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

13. Chapter 13

Standard disclaimer:

Bob walked out onto the stage and stumbled into a pool full of water. Sputtering he climbed out of the pool and glared at Alyx who was in the pool. "What are you doing?" said a dripping Bob through gritted teeth.

Alyx looked up from her pool toy and smiled brightly. "I'm modeling the next stage of my Who Who epic to see if it's feasible," she replied haughtily. "You always said I should model."

"Yeah, lingerie, and beachwear for me, not for the rest of the wor..." Bob trailed off and stared at Alyx's pool toy. It looked remarkably like an eight foot long Who Who that someone had duct taped cardboard smoke stacks to.

"I see you're admiring my handiwork," Alyx said, then she carefully maneuvered the massive Who who, turning it to face Bob and making a deep horn sound not unsimilar to what a ship would sound like.

"That that what!" Bob sputtered, then just in case he moved slightly off center from the gigantic floating who who. He had no idea just how realistic it was and he didn't want to find out!

"I'm doing a remake of the Titanic for my epic novel," Alyx exclaimed, then she held up two remarkably lifelike figurines of Draco and Snape. "Here, watch!"

She carefully positioned the figurines at the bow, Draco's arms were outstretched and Snape looked like he had his nose planted... well use your imagination! "Draco and Snape on the Whotanic! It will be sooo romantic."

At that point, the weight of the figurines and the cardboard smokestacks proved to be too much and the unsinkable who who rolled over, submerging the figurines.

"Damnit!" exclaimed Alyx, "That keeps happening!"

Bob wiped tiredly at his face and turned to the audience. "While Alyx works out the ahem... kinks with her props I'll just say we don't own Harry Potter or the Dragon Riders of Pern and we hope you enjoy this chapter."

Stealing one last glance at his insane wife Bob walked off the stage shaking his head and wondering if he could have her committed.

"I think that went better than usual Harry," Chekiath said from the front row.

"Yeah mate it did. Kinda surprising," Harry replied.

"Alyx's who who is much bigger than yours, maybe you could get it for May and Hermione?"

"What?" exclaimed Harry in horror.

"Well I understand being so tiny you can't have a sixteen foot long who who like we dragons."

"Dragons are calling them who whos now?"

"What else would we call them?"

"I don't want to know. Just let us start the chapter," Harry snapped, thinking about sixteen foot long who whos and the kind of pants one would need to contain such a beast.

---

Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.
- George Bernard Shaw

Harry's Quarters, Campbeltown Weyr, April 4th...

Harry walked into his quarters from Cheki's entrance, then he headed over to the desk in the corner of the living room and flipped on the computer. Hermione frowned from her position on the couch and closed the book she had been studying. He was so preoccupied he hadn't even noticed her.

A moment later the computer chimed. "You've got mail," it said.

Harry grimaced and opened up the program to the new email from Lord Mills. He carefully read the letter detailing the threat against his life from the Russian ICW delegate.

When Hermione gasped behind him, he whirled around to face her. "Hermione? Don't do that. You nearly gave me a heart attack!" he exclaimed.

Hermione tore her gaze from the monitor. "Harry, James says someone is trying to kill you!" She looked at him and he could see her fear.

He stepped closer and wrapped an arm around her. "They have to get past Chekiath first, love. He's better than any armed guard the government could provide."

Hermione froze for a second at the term of endearment and Harry chuckled. "Did you know the dragons want the ability to save what they type?" he asked, trying to distract her. "Sir Robert had a company build that machine and now they have to redesign it or create something new."

Harry tapped out a reply to Lord Mills saying he'd talk with him in the morning, then turned back to Hermione.

"They want to save what they type? Like a word processor?"

He nodded, walked over to the couch and sat down. "Yeah, just like that. Also, Chekiath tells me that Comaloth says you've been using your computer to write stories that involve me," he said, then he paused and smirked at her. "Naughty stories, according to Comaloth."

Hermione paled and stared at him mutely.

"Something you want to tell me, Hermione?" he asked.

"Not really," she muttered, then she sighed. "I suppose I should have expected it. Dragon's can't keep secrets."

"Not this kind of secret they can't," he replied, then he motioned for her to sit on the couch next to him. "They don't see the point. And if it embarrasses their rider, it's a bonus. But dragons will keep a Weyr secret. To my knowledge, dragons haven't told anyone about their ability to time travel. We tell the riders, of course, because we can't afford someone making the mistake when going Between, but they've never mentioned it to a non-rider. And I know Chekiath hasn't divulged anything more."

Hermione sat on the couch, tucking her legs under her and she eyed him shrewdly. She knew Harry well enough to realize that he had just hinted at something she might not know. "What secret are you hiding now?"

He grinned. "It's not very useful, yet, but I got to thinking about how the dragons can channel the direction of the cold air when they exit from Between and I started wondering if it were possible to channel it long after they came out of Between."

"Can they?" exclaimed Hermione in shock.

Harry nodded. "Yeah, but not really long enough to be useful. Chekiath can produce a blast of cold air for about five seconds, then he needs at least ten seconds before he can do it again. I suspect during that time he might not be able to jump Between either. The range is limited to under a hundred feet, so I don't think it will be very useful."

Hermione's brow furrowed. "A five second blast from one dragon would certainly chill someone, but a concentrated effect from several dragons could be very dangerous. What could you have been thinking of to consider this idea?"

In the old days she would have simply scolded him for considering something so dangerous. Now she just wanted to understand his thinking. Her tone was respectful and held no hint of reproach.

Harry looked uncomfortable and unhappy with himself. "When I attacked those tanks at Lac Logipi, I killed nine people who were probably under an imperious. I looked up the tank on the internet after we got the computers and learned that they each had a crew of three people. At the time, I didn't think. We just flamed those tanks. You saw the result of that action when we visited that Weyr."

He looked down as if ashamed. "Cold could have stopped those tanks, and maybe given those people a chance to live. I don't know. But if the dragons can channel the cold almost like they can their fire, then it's another tool they can use to protect themselves and the Weyr. I told Cheki not to tell anyone because I'm not sure it's really useful and I simply don't have the time to explore it any further. Maybe someday, but not anytime soon."

Chekiath crooned softly in his stall and Harry shot him a weak smile.

He leaned his head against the back of the couch and closed his eyes. "I spent the entire afternoon dealing with the Japanese. Even with Albert Ford's help, I still got called into his meeting to clarify points and explain things that Albert doesn't fully understand; things only a rider would understand.

"It's very possible that come the November hatching, or perhaps the one next February, we'll be opening up another manned Weyr, this time in Japan. Probably Sakujima, but we'll see. And that means we'll have to go back there and perform a really in-depth survey of the old reserve. It looked like a place that could house riders, the only real difference would be instead of buying lorries, they'd need to buy a few boats to ferry riders and supplies to and from the shops on the mainland.

"And now this bit with the Russian delegate hiring someone to kill me? That's all I need."

He glanced over at her and shook his head. "Is it any wonder I've let some of my classes slip? Magic is nice, but I refuse to let it become a dividing element between us riders. I'll struggle with my normal studies and let the magical ones slip, if needed. Besides, every time you learn a new spell you usually teach it to me. Does it really matter that much if I don't take my NEWTS or OWLS until I'm older?"

He paused and hesitated slightly, "I suppose I shouldn't rely on you for that, but I find myself relying on you and May for so much these days."

Hermione watched him for a moment, then she made a decision she had been debating. What he said about magic was true. She did show him the new spells she learned and didn't mind him relying on her at all. She raised herself up on her knees and moved until she was leaning against him. "It won't always be possible, but I think from here on you should try to leave Weyr matters at the door to your house. Unless you need an opinion from May and myself, here you're just Harry," she said softly.

He smiled and wrapped an arm around her, pulling her close. She stiffened for a second, then relaxed against him, recalling May's comments about Harry being rather affectionate when they were alone. She hadn't seen that side of him when they had been 'dating' and she wondered if it had been because she had deliberately kept him at arms length for most of that time.

"Maybe external Weyr matters, but there are some things that I'll need to know, and this will be the best time for you or May to speak to me about them. Like Heeth. Any news on how she's doing?"

"May's still with her. She's recovering and she expects she'll be released soon, but she's spending the night in the infirmary again," she told him. "She had to get several elves to reinforce the wall. The poor thing flamed the wall with every sneeze."

He smiled and held her tighter. One of his hands rose up to stroke her hair and she sighed contentedly against him. This was an image she had not pictured for herself and she found it rather appealing.

"Someday you'll have to share some of your stories with me. I might even see what we can do to make some of them come true," he whispered.

She shivered unexpectedly and grinned against his chest. She had used her computer to write some of her racier fantasies. It never occurred to her that someone might be willing to make a few of them come true. For Harry, however, it was obvious, even if it was embarrassing. He wanted to please his ladies and Hermione had basically written down ways to do that. If she would share her stories with him, he'd have some clues what to do. As far as he was concerned, her stories were the next best thing to an instruction manual.

Harry gently disengaged from her and stood, then he offered her a hand. "Stay tonight?" he asked.

She smiled and nodded, then accepted his hand and let him lead them into the bedroom.

From his stall, Chekiath watched the pair disappear. If he could have smiled, he would have. His eyes whirled with green streaks as he felt his bond widen to include Comaloth and Hermione, and just at the edges, he could also sense Trath and May listening in. Chekiath was content. The developing bond would help all three settle into their relationship. Harry was the center-point of an emotional bond that allowed each girl to feel how Harry felt about them and how they felt about him.

Kitchen Hall, Campbeltown Weyr, April 5th...

Hermione slipped into a seat next to May. She placed her tray on the table, then she turned to her. "I've been such a fool," she said softly.

May looked at her in surprise. "About?"

"Harry," she said ruefully.

May turned slightly in her chair and eyed the witch sitting next to her. "How so?"

Hermione blushed slightly and she dropped her gaze. "Last night I could feel him and what he felt for me via the bond. I could also feel what he felt for you. It was so... intense. It's hard to describe."

May nodded. "Now you know why I didn't fight this. He feels the same way about both of us and I knew that any fight over him would have us all losing."

Hermione nodded. "I see that now. And I also saw that he still thinks he's unworthy of either of us, let alone both."

May smiled. "That is something we'll need to work on."

"I plan on talking to Dobby today," Hermione announced.

"About?"

Hermione smiled. "I can see us sleeping in the same bed, but I think we should set up one of his spare bedrooms for use when one of us is..." she trailed off and blushed again.

May nodded. "Makes sense. I like you Hermione, but I'm not really wanting an audience. So have you and Harry...?"

"No!" Hermione said, then her blush deepened and her voice softened. "Not yet, but if last night was any example of what it's like, then soon, very soon."

May nodded. "We are very lucky women Hermione. As awkward as this may get from time to time, we need to keep that in mind. He truly loves us. Oh, he's not perfect. No one is. But I'm sure we'll be able to fix whatever problems crop up between the three of us," she replied, then she looked up and nudged her. "Here he is."

Harry entered the large hall and walked to the front of the room. Gradually, conversation ceased as people noticed him.

He smiled at everyone, then began to speak. "Good morning. I have here a message from Doctor Sheppard. He says that, assuming everything goes well, Lee Jordan will be released from hospital in three days. Due to his injuries he will be transported via military ambulance from London to the SAS base next door, then we'll transfer him to our clinic here. Issac says that Lee will be confined to the Weyr clinic for at least another two days.

"I know there are some plans floating around about a party. I'll ask whomever is planning it to talk to Issac first. If there is going to be a party to celebrate Lee coming home, I want him to be able to enjoy it, not sleep through it."

Mariah looked up and nodded. She had been talking to the others about organizing a welcome home party. If he was still recovering, then the party would need to be delayed until he was better. From his hospital bed, he'd given Mariah her birthday presents. They had been retrieved by one of the Aurors investigating the scene.

Harry looked around for a moment before spotting the person he wanted. "Abbey," he said, getting her attention. "I do not expect Lee to be flight certified for a while, possibly a month or more. Issac wants him to take it easy and fully heal. I think he's a bit uncomfortable because the healers had to regrow one of Lee's kidneys. As of now, you're acting Wing leader for Wing four. Pick someone from your wing and start training them up as your second. I want your new second able to fill your position since I intend to give you your own wing after the next impression."

He paused as the hall filled with cheers. Abbey Rhodes was a non-magical rider from the November impression that had been Wing leader of the newly impressed dragons. She was popular and very good at managing her wing. Lee was a very popular rider, but all of the riders from the November impression had been hoping Abbey would continue on as Wing Leader. It had been Harry's intent all along to let her get some experience, then move her up to the position. Now with Lee out of action, he had to fill the hole in the Wing structure earlier than anticipated.

When the hall quieted down, Harry began speaking again. "How many of you have been helping Lee with scale collection and wand crafting?"

Four people raised their hands and Harry nodded to them. "Get together after you have your breakfast and figure out who is going to do what. I understand Karen has a copy of the delivery schedule for the Jordan wands. Lee will be able to work on the wands while he recovers, but I don't want him overexerting himself.

"One final piece of good news. As most of you have learned, I met with the Japanese Ambassador to the United Kingdom yesterday and he was briefed on our dragons and some of their abilities. When Ambassador Itsumi left, he planned to contact the Japanese Prime Minister and press a case for the creation of a manned Weyr in Japan.

"I was also on hand to witness the Imperial Wizard offer a formal apology to Chekiath for the way the Japanese wizards have treated dragons in the past. He assured me that the Japanese Ministry of Magic is already preparing a law that will forbid harming any dragon.

"I am pleased to report that we may see a new manned Weyr as early as 1997. The Japanese also have a dementor problem that they would like our help with. I know no one likes those things, but dealing with their dementors would earn enough money for us to buy the real estate and construct a proper Weyr. If that happens, it would be the first manned Weyr constructed by dragon riders for dragon riders."

The hall erupted in cheers and Harry waved before heading over to the buffet and putting together his breakfast. With tray in hand, he quickly moved to where May and Hermione sat, stopping behind each girl to kiss the tops of their heads before sitting down. Hermione looked startled, but May just had a smug smile on her face.

"How are my girls this morning?" he asked.

"I'll be happier when Heeth is better. Have you any idea what it's like to deal with a dragon that has a cough? Poor Heeth would start coughing and every so often flame the wall. I finally mixed up a concoction of honey and four bottles of cough medicine to give her some relief," May groused.

Harry looked up from his meal in concern. "She'll be all right?"

May nodded. "Yes. She's improving and the time between coughing fits is growing longer every day. Heeth had a very painful throat and the cough was hurting her chest. Cary, on the other hand, nearly lost all her hair in one flaming cough. She doused the flames instantly with her wand, but the damage was done. Now she's got Luna and Susan looking for a potion that will speed hair growth. They remember seeing mention of a potion for it, but don't remember where they saw it."

Harry paused with a fork midway to his mouth. "Did your potion work for Heeth?"

May nodded with a smile. Harry was prone to use magical terminology, hence a mix of cough syrup and honey was suddenly a potion. "It did, although I don't think Major Atkins was happy with me for sending one of her men into town late at night to buy up all the bottles of cough medicine he could find. At that point I was at wits end and needed something to try. None of the potions seemed to help and I couldn't keep dosing her with pain relief potions."

Harry smiled. "If she complains too much, tell me. I happen to know someone who can divert her attention. In the meantime, well done with Heeth."

"Harry," May chided. "You know as well as I do that Sirius can't sway Katherine from her duty."

"I know, but until we have some riders capable of driving, we need to occasionally borrow people from Katherine. She knows that and she knows we try hard not to abuse the privilege," he replied. "Besides, Sirius will probably say something that will make her mad at him and she'll forget why she was mad at you."

May chuckled. His comment was almost spot on, only she knew that Katherine didn't really get mad at Sirius as she did get exasperated. He was one to really try a person's patience.

Satisfied that all was well with May, he turned his attention to Hermione who sat quietly smiling and blushing slightly while staring at her plate. His display of affection had caught her off guard and reminded her of the previous night's activities. They did not make love, but she had crawled into bed with the intent to test the waters as much as she could. Her first sexual encounter had scarred her and she needed to know Harry would be gentle with her.

Last night had proven that he was a very gentle and undemanding lover. She was now determined to ask Harry to help her get over that particular fear.

"All right there, Hermione?" he asked.

She looked up, startled by his question. "I'm fine. Never better, in fact," she stammered.

"I think she's still distracted from last night," May said with a wicked laugh. Given their situation, May found it refreshing that she could finally be rather open about certain things.

Harry glanced over to her, then matched Hermione in her blush. "Oh," he mumbled, unsure how to respond to that.

May laughed again, causing Hermione to laugh softly. Harry's reaction was so typical of the boy she'd grown up with.

"Can I get serious for a moment?" May asked.

When Harry opened his mouth, Hermione reached over and covered it with her hand. She glared at May. "You know he pulls that serious joke almost as much as Sirius does."

Harry frowned behind her hand and gently pulled her hand away. "I don't use it that often, and of course you can get serious May."

"Good. Can you use your magic stick to expand the dragon area in your house? Big enough to fit Trath and Comaloth?" she asked.

Harry leaned back on his seat and nodded slowly. "I think I can. It's just an expansion charm. I might have to ask Moony to help guide me through it. Why?"

May shook her head. It still amazed him how clueless he could be sometimes. "Harry," she said gently, "except for the times that I need to spend the nights in the infirmary, I've spent nearly every night at your house. Trath has had to sleep in an empty house or on your roof. It's time Trath and I move in. Hermione feels the same. This weekend, Hermione and I are going to work on moving our stuff in. There's no sense in keeping separate houses."

Harry looked up at Hermione who nodded firmly at him.

"All right, I'll speak to Remus about learning the expansion charm," he said. "We'll also need to expand the walk in closet and the dresser drawers. Maybe we should look at this carefully. You each have a computer and small study area now. We need to include that, as well."

"Harry, you have four bedrooms. We can easily turn one into a study that we can all share," Hermione countered. "I'll talk to Susan about getting the desks moved. She'll also let the computer people know we're moving the computers. She's already alerted them about Millicent."

"Milli?" asked Harry.

May smiled. "Bob Malwich and Sammy Hinerman are moving into her house and they have fewer bedrooms than we do," she said.

Harry frowned. "Maybe they should switch to one of the large homes?"

"Don't worry about them. Right now, they're exactly where they want to be. We can readdress the housing issue when we start having kids, but that's years away," May said. "If they need something, I'm sure they'll ask."

Hermione looked up at May with narrowing eyes, then she saw Harry staring at his plate. She knew he wanted a family, and she knew he felt he didn't deserve one. She had spoken to May several times about their relationship with Harry and this was the first time she seriously considered the idea of children.

Taking a deep breath, she jumped into the conversation. "Children would be nice, but I promised Mum I wouldn't make her a grandmother until she turned at least forty five. That's still nearly seven years from now," she added softly, then she smiled a bit wickedly, "I don't think she'll complain too much if we're early by a year or two."

May smiled at her. "That's a good time. We should be done with school by then and firmly in our jobs."

"If you're done embarrassing my godson, James, Katherine and I want to talk to him about this death threat warning from the Prime Minister's office," Sirius said behind them.

Harry stood. "Excellent! Let's do that right now," he blurted and then he grabbed Sirius and steered him away from the table.

"Death threat?" May exclaimed. "What the hell's going on?"

Hermione nodded, then explained the warning he had received. While May learned of the threat against Harry, Harry learned of the limitations being placed on him by well meaning friends and a concerned host government. He had planned on refusing, but the Queen had personally requested that he accept the security.

ICW Headquarters, Paris, France, April 15th...

Albus Dumbledore entered the office and waited patiently for Yoshi to spot him from his desk. After a minute, he coughed and the Imperial wizard glanced up and smiled. "Albus-san! I did not hear you come in. How are you?"

"Well enough, Yoshi," replied Dumbledore. He moved to take a seat next to Yoshi's desk. "I'm sorry I missed out on your visit to the Weyr, but we had some problems crop up."

Yoshi eyed Dumbledore carefully. "This wouldn't have anything to do with Carlos the Gerbil being seen in Diagon Alley in the middle of a shoot out?"

Dumbledore sighed. He wasn't surprised that Yoshi knew what was going on. The man seemed to have an uncanny ability to figure out what was happening elsewhere. Albus would have been shocked to discover that his friend had succeed in a mind split and was always actively analyzing things even when he appeared to be engaged in purely social activities.

"Alas, I fear our troubles are not yet completely over. Fortunately, our new ministry is making inroads in places that the old one never considered and the people are starting to support those changes," Albus replied. "As to Carlos, he has latched onto a group of malcontents and is capitalizing on their willingness to do mischief. He could have popped up in any country and found the same. It is our misfortune that he chose Britain."

Yoshi nodded. He knew the story. Carlos had slipped into the country during the unrest, when law enforcement was at an all time low, and now was taking advantage of the very fringes of wizarding society. The bulk of the wizards were starting to see improvements in their lives. It wasn't much, a little here, a little there, but they were definite improvements which was causing the public opinion to swing in favor of the new administration. Parents of pre-Hogwarts age children were leading the charge to support the new ministry, having been relieved of the burden of home schooling.

"I am sure your ministry will prevail," Yoshi offered. "As to my visit to your Weyr, I found it most enlightening. My Prime Minister is very excited about the possibility of having our own Weyr. And your Weyrleader is a most unusual young man. I expect Ambassador Itsumi will open formal talks for establishing a Weyr soon."

Albus smiled, "He is at that. I never would have guessed how far he would go when he first entered my school. I heard that the Weyr has authorized a shipment of dragon scale wand cores to Japan."

Yoshi nodded. "It is much needed, my friend. Our wand crafters were hard pressed to keep up with demand and missing one of the core materials made it very hard on them to keep up."

Albus leaned back on his chair. "So, tell me about our Italian and Greek friends," he said.

Yoshi frowned. "We have two of the most obstinate people leading their negotiating teams. Signor Franco Iacobelli is a former enchanter who started working for the Wizard Power Party some twenty years ago. He is a stubborn man who firmly believes in wizard superiority and their right to rule.

"Stavros Mestas leads the Greek group. He is more moderate than his Italian counterpart and I feel he would easily give in, were it not for the fear the Greeks have about appearing to be vulnerable to the Italians. You read the files on both negotiating parties, yes?"

Albus nodded. "I did and thank you. It was most helpful."

Albus looked down for a moment and Yoshi leaned forward. He knew Dumbledore's look. The man was a genius in his own right and Yoshi had seen Dumbledore do this in the past. He would seem to drop all external awareness while he considered possibilities. Yoshi sat back and waited in respectful silence. The two men were more alike than they realized. While Yoshi mastered the mind split, Dumbledore achieved a similar effect by shutting down while he considered a problem carefully.

Yoshi suspected that Dumbledore's technique might be superior to his own simply because while he processed information he used more of his mind to do it than Yoshi did. There were pluses and minuses to both methods and someday he hoped to write a book about both techniques. There were few books aimed directly at mages and he hoped to add to that exclusive list.

After a good five minutes, Albus blinked and looked up. "I believe Mister Mestas is the key piece of the puzzle, Yoshi. I think the trick will be to find a way to assuage his fear, perhaps by guaranteeing the safety of Greece."

Yoshi's eyebrows rose to nearly touch his hairline.

"Tell me, old friend, do you think Signor Iacobelli might be harboring the same fear, but hides it better?" asked Albus.

Yoshi scratched his chin and thought about that. "It is possible," he admitted. "But both countries decimated their defense forces in the battle on the Island of Othonoi. They are rushing to assemble new forces, but so far they haven't been very successful recruiting people. Any recent attacks have been reduced to very small raids or using subterfuge and sabotage to cause havoc. Unfortunately, neither country has given up control of their ward stones so we can't block traffic between them yet. I was working on a plan to do just that."

Albus smiled. "Then let's look at this as pieces of a puzzle to assemble. First, if we could offer a guarantee of safety for both countries. Do you think we could get them to agree to a cease fire?"

"How would you offer such a guarantee?" countered Yoshi.

"The muggle United Nations often resorts to using a multinational force for peace keeping. Since the two countries do not share a national border, all we need to is provide a patrolled buffer zone between them to prevent the two sides from intermingling. If we could get twenty member nations from the ICW to provide one hundred fighters a piece, said force would patrol the buffer between the two countries, keeping them apart and stopping any conflict that might arise. That should allow tempers to relax and give us time to get them talking about a true, lasting peace, as well as handing the countries back to the muggle control."

Yoshi leaned forward in his seat and pulled out some parchment. "This has possibilities, Albus-san! I am certain Mestas would be willing to listen to such a proposal. But first we must find out if member nations would be willing to contribute to such a force."

Albus nodded. "Yes, but since I brought it up, I suppose it falls to me to start the ball rolling. I cannot speak for Her Majesty's government, but I believe Prime Minister Major would be willing to help secure the peace. Do you wish for me to broach the subject with the Supreme Mugwump?"

Yoshi nodded. "I daresay my own government would be willing, as well. But I wonder if Wizards alone might not be enough. Would the Weyr help?"

Albus blinked and looked at his friend thoughtfully. "Perhaps. The Weyr does not wish to get involved in any combat, but certainly we can ask if they would be willing to give warning of any problems along the border. We can only ask. What about blocking access?"

Yoshi looked unhappy. "We'll need to put our own ward stones in place, probably in the Adriatic sea to block portkeys and apparating. You know as well as I do that it's going to take time. We'll need hundreds of stones. Mugwump Stebbins is aware of the problem and is working to secure funding to order the stones."

Albus nodded unhappily, then he pulled out his version of Harry's to do list and scribbled a note with a gold plated fountain pen that Harry had given him for Christmas. Albus had been astounded by the small pen that acted so much like a quill. He carried it everywhere, clipping it to the side of his wand holster.

He found the little plastic ink cartridges fascinating and wasted four of them the first day he had the pen just playing with the cartridges.

#10 Downing Street, London, April 17th...

Harry heaved a sigh of relief as the two Diplomatic Protection group bodyguards fell behind to remain in the outer office. He smiled to the secretary who smiled back at the teen. She knew his story finally and found it amusing that the young man was being thrust onto the world stage in a manner like no other.

The two men from the DPG group relaxed knowing that Harry was protected in this building. There was a full squad of heavily armed men just sitting around waiting to be called if needed. Until the British government knew otherwise, Harry would have two officers from the DPG as bodyguards whenever he was not in close proximity to his dragon.

That meant any trips to the town of Campbeltown or into London required bodyguards. Four men were now being housed at the Weyr for that purpose. At first, the DPG wanted to be with Harry all the time. Fortunately, James pulled the DPG team leader aside and explained dragons to the man.

Harry had explained their presence to his wing leaders as something the British government normally did for certain individuals. May and Hermione knew of the threat, so did most of the adults, but Harry didn't want the riders to know about what could turn out to be a false alarm.

Chekiath knew, of course, and he followed Harry nearly everywhere but Harry was used to that. What he wasn't used to was that now Trath and Comaloth were following along when they weren't busy with their riders. Chekiath told him that as his consorts, it was only right that they should be close by, but Harry suspected both girls of telling their dragons to keep an eye on him.

Harry had wanted to fly down to London on Chekiath, but with James and Sir Robert coming along, a helicopter was sent to pick them up at the Weyr. He had been shocked to discover two DPG men waiting for him when he arrived at the heliport. And for the first time the car they used to travel from the heliport to ten Downing street had a police escort.

John Major waved the group in. "Take a seat, gentlemen. We're still waiting on Mr. Dumbledore and Sir William."

Harry sat and breathed another sigh of relief.

Major eyed Harry and smiled. "I know that having someone follow you around is rather burdensome, Weyrleader, but to be honest, it is in our nation's interests that we ensure nothing happen to you."

Harry nodded. "I understand, sir, but it does make dating an unusual experience."

Sir Robert cackled with laughter. "Like you need worry about that, my boy. Your dragon picked out his mates and dragged you along for the ride."

Major looked over at Sir Robert. who suddenly realized he had said something that might be embarrassing to the Weyrleader. Harry grimaced and shrugged. "You might as well tell him, Sir Robert. It would be better if he finds out now than to see it in some newspaper."

Sir Robert nodded unhappily. He turned to the Prime Minister. "We are starting to see what kind of relationships the dragons will have and how they affect their riders. Dragons do not mate like we humans do. Chekiath, for example, could have chosen a dozen consorts and still mated with other dragons."

"What's the difference?" asked Major.

"A consort will bear eggs, offspring. A dragon will mate with another simply because they feel like it, but consorts are a different issue. A dragon will have a consort that will have their offspring, and once chosen, a consort is for life," Harry said quietly. "It's a uni-sexual thing though. A larger female can opt to have multiple, smaller male consorts."

Sir Robert nodded. "It could be you're right, Harry. We'll need more data before we can be certain. And as the largest of the dragons, Chekiath could have commanded a dozen consorts. The dragons are like humans in as much as they view sex as both a form of recreation and for procreation."

"That would have confused Harry. I don't need more than two consorts," Chekiath announced and Harry chuckled.

"I might have taken a helicopter down to London, but Chekiath wasn't about to stay behind," he said quietly, then he pointed up towards the ceiling.

John Major grinned. He had seen the dragon bond in action before and it always amazed him how strong it was. "Go on, Sir Robert."

Sir Robert shook from his surprise. "Well, in Harry's case, his dragon settled on two consorts, leaving Harry to deal with two different girls. We're also seeing another grouping that mixes two boys and a single girl plus there are indications of other possible pairings."

"Sir Robert," Harry said softly, "you're giving the wrong impression."

Sir Robert turned to Harry, "Oh?"

Harry nodded and turned back to the Prime Minister. "I don't want anyone to think this is some kind of crazy teen sex thing going on, because it hasn't been. Millicent and her boyfriends actually had it easier than we have. May, Hermione and I have spent many hours talking about this and trying to determine exactly what we have. It has been emotionally draining and difficult. If it weren't for the dragons, it wouldn't have happened at all."

Major nodded. "I trust you will be discrete."

"Yes, sir," Harry replied fervently.

"Very well. For what its worth, Weyrleader, I don't envy you. One woman is a handful, two must drive you to distraction," Major said with a small smile. "I take it that Sir Robert was alluding to the fact that dating isn't really necessary once the dragons have made their choices?"

Harry nodded and James jumped in. "For the most part the dragons and the riders influence each other when selecting a consort. So there won't be a case of a dragon insisting on someone that the rider can't stand. I suppose it simplifies matters. Harry may still want to go out with the girls, but it wouldn't be fair to call it a true date. I can't see him dating anyone else, however."

Harry glanced at James curiously and James smiled. "Lad, you've fancied both girls as long as I've known you. Your dragon knew that, probably before you were even aware of it."

Major motioned to speak, but the door opened and Dumbledore entered, followed by Sir William O'Hearny.

"Ah, good. Gentlemen, take a seat and we'll start," Major said, putting an end to that topic.

Albus nodded amiably to Harry, then sat in a plush armchair facing the couch.

John Major left his desk and moved to sit in another chair. "Albus, let's start with you please. How did your trip to Paris go?"

"Productive, I think," Albus said happily. "It seems both sides would like to stop fighting but are afraid to appear weak in front of the other. I have secured agreements from the American, French, German and Polish ministries to send a force of one hundred fighters to patrol a zone between the two countries and keep the two side from intermingling. I had hoped we would also participate in such a force," he added, looking at the Prime Minister hopefully.

Major frowned. "A force of one hundred soldiers isn't very large," he said dubiously. Usually, when the UN asked for troops, they needed hundreds of men and machines.

"No, sir, one hundred of your mixed wizards and soldiers. Preferably more wizard than soldier. Between an international group patrolling the zone between them and an effort to actually close the borders, both countries will be willing come to the table. We still have to close the borders between the two countries, but if we can manage these two things, they are willing cease hostilities and participate in peace talks, which will also include a plan to return the control to the muggles," Albus said, then quickly added. "The ICW is also wondering if the dragons might provide an early warning along the patrolled zone."

Harry frowned and shook his head. "I am reluctant to allow any dragons to get embroiled in a wizard war, Albus. I've been speaking with my riders and select others and it is the general feeling that the Weyr is willing to help with any humanitarian endeavor, but on the whole, we should try to maintain strict neutrality. The HMS Orkney was a humanitarian endeavor, even if she was a military ship, and I can easily see us repeating that sort of thing in the future. Patrolling two hostile nations to keep them apart, however, is a different issue. It places the Weyr into a military role which we will fill only with great reluctance."

Albus nodded slowly. He had figured Harry would answer like this, but he had promised he would ask. "Well then, there still is the issue of whether or not we'll get involved," he said, looking at the Prime Minister.

Major leaned back and thought about it. The newly commissioned 24th regiment of the special air service was a mixed unit, created by MOD after the take over of the Ministry of Magic. It was an oversized unit and could probably spare one hundred men for border patrol. Finally, he nodded. "Very well. I shall discuss the issue with Lord Kennewick at my mid morning meeting with him tomorrow. But rest assured, her Majesty's government will do its utmost to see peace restored and control returned to where it belongs. On behalf of Her Majesty, you have her thanks and the thanks of her government, Albus. Please keep on top of this and keep me informed of any developments."

Albus nodded and leaned back on his chair, satisfied. He would freely admit that working with the muggle government was turning out to be very refreshing after nearly a century of the obstructionist Ministry of Magic.

Major turned to Harry with a serious expression. "Weyrleader, for what it's worth, I think that the issue of neutrality is the right decision for the Weyrs. There may come a day when neutrality isn't possible, but if you can maintain it as long as possible, then you should do so."

"The next item on my list," Major said, "is the issue of the threat against the Weyrleader. MI5 has been informed about it and we are watching all access points, magical and regular, for possible problems. Unfortunately, the warning came with no real time reference. We have no idea if someone has been hired or not. We are watching this carefully and we've alerted several other national organizations who have promised to look into it within their territory."

Harry sunk lower in his chair and Major smiled soothingly at him. "I know it's a pain, Weyrleader, but I think it's a wise precaution. At least most of the time you have your dragon watching your back. I have someone around all the time."

"Yes, sir," Harry replied.

"Well, we will reevaluate this issue in a month and see if there is continued cause for concern. For now, all informed ministries will continue to monitor the situation and evaluate any intelligence that might be useful. Weyrleader, I cannot stress this sharply enough, but your safety is of national interest to us and to your Weyr. I do hope you'll continue to cooperate with your bodyguards for your own good."

Harry nodded and James placed a hand on his shoulder in support. James knew Harry didn't have much time for himself as it stood and now this threat ate into what little privacy he had remaining.

Major consulted his list again, then he looked up. "Sir William, what can you tell us about the attack in Diagon alley which injured a dragon rider?"

Sir William opened a file folder. "According to the pensieve testimony provided by Soranth via Lee Jordan..."

"Eh? How does that work? What is a pensieve?" exclaimed Major.

Albus straightened in his chair. "A pensieve is a device that allows us to review someone's memory. Basically, a wizard recalls a certain time and then using their wand, they can extract the memory from their mind and put it into a bowl like device that allows other people to view what they experienced.

"In the case of Lee Jordan, he didn't remember the attack at all, but his dragon did and his dragon shared the memory with Lee, who in turn provided it for viewing in the pensieve. The old Ministry would never admit a pensieve memory as evidence, despite the fact that tampered memories are very easy to detect. I feel it was another case of them wanting to protect the older, powerful families by denying a valuable tool to the law enforcement departments."

Major nodded slowly. "And now?"

"Our Department of Revision is working up a set of evidence handling rules so that pensieve testimonies will be admissible in Her Majesty's courts," Sir William replied.

Major nodded slowly, then motioned for Sir William to continue.

"Yes well, given the pensieve testimony, we have identified the unknown man on the steps of Gringotts as Carlos the Gerbil," he said with a straight face.

Harry snickered, then looked down in embarrassment.

Major smiled at him and barely suppressed a laugh himself.

Sir William plowed on, ignoring the smiles of amusement. "We now think that the hit was put out on Carlos. Whether it's related to what he's been doing here or not is unknown. Certainly, Carlos has his share of enemies. On the other hand, a few days before the attack, a body was found that has been identified as Tobias Bunniford, the leader of the group that originally brought Carlos into their fold. Unfortunately, we were unable to determine the cause of death."

"So, no one is running that group anymore?" exclaimed Harry. He was wondering if he could pull back the dragons from guarding the schools.

Sir William shook his head. "I'm afraid that Bunniford was a victim of his own cleverness, Weyrleader. Near as we can tell, he was replaced by Carlos himself."

"I guess we have to keep the dragons at the schools then," Harry replied mostly to himself.

Sir William nodded. "Yes. Please, Weyrleader, the presence of the dragons was a public fact and still it caught Bunniford's group by surprise. I am very glad they are there. They stopped one attack and possibly prevented others."

Harry leaned back and pulled out his list and made a notation. By the time he was done, he had missed some of Sir William's comments.

"... continues. Thus far, the group is still very small and any possible support has been waning quickly among the wizards. One area that we have been rather successful in is bringing the general population over to support us. Many of the parents who had pre-Hogwarts age children were unaware of the schooling available in this country. Once they realized that we were willing to school the children, they quickly came around because it freed up a parent to add another income to the household."

Major nodded. Overall he was rather pleased. The group of malcontents might have competent leadership, but they lacked popular support and without that they would remain little more than a terrorist organization. And if there was one thing the British government knew how to deal with, it was terrorists.

Major glanced down at his list. "All right, the final item for today's meeting is a simple one. In consultation with Her Majesty, it was felt that sometime during this coming summer we would begin the process of making the world aware of the Weyr."

Harry looked up and swallowed nervously. He'd hoped he'd have more time, like early September.

Major smiled. "Relax, Weyrleader. We have no plans on throwing you to the wolves, as it were. Instead, my office is sending out invitations to certain heads of state, starting in June. By the end of that month, most of our allies will have been fully briefed by our Ambassadors on dragons and the hot rocks. Starting late July, we'll open the Weyr up to select members of the press who are known to be friendly to the government. They won't have permission to announce the dragons until we hold a joint press conference at the end of the month. At that point, Her Majesty and I, along with most of the royal family, shall be on hand to formally introduce the Weyr to the world.

"Your Major Atkins is having her force increased, and our new 24th SAS regiment will be fully stationed in the new facility next to Campbeltown by then. While they won't normally enter the Weyr, Major Atkins will have authority to tap their resources should security become an issue. We have also contacted a contractor to work on building up security outside the Weyr. They'll be installing anti-car bomb measures, spike strips, that sort of thing. That work will be covered as we continue to work on building the SAS facility next door. Nominally, the new SAS regiment will be providing security for the research facility."

Major looked around the room, his expression stern. "Let's make no mistake about this. Going public with the Weyr is going to be a difficult issue. The Weyr location will not be officially disclosed, but people will figure it out easily enough. When they do, we have to make sure we're alert and ready to put out any fires that might appear before they become major issues."

Harry nodded. While Major had been speaking, his hand was flying as he added items to his list, things to do to prepare the Weyr for the big announcement.

The room fell silent while Harry scribbled his notes, then he noticed no one was talking and he looked up in surprise.

"All right there, Harry?" asked James, trying to suppress a grin.

Harry nodded. "Yeah. I was just thinking of all the things we need to do before then. Hangar two needs to be cleaned, and I don't remember when the last time anyone actually swept the walk in front of the Administration building. Several buildings need to be painted, and we need to fix the plumbing to Hangar six again. Mariah said she wanted to fix some problems with the girl's uniforms. Plus I have to get all the riders together to talk about what we can and can't talk about. And then..."

James started laughing, then he looked over to Major, who was smiling. The Prime Minister had been afraid that Harry wasn't listening to him when in fact he was listening very carefully, while listing all the things they needed to accomplish between now and then.

Harry glanced down at his notes, then flushed slightly. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to appear to be ignoring you. I know it was rude, but I needed to write this down or I'd forget it."

"Lad," Prime Minister Major said, "if keeping a list of things you need to do helps, then it's a great habit to maintain. I keep a list myself, although I daresay my list isn't as comprehensive as yours."

Harry glanced down at his book. Remus had shown him how to charm the book to be never ending, and how to protect it. It was one of the ways the adult wizards around him helped him learn. They would show him a spell, but wouldn't perform it for him.

"So we're looking at what? July 30th?" Harry asked.

Major smiled thinly. "Her Majesty felt that July 31st would be an appropriate date for both a birthday celebration and a celebration of discovery that we are no longer the only intelligent species on the planet."

Harry winced inwardly and James clapped a hand on his shoulder. The older man knew Harry was uncomfortable with people making a fuss about him.

"Excellent timing," added Sir Robert with a huge smile for Harry, then he turned to Major. "I expect to have the test power plant operational sometime in late June, or early July at the latest. That will give us another touring point to show the press."

Major nodded in satisfaction. That was good news indeed.

Harry's Quarters, Campbeltown Weyr, April 17th...

Harry walked to his quarters with May on his right, and Hermione on his left. "That was a long meeting," May said softly.

"It was, but we got a lot done. I just wish we could settle things down. Just when it seems like we're settling into a routine, something changes," Harry said in reply.

"That may be true, but it won't always be like that," Hermione added. "We have roughly three months and a little extra to make the Weyr sparkle. Cleaning up is one thing, and we have the elves helping for that."

May nodded. "I never expected Susan Bones of all people to suggest that our families be here for the big reveal, or that we rent or buy seating for so many people."

"Susan surprised most of us wizards tonight. She's been studying hard trying to maintain the Weyr. I think she shocked us when she suggesting renting the seating. A wizard would have conjured seats until they dropped from exhaustion. In fact, the only thing that wasn't a surprise was your complaint about the day that was chosen by the Queen," added Hermione.

In the gathering dusk both girls could see Harry frowning.

"Harry," May said gently, "only you seem to think that your birthday is something best forgotten. Your dragon doesn't agree, your Weyr doesn't agree and the two women that love you don't agree."

Harry skidded to a halt and stared at her with a shocked look, then he glanced over at Hermione, who echoed May's determined expression.

"Harry," May said in a harsh tone, "do you think Hermione or I would go out with a loser? Or have children with such?"

He shook his head. They were too smart for that.

She stepped closer to Harry and touched his cheek, "Then believe in yourself like we do."

"She's right, Harry. I know it's hard, thanks to your aunt and uncle, but if you can't believe in yourself, then believe that we know your worth it," Hermione added.

"Listen to your mates, Harry. They love you almost as much as I do," Chekiath added.

Harry looked down and fought against the rush of emotion that swept through him. No one had ever considered him worth anything before. He wanted to wipe away the tears that threatened to fill his eyes, but he refused to let them fall. Hermione reached out and took his hand in hers, a moment later May took his other hand and together they resumed their walk to his quarters.

It had been a very long day. After returning from the PM's office, Harry had called for an all hands meeting of the Weyr and they spent near another six hours discussing what needed to be done. Harry had handed out jobs like candy and his list of things to do expanded by over a full page of items.

Susan Bones had been put in charge of the physical Weyr, here and at Disko island. She already had that position from earlier, but Harry told her that they were relying on her to make the Weyr sparkle. She was told to find enough people from the Wings to assist her, as well as using the elves.

Lee found that, even without being capable for flight, he had picked up the Weyr Public Affairs office with Mariah as his second. Lisa Turpin was asked to continue training as Weyr healer and told that if she wanted, the Weyr would happily fund her going to a mundane medical school. Issac mentioned that he could sign her up for emergency first aid courses that would increase her ability to help in the clinic.

Magical medicine, however, would have to be done on her own, since they couldn't figure out a way around the apprentice system used by magical healers.

Millicent Bulstrode and Wayne Hopkins were asked to put together an office to monitor all of the scientific research being performed, both here and at Condron. They were tasked with preparing a report each month to the Weyr council on the state of the research and it's applications.

In fact, by the time the meeting was over, six long hours later, the Weyr had been completely reorganized. The wings had remained fairly untouched, but jobs had been handed out as people threw out ideas of what could be done during this event.

The other critical discussion concerned the private lives of the riders and magic. Both topics were off limits and Harry made it painfully clear that anyone violating that rule would end up painting the new fence with their toothbrush.

The meeting excited and galvanized the Weyr. Many of the normal riders were looking forward to the freedom that going public would provide them. As May put it, she'd like to be able to go home for Sunday dinner with her family once in a while and not have to worry about someone seeing them. It was a sentiment that a lot of the normal riders had and one Harry could sympathize with. After May spoke up and several echoed her comments, Harry promised that he would do his best to see that it happened.

Privately, he wondered if his mundane riders would discover the same thing as his magical riders. There was no going back for all of them. Their families would still be their families, but friends and old school mates would have no common frame of reference with the riders. Harry would work to enable them to discover that for themselves. It was all he could do.

Mariah stood up and flatly told everyone present that if Harry promised it, she knew he'd deliver it. That ended the meeting on a high note, with the riders eager to work very hard for the next three months because they knew their Weyrleader would be there right alongside them.

Harry stepped into the house and immediately kicked off his shoes and sighed in relief. Dobby appeared and removed the shoes, depositing Harry's slippers in their place. "Dobby, there are days I don't know what I'd do without you," he said, slipping his feet into his slippers.

Both girls exchanged a smile. This was a habit of his that basically signaled that Harry was off duty. There were nights when he was taking one of the night shift patrols and he would then go to his desk to study or work on Weyr business while he waited for the time for him to leave.

Harry walked over to the couch and sat down. "I know there was a lot to discuss today, but there's still one more issue."

May poured herself a cup of tea from a pot that Dobby kept always ready. "Oh?" she sat in a chair across the coffee table. Hermione moved to sit on the couch.

"What issue?" asked Hermione.

"I asked Sirius, just in case mind you, but I had to be sure. He said it wasn't possible, then he said to talk to the Irish. Seems they have some druids that don't care. The problem is it's still not legal or anything," Harry blurted.

"Goodness, Harry, what are you talking about?" exclaimed Hermione.

"Marriage," he whispered.

Hermione and May stared at him for a moment, then looked at each other, astounded by his answer.

"Harry," Hermione said softly. She wanted him to explain. It was a topic that she was coming to think would be impossible for her. "Take a deep breath, then start at the beginning."

Harry looked at her, then glanced at May, who wore the same, extremely interested, look. "I got to thinking. Chekiath has taken Trath and Comaloth as consorts. It's like they're married, right?"

He paused and looked at the girls who conceded the point. "Well, I know the muggles don't allow a guy to marry two girls, so I asked Sirius about the wizards, but they don't allow it either. The closest thing they have is unacceptable in my mind. Both the concubine and mistress bonds are cruelly restrictive and demeaning to women and I won't allow either of you to undergo that. Then Sirius said that the only thing that could possibly work would be to find a druid priest or priestess. They have a handfasting ceremony which they perform. No one recognizes it, but it would be a match of equals."

Hermione leaned back and eyed him carefully. "I see you've thought about this, but you haven't said why this is important. I don't think May has been pressing for marriage and I know I haven't. So why are you?"

Harry winced and May shot Hermione a warning look. "I just thought it would be something you girls would want. Isn't that what people who love each other do? And it would mean any kids would be Potters. I'm sorry if I was presuming."

He looked down at his lap and Hermione moved closer to him. "Harry, I'm not saying it's a bad idea, but I think even May will admit this is a surprise to us. I was figuring we'd never do something like this."

"Even with this service, it's still illegal," May offered.

Harry looked up. "It is, but it wouldn't be illegal where it counts," he said, thumping his chest. "I want us to be one family."

"One of us could marry you," May said softly.

"No," exclaimed Harry. "That wouldn't be fair to the one that I couldn't marry. At least this way we could have a ghostly marriage."

Hermione frowned for a moment, then she laughed softly. She looked over to May, "He means spiritual," she said.

Harry nodded and flushed at the wrong word. May's confusion vanished and she nodded. "So what your suggesting is a service that no one will recognize legally but it is more for ourselves than for anyone else," May offered, then she paused and spoke a little more clearly. "And I suppose if one of us pushed for a formal marriage you'd refuse?"

"I would," Harry said firmly. "It wouldn't be fair to the other one."

"Hermione, do you know anything about these druids he's talking about?" May asked.

Hermione frowned. "Not much. There's a small but significant minority of people in Ireland that claim to be druids. Their faith is fairly straightforward. There is a Goddess who is the mother of all creation and a pantheon of other deities. It's very benign and tolerant for a religion. I admit I haven't looked at it very closely. I was brought up Catholic."

"Church of Scotland here," May said.

Harry shrugged. "The Dursley's went to church but I don't know what type and they never took me along. I don't even know what religion my parents followed. Honestly at this point I'm not sure about any religion."

Both girls frowned at his comment.

"Well, that's a conversation for another time," Hermione declared. The fact that Harry seemed to be uninterested in religion bothered her only because it was a reflection on his childhood and the lack of a caring environment. "I'll look into the Druids, but I personally don't see a problem with their service. Any mainstream religion is going to demand to see a marriage license before performing a service."

All three fell silent considering what Harry had brought up.

Harry felt like he might have overstepped himself by bringing the topic up. It was time, he felt, for him to make a hasty retreat. He stood. "I'm going to go take a bath. All this talking today has left me all tense. A hot soak will help with that."

After he left the room, May turned to look at Hermione. "That was abrupt."

She nodded. "He's uncomfortable," she explained. "No doubt you've noted he gets fidgety when talking about his feelings. I think he feels like he may have made a mistake bringing up the topic of marriage and now he's worried we'll be angry with him. He may even think we're angry because he presumed we'd be interested in a marriage with him."

May sank deeper into her chair. "Well, it was a surprise. I'm going on sixteen. I never imagined marrying this early."

"You also never imagined being bonded to a sixty foot long dragon who's decided who her mate will be for life," Hermione replied dryly.

"Touche," replied May. "I didn't. None of us did."

"Our problem, May, is that we keep forgetting Harry the Weyrleader. We've seen him look at an issue and immediately jump to the natural conclusion of that issue, then look at how to accomplish it. He just applied the same ability to his personal life."

"But marriage?" May countered.

Hermione shrugged and looked at her. "It is a natural result of being in love with someone. That there are three of us only complicates it, but it doesn't remove the result. He wants his children to be Potters and he wants us to be Potters. The one thing Harry wants above all other things is a family that loves him. His parents are gone, his family is gone. So, in his mind, that means he'll have to build one from scratch. This solution he found might be the only acceptable way, or there may be others, but the simple fact is, like he said, it's illegal in most western countries.

"Even with our autonomy we can't simply declare it legal in the Weyr. We're still answerable to British law, for the most part."

Hermione paused and frowned again. "I think this is going to become a big issue for the Weyr. Right now there is just one other triple in the Weyr, but it looks like there will be others," she said with a shake of her head, then she pushed a strand of hair out of her face. "Keeping track of children and making sure that they don't mate with the wrong people is going to be a nightmare. Harry may need to start keeping records of dragon and human breeding just so we can avoid any problems."

"But marriage?" protested May again. "I want him, Hermione, and it appeals to me, but I'm not even sixteen."

Hermione smiled. "You'll note that Harry didn't mention any sort of time frame. If I know him, he's thinking about what will happen in a few years. The only way it would happen sooner is if one of us got pregnant. I think I know him well enough to know he would insist on it then."

May smiled at the thought. Pregnancy wasn't an option, now that all of the girls were using a potion approved by St. Mungo's. Doctor Sheppard was the one who pointed out that the potion had been tested by normal women and squibs who had married wizards and it was known to be effective against unwanted pregnancies for up to a full year. When the girls heard that, they all wanted a dose.

May relaxed a little, then she looked at Hermione with a concerned expression. "Do you really think he believes we're mad at him?"

"Knowing Harry, very likely. I think that deep down he still thinks he isn't good enough to love. Unfortunately, he caught us by surprise and our reaction wasn't exactly encouraging," Hermione said, gazing towards the bedroom and it's attached bath. She was unsure of what to do about it.

May leaned forward in her chair. "Sometimes I swear he isn't the only one who is dense about love," she said pointedly, then she shook her head. "Why are you holding yourself back? You want him as much as I do. The simplest way to get past this point is for one of us to go join him in the bath. So go, join him tonight and stop fighting it."

She glanced at the wall clock. "It's half past nine now. I have an exam tomorrow that I need to study for. Go to him and stop holding yourself back. Just remember to do that silencing thingie on the bedroom and be dressed or at least mostly dressed by midnight. I may be willing forgo having him tonight, but I like his warmth at night."

Hermione stared at her in astonishment, then she slowly stood and squared her shoulders like she was bolstering her courage. "I will," she said firmly. She knew Harry would be a gentle lover, it was time.

She walked into the bedroom and shut the door behind her. May laughed softly, then stood and walked over to her bag of books in the corner and picked up the bag.

"They are both stubborn people," Trath said gently, "but I think you did the right thing. She needed a push."

May nodded. "I know, but tomorrow night he's mine." She smiled at the thought and hoped that between them, they didn't wear Harry out. She was certain Hermione was about to discover that reading in bed was now her second favorite bedtime pastime.

"And now we are complete," Chekiath added. "I don't understand this marriage thing. But I do understand that Harry suggested it because he felt it would make both of you happy. He wants very much to make you both happy."

May smiled and sat down on the couch, then pulled a book from her bag. "I know Cheki, but he makes me happy even without that. I was just surprised he brought it up," she replied, then she made a mental note to remind Harry that he needed to enlarge the stall to allow for the other two dragons. Right now they were sleeping on the roof of the house.

May opened her book and started to read. If she could pass this particular test, she would qualify for the first of a series of advanced biology courses that would mark the start of her journey to become a true Weyrhealer.

The Wand and the Dagger, Knockturn Alley, April 20th ...

Carlos slowly paced in the sitting room of the rented suite. "Three of them, Alberto?" he asked.

"Si, signor," replied the burly Alberto. He had been tasked with watching one of the cells run an operation that would have allowed them to steal a large amount of gold bullion from the muggles, but the aurors had turned up just moments after the robbery began and quickly captured three of the five man team. The only good news was the fact that the team leader wasn't among the captured.

Carlos had money, but it was money that could have been ultimately traced back to his employers. Stealing the gold would have give the group a source of money that couldn't be traced to anything but a robbery.

Carlos turned to Anna. "Well? What do those finely honed instincts of yours tell you?"

Anna leaned back on the day bed and watched him for a moment longer. "We have a spy in the organization. Either Smith has betrayed us, or someone else has. Who knew of his mission? This was the first I heard of it."

"The team leader and the central planning committee," Carlos said. "And myself, of course."

Anna frowned for a moment, then she looked up from her position on the day bed. "Seek out the spy. Start with Smith, since he so conveniently managed get away. He's a liability at the moment," she pronounced.

Carlos nodded and turned back to Alberto. "See to it. If Smith isn't the spy, eliminate him. If he is the spy, bring him to me," he ordered.

"Si, signor," murmured Alberto with a broad grin, then turned and exited the room.

"Alberto is most adept at ferreting out spies," he murmured. He clenched one fist and scowled. That arm was weaker than used to be. The damage to his shoulder also impacted his arm and it resulted in a noticeable loss of control and strength. He hid it from his underlings, but he was unable to prevent Anna from noticing. She had nursed him back to health and even helped him work in recovering the use of the arm.

"You're not giving yourself enough time, Carlos. It will get better," Anna murmured. She stood and loosely tied her robe closed, then she walked over to the bar and poured Carlos a drink.

She handed him the goblet and gave him a quick smile. "It hasn't even been a month since the attack," she said, then she sat down and casually crossed her legs, ignoring the way the robe opened to reveal far more than her thighs. "What will you do about the spy?"

"Kill him, of course," Carlos replied with a shrug.

"No," Anna said firmly.

"No?" He echoed, looking at her incredulously.

"Killing him is too easy and doesn't send a powerful enough message," she replied. "You want to make a point, both to the people employing the spy and to the people working for you. Kill him and in a week no one will remember his name. You want your people to shudder in remembrance of what happened to the spy every time they consider the idea of betraying you."

He stared at her, but he could see she was serious. "So you think I should leave him alive?" he said slowly, trying to wrap his mind around the concept.

"Just like Bunniford was alive when he last left this room," she said reminding him with a smirk. "Oh, he didn't stay that way, but it made a strong point on your people. This time you need to make a stronger point."

He nodded slowly. "Yes, I think I can see what you're saying. What do you suggest as a way of making this point?"

"A dose of Living Death potion, followed by an enervate. That will wake up the mind and keep the body in stasis. Then stick him in a coffin and bury him," she said offhandedly. "Let Alberto know he's free to tell the others what happened to the spy."

Carlos shuddered back from the imagery. Paralyzed by the potion and not needing to eat or even breathe, a person could last decades in the stasis created by the potion. But with the mind awake, it would drive a person mad! The mind would quickly start hallucinating just to make up for the lack of stimulus from the senses.

"You do have a certain flare for the dramatic, my dear," he said smoothly.

She raised a glass in a mock salute and continued to watch him.

"Is there anything else you need me to change?" he asked with a hint of amusement.

She frowned. "Well, recruitment is down because the people seem to be supporting the government. They may not be singing their praises, but word on the street is the people are more impressed with the new Ministry than they were with the old one. Perhaps it's time to make a bold move to bring more attention to our cause? Something daring; something like assassinating the muggle they placed in charge of the ministry?"

Carlos walked over to the window looking out over Knockturn alley. Few would believe that the dingiest and foulest of the bars on the alley had luxury suites for their real clientele. "A bold move indeed," he murmured. "And a very risky one, my dear. Perhaps I should let you plan and execute this effort, hmmmm?"

He turned to face her, watching her carefully.

Anna blinked and paled. "Carlos, I'm no fighter. I could perhaps help devise a plan, but my wand work isn't good enough for this. If you want him assassinated quietly, I can do that, but what you need is a high profile attack to attract attention to our cause and my methods won't achieve that goal."

"Yes, you prefer more subtle methods, like your fondness for poisons and potions. Very well then, we shall see. Perhaps we can use this to test the loyalty of our central planning committee."

Anna relaxed slightly and Carlos gave her a leer. "I guess I'll have to find other ways for you to be useful around here, my dear."

She shifted slightly, knowing it would further open her robe, giving him more of a show. She knew exactly what he meant. He used her for his pleasure and most of the time for hers as well. "I am yours to command, Carlos," she said huskily.

He strode over to her and grabbed her roughly by her hair, kissing her deeply for a moment. "See that you remember that, Anna," he said softly. "It would be such a shame for a pretty little thing like yourself to find out you've been entombed in a box for eternity."

Anna gasped and bowed her head submissively. She was in deep with Carlos and every time she made even the slightest bid for some control, he stomped on her hard.

#10 Downing Street, London, April 25th...

"Prime Minister?"

John Major looked up from the file he was reading and he pressed a button on his desk. "Yes?"

"Ambassador Enzhu is here requesting a meeting with you," said his secretary over the intercom. "He says he bears an urgent message from his government that cannot be delayed."

Major frowned. It was most unusual to come unannounced and it rarely signaled good news. Saying the message he bore was 'urgent' was very worrisome. He glanced at his appointment calendar and saw he could spare the time. "Send him in, please."

He released the button and a moment later the door opened to admit the Ambassador of the People's Republic of China to his office. Major stood and walked around his desk, hiding his frown. He hadn't been wearing his jacket and he hated appearing so informal. "Mr. Ambassador, it is a pleasure to see you again," he said smiling and offering his hand.

"Mr. Prime Minister, it is a pleasure, I just wish it were under better circumstances," replied Enzhu.

Major motioned for the man to take a seat, then he sat across from him. "Oh?"

"I know your government has been anxiously waiting to see what direction my government would go concerning the dragons and we do apologize for taking so long to make a decision. Premier Peng has opted for a position of non-interference for now. The Weyr that exists on our soil will be allowed to maintain its current status. Unfortunately, that is not the reason why I have come here today."

Enzhu reached into a briefcase and pulled out a file folder, which he passed to Major. "Colonel Jin Tan Mu was one of our most efficient and trusted security officers. Unfortunately, we now have reason to suspect that the man has gone rogue and in doing so robbed one of our embassies of a considerable sum of monies in UK Pounds and various other currencies."

Enzhu carefully avoided mentioning the missing counterfeit US money. Any government caught counterfeiting would have the entire world turn against them for undermining another government's currency.

"The colonel is acting from bad information. He was originally sent to Britain to locate something for us when he stumbled upon your Weyr. To the colonel, it looked like an attempt to militarize the use of magic, something which my government is strongly against.

"The colonel had been pressing our government for permission to attack the Weyr and now we fear that he has enough money to buy the supplies he needs, as well as hire mercenaries to support such an attack. You see, we have had problems with wizards in the past and he identified the place as containing wizards who appeared to be in military training. The Colonel's views on magic and wizards are a trifle 'extreme', even by our standards.

"My government takes a dim view of wizards in any military and deem them as a threat. Colonel Tan's plan was rejected out of hand for obvious reasons and he was reassigned to our Athen's office with the remit of cleaning up the corruption there. Given his record, we thought he would have done as he was ordered.

"When he failed to show up for his duty posting at the Athens embassy on April 10th no one thought anything of it. He was new in the posting and the embassy staff did not know the Colonel had never taken time off for illness. Two days later they sent someone to his quarters, only to find it empty. A search of his office revealed the funds taken, along with a number of other items. We fear, Mr. Prime Minister, that this rogue officer means to attack your Weyr, and having heard of some of the abilities of these beings, we have no wish to be their enemy."

The Ambassador had viewed the movie created by the Weyr for introducing the dragons and it was easy enough to read between the lines. The dragons might be peaceful and beautiful to look upon, but underneath their beauty lay a formidable power. The People's Liberation Army analysts were pouring over his report on the dragons and they were claiming there was cause for concern.

Major glanced up from looking at the file in alarm. He reached across his deck to the intercom and pressed a button.

"Sir?"

"Contact Lord Kennewick and Sir Basil. Tell them I need them here within the hour," he said, then he released the button and turned back to the Chinese Ambassador. "Mr. Ambassador, I understand the awkward position this puts you and your government in. Her Majesty's government is grateful for your warning."

Enzhu stood and gave Major a slight bow. "Thank you for your time and consideration on this delicate matter."

He started to turn, then he stopped and turned back to Major. "One thing, Mr. Prime Minister. I nearly forgot. My Premier instructs me to tell you that, while capturing this rogue officer would be nice, if the choice comes down to a matter of protecting the Weyr or capturing the man, kill him."

Major blinked in surprise, then he nodded. "Thank you, sir," he said quietly. That made life easier. The Chinese weren't going to make a stink about bringing the man back to China for justice.

Baju, Azerbaijan, Former Soviet Block State, April 25th...

Jin Tan Mu, former colonel of the People's Republic of China's Ministry for State Security looked at the boxes of AK47s and ammunition and nodded in appreciation. The smaller pile of SA-7s and Sagger missiles was less pleasing. The small, man portable missiles were harder to come by even with the glut of munitions on the black market.

When the Soviet Union fell apart only a few years ago, vast quantities of weapons and ammunition fell into the hands of the black market. Along with the fall of Russian communism, so went the values of it's people as they scrambled to find ways to earn a living. It rankled him that he was easily able to hire forty former Spetznaz soldiers for a few hundred British pounds a month each. It was a group that somehow had managed to stay together by performing odd jobs for the various criminal elements that now ran vast tracts of land within the former Soviet State.

The Spetznaz used to be the elite of the Soviet military, like the SAS of the British military or the Army Rangers from the US. And Tan had hired forty of what were supposed to be the most committed and dedicated communists, who were now reduced to contract killings and mercenary work just to earn a wage.

Thus far he had amassed a large room full of weapons and ammunition. This last shipment was merely the latest batch of weapons for his troop.

He was unaware of the havoc his disappearance from Athens was causing. He figured they knew by now, but he had a mission to protect the state and he'd use any means necessary to do so.

He grimaced and puffed hard on his cigarette, blanching slightly at the taste. It was one of the better brands he could get in this foul backwater country. Like so much else he was having to make do with the cast offs from the former Soviet Union, including terrible cigarettes.

He threw down his half smoked cigarette and viciously snuffed it out with his heel. He knew he was taking an enormous risk by his actions, but the fools in the Politburo were being short sighted. The British were training up wizards for their military and only he had the certain understanding of what danger they posed to his country.

Closing and locking the door to the weapons, he walked over to the car where Janus stood waiting. Janus was the leader of the mercenary band and a former lieutenant in the Soviet Army. Tan grunted in annoyance. Janus and his men needed a month or more of refresher training before they could hope to assault the British base. Janus knew of a place they could train. Running a lightening raid on a military facility is very different than killing a local prosecutor and his family for some mob boss.

"Let's go to the camp," Tan said sourly. "I want to meet the rest of your troop."

Janus nodded and slid into the driver's seat. "They are good boys who will do what they are told, but we may need to get more men if this base is as big as you say," he offered. He was used to people looking down on him and his men, as this strange Chinese man. It didn't bother him. As long as they got paid, that was all that mattered. And this Tan had money to spare and maybe more work from the Chinese. Tan promised that his government would be glad to learn of his efforts. It gave Janus some hope that perhaps communism wasn't dead everywhere.

Weyr Security Office, Campbeltown Weyr, April 25th...

Harry popped out of Between over Campbeltown and like usual the pair slowly spiraled for a few moments. He had gone to Maziang to pick up a translation of a dozen different potion recipes that Lobsang had his people work on. They had carefully cross referenced the ingredients using a standard Herbology book so that there would be no confusion caused by plants having different names.

He could have sent someone else to go pick up the manuscript, but he was tired of sitting and reading. He used the trip as an excuse to get out and away from the Weyr for a few hours. Lobsang had been keen to show him some improvements they had made to the Weyr and Harry was glad for the diversion.

"Look at the main gate. What are those doing there?" Chekiath asked worriedly.

Harry looked at the main gate then swore under his breath. "Land in front of the Administration building. I need to talk to Major Atkins."

When the guard force had been reinforced, Katherine had been pushed from her office in the small guard shack to a larger office in the main administration building.

"Yes, Harry," replied the dragon. Chekiath tilted and side slipped, then dove for the large building. Back when this was still an airbase, the administration building had been the largest building on base after the aircraft hangars. Now it was third largest, having been dwarfed by the new Weyr theater. And it would slip again if they ever built the block of Weyr apartments that were being designed.

Chekiath flared out and he came to a gentle landing. "Are you going to make those things go away, Harry? I don't like having them here," Chekiath asked worriedly.

"I don't like them any more than you do, Cheki. Either they go or we will," Harry replied firmly, then he slid lightly to the ground. He didn't need his ability to talk to all dragons to hear how unhappy the dragons were. It was like someone had laid a blanket over the Weyr, permeating it with a general sense of discomfort and fear.

The dragons knew how dangerous those machines were and they didn't want them anywhere near their home.

Harry walked into the building and headed straight for the Weyr security office. He had just entered and found a large group of people talking tensely. Sirius spotted him and shoved a message form into his hands. "Read that," he said.

The message was addressed to Major Atkins, outlining a detailed estimate of the threat against the Weyr, then gave notice that an armored brigade would be moving into the Weyr. The two heavy tanks at the main gate were merely the forerunner of a much larger force of heavy armor that the MOD felt would be necessary to defend the Weyr against attack.

"Damnation," Harry swore under his breath, then he handed the message form back to Katherine Atkins. Harry stared out the window for a moment, while the others remained silent, letting him put his thoughts together. Finally, he turned back to Katherine. "I do not want to turn the Weyr into an armed camp. I want those tanks removed at once! We have a whole regiment moving in next door. They're already occupying the barrack buildings. We'll increase our air patrols, but the presence of that regiment and their firepower should be able to come to our aid in time, right?"

Katherine frowned. "My guard force is good enough for a stopping a couple people, but we're not set up to handle a coordinated attack by professionals," she replied, waving the message and its threat estimate.

"And that new regiment can't help?" he asked incredulously.

"They can," replied Katherine patiently, "but it will take time for them to get armed and get into position. If I have to deal with a group of trained mercenaries like the MOD thinks, we could be wiped out to a man before the SAS gets here and they are only next door."

"We're going to have to take that risk. I cannot prepare the Weyr for a public unveiling only to end up showing the press that the Weyr is an armed camp. I've seen some of your precautions and frankly I don't like the idea of parking two tanks near the main gate. Chekiath and the others are already uneasy with their presence."

"Harry, try to be reasonable," Katherine said, trying to placate him, "they are here for your protection."

Harry stared at her for a moment longer. "Fine," he said. "Chekiath?"

"Yes, Harry?" replied the dragon who was currently perched on the roof of the building.

"Summon in all the wings and detached dragons. We're evacuating the Weyr and the country."

Harry turned to face Katherine. "You forget what we can do and you forget who we are. Dragon riders will not cower behind your troops, nor will we allow our home to be turned into an armed camp. The Weyr is dragon rider territory. The day when another nation occupies our territory is the day when we've worn out our welcome." he said angrily.

A sudden shocked silence filled the room, then the others could hear Cheki bellowing from the roof. His cries were returned by dozens of dragons bellowing back in response.

Harry looked at Katherine and shook his head, then he turned to Lord Mills. "Lord Mills, the dragons do appreciate all you've done for us. At this time, however, I find the Weyr is unable to maintain its relationship with the British Government. We can always be reached via a dragon at Condron or Maziang."

Harry spun on his heel and walked briskly from the room. leaving Sirius and Remus glaring at the others.

"I told you he wouldn't accept it," Sirius said tensely. "Come on, Remus. Looks like we're going camping again."

James sighed and shook his head. The message had been well meaning, but planned by people that had no concept of the dragon riders or what they would accept. "I'll call the PM's office. In the meantime, I suggest you remove those tanks at the gate and send a message up the line that no tanks will be allowed inside the Weyr. As soon as I'm done talking to the Prime Minister, I'll talk to Harry and see if I can calm him down enough to listen."

Katherine nodded unhappily. She had been willing to allow the extra fire power onto the grounds because she knew she couldn't hold off an organized assault for long without help. She was also unhappy because she had forgotten the dragons and what they could do. Small arms fire might hurt a dragon, but wouldn't kill one, and with their ability to flame a target, the Weyr could easily fight off an armored assault. She had allowed the MOD to move heavy armor into autonomous territory. It was an act that other countries would go to war over.

Lord Mills caught up with Harry ten frantic minutes later. He stood in front of hangar two, where he was discussing the move with several riders. He wasn't surprised to see that most of the riders seemed to be in agreement with Harry's decision, even if they were unhappy with it. The dragons didn't want the tanks there and that was good enough for the riders. The wing leaders and seconds were standing around Harry and he was explaining something to Ronan when James approached. The other riders were all nearby, looking resigned to the sudden turn of events.

"Harry, can I speak with you?" he asked.

Harry glanced up from his conversation with Ronan and held up a hand to stay his second a moment. "Yes, sir?"

"I've spoken to the Prime Minister. He wants me to assure you that who ever cut those orders did so without his permission. He agrees with you totally and has promised that he will personally tell Lord Kennewick to remove the heavy tanks," James said. "Please, give us some time to work this out. We'll find a solution that everyone can agree with. For what it's worth, the PM agrees with you. Placing heavy weapons in the Weyr would definitely send the wrong kind of message."

Around them the noise dropped off as the riders and dragons listened intently to Harry and Lord Mills.

"Harry, the big machines are moving towards the science buildings," Chekiath announced.

"Major Atkins asked them to relocate there while they wait for their transport trucks," James said quietly.

Harry glanced around. A large number of his riders looked at him hopefully, then he settled on Ronan, his wing second. "Ronan? What do you think?"

Ronan grimaced. "We can always move later if we had to. The tanks are leaving. That's all that matters now. I say we stay."

Harry nodded and glanced towards Draco, Marty and Abbey. One by one each echoed Ronan's comment of "Stay". As they spoke, James felt the knot in his belly unravel a little bit more.

He looked around at the faces of his riders who all looked relieved. "All right, we'll stay, but we need to talk about this. Everyone meet at the theater in twenty minutes," Harry said.

James smiled and leaned closer to Harry. "It was a good move, lad, and you woke up a few people who needed waking up."

Harry shook his head. "I'm torn, James. I don't know if it's a good thing or not. But the dragons did not like those tanks. Now I have to tell the riders that we're not only working to go public, but we're also working to protect ourselves against a possible attack by a nutcase who scared someone at the Ministry of Defense enough to send us tanks. The message didn't give details about this guy, but someone is obviously very concerned.

"We just got rid of the wizard threat in Britain, now this? When do we start having normal days where the only thing we have to worry about is a misaligned scale or making our quota of hot rocks?"

"It won't always be this way," James said soothingly. He knew Harry had a valid complaint. The Weyr seemed to be confronted with one obstacle after another. "But you're building something completely new. It would be unreasonable not to expect a bumpy ride for the next few years."

Harry nodded unhappily, then he shrugged. "I better head over to the theater. We chased the tanks away, now we have to beef up our own patrols. Would you ask Major Atkins to join us? I'm afraid I was pretty hard on her."

James chuckled. "You were no harder than you should have been. These are your people and you have to look out for them. They expect you to protect them, and that's why they follow you."

Harry looked thoughtful for a moment, then he turned and started walking towards the theater. It and the kitchen hall were the only places large enough to hold all of the riders now. As he walked, May fell into step on his right and Hermione on his left. Without thinking about it, he reached for both of their hands.

"I'm sorry," he said suddenly, surprising both girls, "but I couldn't let them move those tanks into the Weyr. I don't even know where we would have gone."

They walked a bit further in silence, then Hermione said, "I know it bothers you, but everyone knew you'd fix it. We went to Major Atkins to protest the tanks while you were at Maziang. She wouldn't listen to us."

Harry slowed a little and looked down. "I stomped on her really hard. I know why she's worried but tanks won't solve anything and create so many other problems."

"I'm sure she understands that, Harry. She won't hold it against you," May replied.

Harry grunted, then he released their hands and opened the door to the building for them. "I hope so," he muttered. "I think Sirius and her are getting very serious and I would hate to cause any problems with that."

He waited until they entered, then he followed them in. Someone inside the building was turning on the lights, as the riders filed into the seats. Harry walked up to the stage and climbed the short steps. He moved to the podium that was on one side of the stage and waited. The wing leaders and their seconds sat in the front row. Once the riders were seated, others from the Weyr - Lord Mills, Sir Robert, Remus, Sirius, Doctor Sheppard and others - filed in, also taking seats.

Harry spotted Sirius and Katherine entering and he waved for them to come down to the front. Satisfied that everyone was present, he walked over to a white board and drew a crude outline of the Weyr, then he placed a series of XX's against one side of the outline.

"Thank you for assembling today," he said softly. "I'm sure that you're all confused by what just happened. I will do my best to try to clear up the confusion, but first, Major Atkins, I apologize for my rude behavior. I realize that you are concerned for the safety of the men under your command and believe me when I say I can empathize with that sentiment. The Weyr shall do our best to protect ourselves and your men.

"However, the dragons of Campbeltown have first hand knowledge of what those machines are capable of doing. This is dragon rider territory. It's not much, but it is ours, and dragon riders will protect it. If the time comes that the Weyr feels it could benefit from such help from our hosts, we will ask for it. Your security force does what it was originally intended for, keeping out the random intruder and it's done a very good job of that," Harry said.

Katherine nodded and gave him a weak smile in return.

Harry returned her smile and Sirius gripped her hand tighter. Satisfied, he turned back to his riders. "Our host is very worried. They received a warning from the Chinese government that one of their military officers has gone and vanished after stealing a lot of money. The reason why they are so concerned is this same individual had proposed to lead an attack on the Weyr with the purpose of wiping it out, then blaming the attack on a terrorist group."

Harry paused to let that sink in. "This man is dangerous. So dangerous, in fact, that someone in the Ministry of Defense thought to send us tanks to protect the Weyr."

Lord Mills stood. "Harry, when I spoke with the PM, he told me that they are afraid he would use the money he stole to hire mercenaries to attack us."

Harry nodded thoughtfully. It was something that had occurred to him as well. "Ronan?" Harry called.

"Yes?"

"Do you remember when you went out and got a book about tanks so you could share the images with Garanoth, who in turn passed them to the other dragons?" Harry asked.

Ronan nodded.

"Can you talk to Katherine about what kind of guns he might be able to buy to use against us. With the dragon's eyesight, they should be able to identify a gun even from a thousand feet or higher," Harry said.

Ronan nodded and Katherine stood up.

"Harry," she called, "learning to identify a gun might help, but there are weapons that can be bought that would bring a flying dragon down."

Harry blinked and looked at her in shock. "Really?"

She nodded, "We know the dragons have an intense internal heat source. An infrared missile, such as the Soviet SA-18 or the American Stinger, are heat seekers and are man portable. Caught unaware, one of these missiles could easily injure or kill a dragon, I think. Something designed to shoot down a plane flying at more than twice the typical dragon speed could seriously injure or kill a dragon."

Harry fell silent for a moment and Marty Benson stood up. He was Wing Leader of Wing Two and, like Ronan, also interested in engineering as a career. He turned to Katherine. "Can these missiles be spotted? If so, wing pairs can keep an eye out and jump Between the moment a missile trail is seen."

Katherine nodded and looked a little more relieved. "That could work, but you'd need to practice the maneuver. These things are designed to catch a high speed fighter plane, so you'd only have a few seconds at best. I could ask the MOD if we can get a supply of smoke rockets we could use. That would give the wings a chance to practice safely."

"That could work, but I also want to coordinate the air patrol with Major Atkins ground units better. Can we get portable radios, like the ones used by the foot patrols? If we can, we can practice working with the ground patrols," Harry asked, then he paused and seemed to consider something. "Would the cold of Between interfere with these missiles?"

Katherine looked at Harry in surprise, then nodded. Getting radios in the hands of the airborne riders would be easy and it would give her a way of finding out what is going on. "I'm not sure about the cold, Harry. I'd have to ask someone, but I would guess probably yes. They home in on heat. Cold would obviously disrupt that. But the cold only appears when they appear or disappear, so I don't think it would be very useful."

Harry nodded thoughtfully and considered it further. "Katherine, please find out if the cold would interfere with the missiles."

He then gestured to the diagram on the white board. "The Weyr is roughly rectangular in shape. Along one side we have the new science complex and space for the new SAS regiment, which has already started to move in. Honestly, if anyone attacks from that side, they are going to end up fighting through a regiment of combined soldiers and wizards, right Katherine?"

Katherine grinned wickedly. "As our Yank friends would say, an attack through that camp would put someone in a world of hurt. I think I see what you're leading up to then. We only have to really worry about three sides."

Harry nodded. "Yes, that was my thought. We can concentrate on the three open areas and keep a basic air patrol in the direction of the new base," he said, then he turned back to the Wing Leaders, "In the meantime, we've been lax with our firing practice. I want everyone to get at least four hours a week on the firing range from here on. And no more going out on patrol and leaving your bandoliers behind. I want everyone armed when on patrol or out on Weyr business."

He relaxed slightly and smiled. "I know this is a real pain, especially when we're in the middle of planning to reveal dragons to the world. We shall handle it like every other challenge we've faced. And before you all think today is nothing but gloom and doom, earlier today I visited Maziang Weyr to pick up a special package.

"May, I have a list of the potion recipes that they have. Lobsang and several others carefully translated these into English and made sure to use English names for the ingredients."

May looked up and smiled widely. She had been pushing to get information on those potions. She was sure there was a fair amount of cross over between what they already had, but there might be some new ones also. She had conferred with the Maziang beast master who had specialized in dragons. Unfortunately, the man had never dared to get too close to them until recently. His one advantage was he was a brilliant animal healer, and was able to advise May on several occasions.

Harry glanced around then he said, "Unless we have other business, let's get to work."

Ronan stood again and Harry turned to him.

"Harry, most of us have seen the men following you around when you leave the Weyr without Chekiath. I've asked May, but she refuses to say why you suddenly have bodyguards." he asked.

Harry sighed and nodded. A hush fell in the theater and several leaned forward in their seats. "We have an unconfirmed rumor that one of the Russians we chased from Irtysh River Weyr has been trying to hire someone to assassinate me. It's unconfirmed, and we have no proof he's managed to hire anyone. Albus Dumbledore says he won't dare confront me directly and thinks this is the only way of satisfying his honor."

"Why won't he confront you directly?" asked Marty Benson.

Harry shrugged, "Albus says it's because he's a wizard."

Several of the magical riders nodded knowingly, while most of the others looked confused. Harry ran a hand through his hair and scowled slightly. "Look, it's simple. There are four classes of magical people. Normal people, or muggles to the wizarding world. These are people that have no real control over any magic. Normals can't see some enchanted objects or creatures. Squibs are very low powered people that can't harness enough magic to use a wand. They can see magical creatures like dementors, or ghosts. In fact, most ghost sightings are probably from people who are squibs and just don't know it.

"Then you have a witch or wizard. They can cast spells using a wand, enchant objects, do all sorts of magic. Finally, you have mages, basically witches and wizards with more powerful than usual. Mages are pretty rare. There are only a handful in Britain today. Our Russian friend is just a wizard."

Harry trailed off, not wanting to mention his status.

"And you're a mage," Ronan said into the silence.

"He is," Hermione said with a touch of pride. "And his 'more power than usual' is downplaying the fact that his power is a full order of magnitude greater than my own."

Ronan turned to look at her incredulously. "Ten times?"

Hermione nodded and Harry blushed then looked down, refusing to meet anyone's gaze. He hated being singled out as different. He didn't even like it when he was singled out as Weyrleader.

"Oh, do that stop that, Harry," Luna said from her seat. "You know it's likely that being a mage is what allows you to talk to every dragon. The first time you did that, I could feel the power behind your voice. I knew instantly what you were and I wouldn't be surprised if every Lord Weyrleader that comes after you is a mage."

Harry arched and eyebrow at her. "Lord Weyrleader?"

Luna smiled at him. "Well, why not? We have Lord Holders and holders, why not a Lord Weyrleader and Weyrleaders. It's as good a name as Supreme Weyrleader, or Supreme Gnizzle Leader, don't you agree? Each new Weyr may have a leader, but you are The Weyrleader. Even when the dragons mention you, you can hear them capitalizing the words."

"May calls him her favorite Stud Muffin Man, if you're looking for more titles for him," Trath announced suddenly to all.

"Do you want to know what Hermione calls him? She hasn't told him yet, but..."

Harry blanched, "Meeting adjourned," he shouted and all but ran from the room.

Behind him, the riders broke up in laughter, while May sunk lower in her seat and wished her dragon would learn some tact. Hermione stood and headed to the exit, intending to have yet another conversation about privacy with her dragon. She knew it wouldn't help, but that didn't stop her from trying.

Ronan fought against the crowd to catch up to Hermione.

"Hermione!" he called.

She stopped and looked around before spotting him.

"Look, Hermione, I know Harry glossed over the issue, but should we be taking more precautions to protect him?" he asked intently.

She smiled and shook her head. "I don't think so. Most of the time he's followed by Chekiath, Comaloth and Trath. Those few times when no dragon is with him, he has two bodyguards," she replied. "Besides, you know how he hates anyone making a fuss over him."

Ronan nodded. "Fine, but if anything changes, will you tell me?"

When Hermione nodded, Ronan smiled, then moved off to find Katherine.

From her vantage point just outside of the theater, Hermione could see Cheki and Comaloth near the Weyr firing range. Typical, she thought. He orders us to do more firing practice, then he starts doing it himself.

Near the range was an unremarkable sedan which was normally used by the DPG men watching Harry.

"I'm watching over him," Comaloth said privately, reading her uneasiness and reminding her that she was watching over the Weyrleader. "We can talk about privacy later. Besides, I think he'd like to know what you call him."

She smiled weakly, "You know me too well," she sent back to her dragon.

It had been a little over a week since she marshaled her courage and slipped into his bath that night. He had shown her that her first time was a fluke and helped her go to places she never dreamed possible. He loved her, and like he promised, when he was with her, he was totally with her. She couldn't imagine a life without him now, and was greatly looking forward to a point in a few years when they could hold a handfasting ceremony between the three of them.

Their private life was very different than what she had expected. The three would settle down for the evening, taking a late meal in Harry's house, rather than the kitchen hall. Then all three would study for several hours before Harry would retire for an evening shower. The two girls seemed to know between them what schedule they should maintain. Contrary to her father's belief, there had been nights where all three retired to sleep with both girls each taking a shoulder and talking softly between them until they fell asleep.

To her immense surprise, Hermione found the arrangement surprisingly satisfying. Harry never once requested any specific girl join him. The sole exception to that rule concerned birthdays and other special reasons to celebrate. Harry had told both girls that their birthdays he would do whatever he could to make the day special for them and he didn't care if it disrupted their schedule. Both girls were surprised by the statement and agreed it sounded like a good idea, although Hermione knew she and May would need to carefully consider what to do for Harry's birthday.

---

Author's Notes and Mockeries:

* Rune1806 questions why Harry would want a weyr in Japan when he's overlooking the fact that there are currently 2 unnamed Weyrs in Japan already. Not every country is going to get a Weyr. Harry needs to keep the population of dragons to a reasonable limit and in conversations with Sir Robert they came to the conclusion that roughly 10,000 bonded dragons, plus the unbonded would be the max limit. Currently there are roughly 8,000 to 9,000 non-bonded dragons and barely three hundred bonded dragons. The population will probably settle out somewhere in the range of 10,000 bonded dragons and roughly 3,000 to 4,000 non-bonded dragons. Japan gets a Weyr because it is easier to convert an existing old reserve into a manned Weyr than it is to build from scratch.

* Hebi R was so concerned about breast sizes that he/she wrote a review to proudly inform me that any exercise would likely reduce the cup size of a breast. Of course he/she is cleverly omitting the case in which pectoral muscles are being increased in size which can more than compensate for any size loss. Frankly breast sizes never really concerned me, I find any size appealing. On the other hand Hebi R's review to show off the size of his/her nits was deeply disturbing.

* Deiticlast offered a lesson in html so that we could provide you with a link instead of giving you the name, author and storyID and having you manually search for it. Deiticlast, believe it or not we do know how to insert html links. We choose not to because there are plenty of people reading this that still struggle with the searching feature of FFN. We provide enough information that they can search for it under multiple methods. Consider it a lesson in searching.

* Red-jacobson wrote, "Anyway, while I do like Hermione as a character, and agree that it was very much in canon for her to refuse to admit she did something wrong, I'm not really sold on the idea that she would be willing to join in a polygamous (if that's the correct word?) relationship."

Seriously Red. Have you looked at your OWN Harry Potter and the Hogwarts Harem The Rewrite?! You've got Harry/Multiples (Luna, Cho, Padma, Susan Bones, Pansy Parkinson, Katie Bell, Hermione, Fleur, many other girls) and you're going to complain about me hooking Harry up in an three way that doesn't include bisexual behavior. I think you need to look a little closer at home because if I can't get away with it, then neither can you.

* Autonomy is limited people. That means that the riders are still bound by English law just like a native American is bound by American Federal law. Harry cannot declare multiple marriages legal just because it suits him. Hell, the British are rather finicky about leaders making declarations about marriages. Henry the VIII did it all the time and look what happened to him! So no Harry isn't going to set a marriage law just because it benefits him.

* On a pleasant note, Wings is completed and work has begun on the final book in the series. That does mean that once the last chapter is released, you're looking at roughly three months before the next book starts to be published. Like Wings, I want to have at least 10 chapters ready before we start publishing. After this chapter there is roughly 6.6 chapters to go. That means it will probably end up being 6 more chapters.

* Recently we've had several complaints about people reading our stories straight through. These people have complained of fatigue, spousal anger, children starving, bills not being paid etc. Seriously, it's not our fault if you can't put the file away and get to bed at a reasonable time. Just set a limit for yourself and walk away when the time is up. Or not. Heck, ignore the wife, feed the kids to the pets and screw the bills, keep reading. Just don't complain to us about it.

And now for this chapter's recommendation.

Force Sensitive by LunaStorm

StoryID:7104491

This is a short, humor based story which really tickled my fancy. Harry discovers magic early, but thinks it's not magic, it's the force. Yeah that idea has been done many times, but LunaStorm took the idea in a totally different direction. It's a short tale, less than 5K and well worth the read. If you like the tale, drop a note to the author saying so and encourage them to keep writing!