a long, dark cave – specially chosen for it's added protection. For you see, the eggs she guards are pure black, with silver spikes and an extremely thin silver design. The entrance to the cave is narrow, with barely enough room to allow her in, and hidden behind a large, rocky outcrop. Towards the back of the cave runs a small brook, and the other members of the Tatsu provide her with plenty of fresh meat.
Our story begins, not during the day with the sun, but at night, under the watch of the moon. Harikae was curled up on her nest, keeping the eggs warm, when a strange noise came from the entrance. Muffled footsteps and the 'clack' of a dislodged stone.
"Shh! Do you want to wake the dragon?" a voice hissed.
Curious, Harikae slowly unfurled, her whole body tense, preparing to defend the nest.
"Shesh, just how big is this cave? We might need to take the opportunity to look round once we've finished tonight." A second voice muttered.
Growing concerned now, Harikae started building a fire at the back of her throat. As soon as she could see the intruders, she would incinerate them!
Soon enough, the scent of magic reached her, but there was no other sign of the intruders? Quickly deciding they had to be camouflaged somehow, the Nest Mother reared up – only for several shouts of 'stupefy' followed by jets of red lights to hit her. The last thing Harikae saw before the darkness claimed her were several two-legs surrounding her and the eggs.
Noise. Loud, Confusing Noise. Screams of fury, roaring threats, and hurried shouts of orders. Wondering what was going on in her cave, and seriously considering just flaming everyone and going back to sleep, Harikae opened her eyes. Only to shut them again immediately after. It was too bright, what had happened? Did the roof cave in? Was that what all the noise was about? Where were the eggs?!
carefully opening her eyes again, Harikae found herself in a large, open space; surrounded by two-legs, who were running around all over the place. After her eyes had adjusted to the bright morning sun, she became aware of the chains, preventing her from flying away.
"Hurry it up now, we have a schedule to keep!" One of the two-legs standing off to the side called out. "I want these dragons ready for moving before lunch."
"Yes, sir!" a nearby two-leg with flaming top scales called out, before returning his attention to a large, wooden box he was filling with straw.
Angry, confused, and just wanting her nest and eggs back, Harikae let out a jet of flame while trying to spread her wings, only for the chains to prove to be stronger than they looked.
Startled, the two-leg hurried over, casting an eye at the chains, before folding over into a bow.
"Greetings, Mighty Nest Mother. Please calm down, your eggs are safe," he entreated, motioning towards the wooden box he had been filling.
Yellow eyes narrowed at him, before the two-leg got the hint, and brought the box over, letting Harikae peer in. The sight of all her eggs snuggly settled in the straw caused the tight coils of anxiety to release. As she watched, the two-leg carefully started packing more straw around them, before finally nailing on the lid.
Worry over her eggs now abated for the moment, Harikae took in her surroundings. In the middle of the large clearing sat three more wooden boxes, and as she watched, her two-leg added the box with the eggs after marking a strange symbol to the lid. Another two-leg marked something on his wooden parchment, before waving a stick at the new box.
"That's all four sets of eggs ready. Are the Mothers ready and settled yet?" he asked.
"No, the food should be arriving any moment," her two-leg replied, causing the other to nod.
Further examination of the area revealed another three dragons, much to Harikae's confusion. Most of the noise was coming from the large, red and yellow dragon, who seemed to be attempting to deafen any two-leg within range, punctuated with bursts of flame. At one point, Harikae was sure she had set herself on fire. In stark contrast was the small green and black dragon, who appeared to be content with simply keeping a close watch on the wooden boxes, while the blue dragon was busy demanding food.
Harikae was distracted from further observations by her two-leg returning with a crate full of meat.
"Dinner, or rather, breakfast, is served, My Lady," he proclaimed.
While the dragons were occupied, the two-legs were busy scurrying around. Four large transport crates were carefully brought in and positioned by each dragon, before getting disassembled and rebuilt around their assigned dragon.
"T minus one hour! I want everything ready asap!" the Pushy two-leg called, gaze locked on his wooden slate.
A chorus of 'yes, sir's rang out as the assembled two-legs started rushing around again.
In almost no time (for a dragon), everything was ready and the two-legs were finishing their final checks.
"Stunners in 3...2...1.."
The last thing Harikae saw, again, was the approaching red lights from the two-legs' sticks.
Waking up in different surroundings – for a second time – was not Harikae's idea of fun. This time, they were in a large clearing surrounded by trees, with the occasional rock and shrub. She was pleasantly surprised, however, to find a make-shift nest lined with straw containing her eggs beside her.
After another meal of juicy meat, the dragons started to settle down for the night. Cerys, the little green dragon, was adamant that they were in Britain, the only reason the others vaguely agreed being due to the colder temperatures, though why the two-legs had brought them here remained a complete mystery. Genji Loi was convinced the two-legs were part of this 'Black Market' she had heard of from a distant cousin, and was now guarding her eggs. Annika, sweet thing she was, was currently gossiping with Cerys, the two younger dragons having formed a game out of throwing increasingly creative insults at the two-legs.
Just as they were settling down to sleep, having agreed a rotation to ensure the eggs' safety, an old two-leg dressed in dark blue with pink dancing unicorns arrived to speak with the other two-legs.
"Ah, good evening, gentlemen! Pleasant journey, I hope?" he called loudly, causing the dragons to stir uneasily. The stench of rotten magic in the air around him didn't help.
The pushy two-leg sighed.
"Headmaster, it would be greatly appreciated if you could keep. your. voice. Down." he growled quietly. "The Nest Mothers have just started to settle down."
The 'Headmaster' (some sort of title among two-legs?) chuckled.
"Of course, My Boy, of course. And you did bring four nesting dragons?"
Pushy two-leg huffed in annoyance.
"Yes, we brought four Nest Mothers. I don't know why you wanted an extra Mother, given there's only three champions. And, before you start getting any ideas, we will be using false eggs in your task, No actual eggs are to be endangered in ANY way." He added, causing Sickly two-leg to frown.
"I'm afraid that won't do, my boy, we need the eggs as part of the task," Sick one began.
"Absolutely Not!" Pushy exclaimed. "You may be in charge of this...tournament, but you overstep yourself, Headmaster. We were assured by YOUR Ministry that no harm would come to the Mothers or their eggs. Rest assured, all eggs are counted, and any missing or harmed will be reported, and compensation claimed."
at the sound of this, the Mothers grew very concerned, and all reached the same decision – Sickly was Bad News, and A Threat. As it was, Sickly barely managed to avoid the Mothers' show of displeasure – a large fireball of all four dragons' combined flame. Their two-legs simply stood back and let Sickly duck and dodge his way across the clearing.
"I suggest you leave, Headmaster, unless you plan to become a kebab?" Pushy chuckled.
"Ah, yes, my boy, just wanted to make sure you have everything?" Sickly mused, causing Pushy to glare at him.
"Leave, now, Headmaster. You can rest assured we have it all under control." Pushy rolled his eyes.
Nodding, Sickly turned and faded back into the trees.
"Right, I want every egg accounted for at. All. Times." Pushy growled. "I certainly wouldn't put it past him to take a couple."
Deciding the action was over, Harikae returned to her nest.
The next morning Harikae woke to find her breakfast ready waiting beside her. Humming happily to herself, she made short work of the pile of meat, before taking a look round the clearing. It didn't really look much different in the sunlight – they were still surrounded by trees and shrubs, and the two-legs were still scurrying around, some with sticks, others with small bags or wooden slates. Honestly, two-legs always seemed to be in a hurry, would it hurt them to slow down and smell the flowers for once?
Harikae spent the day like any sensible dragon would. Lightly dozing in the sun, keeping an eye on the scurrying of the two-legs, guarding her nest, chatting with the other Nest Mothers, and, of course, accepting the two-legs' offerings of food.
And so, time past, as it was wont to do. The Sick One didn't return to their clearing, and the two-legs slowly calmed down, although they ensured that their offerings continued.
Then it happened, another two-leg came, about two suns after they arrived, or so the dragons thought. It was hard to know how long they'd been there, when they weren't awake on arrival.
But anyway, enough grumbling, it was important to stay positive, especially when one was dragon-napped! Right, so, the new two-legged visitor, yes. This two-leg was considerably smaller than the others, and tended to hang around Harikae's two-leg. Harikae supposed it was alright, however, as this one had similar top scales to her two-leg, so it was reasonable to assume they were at least nest mates, given the obvious familiarity between the two.
The young two-leg didn't stay for long, often disappearing back into the trees for a time before returning. One visit, the two-leg brought a second, with messy, loose, brown top scales. This two-leg, however, kept away at the edge, wide eyes staring at the Nest Mothers the whole time, causing them to shift anxiously, preparing to defend their nests, until Pushy had enough and sent them off.
Their eggs are counted and checked by their two-legs each darkening of the sun. It's all they can hope for, that the eggs won't hatch in this horrible, cold place, where danger lurks hidden in trees. Occasionally the scents of different Munchables fills the breeze, but for now, the Mothers are content to stay and accept the two-legs' offerings, even if the Muchables smell tastier.
One sun after Pushy chased off their last visitors, more turned up, after the sun's darkening. Only, this time, there were four of them! Two large, two-legs, who wandered around, close to the nests, certainly close enough that Harikae's two-leg had to issue a warning. The thin two-leg, who kept to the bushes, trying to hide from the others while getting a good look, it's pale scales standing out against the dark, magic smelling of conflict and fear.
And, finally, there's the Hidden One. A two-leg? Or, possibly more? The magic smells inviting, like a warm, summer's day, of coming Home, of Mother's Nest. But also of Danger; Death and the Eternal Sleep. And there was Fear. Cold, hard fear mixing into terror, though why such a Creature would be scared, she wasn't sure. The voice is young, however, when it calls out across the clearing.
After a while, their new visitors leave, although Harikae would have preferred the Hidden One to stay, his scent a calming presence. Hopefully he will return.
Something had changed. The morning air was charged with excitement, expectation. The two-legs were back to charging around the clearing, orders getting barked out as fast as Pushy could form the words.
Seeing she was awake, Harikae's two-leg hurried over, stopping to bow at a respectable distance.
"Day's greetings, Mother. With your permission, I need to move your eggs to safety, so no harm will come to them this day?" her two-leg asked, indicating the wooden crate filled with straw beside him.
Eyeing the crate closely for a moment, Harikae huffed her agreement, shifting slightly to allow her two-leg access.
"My thanks, Mother. Your eggs will stay safe, and await your return. The Headmaster wishes you to guard an important egg, hidden within your clutch," he motioned to a second wooden crate set beside him.
Lifting herself up, Harikae carefully scented the new crate, taking in the smell of the magic. Sickly's scent was ALL over it, causing her to sneeze. This was going to be a long day. Huffing in annoyance, she allowed the false eggs to be placed in her nest.
Annika was the first to be led off into the trees, her nest with the fake eggs floating along behind, golden fake prominently displayed and glistening in the sunlight. Upon hearing a loud 'BOOM', shortly after she'd left, however, the remaining Mothers grew concerned. The surrounding two-legs did their best to reassure them, but nothing they said or did really helped.
So, it was with great relief that Annika returned unharmed, ranting away about a yellow-scaled two-leg with a stick which could create and vanish Munchies. Absolutely horrified, Cerys started to join in, deciding to flame the two-leg before the Munchie vanished, as she was led off.
When she returned, Cerys was laughing. Apparently, a two-leg with blue scales thought the best way to get at the nest was to put the Nest Mother to sleep, and was even now getting treated for burns. Hearing this, Genji Loi snorted, and declared that the 'bar had been raised', and she was going for 'maximum damage'. Harikae nodded along, plans already forming for how she would win this little competition.
This time, however, immediately after the 'Bang', Genji Loi screamed. What followed was a mournful wail, the sort which could only mean one thing – destroyed eggs. Horrified, the Mothers shared a look, deciding that Harikae would make. Them. Pay!
Once the distressed Mother was brought back and reunited with her clutch, she explained. The red-scaled two-leg had stepped out into the arena, raised it's stick, and shot a green light at her, which caused her to go blind for a time. Due to this, she managed to crush half the false eggs, and completely forgot that her actual eggs were safe.
As Harikae was taken into the trees, Genji Loi reared up, and requested her help in retribution. Unable to deny another Nest Mother, Harikae bowed her head in acknowledgement, before the trees closed up, hiding the clearing.
Upon clearing the trees, Harikae was greeted by...green. It was the only way to describe this new landscape. Lush, green grass, rolling gently up a hill to a large, stone castle. There was a large, glassy lake off to one side, and what looked to be a small, wooden hut with a thatched roof tucked into the trees.
The two-legs lead her off to the left, following round the bottom of the hill, heading towards a large, wooden structure. The closer they got, the louder the noise became, accompanied by the scent of amassed Magic. From the noise level, Harikae estimated there were at least a couple of hundred two-legs. Sadly, she could easily pick up the scent of Sickly's magic, too.
They entered the wooden structure through a pair of large, heavy oak doors, where Harikae got her first look of The Arena. The interior was filled with rocks and boulders, and sloped down into a crater. It was here, her fake nest was placed.
Harikae huffed in annoyance. How the two-legs expected her to defend this...egg...Sickly had given, she didn't know! After a little contemplation, she got to work. The golden, shiny, egg stood out in direct contrast with her fake eggs, so, naturally, she shifted said golden egg to the bottom of the nest, hiding it under the rest of her clutch.
Just as she finished and was settled safely on her nest, the surrounding atmosphere changed. What had been a mix of excited and awed, became charged with expectation, right before the canon fired for a fourth time that say.
Almost immediately, a familiar scent arrived. The Hidden One from the forest. He appeared from a small tunnel, in the form of a two-leg with bright red body-scales and soft dark top-scales that could put the darkest cave to shame.
As he stepped out into the Arena, the Hidden One paused, deathly-green eyes slowly perusing his surroundings, before landing on Harikae, filling with awe and excitement; Harikae preened. That such an entity noticed her!
The assembled crowd quieted, now the players had entered, watching with baited breaths, eager for blood, and their continued entertainment. Hidden One – could she really still call him thus, now that he'd revealed himself? - glared up into the stands on the left angrily. And, curious of who, or what, was foolish to have gained such ire, Harikae looked.
There, nestled in the sea of colours, she spotted the young two-legs Pushy had ordered away from their nests, and, close by, separated from the colourful sea, a group of older two-legs, among whom sat – in pride of place, no less – Sickly.
Messy-Scales leaned over the edge of the stands, yelling something about a wand and a...hairy? after it became clear the Deadly One wasn't going to be moving any time soon. Deadly wasn't impressed, it seemed, merely raising an eyebrow to the stands, before returning his attention to where it rightfully belonged. On. Harikae. His Magic's scent suddenly flooded the Arena, filling it with Summer.
A moment later, Deadly was moving, stepping out from behind the boulders obscuring the tunnel, and walking down the slope, his light steps hardly seeming to touch the ground. Once he'd cleared the final rock he stopped, arms spread wide, showing no hidden weapon, no wooden stick, and no claws.
"Day's Greetings, Mother, may the Sun warm your nest, and the Moon guard from harm." He called softly, his voice taking on an almost-haunting lilt.
Harikae waited a moment, as the greeting called for, before bowing her head, yellow locked on green.
"Day's Greetings, Young One, may the Clouds hide you, and the Stars guide you." She returned, just as softly.
Deadly bowed low, exposing the back of his neck.
"My Lady, may I be permitted to approach? There has been an imposter-egg placed among your clutch, and the given Task is to remove it, without damage," he requested.
Harikae chuckled.
"You may, My Lord, however, you will find that all these eggs are imposters. Our two-legs were most displeased with the Sick One's idea of risking our clutches."
All tension released from Deadly at Harikae's words.
"I'm glad, My Lady. This...contest...is pointless, little more than an excuse for the three Heads and Governments to play for power, and force their subjects," he almost spat the word, "to fight and display their abilities. Oh, they may claim that this is to promote International Cooperation, but really, it is nothing more than a stylised Slug-fest, prettied up with ribbons, and fancy words." He scoffed.
Harikae tilted her head.
"I will admit, My Lord, we wish for retribution. My sisters and I were taken from our warm, safe nests, and brought here, by the Sick One, we think, to provide entertainment, and, we believe, Sick One wishes to lay claim to our eggs. If it pleases, My Lord, I would petition you for judgement in this matter."
Deadly blinked up at her, before bowing once more, and raising his voice, so the gathered crowd could hear, losing the lilt in the process.
"My Lady has called for judgement, and retribution, for being taken from her nest and an outsider placing claim on her eggs. Are there any who would speak against this claim?"
Instantly, the crowd fell silent. Deadly nodded, before continuing with the Ancient Rite.
"Very well. Then, I call the assembled, bare witness, that this matter may be resolved swiftly." As he said this, Harikae felt the chains holding her break, the heavy metal falling to the ground, and shattering.
Panicking, Sickly stood, raising his wooden stick.
"Harry, my boy, what is the meaning of this? Do you have any idea what you are doing? This is a dark ritual, I order you to stop!" he demanded, sending those around him into disarray.
"Really, now, Dumbledore," a smaller two-leg wearing a lime-green hat started. "In what way is this a 'dark ritual'?"
"He's using a dark language!" Sickly exclaimed, pointing down at Deadly, who snorted and raised an eyebrow up at him.
"Parseltongue? Oh, Albus!" Hatty groaned, covering his face with a hand. "If Mr. Potter wants it, I dare say there'll be a job waiting for him with the Unspeakables!"
"There's a job for him at Durmstrang." Pale declared, while the Large two-leg agreed, claiming a job a Beaubatons.
Throughout this, Deadly had stood there, his arms crossed, looking more and more amused, before deciding it had gone on long enough, and bringing back order, by clearing his throat.
"As amusing as this discussion is, the Lady has asked for judgement," he reminded them, green eyes shining with mirth.
"But-" Sickly began again, only to be interrupted by Hatty.
"Very well. If the Lady permits, she may present her case with Mr Potter acting in the capacity on Interpreter. Who is the Accused?"
Deadly bowed his head, before returning to Harikae. Huffing, she paused, considering how to explain, as it was unlikely that 'Sickly' was the two-leg's actual name.
"The old two-leg whose magic smells rotten, who came to the temporary nests and argued with Pushy." She tried, before remembering, "Pushy called him 'Headmaster."
Turning, Deadly considered the group of older two-legs, before nodding.
"The Lady has named Headmaster Dumbledore, of Hogwarts, as the Accused."
"Well, I-" Sickly tried, only for the others to glare at him.
"Albus!" Hatty hissed, before clearing his throat.
"Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore is hereby recognised as the Accused. Who stands to represent?"
Silence held for a long moment, before Hatty nodded.
"Albus, looks like you'll have to represent yourself. With the Lady's agreement, the judges for this case will be myself, as the British Minister for Magic; Madam Maxime, Headmistress of Beaubatons Academy and French representative; Headmaster Karkaroff of Durmstrang Institute and Bulgarian representative; Mr Scamander, standing as the Neutral Party; and Mr Clermont, Head of the Romanian Dragon Sanctuary. Witnesses of this event – those assembled here within the stand," he paused for Harikae's approval, which she gave. "Mr Potter, the floor is yours." Hatty finished with a flourish.
Deadly bowed with a returning flourish.
"My Lady comes to you, for judgement and retribution, in her case against Headmaster Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, of Hogwarts. The case she lays against him is of kidnapping her and her three Nest Sisters from the safety and warmth of their nests; Endangering their collective eggs with cold conditions and the inferior nests they have to now use; and Attempted Line-Theft, due to multiple attempts and mentions of keeping their eggs. She is also charging the Accused with Attempted Murder, due to their forced participation in this Tournament." He announced.
Hatty nodded.
"Very well. We will now hear from the Accused." He motioned to where Sickly was standing.
Sickly smiled at the assembled judges.
"My Friends, this is all just a slight misunderstanding. The Tournament Committee all agreed that obtaining a clue-egg from a nesting dragon would be the first Task. And, I would hardly call this kidnapping," he scoffed, before gesturing to the side of the enclosure. "Several members of the Romanian Dragon Sanctuary came with the dragons for their protection, and to ensure that spectator's safety." He finished with another benign smile.
Enraged at how casually Sickly dismissed her charges, Harikae reared up, preparing to simply flame the annoying two-leg, only for Pushy to jump to his feet.
"This was a kidnapping, Headmaster, and don't you try to deny it! The Sanctuary was informed to prepare and bring four Nesting Mothers, or be shut down! I'm still trying to work out how you managed it, but the paperwork presented was legitimate!"
Startled, the rest of the panel spun round to look at him.
"What?" Hatty demanded. "I authorised no such thing!"
Sickly smiled, his eyes twinkling strangely.
"I assure you, everything was signed and approved by the Ministry."
Deadly frowned.
"And what of the other charges My Lady has laid? The endangering of the eggs? It seems to me, certainly, that if it were not for Mr Clermont and his team swapping the eggs with fakes before the Task, that several of the Chinese Fireball's eggs would have been lost?"
At this, the panel nodded.
"Yes, it was a very good decision from Mr Clermont and his team." Hatty agreed, side-eyeing Sickly.
"So, just allow me to sum this up? Just so we don't spend the rest of the day arguing?" One of the panel members requested.
"Certainly, Mr Scamander." Hatty nodded, gesturing for him to continue.
"Right. Well, as it looks to me, the Lady has raised multiple, valid, charges against the Hogwarts Headmaster, who claims everything is simply a slight misunderstanding and refuses to actually say anything else." The two-leg paused for confirmation from the panel. "Therefore, I propose that we move this, apparently pointless, discussion forwards, and talk of the appropriate judgements as requested." he finished.
"Very well. Firstly, then, the verdict. Do we feel, Ladies and Gentlemen, that Headmaster Dumbledore is Guilty of these accusations, or an Innocent Party to a misunderstanding?" Hatty asked grimly.
The panel's verdict came back unanimous: Guilty as charged. After further quiet discussion among themselves, Hatty took the floor once more.
"Headmaster Dumbledore, you are adjudged and found Guilty by this esteemed panel. As your offences were many, so will be your punishments. First, due to what can only be described as an abuse of power, you will no longer be a Judge in this Tournament – the Committee will find a replacement before the next Task. Second, it is the decision of the panel that you will be placed on Probation, pending an independent review of a Selected Committee. Thirdly, the rest of the Tournament's Tasks will be reviewed. Is this acceptable, My Lady?" Hatty finished.
After careful consideration, Harikae nodded.
"My thanks for dealing with this matter swiftly. Now, if my sisters and I may be permitted to take our eggs back to the Safe Nests?" she asked.
Smiling softly, Deadly turned back to the panel.
"The Lady gives her thanks for a swift resolution, and requests fast passage back home with their eggs."
"Yes, I'm sure Mr Clermont and his team will be able to make ready for an over-night portkey?" Hatty asked, turning to Pushy, who nodded sharply. "Excellent, I shall make sure a suitable one is ready for use tonight, then."
That decided, Harikae was lead back out of the Arena and into the forest clearing, where she was greeted rather enthusiastically by the others. Upon hearing what had happened, it was decided that a debt was owed to Deadly, and if he ever had need, they would help, and spread the word.
And so, it came to pass, that the four dragons told the story of their adventure at every gathering they attended, and each dragon passed the story on to others." Syphon finished, grinning happily. "Your turn!"
"Hold on a moment, you can't just finish the story there!" a blonde hiker protested.
"Huh? Why not? It's a perfectly legitimate ending?" Syphon tilted his head.
"No, it really isn't, What happened to Harikae, did she make it back home? What about Deadly?"
"Oh! Well, of course Harikae and her eggs returned to the safety of the Cave. As for Deadly, at the time I heard the tale, none of the dragons involved had encountered him again yet." Syphon shrugged.
"Oh, ok then." the hikers nodded. "Just give us a moment to work out who's telling the next story."
Syphon nodded happily.
"By all means."