On the Wings of Dragons

by Bobmin356

The Weyr prepares for the step of going public against the backdrop of heightening international tensions and increasingly complex personal issues. And is Britain really secure now that the Ministry has been conquered? Sequel to The Queen Who Fell to Earth. Harry/Hr/OCF

7. Chapter 7

Standard Disclaimer:

Alyx stepped onto the stage and looked at the audience tearfully. "I'm afraid I let my concern for Slobnovia get the better of me. While I was trying to raise cash to ease their financial crisis, Bob hacked into my computer, encrypted my story files and altered my story beyond belief. Now Prince Draco is running in for fear for his life from the evil madman Snape, and the White Wizard Harry Potter has encased Draco's who who in diamond and sent it into orbit!"

Alyx sighed heavily. "I fear I'll have to cancel this weeks episode of guess the celebrity who who while I try to beat... er, convince Bob to release the lockout on my Snaco story before it's unrecoverable. To the citizens of Slobnovia, fear not! I SHALL RETURN!"

Alyx struck a pose with a corncob pipe that blew bubbles, it was anything but majestic.

Bob snickered from Alyx's control booth. "This is what happens when you get so caught up in your stories that you don't tell people we don't own Harry Potter or the Dragon riders of Pern," he muttered, then he started tapping some keys. "Let's arm Snape with some henchmen in clown suits and give Draco webbed feet like a duck. We'll blame it on a spell gone bad caused by Princess Hermione, leader of the Slobnovian rebellion!"

Bob paused. "Maybe Harry needs a death star," he mused to himself.

---

- One of the oldest human needs is having someone to wonder where you are when you don't come home at night.

Margret Mead

Mills Estate, Isle of Arran, Scotland, December 26th...

Harry stepped from the porch, his feet making a crunching sound in the light covering of snow. He took a deep breath and looked around. He knew Cheki was nearby, watching him, probably on the roof of the Mills home.

It was an old house, built in the eighteenth century and lovingly maintained. It was also a building that said home more than any other place he had ever visited, even more so than the Burrow. James' wife had added to and improved upon what seven generations of previous Mills had put in place until they had a house that was rich in family history, yet still managed to convey a feeling of welcome and safety.

It was the kind of place that Harry wanted for himself. He had spent several hours, just looking at the house and wondering what he could do to improve his own quarters back at the Weyr. It would be years before he realized that he had achieved the same effect as the Mills home. It would take him years to understand that houses can be built quickly, but homes take time to grow, along with the families that live within them.

He walked away from the house and as he did he could hear the barely audible flutter of wings as Cheki came to land gently next to him. "Good morning, mate," he said with a smile.

"Good morning, Harry. Did you eat too much yesterday? You were afraid you would."

Harry smiled and pat his belly. "Everyone eats too much on Christmas, mate. Mrs. McNulty is a fine cook, but today we'll walk some of it off, since we don't have a nice clean runway to take our morning jog."

While Campbeltown was no longer listed as an active runway, it was maintained and all the Weyr knew that any airplane could use it in case of an emergency. For that reason, the runway was routinely plowed to keep it clear in winter. Before the Weyr moved in, it was plowed once a week by a local contractor. Now it was done by some of the military men who helped repair and maintain the Weyr.

"Did May enjoy her gift?"

Harry smiled. The McNulty family lived in a house adjoining the Mills house. It had been originally built as servants quarters at the same time as the main house, but had been converted to a one family home and given to the McNulty family around the turn of the century. As a result, the Mills and McNulty families celebrated the holiday together as one big family.

"She did," Harry replied. "I suppose I cheated a bit. I gave everyone the same things, fur lined flying gloves and a scarf, but I'm not very good at picking out gifts."

He didn't mention that the gloves and scarf had been custom ordered and monogrammed with the initials of the owner. For Chekiath he had purchased a copy of a signed dragon art work for his bed at home, along with a book on dragons in mythology that he promised to read to him. Chekiath found the human records of dragons fascinating.

"I'm sure she'll enjoy it," Chekiath said, then he paused and turned to look at Harry. The huge dragon shimmered slightly in the weak winter sunlight, a sure sign that he was invisible to all but Harry. "Harry, is Santa real?"

Harry laughed and shook his head. "No, but most people wish he were, Cheki. He represents an idea, a way of living that most people have forgotten. We exchange gifts and tell our children about Santa and baby Jesus as part of the festive nature of the holiday."

"So, Santa is one of those made up fun things people do?" pressed Chekiath. Harry had explained to him about fiction after he'd told his rider that the dragons were ready and able to search for Gilligan and the Skipper. The dragons were sure they needed rescuing. Strangely enough, they understood fiction as it related to books, but they thought the television was depicting actual events. Rescuing the Robinsons and the Jupiter 9 would be more difficult.

"That's right."

"What about baby Jesus? I heard that thing you went to with May's family and when you weren't looking at May you were thinking really hard about Jesus. Is he made up to?"

Harry stopped and stared at his feet. This was a conversation that he had never imagined he'd ever have. He hadn't realized Cheki had listened in when he'd attended midnight services with Lord Mills and May's family. Now he had to try to figure out how to explain something he didn't understand. How can one be real and the other not, when there was no proof for either? Harry thought. The Dursleys had not allowed him any exposure to church when he was growing up, so this was a subject he was unable to really address.

He looked up at Chekiath and smiled. "Honestly, I don't know. A lot of people seem to think he was made up and a lot seem to think he was real. I don't know either way. That was the first Christmas service I've ever attended. It was the first church service for me ever," he admitted.

"And will you pray to him now? Would he listen if I prayed?"

Harry shrugged unhappily. He had found the service moving, but it was the only one he had ever attended. There were no services offered at Hogwarts, and considering the Dursleys, he had problems with the idea of an all powerful being that allowed such terrible things to happen in the world.

"I don't know, Cheki," he admitted unhappily. "I'm sorry I don't have any answers for you. I don't have any answers for me either. I think that if he's real, then he would listen to anyone who prayed, even if they were a dragon."

"May seems to believe and she sings very nicely. She's smart. Maybe she knows the answer?"

Harry chuckled. "Yes, she does sing very well," he replied. In fact, the Vicar had singled May out as having returned for the holiday from an 'exclusive boarding school' and pointed out how the choir had missed her talents. Harry had been startled by her clear, beautiful voice that rang out in the small church. It was an aspect of May that he hadn't considered before and he wished she'd sing more in the Weyr.

"I will ask May later. Maybe she can answer both of our questions," Chekiath announced.

Harry smiled and softly shook his head. That was bound to be a very interesting conversation.

The pair walked for a while longer and then Chekiath spoke again. "Harry?"

"Yes?"

"Thank you for the gifts. I know they weren't from Santa now, so they must have come from you. I'm sorry I didn't get you something."

"You're welcome, Cheki. You don't have to get me anything. Just having you in my life is the best gift ever," Harry replied.

Cheki turned his large head to look at Harry again, his eyes twirling with vibrant greens and blues indicating his happiness. Chekiath turned his head slightly and looked over Harry's shoulder. He crooned softly and Harry turned to see May standing there.

Her eyes widened slightly when she heard Chekiath, then she spotted the dragon prints in the snow. She couldn't see him when he didn't want to be spotted. Only Harry could see every dragon.

Harry smiled at her. "Good morning, May." He absently noted that she wore the gloves and scarf he had given her. Her long blond hair was tied back in a simple pony tail and she wore a knitted beret on her head and a heavy winter coat.

"Trath said you were out there having an important talk with Chekiath. I just assumed he was perched on the house."

Harry chuckled. "No, I ate too much yesterday and I really didn't feel like jogging in the snow. Cheki decided to walk along with me."

She crossed her arms and suppressed a shiver. "Well, it is too cold out here for running. Even at Campbeltown you'd be chilled to the bone after your morning jog."

Harry nodded. "True, but a hot shower after my run usually fixes that right up."

She smiled. "I guess it does. Anyway, I came out here to ask you to come back in. My Grandda wants to talk to you some. Since I got him that potion he's been much better and that means he's being right ornery again."

Harry nodded and turned to Cheki. "Why don't you return to the Weyr, Cheki? I know you'd be more comfortable on your heated sands. I'll call if I need you, mate."

"All right, Harry. Goodbye May. Harry and I think you sing very nicely," Chekiath said, then he launched himself skyward and raised a small blizzard of snow.

"Cheki," Harry growled. It wasn't the first time his dragon had managed to get him with snow. He seemed to think that was nearly as funny as a fart.

Harry pulled out the new wand that Lee had made for him. "Acclaro!" he said, causing the snow to immediately settle to the ground. May stood there, with eyes wide open, she was covered with snow. "Evanesco!"

The snow vanished from May and she looked at him, surprised. She hadn't expected him to do that. Harry followed up the cleaning charm with a quick warming spell. "Thank you," she breathed in relief.

He grinned. "You got lucky. Yesterday morning he smacked a tree with his tail and dumped about ten tons of snow on me. Then the big lunkhead stood here rumbling with laughter. I quickly learned the sequence of spells to put things to rights. As nice as magic is, it won't spell away melting snow you can't aim at with your wand. Especially the stuff that slipped down my back. And I can't cast a cleansing charm on myself."

May chuckled and shook her head. "I'll have to take your word for it. Shall we go talk to Grandda?"

Harry looked at her cautiously. "Am I in trouble?"

Her expression sobered and she tilted her head to one side looking at him. "I don't think so. Should you be?"

"Well, no. I don't think I've managed to piss anyone off recently," he said sourly. They both knew he was referring to Hermione. The one time he had spoken with her had been at the Wing Leaders meeting and she was coldly formal with him. Harry knew Hermione blamed him for what happened between him and Susan and he was surprised by how much that hurt him.

"I don't think he's angry with you, Harry," May said with a reassuring smile, then she held out her hand.

Harry reached out and took it without thinking. The pair walked together back towards the McNulty house and Harry never noticed the small smile of triumph on May's face.

A few minutes later, they were inside the small comfortable kitchen, where May's mother, Rosie, bustled about serving hot chocolate.

Angus McNulty sat across from the pair, who had released their hands before entering the house. He stared intently at Harry and to his surprise the young man calmly accepted his gaze without fidgeting or flinching. Not many were capable of that. A year ago, a different Harry would have flinched away from the stern look.

"Boy," he said with a gravelly voice, "before you came here, the girl had plans which have now been thrown out the window. Now she won't listen and she's going to break tradition by not working for the Mills family."

Harry stared at the man for a moment, then he frowned, matching Angus expression "May will be getting the finest education this country has to offer and should she need it, any other country. She might not work directly for the Mills family and I'll agree it breaks with your family tradition. However, she has the opportunity to become a pioneer in a totally new field of medicine. There is no doubt in my mind that someday she will be teaching hundreds of people to be Weyrhealers."

"Grandda," May said in protest.

"Hush, girl. I'm speaking," snapped Angus.

"No, you're complaining," Harry retorted angrily. He didn't like him ordering May to be quiet like that. "You're complaining about breaking tradition, when in truth, you don't give a damn what your granddaughter wants as long as she does what you think she should do."

Angus' mouth snapped shut and everyone turned to stare at Harry. He was clearly furious. Of all the people present, only May recognized the rumbling sound as his magic reacted to his fury.

"Look at you! Your arthritis is cured, thanks to May, and she's going to get a free education and be part of something that has never happened before in the entire history of the human race. And instead of being grateful for your cure, you're going to complain about it? Every one of the first riders are going to be famous. Every one! But May isn't content to let it go with that. Her work to come up with ways to heal dragons is going to propel her to even greater heights of fame."

When Harry stood, Angus stared up at him as if he was seeing him for the first time.

"Leave my rider be," Harry said intently. "If I ever find out you have been upsetting her, I'll show you what it's like to be dropped from a dragon paw."

Harry turned towards May, who was looking at him incredulously. He gave her a slight nod, then he turned to Rose. "I apologize for upsetting your household, Mrs. McNulty. I think it best that I return to the Weyr, so I fear I will have to miss out on your fine cooking tonight."

Harry gave her a slight bow and then he walked from the kitchen, leaving Rosie dumbfounded. She couldn't recall a time when anyone had torn into Angus like that. What was worse, in her opinion, was that Harry had been right to do what he did. Her father in-law had been getting more surly since May returned from the Weyr for the holiday.

"Dad, what was that all about?" demanded Rosie angrily.

"She's breaking with tradition, thanks to that boy," Angus exclaimed.

"Well, good for her," snapped Rosie. "My daughter will do what she wants to do. Lord Mills seems mighty proud of her and I know Mike and I are. You're the only one who seems to think it's important. The Weyrleader is our guest! Lord Mills says he's been accorded high honors by the Queen herself and you just treated him like something you found under your heel."

Rosie looked at her daughter, noting that the girl wasn't trying to hide the tears sliding slowly down her cheeks. "She went out of her way to find a cure for you and this is how you thank her? You're a daft old fool who's been hitting the bottle too early. Now, get out of my kitchen and don't come back til you've cooled down and sobered up. Sleep with the sheep, for all I care!"

Rosie turned to her daughter, ignoring her father in-law. She placed her hand towel on the table and knelt down. "May, sweetie, dinna listen ta tha' ol' fool. He's been sippin' his whiskey again," she said, her accent heavy as her emotions got the better of her.

Both women ignored Angus as he stood and walked from the room. He had been sipping this morning. It was a habit he had gotten into because it helped with his chronic pain. Now that he no longer had the pain he was finding it a hard habit to break.

"He's going to hate me now," May whispered.

"Grandda? No, tha' man won't hate you once he lays off the bottle," retorted Rosie with a snort. She made a mental note to speak with her husband about getting her father in-law some help.

"No, Harry," May corrected.

Rosie grinned at her daughter. "Him? Didya no hear him? That one jumped to your defense ere any of us. I dinna think he hates ya, lass."

Rosie was relieved to see her daughter act this way. It was the first time she'd shown any interest in a boy since an incident over a year ago where she had been attacked by a local lad. May had seriously injured the boy and he required a stay in hospital. Rosie knew from her own experience growing up that May had a difficult time of it. Harry appeared to be genuinely interested in her, foremost as a friend, and she could see her daughter had plans to change that if she could.

"What, I think, girl, is that you should call that overgrown lizard of yours and go bring him back if he's gone back to the Weyr," she said tartly.

"I am not a lizard," Trath announced with amusement. Rosie's first encounter with Trath caused her to fall flat on her bum. Ever since, she'd taken to calling Trath a lizard as a form of teasing. "And the Weyrleader hasn't left yet. He walked out to a tree stump in the field and he's sitting there, trying to calm down, I think."

May had a flash of Harry and a familiar field. She stood and pulled on her coat. "I know where he is. I'll go talk with him."

"You tell him I expect him for dinner tonight," Rosie said. "Now shoo, I need to make up a list of things I need to pick up at the store today and I can't do it with you moping around."

She laughed as her daughter bolted out the door.

May dashed to a particular field. It was the field where she'd met her very first dragon. Seeing Harry, she slowed down and took a deep breath. He was sitting on the very same stump she once sat on while he levitated a dozen stones around her and told her about dragons.

"Trath said you hadn't left yet. I'm not surprised to find you here," she said, walking up to him.

He looked up, startled, then he glanced around as if seeing his surroundings for the first time. "I didn't want to contact Cheki while I was still angry," he said lamely. "May, I'm so sorry about that back there but I wasn't going to sit there and listen to him complain about you."

"No, Harry," she said, cutting him off. "My grandda is a good man, except when he's been drinking a bit too much. I tried to find a cure for that too, but none of the potion books I looked through said anything about it."

Harry stood and offered her the stump to sit on. He dug a foot into the light snow covering. "Magic can do a lot, but it's not a cure all, I'm afraid. If it were, life would be a lot easier."

May accepted the offered seat and Harry pulled his wand and cast a wide area warming spell.

"It may not cure everything, but a girl can sure appreciate some of the things you can do with it," May said, then she frowned. "Harry, about back there. Don't apologize. I should be apologizing to you. grandda's been a bit of a bother this holiday, but I didn't recognize the signs that he had been hitting the bottle again. And when he tore into you, you fought back, defending me. You did exactly what you've done for every rider, you defended me."

Harry blushed and looked away. "It's my job," he mumbled.

She tilted her head and looked at him for a moment, then decided to do something very impulsive for her. She stood and walked over to him and took his hand in hers, then she leaned in and gave him a quick kiss directly on the lips. "It might be your job, but that doesn't mean I can't thank you," she said, fighting the urge to blush. "Mum says she expects you for dinner tonight, so no excuses."

Harry stared at her and could only nod in astonishment.

She stepped back and smiled impishly at him. "Come on, Harry, let me show you a bit of where I grew up."

May smiled to herself as he let her lead him back to the house. Mum needed to go into town for some things for dinner and she would enjoy the company. And May would enjoy showing Harry around.

Kitchen Hall, Campbeltown Weyr, December 27th...

Hermione trudged into the hall and grabbed a cup of tea before finding a seat. Harry and some of the others were still away from the Weyr and there were no classes, so she was pretty much left alone during the holiday.

"Do you mind if I sit?"

She glanced up and saw Luna standing with her own cup in her hand.

"No, please. Did you have a pleasant holiday? When did you get back?"

Luna sat and smiled brightly. "I got back this morning. Daddy spent the holiday trying to convince Trandieth that she was related to an elephant because they have floppy ears like the dragon wings. I don't think he really believed that, but it was amusing to see them argue about it," Luna replied, then she took a sip of tea. "Well, I hope he didn't believe it."

Hermione chuckled weakly. "At least you enjoyed yourself." She took a deep breath. "Luna, I owe you my thanks. I know you spoke to the others."

Luna waved a hand, brushing away her concerns. "I had to. Some of the girls were very angry at you. I reminded them that we're all family and that our dragons would not allow us to hurt one of our own. Tempers were running high, and while people may not be happy, they have calmed down."

Luna pinned Hermione with her gaze and the brunette squirmed. "I am not going to lecture you, Hermione. You're the type of person who needs to learn a lesson on your own. You made a mistake and people got hurt, including yourself. I know that, in time, you'll figure it out. In the meantime, do your job and don't give anyone else cause to be angry with you."

"Mistake? I'm not the one who slept around!" Hermione countered.

Luna sighed and shook her head. "So much misplaced anger. Listen for once, Hermione. Listen to what people are telling you." She stood up and picked up her cup. "The damage is done and now it just remains to see what can be."

Turning, she walked, leaving Hermione staring after the girl, confused.

Office of the Director, DMLE, Ministry of Magic, December 29th...

Kingsley looked up when the hooded man entered his office. "I've been expecting you. Wait here a moment."

He left the office and returned after a few minutes with a man following him. As soon as the door closed, Kingsley turned and sealed the door, then cast several anti-eavesdropping charms.

"This is Benjamin Stokes, representing CID, Magical Branch. He and I both run this department, even if I hold the title of Director. You may reveal yourself to him. He's given a wizard's vow not to reveal any secrets," Kingsley said.

The hooded man looked between Kingsley and Stokes for a moment, then he reluctantly pushed back his hood.

"I know you have no reason to trust me, Mr. Weasley, but I promise you, we will do everything within our power to aid you," Stokes said.

Percy looked unsure of himself. "You're a wizard?" he asked.

Stokes nodded. "Muggle born, but yes. I was working for CID as a Senior Inspector when we got wind of what the Ministry was doing. Thanks to an old injury, I'm unable to do much field work, otherwise I'm sure I would have been tapped for one of the protective details like so many others. Officially, I am a Senior Inspector in the Counter Terrorist Branch of CID. Unofficially, I am CID's official representative and liaison with the old DMLE as we work to merge the two units into one."

Percy nodded slowly, then he turned to Kingsley. He wasn't happy with this new guy getting involved, but he had come to Kingsley and he couldn't exactly back out now.

"Mr. Weasley stumbled onto a group of people several months ago who seemed upset with the way things were changing. At first it seemed that the group was merely a place for people to meet, drink and sit around and complain. To be honest, it was all we expected them to do, since not a single one of them had any criminal record to speak of, other than a few drunk and disorderly charges. All that changed a few weeks ago when Percy told us about how the leader of this group had planned on attacking a school," Kingsley explained to Stokes.

"What the devil happened there, anyway?" asked Percy. He was certain he'd warned Kingsley in time to prevent it!

Kingsley sighed. "I made a mistake, Percy. I sent two Aurors to a school thinking it was like most of our schools, with barely one hundred total students and a tiny building. I never expected it to have eight hundred students in thirty two classrooms. My Aurors were on the wrong side of the building when the attack kicked off."

Percy nodded unhappily. The sheer size of the school shocked him. He had been mostly home schooled before Hogwarts, but he knew that most of the wizarding preschools were very tiny.

"What can you tell us about the group, Mr. Weasley?" asked Stokes.

"It's lead by Tobias Bunniford. He is a moderately wealthy man who owns the Bunniford Confectionery company. Up until the beginning of the month, all we did was sit around and complain, but that changed around December first. Before that, they had sent some dung bombs to the Prophet offices and confunded a bunch of post owls. You know, mostly prank stuff. Then suddenly we started talking about ways to hit back at the muggles. Bunniford claimed that he had found someone from the continent who was willing to supply help in the form of money and potions, as well as help in planning.

"We spoke about the attack on the school, but the attack was supposed to be directed at the teacher and not hurt the children. Bunniford seemed... I don't know. He seemed startled and somewhat frightened afterward. I don't think anyone from our group actually carried out the attack, but I'm not certain. They aren't talking about it."

Stokes frowned and made some notes on a pad. He looked over at Kingsley. "Custom records aren't going to help much. Even if we only look at the magical records, we have records of more than forty different foreign wizards in the country at the time."

"Well, look for it to get worse," Percy said. "Bunniford might have been scared after that attack, but he quickly found his backbone again. He's been trying to talk some of our group into ambushing an Auror patrol in the hopes that they'll be able to get them both if they take them by surprise. And I think they may try a school again, but Bunniford isn't asking us do to that. He says he has friends from the continent that are willing to help."

Stokes and Kingsley exchanged a worried glance when they heard this news. Stokes wasn't about to tell Percy, but the non-magical officers that had been teamed with the Aurors all carried concealed handguns. He made a note to send a warning to the supervisory Inspector of those officers.

"Look, I know what I agreed to, but I'm getting worried that they may insist I take part in one of these attacks. I don't want to hurt anyone and I don't want anyone hurt. It's why I got involved in the first place," Percy said uncomfortably.

Stokes held up a hand. "Mr. Weasley, should you feel that your life is in danger, or that you are being pressured into committing a crime, use that portkey I know Kingsley supplied you with. If necessary, we will enroll you in a program where you'll be moved, possibly even out of the country, and given a new identity. Just keep the portkey on you at all times and continue to take your tracer potion."

When Percy stared at him incredulously, Stokes smiled.

"In the meantime, look and listen carefully. Start a diary where you record you events of your day and what happens at these meetings. Try not to leave any details out. The slightest thing might be just the piece of information we need to find out who is helping this group from the continent."

Stokes pulled a small book from his pocket and handed it over to Percy. "This is a copy diary, what you write in it will appear in another book in my possession, so remember that and only write about regular stuff and your meetings. I don't want to see any private information about your personal life, so write about work as a cover and write about what you do for Bunniford. We'll see it all."

Percy nodded and accepted the small book. Recording minute details was something he could easily do. "I'll do that."

Kingsley smiled broadly. "Thank you, Percy. We really do appreciate your help."

Percy stood and pulled up his hood. He nodded to the two men, then waited for Kingsley to cancel the locking charm on the door. Percy double checked his hood, then he slipped from the room.

Stokes turned to Kingsley. "You know that the schools are protected now?"

"I was told that something was being done, but no one ever said exactly what," Kingsley replied.

"The Weyr has posted dragons to protect the schools. The Deputy Minister will probably announce just that to the press in a day or two," Stokes said evenly. He didn't like the idea of relying on dragons, but even CID didn't have enough people to adequately protect the schools. The dragons could sense someone intending to attack and intervene before they did.

"Sweet Merlin," breathed Kingsley, "We need to send a message to the Weyr. We need these people caught, not fried to a cinder."

Stokes nodded thoughtfully. "I'll take care of that. As much as I'd like to see the man who did the last attack burned to a crisp, it would be nice to have someone to ask questions of."

#10 Downing Street, London, December 29th...

John Major listened intently while Sir Basil Rathbone explained the Chinese situation to him. Sir Basil was the head of MI5, the security service in charge of protecting all of the United Kingdom's secrets on UK soil.

He stood in front of a map and was using a laser pointer to highlight certain areas.

"We have identified and tagged four total pairs of Chinese nationals. Posing as married couples, each group is moving along the coast in a general northerly direction. We have also identified their controlling officer, who is currently staying in a Chinese embassy owned apartment here in London. Colonel Jin Tan Mu is a member of the Ministry for State Security, special branch. He has been implicated in several purges of Tibet and has been positively identified as the man that lead to the destruction of four thousand Chinese wizards in an enclave not far from Beijing. According to our sources, he is the PRC's top man in searching out and destroying wizards."

Prime Minister Major's phone buzzed and he held up a hand to signal Sir Basil to wait, then he picked up the phone.

"Yes? Please, send him in. He'll need to know about this as well," Major said then he placed the phone back on the cradle. "One moment, Sir Basil."

Sir Basil looked at the Prime Minister with some concern, which changed to confusion when the door opened and Anthony Blair, the current Prime Minister candidate poised to meet Major in the next general elections stepped in.

"Tony, do come in and sit down, please," Sir John said with a smile. He knew that inviting the man here, in the middle of a secret security briefing, would confuse him, but it would soon be clear enough.

"Tony, nothing would please me more than to meet you openly and face off against you in an election, but I'm afraid that isn't going to happen this time," John Major said.

Tony Blair stared at the man and wondered what trick he had up his sleeve.

"You have been told about the dragons," Sir John said and Blair nodded cautiously.

"Her Majesty feels the dragons represent perhaps the single greatest boon to our country since the invention of the sailing ship," Major said softly. "Because of that, she has asked me to make sure that you are fully briefed on what is happening with them, and she has personally requested that I do not allow the upcoming elections to distract me from the issues posed by the dragons, both nationally and internationally."

Blair blinked owlishly at him and Sir Basil dropped his laser pointer in shock. The Prime Minister had just admitted to them that he intended to throw the election at the request of the Queen. And they all knew it was just a request, he didn't have to do it.

Major smiled at their reaction.

"Tony, the simple fact is, I believe the Queen is right. The dragons represent a great boon to our nation. They have the potential to ease our dependency on imported oil and solve many energy related problems, while at the same time posing intense difficulties on the international scene. For example, Sir Basil is here briefing me on a dragon related problem with the Chinese. I asked you here today because I want you to understand the magnitude of what we face, what you'll face, when you replace me."

Tony Blair shook his head and pressed a trembling hand against his temple. "Let me see if I understand this. At the Queen's request, you intend to only provide a token effort in campaigning, while you really deal with the dragons? You intend to throw the election?"

Sir John Major smiled thinly. "Queen and country, Tony. You and I might be on opposite sides of a philosophical coin, but we both believe in Queen and country. This is one of those times when sacrifices need to be made."

"I never thought I would say this," Tony Blair said, "but how can I help?"

John Major smiled at the man who he really didn't like very much, but they were united by a love for their country. "We'll let Sir Basil continue his brief, then you and I will talk about how we can start bringing the dragons into the public eye. The Queen would like to see them as common knowledge no later than the middle of the summer."

Tony Blair winced and nodded. "Of course."

Satisfied, Sir John turned back to Sir Basil. "I hope you don't mind restarting your brief, Sir Basil?"

Sir Basil shook from his shock and nodded. History had been made right before his eyes and he was shaken by what he had witnessed. He took a moment to regain his composure while he retrieved his laser pointer, then he straightened and turned back towards the map.

"As I was saying, as a result of the dragons exposing a PRC agent who was embedded in an American technical mission to the Weyr, the Chinese have sent a large group of agents to our country in an attempt to find out where their agent was exposed and presumably by whom. The man directing their effort is notorious for his dealings with the Chinese wizarding world. We are fairly certain the man, a Colonel Jin Tan Mu, is responsible for the deaths of four thousand Chinese wizards. The fact that he is here suggests that the Chinese suspect magic being involved in some manner.

"Word from station C in Beijing is that he personally ordered an airstrike on a village. The Chinese firebombed the village, killing at least four thousand, probably more. I spoke to our deputy Minister of Magic, trying to understand what station C was telling us. He said, and I quote. 'Wizards can be surprised just like any other person. An airstrike in the middle of the night will catch a wizard unaware just like it would a normal person.'

"Apparently, this Mu is the MSS hatchet man when it comes to wizards. He's ruthless, and if our analysts is right, almost fanatical in his zeal to eradicate wizardry. We're trying to build a psychological profile on him, but details are sketchy at best.

"When we first began our investigation, we tagged eight PRC nationals who were posing as tourists, but recently a new pair has shown up and taken up residence in the town of Campbeltown, not far from the Weyr. We've gained access to their hotel room and discovered they are planning on settling in. They are examining local business that are for sale and we have learned they are applying for immigration. It is obvious that the Weyr is their point of interest, but at this point, we're unsure they know what's there."

Sir Basil paused and looked across at the two men.

"Good brief. Do you have anything else to add?" asked John Major.

"Only this, sir," replied Sir Basil. "Colonel Jin Tan Mu is a very dangerous individual and we're watching him like a hawk. If he moves from the embassy it is unlikely that they will be content to just watch things from afar. The man helped direct an action that killed four thousand men, women and children. He will not hesitate to attack the Weyr if he feels it's a threat to the PRC and if his superiors give him the means to do so."

John Major nodded and Sir Basil quickly packed up his materials and left the room. As soon as the room was empty Major turned to Blair.

"See what we're up against? The dragons represent not only a intelligent species, but a source of economic upheaval that threatens to reshape the world power blocks. We stand to reduce our oil consumption by nearly nineteen percent just from converting power plants. Our carbon emissions will drop by a whopping thirty percent, and I'm told that there are already people looking into developing new methods of mass transit using dragon power. I wouldn't be surprised if we're running modern versions of steam trains someday.

"Tony, we stand on the brink of a golden age, thanks to a new race of beings who want to be our friends and there are a whole bunch of people that would not want that to happen because of the impact it would have on their country."

"My god," whispered Blair. "It's the goose that laid a golden egg, but the world will know we have it."

Major nodded. Both men knew about the childhood nursery rhyme. They also understood that the goose tale had intrinsically understood that the safety of the goose, and its owners, lay in the fact that no one knew about the goose.

"We won't be alone for long. The Yanks will be joining us, and so will a great many other of our allies, including many of our common wealth nations," replied Major. "But to start, people will only know about our Weyr and that there are others in as yet undisclosed countries."

Major peered over his desk towards his guest. "Now then, sir, how would you go about telling your party, and the others, that dragons exist and are semi-autonomous from our government?"

John Major was a realist. He knew that Tony Blair would probably offer many of the same ideas that he had already thought of. But he also knew that working together they could achieve something that neither man could manage alone - cooperation about problems facing their nation that crossed party lines.

Diagon Alley, January 2nd...

Auror Atwood Hawthorne nodded to his partner, PC Tony Miles. They were a new partnership, having been together only a few months. Both were wizards, but until recently, Miles had been a muggle born member of the London Metropolitan Police department.

When the government reasserted control over the Ministry, Aurors had been teamed up with someone who had law enforcement experience. This was one of the more successful teams. The pair were from different backgrounds, but despite their difference, they quickly learned to work well together.

Miles nodded affably to Florean Fortescue as they passed his shop. The man had been afraid to reopen until Albus Dumbledore made a personal appeal to him. Since the attack, he couldn't maintain the same hours, but he was welcomed back to Diagon Alley by everyone.

"Gonna rain, I think," Atwood said, looking at the sky.

Miles glanced skyward and nodded. Rain wasn't a problem, even if they were walking a beat. Magic took care of such minor inconveniences and the Alley was warded to keep the rain away during business hours.

"What did you think about today's briefing?" Miles asked.

Hawthorne frowned. "Honestly, I had hoped we had put that business behind us. But at least they warned us."

Miles grunted in agreement, then his eyes narrowed. Three men were approaching them with very serious expressions. His hand slid towards his holster under his jacket and he calmly slipped off the leather band holding the pistol in place.

"Attie," he murmured in warning.

Hawthorne turned his attention away from the sky in time to see the three men pulling their wands. "Down!" he shouted, then he shoved Miles away from him while he dove to the ground in the other direction.

"Reducto!" shouted one of the men.

Hawthorne felt something slam into his shoulder and he spun around before falling to the ground in confusion. Intense, searing pain blossomed in his shoulder and his vision grayed out. Miles rolled with Atwood's shove and he instinctively pulled out his service weapon. The man aiming at him was in the midst of casting, the man's wand tip glowing with green energy. Miles fired two shots in quick succession.

The first shot caught the wizard right in the sternum, then the second tore through his throat. Miles second shot went higher, as he was still recovering from the recoil of the first shot. He sneaked a quick glance at his partner and saw him lying limply on the ground, bleeding from a severe shoulder wound.

A second spell from the man that shot Hawthorne was just as quickly cut off by a spear thrown by one of the goblin guards protecting the front of Gringotts.

Miles quickly changed his aim and fired two more times. His target seemed to stagger but the third man vanished as he used a portkey to escape.

Miles looked around for a moment, bewildered by the cessation of hostilities, then he moved to check his partner. He unclipped a microphone from his shoulder board. "Central, F10, shots fired, officer down. Fifty Two Diagon Alley, dispatch medical units and supervisor," he said desperately, then he reattached the microphone and started to apply first aid to his partner.

There was a moment of silence from the radio, then a two tone alarm silenced the channel. "All units, shot fired, officer down, fifty two Diagon Alley. Units responding acknowledge," said the voice from the walkie talkie.

"Hang in there, Attie, help's coming," he said quietly as he desperately tried to stem the flow of blood from his partner's shoulder.

He knew he should go disarm the attackers, but Hawthorne needed him now. Besides, a pair of goblins armed with spears and axes were standing over them now.

Around the two officers, a crowd began to form. He was grateful to see someone in healer green step up and kneel beside him and even more relieved when he spotted the officers from F9, the other Diagon Alley foot patrol, arriving.

Office of the Director, MLE, Ministry of Magic, January 3rd...

Kingsley Shacklebolt exited his office and walked towards the shift ready room where the next group of aurors were assembling before heading off to duty. Normally, a senior auror would give the morning briefing, but today was different.

He entered the room and instantly noted the tenseness in the room. It hung in the air and everyone's expression was grim. Benjamin Stokes followed him in, carrying a stone bowl, which he placed on the desk at the front of the room.

Kingsley stepped up to the front of the room and everyone turned their attention to him. "I know you're all anxious to know, so I will cover it first. Yesterday, unit F10, the Diagon Alley foot patrol, was attacked not far from Fortescue's Ice Cream shop. During the attack, officer Hawthorne was seriously injured and officer Miles was forced to kill a man. A second attacker was killed by a goblin thrown spear from the steps of Gringotts.

"We believe that the third attacker was injured by Miles. CID's forensics unit has been unable to find the bullets, suggesting Miles hit his target and the man still managed to portkey away."

"Now for the good news. Officer Hawthorne is expected to survive. It was touch and go, but the healers are confident he'll pull through. Officer Miles is temporally on desk duty, pending the outcome of the investigation, but we firmly believe this was a clear cut case of self defense."

The news that Hawthorne would pull through brought smiles to the auror's expressions and for the first time in twenty four hours, the atmosphere at the DMLE relaxed a notch.

Kingsley nodded and smiled in return. "Yes, it is good news, but now we have our work cut out for us. First off, F9, F12, and F15 will be canvassing Diagon Alley. Tony didn't manage to get a good look at the third attacker and we're hoping that perhaps you can find a witness who can give a memory of the event."

The six officers involved and nodded grimly.

"If you find someone who witnessed it, contact the office and we'll send someone out to take the memory for review. While Tony didn't get a good look at the missing attacker, he did get a good look at someone rather surprising. Take a close look. Ben, if you will?"

Benjamin Stokes touched a couple of runes on the pensieve and a large image appeared of a man watching the fight from a doorway. He was clearly not involved. Of medium height and build, with a swarthy complexion, he also sported a nasty scar that started over his forehead and crossed down over the eye curving back along his cheek towards his ear.

"This man puts a whole new spin on things, gentleman," Benjamin said, then he tried to hide a smile. He had tried to explain it to Kingsley, but the seasoned Auror hadn't understood what he was trying to tell him.

Kingsley stepped in front of the image. "This is Carlos the Gerbil. His last name is not known," he said seriously. He held up a hand when several of the muggle born officers started to snicker. "I know, there's something about his name that the muggles find funny, but this man is no laughing matter."

That shut everyone up. "We suspect that Carlos works for the Spanish, but no one has ever gotten close enough to prove it. Or if they have, they didn't survived the experience long enough to tell anyone about it. He is implicated in a number of high profile assassinations, as well as being behind at least two terrorist groups on the continent. He is serious business and you are not to approach him alone. We don't know if he was involved in yesterday's attack or not, but we're assuming a connection."

Benjamin Stokes moved to stand next to Kingsley and began passing out photos. "Everyone take one, as it's the best shot we have of Carlos. Study it carefully and be very cautious. If you think you're going up against him, call for backup."

Kingsley waited until everyone had a photo, then he nodded. "Let's get to work. And for Merlin's sake, let's be careful out there."

Social Hall, Campbeltown Weyr, January 4th...

Harry had returned from his visit with Lord Mills and his son more relaxed and rested than he had been in months. Again Lord Mills had given him a suit tailored to fit him as a Christmas gift. It was the second suit Lord Mills had given him and he was glad to get it. His last suit was getting uncomfortably tight.

He had been pleasantly surprised to discover that James' son was a very nice young man. He was studying at university at the moment and hoped to join the Navy after he graduated, just like his father and grandfather before him. William intended to follow in his father's footsteps.

The other nice thing about spending the days with Lord Mills was that he'd managed to escape the atmosphere of the Weyr. Things had settled back to mostly normal since his fight with Hermione, but he was painfully aware of her presence and it made him uncomfortable and unhappy. While they were capable of working together to handle Weyr duties, it was a coldly formal relationship. Deep down it hurt Harry terribly and even with May doing her best to divert his attention, it still gnawed at him.

Harry glanced up at the wall clock, then he stood and picked up a small shoe box and walked from the room.

"Cheki, I'll be meeting with some friends in the social hall. I'd like you to listen in from the roof," Harry sent silently.

"Of course, Harry. I wasn't doing anything much, but I think I'll fly Enith later tonight," Chekiath replied.

Harry grinned. "Thanks for the heads up. I'll get a calming drought from Remus and see if this time it's easier."

"Harry?"

"Yes?"

"Will you make up with Comaloth's rider anytime soon?"

Harry paused and sighed heavily. "I don't know, " he replied, then he bowed his head. Hermione's break with him hurt deeply and it really bothered him.

"I'm sorry for bringing it up, Harry. I know how unhappy you are, and how unhappy Comaloth is."

"I don't think it's up to me, Cheki. I didn't want this to happen."

"Don't be sad, Harry. Would you like me to send May to you? I'm sure she'd be happy to help you."

Harry blinked and shook his head. His dragon was trying to get him laid again! "Erm, no, that's all right, mate. I think I would prefer that happen all by itself if it ever does."

"All right, Harry," Chekiath replied, then he widened his connection to his rider and sent him feelings of love that brought a smile to the young man's face.

Harry shook his head and opened the door to the social hall. He paused by the door and flipped a switch that lit up a sign announcing the hall was in use for Weyr business. Roughly twice a month, the Weyr Council met in the building and Harry always held one open Wing Leader meeting every month in the hall. The sign warned everyone that they could enter, but there might be a meeting in progress and they would need to be quiet.

Harry stepped up to the long table at the front of the room and placed his box on it. He looked up and smiled when Lee stepped in, followed by Mariah, who had been helping him with the video project.

The door opened again and more people filed into the room. When he called for a combination council, Wing Leader meeting, more people came forward requesting to attend. As a result he had his Wing Leaders, and his Weyr council and a number of others present. In addition, a number of riders sensing this would be a different meeting quietly filed in and filled tables to the rear of the hall.

Harry smiled at everyone before he began. "Good morning. I hope you all enjoyed your holiday as much as I did. I must admit it was my intention for a small group this morning, but as word of the meeting spread, others asked to attend. I can only assume that Mr. Croaker has information for us?"

Croaker nodded.

"Very well. I'm going to ask you to wait for now. Hopefully the rest of this will go quickly. Albus? I see you hiding back there with Mr. Ollivander. Would you both come forward, please?"

Harry waited until the two men were standing beside him. "Lee Jordan has managed to produce something which I have never heard of before."

He flicked his wrist and his new wand extended from his holster. The wand shone with an obvious glimmer all its own. Harry had determined that the glow actually came from the wizard or witch holding the wand. When he handed the wand to Katherine, it hadn't glowed at all.

Harry held up the unusual looking wand. It was nearly nine inches long and roughly an inch in diameter.

Ollivander's bushy eyebrows raised nearly to his hairline and his fingers twitched to get his hands on it.

"Lee Jordan came to me before the holidays and told me about a little project he was involved in beyond his usual Weyr duties," Harry said calmly, then he glanced over at Lee and grinned. "He told me he felt he wasn't really contributing to the Weyr enough and he thought of his idea as a way of helping us out even more. I assured him that I have no problems with his efforts, and I want to stress to everyone that if you feel that way, come see me and we'll figure out something."

He looked around and saw his riders nodding in understanding. Satisfied, he held up his glowing wand for everyone to see. "Lee crafted a wand unlike any other. By slicing several of Chekiath's scales and stacking them, he created a layered stack of scale pieces, which he glued together. The result is a wand that is all core, no wood at all, and it's the most powerful wand I have ever held."

Harry glanced at the old wand maker. "My apologies Mr. Ollivander, but this wand, made from the scales of my dragon, is far more powerful that even my phoenix feather wand."

Albus chuckled, but like Ollivander, his eyes were fixed on the glowing wand in Harry's hand.

Harry glanced over at Ollivander, who was practically hopping from one foot to the other with excitement. "Mr. Ollivander, you're the leading expert in wands and their crafting in the United Kingdom. I have asked you to visit the Weyr today to examine these wands. We're interested in knowing what kind of commercial value they might have. But before you pick one up, I would caution you. The rush is overwhelming. When I picked up Lee's wand, I blew out every window in my house. I was more careful picking up the wand made from my dragon's scales and I still knocked down a two hundred year old tree."

Harry picked up the shoebox and handed it to Ollivander. "Inside, you'll find eight wands that I thought you and Albus might look over. These wands are very powerful and I actually wonder if they should be limited to Aurors and Hit Wizards only."

Ollivander and Albus exchanged an interested look.

"I promise you, Mr. Potter, I shall give it my utmost care while I examine them. Might I borrow young Mister Jordan to explain his crafting process?" asked Garrick Ollivander.

"After this meeting, sir," Harry replied after glancing at Lee and getting his nod. "But I still need him for a bit longer."

Ollivander nodded and he pried open the box and looked inside. He found eight wands ranging in size from five inches to nearly ten. "How curious," he muttered. "These don't glimmer like yours."

Harry smiled. "The glow comes from the wizard's own magic. It's a response of the wand to being held by a magical human. They will noticeably glow when you pick one up."

Satisfied with the answer, Ollivander and Albus returned to their seats. Both men were holding an intense, private conversation over the precious box of wands.

"Karen," Harry called.

"Yes?"

"Please make sure you keep in the loop with Mr. Ollivander and Lee. I don't know if Lee plans on making them or just selling the idea, but stay on top of it for us please." he replied.

Karen nodded and quickly typed something in her notebook computer. Lord Mills had gotten her the machine before the hatching so she could continue working even while at Disko Island. Now she carried it around like Harry carried his list of things to do.

"I also understand that Lee has the first cut of a video that has been edited by the folks at the Prime Minister's office. Originally, I was going to view the video first, but he has asked that we have a general viewing of the video tonight after dinner in the Kitchen Hall."

Harry grinned broadly at Lee. "In all fairness to Lee, let's hold any comments about seeing his mug on the telly to a minimum."

"Hey!" protested Lee with a laugh.

Everyone laughed and Harry made a mark in his book, then straightened. "Next order of business. Wing leaders, I need to you consider who from your wing would be suitable for promotion. When our new riders return from their trip in a few weeks, we'll be reforming the three wings and adding a fourth that will need a leader and a second. I'm willing to accept a second from the batch of new riders, but I want a seasoned rider as lead. Think about it and submit your suggestion by the end of this week."

"Speaking of the new riders, sometime around the eighteenth of this month, they'll come home after completing their Weyr tour. I've posted a notice outside my office where you can request shifting to another wing if you want. Wing leaders, make sure you schedule enough time for flight drills with the enlarged wings. I don't want any accidents because someone turned the wrong direction."

Ronan blushed and several people chuckled at his reaction. It was easy to laugh at now, but at the time it nearly killed Michelle and had injured Harry.

"Susan? How is our housing situation?" Harry asked.

Susan gave Harry a warm smile. "We're really well set now. The elves have been busy repairing and refitting all of the houses. I had them spend extra time on the immediate need. According to Dobby, the last five homes still need to be fitted with dragon doors. I'm positive they'll be ready in time. As to furnishings?" she shrugged. "It's just the basics - a double bed, dresser, some chairs, an inexpensive couch, some linens and blankets. Anything beyond that will have to be done by the rider. Same goes for the color scheme. The interiors are basic white.

"At some point though, we're going to need to do something like a muggle style apartment house with room for dragons. We simply don't have enough houses to support five hundred riders and their families like you envision," Susan said in conclusion.

Harry nodded. It was an issue he was aware of and it was on his list of things to do. He noticed James waving at him. "James?"

"In regard to the housing and other expenditures, I have been informed by Sir Robert that at the end of this month he will begin a series of tests requiring the services of at least twenty dragons. If I understand rightly, they'll be creating a series of heated rock slabs that will then be assembled into modular heat source chambers for the test power station.

"The plan calls for a number of different materials to be tested, so they'll be making a large number of heat chambers to test before installing one into the power station design."

"Harry," Remus said from the back of the room, "this will result in a large increase in revenue for the Weyr. It's still no where near the full potential, but Sir Robert and I have worked out a formula for computing the cost of the hot rocks that's fair to both us and the government."

Harry looked very pleased at that, then he turned back to Lord Mills. "I'll see about setting a schedule so every bonded dragon participates. I would like to see each dragon/rider pair receiving some money based on their contribution. And perhaps also some of the money going into an education and housing fund?"

James smiled and gave Harry a thumbs up. "I can set that up. I'll get together with Karen once I have firmer numbers and we'll get it organized."

"Thank you, James," Harry replied.

He made another check in his book then he looked up. "Lee, assuming your video is good enough, the next thing to do is prepare an area to view the video. Figure something capable of fitting up to one hundred people, maybe more. Parliament has a large number of people in it."

Mariah's head popped up and she waved at Harry. "Mariah?"

"Ideally, Harry, what you want is something like a small theater, correct?"

"That's right."

"So we have a bunch of buildings still unoccupied. Why not have the elves gut one of them and have one of you wizards work your mojo on the inside, making it big enough?" she asked.

Harry sighed and quietly conjured a stool then he sat down. "All right, it's time we get a few facts straight. Probably around the end of this month, I hope we'll be able to show our video to a bunch of members of Parliament. Following the video, we will host a function for our guests where they will be able to meet and interact with the dragons. Even if we managed to cram one hundred and fifty members of Parliament in to watch Lee's movie, it's still going to take a number of days to expose everyone to dragons.

"We will be revealing dragons to the world this year, but we won't and can't reveal the existence of magic. As good as your idea is Mariah, we just can't do it."

Croaker looked up from his seat and nodded in approval.

"On the days when we'll be introducing dragons, our elves will be asked to stay invisible. Our dragons will have been carefully coached to not mention magic or their magical abilities. I'm afraid a space enhanced theater inside a small home would scream something weird is going on," Harry said quietly to Mariah, then he turned to the others.

"Sir Robert will explain the dragon hot rocks as a function of an as yet unidentified ability of the dragons. It will be chalked up to physics that the scientists don't understand and it won't be explained beyond that.

"The origin of the dragons; that they have been developed by men on another world will not be mentioned at all. It won't hurt the world to think they are a natural species that evolved on another planet and frankly considering the amount of time they have had to develop beyond their original design, they might as well be. Their ability to go Between is being investigated, so we don't need to keep that secret. But lord help the rider who mentions anything about time travel because I'll have you shoveling dragon dung for the rest of your life.

"The dragons have a number of unique abilities that will keep scientists busy for years to come. So we can safely say that Sir Robert and his team are investigating it and right now we have no explanation for it. As for why the dragons are becoming known only now, the Prime Minister's office will make a statement about me stumbling across Chekiath's egg at a critical moment and that was the key to bringing dragon intelligence to an equal level with people. No mention of Pern will be made publicly. The bond between rider and dragon will be because the dragons are naturally telepathic through the bond with their riders. Any telepathic abilities a dragon has with a non-rider is one way, in that the dragon can talk to a human, but not hear that human's thought. We need to be clear on that, so as not to alarm the general population."

"You being at my hatching was a critical moment," Chekiath offered from the roof.

Harry and the riders chuckled. "Yes, it was," he said in agreement.

Harry's mood turned somber, and they all noticed how serious he was taking these issues. "We all know how hard I pushed for recognition and some amount of autonomy. The simple fact is that while we are somewhat autonomous, we are under the protection of Her Majesty and her government. The Queen rightly wishes to tell her government, and eventually her subjects, about dragons, about us. But this move is not without risks to ourselves and our dragons.

"I want you all to understand something very important here. There are going to be people that love dragons, and by virtue of our association with them, love us. And there are going to be people that hate us because it is easier to hate something than it is to take the time to understand something new. Before the Weyr becomes public knowledge, our security is going to see a massive build up.

"Major Atkins informs me that the guard force will be replaced with regular army and the fence around the Weyr will be upgraded with state of the art machines to monitor the fence line twenty four hours a day. Normally we only have a mounted patrol during the weekends or at night, but that will change so that there are always riders in our skies."

Harry paused and looked at Katherine directly. "Katherine, I know that I was somehow involved in your promotion and you disliked that. I can't blame you, but at the same time, I am uneasy with the prospect of losing you when your unit is transferred."

Katherine smiled. "You can relax, Harry," she said. "I have been told that the base security will remain under my command. The additional troops will bolster our forces should we need them. I have been informed that the Ministry intends to enlarge the area surrounding the research center to include the newly formed combined brigade. We'll have the British Army right next door if we need them and my command will be placed on the central command net so that I can send out an alert if need be."

Harry nodded in relief, then he turned back to the others. "Getting back to the issue of secrecy. Disko Island will remain secret, known only to our riders and to certain governments. Maziang will also remain secret, since we lack a friendly government to protect them in Tibet. That situation may change, but right now the Chinese government doesn't know about us and my primary concern is to protect Maziang and their dragons.

"Condron will probably become public knowledge sometime next year, after the Yanks have managed to beef up its security, but at the time when we announce ourselves to the world, Campbeltown will be the only known Weyr. For at least a year we will be the only known Weyr in the world. Expect lots of world press clamoring for interviews and tours. Expect a lot of publicity and expect a lot of questions and animosity."

Harry took a breath and looked around the room at the sea of somber and frightened faces that confronted him. He chuckled and shook his head. "I know it's daunting, but consider also that we'll be going back to places like Happy Smiles in Leicester to spend a day with the children. I don't want you to be afraid to stick your nose out of the Weyr, but you have to understand. Some people are going to welcome us with open arms and others are going to be terrified and still others will hate us.

"My plan is to prepare for the worst case and just try our best to show people that we mean them no harm," he said in conclusion.

Harry looked back at Mariah. "Getting back to your question, I wish we could, but it's just not something we're allowed to do. Magic is not our secret to reveal."

Mariah nodded and leaned back in her chair. "So, we need to either build a theater or somehow convert a building we have into one," she mused.

Harry looked at her with interest. "Are you wanting to tackle it?" he asked.

Mariah looked startled, then she nodded. "I'll give it a shot. Just one question. Is it still okay for to use the elves to build things?"

"As long as the building isn't obviously magical, then yes," replied Harry.

Mariah nodded and Harry turned to the next item to deal with. "Mr. Croaker, did you have something for us?"

Croaker stood and looked around before speaking. "I have been asked by Sir William to tender our thanks for posting dragons at the schools. We have been working hard to develop information on the people behind the attack and we have been somewhat successful in that regard. But we still lack the people needed to provide adequate protection to all of the schools.

"I also need to pass along a request by our DMLE and CID to remind you that we need people to question, not burnt bodies. If the dragons spot someone planning on attacking, can they refrain from killing unless absolutely necessary?"

Croaker looked at Harry expectantly and Harry just smiled back. "I have passed along the orders, Harry," Chekiath announced. "Capture if we can."

Croaker looked shocked and Albus started to laugh. "Chekiath is the Weyrleader's dragon, my friend. He's perfectly capable of ordering the dragons to capture without Harry having to tell him."

Harry pointed his finger up and Croaker suddenly understood. The largest dragon in the world was sitting on the roof of this flimsy wooden building. He suddenly swallowed nervously and several of the riders chuckled at his discomfort. The dragons had this impact on people and they had seen this reaction on multiple occasions. It was still amusing, however.

Croaker nodded warily and pulled his eyes from the ceiling. "Despite what the DMLE and CID want, please warn your dragons that we are dealing with highly dangerous and unpredictable people. If our information is correct, we're dealing with a politically based terrorist group that's being directed by Spain. One of our aurors has spotted Carlos the Gerbil on Diagon alley. He was positively identified while watching an attack on our Aurors two days ago. We don't know if he was involved or not, but an auror nearly died and two of the attackers were killed. The two dead attackers remain unidentified, but we think they may be from the continent."

Croaker paused and frowned, then he turned to Dan and Emma Granger, who were laughing themselves silly. "I fail to see what is so amusing. Carlos the Gerbil is suspected of being one of Spain's leading undercover assassins."

He trailed off. Dan and Emma weren't the only ones laughing in the room. Many of the older muggles and even some of the non-magical riders were laughing as well.

Dan glanced at Emma, who was barely hanging onto her seat, and he tried to force the laughter down. "Wait, no. I mean. Hells bells," he stammered, then he coughed a few times. "I meant no insult, Mr. Croaker, but your fearsome hit wizard is either totally inept at normal history or he's a certified whacko. It's possible he decided to steal the name from a world famous terrorist who was wreaking havoc in the early seventies, but if so, he got the name totally wrong. Just whispering the name of Carlos the Jackal was enough to send governments quivering in terror, but Carlos the Gerbil? The man has taken the name of a small Australian rodent that many people have as a pet. A gerbil is about as dangerous as being attacked by a marshmallow."

Croaker looked around and noted that all of the muggles in the room were nodding to him. He scratched his head and thought about it. "Perhaps we can use this," he mused. He looked up and over to Dan who was grinning at him. "Can you provide me with some information on this Carlos the Jackal?"

Dan nodded. "I can, if you give me a few days."

"I can get you a file on him also," Katherine Atkins offered with a smile. "I don't mean to downplay how dangerous the man is, but the name Carlos the Gerbil is just too funny."

Lord Mills turned in his seat to look at Croaker. "Why are the Spanish suddenly playing in our backyard?"

Croaker scratched at his beard. "We're not entirely sure and probably won't know until we've caught someone that can give us the answers. Spain has been working behind the scenes to ferment unrest in the Mediterranean region for a while now. Our first clue was their assembling a force similar to the WDF, but far larger. Then they surprised everyone by not using it.

"I can't prove it, but I suspect that they have been involved in fanning the flames between Italy and Greece. As to Carlos, we've always suspected him of working for Spain, but we've never been able to prove it."

Harry coughed lightly and everyone turned back to him. "Thank you for your information, Mr. Croaker. I'll see that the dragons are especially careful should anyone try a repeat attack on the schools.

"Wing Leaders, don't forget to submit your names to me before the weekend. And everyone stick around after dinner and we'll watch Lee's home movie," he announced with a grin, then he turned and started to pack up his notes.

Sensing the end of the meeting, everyone stood and started filing for the exit.

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, January 4th...

Minerva McGonagall stood and faced the assembled students. The students had returned from holiday and after their ride on the Express, they were just finishing up their dinner. A hush fell on the large body of students and she gave them a thin smile.

"Welcome back. I hope you are all sufficiently rested and ready to start a new year," she said, then she reached out with a hand and touched the shoulder of the person sitting next to her. "You should recognize Mrs. Edna Early from the Hogsmeade school. You saw her several times during the course of your testing last month. Mrs. Early is here with information that we all need because starting this term we shall be sending you to the Hogsmeade school to continue your normal education."

Mrs. Early stood and with a nod from Minerva she turned to the students and smiled broadly. "When we were first tasked with placing you Hogwarts students we were afraid we would find students woefully unprepared to enter schooling appropriate to their age group.

"As a group, you rallied and organized study sessions. Because of that, I am very proud to say that a majority of students tested into their appropriate age group and will be placed properly. You managed to achieve an impressive feat, despite starting late, and each and every one of you should be very proud. A small number of you didn't make the grade in one subject and we'll be arranging for extra tutoring for you.

"Tomorrow morning at breakfast, you will receive your placement and your supplies for this term. Three days a week, you will leave Hogwarts after lunch and travel via carriage to our school for classes. I know you'll take advantage of this opportunity and make the very best of it."

Mrs. Early sat down and Minerva glanced at her, then she looked at her students. "I, too, would like to express my pride in your achievement. When you learned about the testing, you rallied together and broke house boundaries to study for the examinations. I hope in doing so you learned that people in the other houses are no different than your own house," she said. With a nod of her head, the tables were cleared off by the house elves. "Off you go, and lets hope this coming term will be filled with new and exciting things."

As the students filed from the room, Minerva sat down on her chair and shook her head. "Dumbledore always made this look so easy," she muttered.

"I don't know how you manage it, Minerva," replied Mrs. Early. "A boarding school seems terribly difficult on the teachers who never go off duty."

"Hogwarts is over a thousand years old, Edna. A boarding school was the only way to handle things back then. A child traveling by magic means was likely to be captured and killed by the peasants. As it was, it wasn't uncommon for some students to disappear in the course of trip. That's why the Express was invented, to give our students a safe journey that looked very normal," Minerva replied.

"I would like to think we've moved beyond that point in our history, but people are people," Edna said. "Hopefully someday wizards will be able to mix openly. Now, shall we go to your office and discuss the four that failed their exams?"

Minerva frowned and nodded. Four students had failed miserably in their exams and she knew it was a deliberate failure and not because of any lack of intelligence. The students were from Death Eater families and if she could find cause she would have expelled them. Unfortunately, she didn't have cause. All four skirted the edges but never caused enough disruption to earn such an action.

Those four had no idea what they were up against. They would be given one final chance to take the test and if they failed that, she would have grounds to expel them for poor academic performance.

There had been other students that hadn't achieved their best, but usually it was only one area where the child was showing a weakness and that could be overcome with proper tutoring. One student surprised her complete. Ron Weasley managed to achieve passing grades when she had been certain he wouldn't. She later found out that the threat of the loss of his magical education was enough to motivate him like nothing else ever had. Minerva didn't care what motivated the boy as long as it worked. She was just thankful that he believed her warning. All of the other Weasley children pulled good marks, so she was certain Ron was capable of it too.

"Edna, if you don't mind, I think I would also like to spend a little time at your school watching how your teachers work. I'm sure there are techniques we could use that your teachers probably consider old fashioned these days. I teach in the same manner as I was taught, and my teacher learned from his old mentor. I know there must be room for improvement."

Edna Early smiled, gratified that Minerva was willing to work so easily with her and even more pleased to learn she wanted to see how they handled things. "We'd love to have you, Minerva," she said happily.

ICW Headquarters, Paris, France, January 10th...

Harry finally got his tie right and he reached for his jacket and put it on, then he looked in the mirror. Albus Dumbledore had requested that he accompany him today for the 1996 opening session of the general assembly of the ICW.

He'd been reluctant to accompany him, but Albus had impressed upon Harry the need for him to start reaching out to some of the other magical ministries. And they also had to deal with his formal introduction to the ICW. It was a tradition that Harry only very reluctantly agreed to. As far as he was concerned, the meeting with the fifteen allied representatives scheduled for after the general assembly was more important than the general assembly.

Harry learned that Jasper Brady would be there representing the Department of Magic for the United States. He had been traveling with the riders, but had decided to return early so that he could help pave the way for Harry to meet with governments friendly to the Americans and the British, then he'd go on to Condron and make sure everything was in order there.

Condron, Maziang and Campbeltown would receive their new riders in less than two weeks and there was still much to do.

Harry looked at himself in the large mirror and he had to admit, the official dress uniform designed by Karen Khan and May McNulty looked impressive. Their design was simple - a navy blue jacket and slacks. Wing leaders and seconds had added shoulder boards with gold stars sewn into them. On the right sleeve was a smaller version of the dragon flag and on the cuff were the Weyr colors in two stripes. Two stripes, one black and one white, adorned Harry's sleeve. The girls decided that Campbeltown would wear the stripes using their flag colors. The other Weyrs would choose their own.

He reached for the final piece, a white beret, and he frowned. Every rider had been given a navy blue beret to wear, except for Harry. The girls had decided that, as Weyrleader, he would wear a white beret. Placing the beret on his head he looked again in the mirror and admitted it looked very good on him. Satisfied, he turned away and picked up a small valise that Remus had given him for Christmas. It contained his ever present to do list and a series of charmed maps.

Remus and Sirius had taught Harry the spell they used to conceal the Marauder's map and he used it to create a bunch of maps that contained the Weyr locations. If you knew the password, you could see the location of every Weyr in the world.

"I'll be gone most of the day, Cheki, but if I need you, I'll call," Harry said.

Chekiath lifted his head and looked at his rider.

"I don't like you going so far away and not having any dragons nearby," his dragon replied. It was clear from his tone that he wasn't happy with the situation.

Harry sighed. "I don't like it either, mate, but there's no room for you. Albus tells me the meeting place is underground, like the Ministry building."

Chekiath watched him, his eyes streaked with yellow, showing his stress. "You will be careful?"

"Of course," Harry replied.

"I will listen in. If there is a problem, I will come to you, underground or not," Cheki declared firmly.

Harry frowned and put his valise down, then he walked over and gently rubbed the dragon's eye ridges. "I will be careful. And remember, Albus will be nearby. Honestly, mate, I think I'm going to be mostly bored to tears. But how about this? This weekend, you and I will go flying, just the two of us. Maybe we'll go visit another Weyr and spend the night?"

"Okay Harry," Chekiath replied. He enjoyed visiting other Weyrs. The pair going off would give them a chance to enjoy themselves without the stress imposed by being The Weyrleader.

Harry smiled, scooped up his valise and exited the building. He was meeting Dumbledore at his old office in the main administration building. Dumbledore would be tandem apparating them to the Ministry building in London. From there, they'd take a portkey to Paris.

Harry walked the two blocks to the Administration building. As he turned the corner, he skidded to a stop. Most of the riders where standing around in the front of the building despite the cold weather and all were looking at him.

May and Karen stepped forward, eyeing him critically. Harry wasn't sure if May was cold and that was causing her cheeks to redden or if she suddenly blushed.

"It looks fantastic, Harry," Karen said enthusiastically.

Blinking, he understood why everyone was waiting. They had all received the formal dress uniform, but until today, no one had need to wear it. Harry was going out to a very formal diplomatic function, dressed in the uniform they designed.

"It does look good, but I'm not so sure about this, Karen. Doesn't this make us look militaristic?" he asked worriedly.

"That's not really a bad thing," May said, suddenly finding her voice. She knew she was attracted to Harry before this, but the uniform really drove home how well built he had become. "We're not a military, but the uniform hints at the power behind it, and there is a power, Harry. You lead a nation of dragons and their riders. To the dragons, you might as well be their king."

Harry winced. "May," he protested.

"No," Karen retorted. "She's right. The uniform is a subtle expression of the power we represent. Military uniforms serve multiple purposes. But one that both our uniform and the military ones will share is to represent a display of power. Whether it's the dress uniform or just our flight suits and jackets, the idea is to be recognizable. We want people to look at us and know instantly that we are dragon riders."

Harry glanced down at himself. He thought hard about what Karen said and it made sense to him. "All right, fine. But watch what you're saying. Calling me that is liable to really confuse the dragons. And I certainly don't want anyone to get the idea I want that title. Besides, the Queen would have kittens if she even heard a hint of that."

May placed a hand on his arm. "Relax, Harry. We may think highly of you, but none of us are willing to go that far."

He glanced over to Karen, who nodded. He gave them both a weak smile, then waved to the other riders and stepped into the open door of the administration building. Preoccupied as he was, he never noticed Hermione lingering around the edge of the riders watching him. Her look echoed May's almost exactly. She was still angry with him, but she admitted to herself that he was a handsome looking man.

She was also angry because his behavior since hadn't met with her expectations. She expected him to start flirting with all the girls and trying to bed any girl he could and he hadn't done that. It was as if he was behaving himself just to show her how wrong she was. It was infuriating!

An hour later, Harry found himself following Dumbledore around as he walked the halls of ICW headquarters. He was very grateful when Jasper Brady showed up and introduced Harry to the Canadian representative. The familiar face of Brady drove home the idea that he wasn't alone here with just Albus for support.

Now he followed Albus into the general assembly hall and sat with him in the box allocated for the British delegation. Albus had lost his posting as Chief Mugwump when he had been forced to flee from the school. The British Ministry had thought they could blindly appoint another to slide into that position. It wasn't something the ICW was going to allow, and in an extraordinary vote, they elected Jochim Stebbins from Austria as the new Chief Mugwump.

Harry looked curiously at the strange room. It was broken down into boxes which allowed each delegation to sit four people. As a result, the room was huge and tiered, going back and up from a central pit with a podium where someone could address the delegates. The Chief Mugwump had a desk at the front of the pit, facing the delegates.

The box construction startled Harry. Each box had a half door and the box itself was made of wood that had dozens of runes carved into them.

Albus leaned closer to Harry. "Sometimes," he said softly, "things get out of hand. The boxes are enchanted so that they can be sealed and shielded. It's all controlled by a impartial hit wizard from his position overhead."

Harry glanced up and was started to see a floating glass chamber with a man sitting inside, casually watching the delegates fill their boxes. He seemed to sit in front of a panel of glowing runes which Harry assumed controlled the boxes in the chamber.

Albus pointed to a small gem studded panel attached to one wall. "With that, you can talk privately to any other delegate. Among the controls on the inside of our box are runes for privacy as well as shields, and comfort spells like temperature control."

At that point, one of the gems started blinking and Albus smiled. "Harry, press the blinking gem please."

Harry touched the gem and their box shimmered slightly as the privacy charm kicked in. "Konnichiwa, Dumbledore-san. Is that a new assistant I see?" asked a voice.

"Yoshi, you know very well it isn't," Albus said with a chuckle. "You've been reading our newspapers for a hundred years and I know you recognize him."

The voice laughed for a moment. "Ah, my friend, you know me too well. In the name of his Imperial Majesty of Japan, I bid you greetings, Harry Potter-san. I am Yoshi Masabe, Imperial Wizard and councilor to his Imperial Highness."

Harry blinked and Albus motioned for him to say something. "Um, thank you, sir. I'm sorry if I don't know the proper procedures for meeting an Imperial Councilor and hope you won't take offense."

Again the voice laughed jovially. "Oh, I like this one, Albus. I see he has the training of someone from Cambridge. They, too, always worry about giving offense. I have been keeping abreast of your activities, Harry Potter-san, as much as I can. At some point I would like to meet with you. My nation is eager to learn more about dragons. To our regret, we kept several herds and didn't want to believe the tales of dragon intelligence. But there is no doubting the reports we have received from your country."

Harry nodded. The dragons were known to the British Wizards and there had even been some pieces run in the Quibbler about life in the Weyr. The Weyr's location was unknown and all of the photos taken by Xenophilius had been carefully checked to make sure there were no recognizable features that might give away the location.

"Sir, if you can have your country's ambassador contact Prime Minister Major's office, I'm sure we can arrange a meeting," Harry replied. "If I may be so bold, I would suggest that any meeting include a senior member of your muggle government, as it would be very helpful."

"I will do that," replied Yoshi. "Dumbledore-san! We simply must do tea sometime soon. I will probably be in your country for my meeting with your Weyrleader. Perhaps then, my friend?"

Albus smiled. "I look forward to it, Yoshi."

"Til then, sayōnara ," replied the voice, then the gem went dark and the privacy sphere collapsed.

Albus glanced at Harry and chuckled at his expression. "Don't worry, my boy. You took the right tone with Yoshi. I've known him for years and he's a delightful fellow. Although I should warn you, he likes a sport called baseball about as much as Mr. Weasley loves his quidditch. If you get into a conversation about baseball, I fear you will spend hours listening to him."

Harry nodded, then the lights flickered.

"The session is about to begin, Harry. Take a seat."

Harry sat and and watched with interest as the Chief Mugwump walked into the chamber and signaled to the hit wizard in his chamber, who in turn signaled to the others by flashing the room lights again.

Harry settled in and pulled out a notepad for him to use in case something came up that he need to note. The lights dimmed again and came up to about half their previous level. The Chief Mugwump took his position and banged a heavy stone against the table.

Harry felt pair of hostile eyes staring at him and he looked around. Across the floor he spotted a familiar face glaring at him.

Sensing his companion's discomfort, Dumbledore leaned closer to him. "What's wrong, Harry?"

Harry motioned towards the box that contained the Russian delegation. "That's the guy we kicked out of the Weyr in Russia. He was the one leading the raiding party that injured Draco."

Albus frowned and glanced over at the Russian box. "Danakov," he muttered. "He is a most unsavory character, but he dare not try anything here. I did not realize he was the one leading the group. He is a dangerous man, not very powerful magically, but I understand he runs several illegal ventures for his cousin, the Minister, and he has extensive contacts among the Russian gangsters."

Harry nodded and he went back to listening to the Chief Mugwump as he tried to convince Italy and Greece to cease hostilities. The two delegations steadfastly refused to listen, even when the Mugwump pointed out at they were risking the secret of their world.

Next he tried to convince the two parties to put aside their conflict and agree to a cease fire while they attended a conference to broker a peace. That was also flatly refused.

Dumbledore shook his head and leaned towards Harry. "Jochim is a reliable sort of fellow, but I'm afraid he is a bit too stodgy for this kind of crisis. Once he's exhausted what he considers to be his options, he'll sit back and do nothing because he can't see what else he could try. Unfortunately, with the council so divided, his options are few."

Harry nodded in reply and went back to observing not only the Chief Mugwump, but also the various delegations. For the first time in his life, the lessons he had been taught by Lewis Franklin were coming into play. He categorized the various delegations and in his mind made a list of those he felt would be sympathetic to the dragon cause and those who wouldn't.

Suddenly, Harry's attention was drawn away from examining the delegations as Dumbledore rose in regard to a question posed to him by the Mugwump.

"I am grateful for your welcome, Chief Mugwump, and I am pleased to report that the British Ministry is once again fully operational within the limitations imposed by oath and the Crown," Dumbledore said.

"Oh really, Dumbledore?" snarked someone. Harry absently noted the delegation member's box was labeled Saudi Arabia. "You mean now that you're taking orders from the muggles."

Albus smiled at the member from Saudi Arabia. "Ah, Hassan. Unlike your nation, ours had oaths of fealty and loyalty to the Crown extending back to our dim past. Our Queen would have been within her rights to seize our properties and abolish our government entirely. We are lucky that she was merciful. Had she declared us oath breakers, a good forty percent of British Wizardry might have found themselves bereft of their magic."

Dumbledore paused and took a sip of water from a glass, then he looked around the chamber. "We British have always had a good relationship with our muggle cousins. It wasn't until the eighteenth century that a schism developed. A schism brought about by the absurd idea that blood purity has any true value.

"You delegates should look at what happened to Britain and take it as a warning. Yes, a warning that you must work to improve your relationship with your muggle counterparts before they turn on you. Muggles are stronger than ever and their technology enables them to do things you cannot even imagine," he said, then he sat.

A smattering of half-hearted applause met the silence following Dumbledore's words and Harry noted that most of those clapping were on his list of people sympathetic to the dragon cause. The few discrepancies surprised him and he quickly jotted down the names of the countries.

"Point of order, Chief Mugwump," shouted Danakov over the applause.

"You have a point, Delegate Danakov?" asked the Chief Mugwump.

"I note that our British delegate has an unusual companion today. By custom, any guest occupying the delegation box must be presented before this body or he should have been seated in the visitor's gallery," Danakov stated.

The Mugwump turned to Dumbledore and arched an eyebrow. Danakov was correct, Dumbledore's guest should have been presented just after the session opened. "You are correct, Mr. Danakov. The British guest should have been presented. However, in this case, I fear Mr. Dumbledore is not to blame. So eager was I to address the Mediterranean crisis that I failed to ask if anyone was to be presented," Stebbins replied. "However, let us correct that oversight. Mr. Dumbledore, if you would kindly introduce us to your companion?"

Dumbledore shot Harry a reassuring glance and he rose to stand next to Dumbledore. "Delegates of the ICW, my companion was brought here today to meet with certain individuals. However, he would have been presented here on his sixteenth birthday anyway.

"Great Britain was proud to be home to three known mage class wizards, and today I take great delight in introducing a fourth," Dumbledore motioned towards Harry.

"Those of you who have been following events in Britain no doubt know of our discovery of the intelligence of the dragons. And you know they have organized around a single leader and a group of dragon riders. The British Monarchy has decreed that dragons have equal status and rights as like any human being and has granted limited autonomy to the dragons under the leadership of The Weyrleader. The Weyrleader is considered a Head of State. As such, by right and custom, he carries full diplomatic immunity.

"It is with no small amount of delight that I introduce to you today, Britain's fourth mage, and the man who commands every dragon in the world. Ladies and gentlemen, Weyrleader Harry Potter," Dumbledore said with a flourish. His eyes twinkled with merriment and he winked at Harry.

Harry watched Danakov as he paled considerably while listening to the introduction. Unfortunately, his introduction wasn't as easy as it seemed. Several shouts were heard and people glared angrily at Harry.

"Silence!" commanded the Mugwump. Suddenly the shouting cut off and Harry looked at Dumbledore curiously.

"The silencing charms have been enabled on all boxes. Once the delegates realize no one is hearing them, they will calm down," Dumbledore said softly. "I expect you will be asked to say something. Make it brief and do try not to threaten anyone. I would rather not start any wars today if it can be avoided."

"What's this business about me being Britain's fourth mage?" Harry asked. He knew he had to be introduced as a mage, but he hadn't counted on being attached to Britain like that.

Dumbledore shrugged. "It's merely a reflection of the country of your birth, Harry, not a statement of allegiance. It's a source of pride for a mage to be from your country." Every country had a small percentage of wizard that were at the very top of the power curve and it was a source of pride for a country to have a mage. Ordinarily, a mage would figure predominately within their parent society, but Dumbledore knew Harry was meant for a greater stage than one provided for by British Wizardry.

Harry nodded, satisfied with the answer and he turned his attention back on the Chief Mugwump.

Chief Mugwump Stebbins sat patiently for several minutes, then he signaled to the Hit Wizard overhead and the man dropped the silencing charms. He looked around sternly for a moment and the delegates settled back in their chairs. Satisfied, he turned back to the British box.

"Unlike some others, I have followed the British papers in recent months and I have read about the exploits of the Weyrleader and his dragons," he said, then he glanced around again. "It might have escaped the notice of my fellow delegates, but the Weyrleader led his dragons in an action which resulted in the annihilation of most of the British dementor population. And I know that he has been personally thanked by the muggle Queen for his actions."

Harry looked up at the Mugwump speculatively. It sounded like the man might be willing to at least listen if he had to plead their cause.

Around the room, the delegates turned to stare at Harry incredulously. Killing dementors was unheard of and nearly every country had a problem with them. Some countries managed to control them with the use of compulsion spells like Britain did, and others penned them in using wards, limiting their ability to do harm. It was an unhappy situation that most countries simply had to tolerate.

"We all know the story of the Boy-Who-Lived, but I think there is an even greater story that has yet to be told and frankly I'm pleased that it's happening in my lifetime. Welcome to our chamber of deliberation, Harry Potter, Mage and Weyrleader. Your name will be entered into the mage role, as well as our list of honored guests."

The Mugwump looked at him expectantly and Harry glanced nervously at Albus.

When Albus nodded, Harry took a deep breath, then looked at the Mugwump.

Several camera's flashed and Harry ignored them while he frantically thought about this situation. Finally, he spoke in a clear, firm voice.

"Chief Mugwump, honored delegates, on behalf of the Weyrs and the dragons of Earth, I thank you for your gracious welcome. It was not my intent to come here today to address this body, so I have no prepared speech. I am here at the invitation of Albus Dumbledore so that I could meet with a few people."

Harry paused to take a breath and someone shouted, "When are you going to resume shipping dragon products?"

Harry's expression changed. He scowled thunderously at the delegate from Peru. "Tell me, good sir, is your nation peopled by idiots?"

"WHAT!?" exclaimed the delegate in outrage.

"Have you no researchers, no potion masters, no experts in their fields? And can they not find alternative ingredients that would suit their needs?"

"Why should they when we already have something that works?" shot back the furious delegate.

Harry shook his head and squared his shoulders. "Delegates, I am not here to get into any fights with any of you. But I will tell you that the days of unrestricted culling of dragons and harvesting their bodies for products is over! We will fight back against any attempt to harvest and any nation that makes an attempt will find the full weight of the Weyrs of Earth fighting back.

"The Weyr has started shipments of limited products within Britain and to certain other nations that have promised to recognize dragons as a people. These products are strictly items which can be obtained without harming a dragon."

Dumbledore reached out and placed a hand on Harry's shoulder. He glanced at him and took a calming breath, then he turned to the delegate from Peru. "Sir, I strongly urge you to convince your potion masters and your researchers to study the problem. I know Britain is already doing so and they have had a few successes in finding replacements. Speak with them, sir. I am sure they would be willing to share what they have learned."

Harry looked around at the delegations, more than a few seemed to be a bit afraid of him now. He didn't realize that when he had gotten angry he had warped the air around him from the flow of his magic. "Problems need solutions, not angry words. Dragons are people in a different form, no less different than humans, goblins, house elves or merpeople. All they ask is to be able to live their lives in peace."

A light lit up and the Chief Mugwump turned to the source. "You have something to add, Mr. Brady?"

"Yes, sir, I do," said Brady. "It is the official position of the Department of Magic and the US Government that dragons are a people. We will soon host the second Weyr with riders and we hope to host others in the future. We stand with the Weyrleader and back his words. I have been ordered by my President to throw the full weight of our government, muggle and magical, behind supporting the dragons."

A buzz rose in the chamber as Canada, Australia and New Zealand gave similar statements of support. Most of the delegates suddenly realized that regardless of whatever power the dragons might possess, there was real national power backing their position.

Harry bowed slightly to the Chief Mugwump, then sat down and wiped at his face with a trembling hand. He hadn't expected this.

"The Weyrleader makes an interesting point," said the Mugwump. "Several nations are already looking at replacement ingredients for many of the medicinal potions. I think it would benefit everyone if the ICW provides a mechanism to share information between the various nations so that all of us may benefit."

He turned to the Peruvian delegate. It was time to toss the man a peace offering. "Mr. Delgado, would you be willing to help us setup a committee to coordinate the research effort and to help pass information? Will you chair such a committee?"

Still stung by Harry's harsh comments, Delgado looked up in surprise, then he nodded gratefully. This would be a high honor for Peru. "I would be honored, Chief Mugwump," he replied.

The Chief Mugwump nodded happily and he asked for a motion to close the session. Harry leaned over to Dumbledore. "That's it, the meeting is over and we can leave the box now, right?"

Dumbledore looked at Harry with some confusion and nodded.

"Fine, I'll be right back," Harry said, then he quickly left the box and made his way over to where the Peruvian delegation sat.

"Mr. Delgado?"

Delgado looked up in surprise and was startled to see Harry there. Here was a person that was a declared mage and someone that had exchanged harsh words with him during the session.

"Yes?" Delgado said warily.

"Rather than allowing any hard feelings you might have to fester, I would like to apologize for my words and I would offer you a visit to the Weyr. Meet with the dragons and see for yourself that they are more than mere animals," Harry said softly. "I'd also invite you to bring along a senior representative of your muggle government. If you're interested, you can make arrangements to visit through the British Prime Minister's office."

Delgado blinked and the tenseness seemed to leave his body. "I may take you up on that offer, Mr. Potter. But first, I must consult with my Minister. We do not ordinarily interact with our muggle counterparts."

Harry nodded, expecting such a reply. "Nevertheless, my offer stands. Come visit the Weyr. If you can't bring a representative of your muggle government, then make arrangements to visit via Albus Dumbledore at the Ministry of Magic."

He bowed slightly and left the man feeling better about their interaction.

Harry approached the box where Albus stood with Jasper Brady and the Canadian delegate. "Nicely done, Harry. Approaching him with an invitation caught him off guard and forced him to reevaluate his position," Jasper said with a smile.

"I just didn't want to leave it at that, Jasper," Harry replied. "I didn't mean to get angry with him. Inviting him to visit the Weyr and meet with the dragons is really the only way to prove they aren't animals."

Jasper nodded. "Still, it was well done, Harry," he replied.

"Yes, well done, Harry. Jose Delgado is notoriously stubborn. He was getting all set to turn this confrontation into something personal and you stopped him in his tracks. Even if he doesn't visit the Weyr, he'll be more apt to listen to you now because he'll respect you," added Dumbledore.

Dumbledore gestured towards the exit of the box. "Now comes the real reason for our being here. We have a meeting with the delegates from the British Commonwealth nations and certain other national allies."

Jasper Brady smiled smugly and Harry wondered why the man looked suddenly like the Cheshire cat.

Four hours and many cups of tea later, Harry understood why Jasper had been smiling. Between the British and the Americans, they had arranged for Harry to meet with delegates from fifteen countries. All seemed curious about him, and some were downright eager to explore the possibilities of Weyrs opening in their country. He knew that the Common Wealth nations had been briefed at the highest levels about dragons and the economic potential they offered, but what he didn't understand was the strong desire so many had to see a Weyr open in their country.

It was only after the meeting that he realized that the potential to reduce oil dependency would be a powerful motivation for these countries.

He returned late to the Weyr and crawled into bed, exhausted. Dobby popped in behind him and picked up his scattered uniform. Harry was the only person who had an elf who personally cleaned up after him, although there wasn't much cleaning to do. Thanks to his years at the Dursleys, he instinctively cleaned up after himself, except for a rare occasion, like now, when he was too tired to care.

With a snap of his fingers, all the clothes were whisked away to be cleaned. Dobby took a quick look around and saw Cheki watching him from his stall. He held a finger to his lips and the big dragon nodded.

Cheki knew how tired his Harry was and he knew that he had spent the day working for the Weyr. "Good night, Dobby, and thank you."

Dobby smiled. Harry Potter's dragon was as great as Harry Potter. "Good night, Cheki dragon," he said in a whisper, then he popped away.

Harry snored lightly, oblivious to everything.

---

Author's Notes and Mockeries:

- We've had a number of requests to join our Yahoo group that sort of leave us puzzled because they all seem to say the same thing. "I want to join to see what else of yours I haven't read before." Our Yahoo group is a nice way to let us reach out and beat the hell out of you upstart readers, but seriously, you will only find stuff we have published officially. Yes I have a whole crap ton of files that have never seen the light of day and probably never will. You won't find them at the Yahoo group.

And what is it with a crap ton? Was this some strange farmer's metric used in the olden days. "Bert, I'll take a crap ton of fertilizer, I need to plow and plant the back forty."

- Asking me to go back to a weekly update isn't going to get you a weekly update and is likely to get your head hammered by Alyx. Just telling you, you know?

- To the reviewer that said Alyx is nucking futs. I'll have you know she's never nucked a fut in her life. She did come close once with a box of linguine and a carton of roman candles and a bus full of nuns, but the fut got away. Buy were the nuns pissed off about that.

- Last chapter fell out into two distinct groups. The Hermione lovers hated it, the Hermione haters loved it. I'm not going to say what the slash lovers felt. I will not write a scene with Harry and Cheki in a hot tub! Needless to say, if you look at our track record we have rarely written a bad Hermione or even one that got seriously pummeled over. If you have been paying attention, you have a ton of clues as to where things are going. Hermione is NOT out of the picture, but she's screwed up, which opens the door for new possibilities. Nuff said. Oh and to the guy who wanted the Hermione/Cheki hot tub scene, no, just no.

So many people expected Luna to go to Harry that it would have been cliché to allow it. Sorry Luna fans, but she won't get to bed Harry in this story.

- One thing did confuse me. How could anyone consider what happened to Harry as Harry cheating is beyond me. Hermione and Harry didn't have that tight of a relationship to start with and what happened to Harry was mostly out of his control. I'll be blunt. If Minerva McGonagall had walked into Harry's room at that point, he would have jumped all over her. Cheating? Nope. Besides, Hermione COULD have gone to check up on him. Hell she could have gone to check up on him, found him in that state and stunned him to make him stop, then taken him to the infirmary. She didn't. She abandoned him to his own devices.

- Debo1983, May doesn't need to thump her. She's got something entirely different in mind.

- glazedlookineye101, I do try to balance the personal with the broader picture, but the story is happening on multiple levels at the same time. When you consider that my chapters are sliced from one huge file, and I make every chapter roughly thirty pages, sometimes it isn't possible to ensure the chapters are evenly balanced.

- A number of people have left reviews claiming they don't know how to leave a good review. There is a secret here that few seem to know. You're not being graded. There's no go review or bad review. It just is a chance to say "Hi! For a good time check out my youtube channel!" Erm..no, not really. Seriously unless you're signed in and flame me, there's generally no such thing as a good or bad review, they just are. Often I'll try to respond privately to your comments and occasionally if enough people mention it, or if it does irritate me, I'll mention it here.

- A few people have asked for a list of Weyrs/Dragons. I do keep such a list. The only reason why I haven't shared it with the readers is because there are things on it you're not ready to see yet. But here is a list of Weyr's we've either been to or heard about in passing.

Weyr List:

Campbeltown Weyr #1, Scotland, 500+ dragons, Harry rider of Chekiath (Weyrleader)
Shetland Island Reserve Weyr #2, 260 dragons, Milzoth, Senior Dragon, Horntail.
Irtysh River Weyr #9, central Russia. Feynith (Hungarian Horntail)
Lac Logipi Weyr #17, roughly 90 dragons, Sorth (Swedish Short Snout) Located in Kenya.
Condron AAF Weyr #26, New Mexico, USA, Ralaninth , Senior, Norwegian Ridgeback
Condron Co-Weyrleaders
Frank (Skip) Taylor, muggle, Menth, Ukrainian Ironbelly, Bronze Tint.
Katherine (Kat) Matthews, witch, Lokith, Horntail, Gold Tint
Corales Isla Fuerte Weyr #27, Columbia, Jetirth (NWRBK) Senior dragon.
Romeral Weyr #28, Columbia, roughly 60 dragons, Justh (Norwegian Ridgeback)
Nevado del Huila Weyr #29, Columbia, Mayleth (Ukrainian Ironbelly)
Cheeseman Island Weyr #30, Nifleth, Antiopedean Opaleye, senior dragon.
Aogashima Weyr #31. Mimath , Chinese Fireball, senior dragon.
Sakushima Weyr, #32, Bonth, Chinese Fireball, senior dragon.
Maziang Weyr #35, Tibet
Maziang Weyrleader – Lobsang, wizard, Jekrith, Horntail, Bronze tint.
Disko Weyr, #36. Only used twice a year. No Senior dragon, no permanent dragon population.

- And finally our recommendation for this chapter.

Wait, what? By Esama.
StoryID: 6315336

An amusing little tale that pokes fun at all those wrong boy who lived stories. It also highlights the idea that mothers will do anything for their children. If you enjoy it, drop the author a review saying so.

Remember, Signed Reviews Good Idea, Unsigned Reviews, Bad Idea.
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