Visitor chapter 52

Finally here again, and I do believe this is the longest chapter that has been written for this story as of yet. Thank you all for your reviews and votes. It was a tie between Harry/Marvolo and Charlie/Xaphia fluff with all other topics only having a single vote. One reviewer said there was too much fluff in this story and not enough plot or action. Agree? Disagree?

Enjoy


Things were going well for the Dark. The Order had grown small and tired, and the other teachers only stayed either because of loyalty to McGonagall or because they were spies of the Dark Lord such as himself… There had not been any changes in the past time, and yet, something was brooding. Perhaps it had been too silent on some fronts. Previously, he and Eyolf, the assassin hired by the Dark Lord, had had several talks, worked on plans together, or kept an eye out for each other, but he'd seen the man grow more distant and restless at the same time. He was up to something, and it couldn't be any good.

For all Sameer wanted to trust the man, who had been working mostly for the Dark side for years, Eyolf was still a member of the assassin's guild. He had been trained to kill ever since he was a small child, and months of sneaking around and spying could not be enough. Sameer agreed that the man's talents were wasted here, and he wondered if the Dark Lord had forgotten about the man and his potential threat. If he grew too bored, what would he do? He wouldn't turn on them as long as he was paid, but his contract would not run forever. Would they suddenly find a dagger on their throats?

The teachers were once again sitting together in the meeting room. Sameer and Ambrosius were discussing a particularly dangerous plant that Sameer wanted to use for his fourth-years, but his eyes kept shooting towards the dark corner where the assassin was observing everyone. He had also used his past days to keep an eye on Flitwick. Things between the small man and the other teachers had been tense since his outburst about the new society created maybe being for the better, and McGonagall had watched him like a hawk. Sameer thought it was a very good thing that even a teacher that was so Light could see the good in this restructured country.

Not everyone would be able to though. McGonagall, while usually very objective, believed too much in the ideals Albus Dumbledore had painted for her, and she had her own personal history with the Dark Lord that had made her incredibly averse towards him and everything he stood for. That people could change over time was something she did not even seem to consider. To her, he was still the same person as fifty years ago. Of course, Sameer had not known the Dark Lord from that time, but the man had changed a great deal since Sameer first came to work for him, more than thirty years ago. Potter also had a remarkable hand in that. He'd only seen the boy a few times, at the Dark lord's mansion and in Hogwarts, and he'd been impressed with how strong of a character Potter was.

Some of the other Elite Fighters, or Ef's, as they called themselves, had been much closer to the boy, and especially Devaki had gushed about him. The Ef's had fallen apart now. Their main job in the past had been to make sure the Minister of Magic was under their influence, but Fudge was dead and Black knew who they were. On top of that, several of them had died during the battles. Laveena, Alain and Dyanira had all lost their lives during the battle of France... Of their tight group, only he, Ryder and Devaki were left, and ever since her twin sister had died, Devaki just wasn't the same anymore. Ryder on his end was busy with regrouping the werewolves and also did not have time for contact. It was a shame, but their friendship had thinned.

''Are you alright?'' Sameer looked up to Ambrosius, whose face was creased with worry. ''You seem a bit out of it today.''

''Just a lot of thoughts,'' he truthfully said. ''Do you think... hmm, could we maybe go to my office?'' He really needed someone to whom he could vent his frustration, and Ambrosius had proven to be very trustworthy, and a good listener to boot.

''Of course.'' The man scraped his chair back and stood up fluidly, pushing back his night blue, heavy cloak. ''We could also go to my office, it's closer, and I had some great coffee delivered yesterday. You're not much of a tea-person either, correct?''

''Very true,'' Sameer said, laughing. ''I just never learnt to appreciate the weak watery taste of it. Lived in Britain most of my life but that's something I never picked up.''

''Don't feel too bad about it. Despite what the majority wants you to think, there are also native Englishmen and women who can't stand the taste.''

''Let us go then, I can't wait to taste some good coffee again.''

No-one looked up as they left or spoke to them. Most of the staff was caught up in their own work, thoughts or conversations. Only Eyolf might have looked, but Sameer was with his back to the man as he walked out and couldn't tell.

''Touchy subjects?'' Ambrosius inquired during their walk. Sameer hummed and threw a pointed look at the portraits that were lining the walls of the corridor. The other seemed to understand, having already removed all portraits from his own quarters, and kept silent. At the office, the man put his hand against the door, small tendrils reaching out of the wood to touch his hand. ''If anyone else tries to enter, they'll get poisoned by it,'' he explained. ''Recently installed it as students kept trying to break in. Don't worry, it won't do any permanent damage, but it knocks them out for a while like a powerful Stupefy.''

''Impressive,'' Sameer commented. ''I personally don't have much with plants. Grew up in a desert, so there wasn't much to study in the first place, Herbology least of all.''

''A shame, plants can be very interesting. They often hold more potent magic than other living creatures, but concentrated on one particular area. Plants are more alien to us than any other branch of life, but can support us, and in a sense, even understand us. Their sense of touch is stronger than you'd think, and some plant species can even communicate with each other over large distances.'' Sameer wasn't sure how to react on that. He did not have much knowledge of plants, and saw them more as decoration of the landscape. To go deeper into the thoughts and feelings of them was slightly out of his comfort zone. He would definitely not be eating vegetable pie today. ''Take a seat.'' Ambrosius said.

Sameer sat down as a chair shoved back for him. Ambrosius went through a side door, possibly to his private quarters, giving Sameer some time to look around. He'd been in the office a few times, but always very briefly. It looked much like his own, but was a bit less spacious and lighter in colour. A large glass-stained window on the wall opposite of the main entrance formed the centerpiece, through which many-hued rays fell, forming patterns on the furniture and ground. Plants were abundant as well, covering part of the walls and ceiling, and flowerpots stood chaotically on every flat surface. A scent of earth and flowers filled the room. He wondered why Ambrosius had not taken Pomona Sprout's old quarters, which was near the greenhouses and could obviously house more plants.

He also noticed a few photographs that were standing on the desk, family pictures of Ambrosius with a tall woman with brown hair, and a girl who appeared at different ages. The newest picture seemed to be a family portrait of the three of them together, with the girl looking as if she was in her teens. Odd, Sameer had not seen her at Hogwarts. Perhaps she went to a different school?

Soon, the smell of coffee mingled with the other scents, and Ambrosius returned, smiling as he saw Sameer looking at the pictures. ''My wife and daughter,'' he explained. ''It's a shame they can't be here at Hogwarts with me, but I meet up with my wife during weekends. My daughter is at Nachtalburg, a German school for wizarding and witchcraft. My wife and I both wanted a slightly more extensive education for her than Hogwarts offers, and Durmstrang is too far away. I cannot wait for her to come home at Easter.''

''Somehow I never really took you for a family man.''

''I don't speak often of them, because I found most teachers here can't relate as they don't have families, or even partners. I find it hard to juggle work and family life as well, but I love teaching and finding open positions is hard as most teachers keep their job for most of their life. There are not that many schools. I did teach at Merge school for underwater spellwork in the north sea to teach about aquatic plant life, but that was only a temporary job. Observing all those magical plants was a fascinating experience though. I still have some samples in tanks. If you'd like to see?''

''Some other time, maybe,'' Sameer said politely. ''I actually came to ask if you've heard anything from the Dark lord lately.''

Ambrosius instantly turned grim. ''Only as much as the newspapers tell everyone. I have not received orders for quite some time.''

''Don't you think it's strange? Hogwarts is the last stance of the Order of the Phoenix now. About a third of the staff is either dark or neutral though, and we could easily overthrow the others. I have always followed the Dark Lord, but his lack of orders is not making sense to me. He could have had this castle ages ago if we were allowed to do more than observe. Why wait so long and let the members of the Order grow stronger again? Why let them keep teaching the children a Light curriculum only, or worse, use them as a shield against the new world?''

''I have to admit I have spent many a thought on the topic,'' Ambrosius said. He sat down as well and made spirals in the steam coming from his mug. ''We could technically take the castle. However, what then? Firs of all, we'd lose two third of the staff at one go, and secondly, the trust of the students in us would be broken. They have grown up here. They look up to many of the teachers like parents. If we would sneak around at night and slit the throats of most of them, even the children of Death Eaters would disagree and cause a ruckus.''

''I suppose you're right,'' Sameer answered grudgingly. ''I just hate all the sitting around and waiting... Even at the Ministry, when the Dark Lord was assumed dead, I was always caught up in action.''

''I understand you completely, but there's not much we can do on our own without facing the Dark Lord's wrath after if he doesn't like it. I personally think he's waiting for summer to take over Hogwarts. For all his mercilessness, he values education highly, and would not cause distress in the middle of a school year, before the students have been able to take their exams. Even when he rose to power again, he chose the very last moment in the school year to do so. I don't think that's a coincidence.''

''You seem to have much knowledge of his motives, yet I can't remember you being on the Dark side for a long time?''

Ambrosius gave him an apologetic smile. ''Just like with plants, I like to study how people grow and act. The Dark Lord is a very interesting being, and before choosing a side in this war, I studied him carefully. That did give me some insight in how he acts and reacts on things. As a follower, I think it's much harder because you don't get the whole picture, only what he shows you. Ever since I started working for him here at Hogwarts, I find myself cut off from information, much more so than before. He has a way with words that make people follow him without question.''

''Not only word, actions as well,'' Sameer said, thinking of how he had been saved from being found by the assassin guild, but he did not elaborate on Ambrosius' questioning look. They sipped their coffee in silence.

This was one of the few people with whom Sameer did not feel the need to make polite conversation in order to quell the silence, and it did not so much feel as an absence of words, but a place for thoughts to wander. They could sit for hours just reading, or thinking, before bringing up a topic to talk about, and it seemed they both found that just as well. The Elite fighters had been his family, thrown together without real regard about how well they would get along, and they had made the best of it, forming a bond like blood, having to rely on each other in critical moments without room for lack of trust. He thought that now he had finally found what friendship was supposed to be. Not a dependency during life or death situations, but someone to get along with who had the same line of thoughts.

Not the whole castle was as calm as the two men enjoying their drinks in Ambrosius' office though. The girl's dorms of the Gryffindor tower were another matter altogether. There were only two occupants as of now, but they might as well have been a group of harpies. There was not much difference.

''Skeeter, don't you dare assume that-''

''Rita please, darling. I thought we went over that months ago.''

''I am not your darling!''

''Your blush tells me otherwise.'' The older woman grinned, perfectly white and sharp teeth blinking, even as Hermione stormed past her. ''What's the matter? You've been running from me for months, it's getting quite exhausting..''

''I'm not running from you,'' the girl muttered, even though Rita had hit the nail right on the head. ''I've just... been busy. And so should you have been! What about Dumbledore's book that you're supposed to write? All the 'deliciously evil things' he did, as you put it? You're supposed to be demoralising what's left of the Order and Dumbledore supporters with your book, not sitting around and stalking me. What are you even living off? You don't even have a job!''

''The Dark lord himself said that it is low priority no Dumbledore is dead anyways... And I don't have a need right now to get my position as journalist back at the Prophet, though I easily could. I have enough money for now, don't you worry about that.''

''I'm not worried. It's just no reason to slack off,'' Hermione huffed, while gathering materials to do her Arithmacy and Herbology homework. ''Also, you shouldn't be dropping in here in human form so often. You're lucky no-one saw you till now.''

''I would not be a very good reporter if I couldn't stay hidden well, my dear,'' Rita haughtily spoke. 'You don't really think my bug-form is my only measure of hiding myself? No-one will come through that door anymore when it's just the two of us in here.''

''As long as you don't stop me from leaving,'' the girl huffed, walking away to go down to the common room, leaving Rita behind. The woman never failed to infuriate her still. It seemed she was made to annoy Hermione and keep her from working. It didn't help that the smug smirks and sharp words always made her heart pound faster or made her face flush. She honestly still had no idea what to make of their conversations. They always ended up with Rita going slightly too far with flirting, and Hermione leaving before things got too heated. She had to admit that she had feelings for the woman, but by god, she did not know if she was ready for such a relationship.

She thought of Ron. Awkward and brave, too stubborn for his own good and horrible with timing, but sweet at times and always ready to share what little he had. She hadn't been able to contact him or Harry because the post of Hogwarts still got checked, despite the rules of privacy. She'd never forgotten how she had felt when Ron had professed his love to her -with the worst timing ever-. How it had made her heart bubble up. She had so desperately wished she could have gone with him then. But how would it be now, with Rita? There was just no comparing the feelings, as they were so different. Did she love either of them? She'd had a crush on Ron, sure, and despite her cold shoulder to Rita, she did like the attention of the older woman. It was too confusing, and she rather fled her emotions and gave attention to books or tasks, anything she could handle with structure and certainty.

She briefly considered writing Victor. While their relationship had not worked out, they remained good friends, and he was the only one she could safely write to, as he was not involved much in the war, as far she knew. As a previous champion and her ex, it also was not odd for her to write him, making his written correspondence something she always looked forward too. In his last letter he'd told her that his family had sold their previous mansion and moved to a larger city, while he was travelling with his Quidditch team. He'd thanked her for the books she had sent him -he dearly missed having a library at disposal- and discussed some theories about it.

That was something she probably would not have with either Ron or Rita... neither liked intellectual discussions. Rita liked gossip and fashion, Ron Quidditch and pranks... Why did she fall for people who seemed to have nothing in common with her? She somehow hoped Ron would have changed a bit. He was apparently the Dark Lord's strategist now and had fought in the Battle of London. Certainly that would have matured him a bit? If that was true, she looked forward to having actual conversations with him much more. She did not want a relationship purely based on emotions, that was just throwing yourself in the deep and hoping the feelings would stay as strongly, despite all the evidence towards the contrary in relationship research. It was the main reason why she had not given in to Rita yet.

She caught herself doodling on a piece of parchment, and cursed. She of all people getting distracted from homework! Hermione took a few deep breaths to concentrate and put her quill down for her essay on Jupiter's moons. While she was working though, she still felt her thoughts drifting to other topics, such as how annoying it was that she could not do anything else. Despite the Daily Prophet's articles, war was still raging, just not as visibly as before. Refugees were streaming in from other countries, colonies were erected for creatures, Muggles grouped together against wizards, and she was stuck at school. Negotiating with the Goblins had made for a thrilling change, even if they were annoying creatures who did not want to believe a word she said. Maybe there were others that could use her help. House-elves maybe?

But no... Once she had first learned of how house-elves were treated she had found it unfair, and she certainly had not seen the best examples with Dobby or Winky, but from what she'd heard of Harry and others on the Dark side who had seen more house-elves, they were quite content to serve ad generally well-treated. She could see there were larger problems... Maybe she could do something for other wizards and witches, other Muggleborns like her? There were bound to be Muggleborns among the refugees, barely knowing what kind of world they had entered before being hunted down and having to flee. The main groups helping the refugees were purebloods who did not know how it was to be Muggleborn, and who still had an overall prejudice against them as well -just look at Malfoy!- Yes... she had a few letters to write, although she'd have to be very discreet, and it would be dangerous. And of course, she'd have to hide it from Rita, before the woman would have something else to raise hell over.


''Welcome, welcome!'' a small, old man said, waving the Dursleys into the room. Petunia clutched her flowered purse close as she shuffled in, leaning against her husband, her eyes spying the whole room with practiced ease. It was the first time their own elite anti-magic group met with another one with same ideals, and sadly, the other group was hosting this meeting. Apart from the members of their own group, the 'Britain's First' movement, she could see a few cliques that had formed in the other. A table with elderly ladies, one with lower folk, a few gents in suits next to them, nipping wine and throwing dirty looks at their neighbours.

Vernon greeted the leaders of Britain' First, an elderly couple that ran several large shops all throughout Britain, and easily had the funds to run a large organisation. They sat down next to Martin and Marley, the two people they got along with most, and poured in some water for tea that was standing on the tables as they waited for the rest to arrive. Vernon and Petunia exchanged a glance, and Petunia nodded. She and Vernon had talked and finally decided to come clear about having had to take care of a wizard, although he would be named John and be related to Vernon instead, to not lay a connection with Harry Potter.

It had been a hard decision, but both believed that it would make others look up to them when it came to handling wizards. It was always good to alleviate one's status, even through less pleasurable means. Petunia had swallowed her pride in exchange for a possible higher position. Then maybe some good would come out of having had that brat in her house.

The doors finally closed, and Dale Richards, leader of the Anti-Magic Movement -a bland name, Petunia thought-, rose to speak: ''We all know what Britain has come to. We have fallen into the hands of our worst enemy, unnatural creatures who lurk in our midst and now try to control us! Fear rules this country now, along with the devil, whose snake-form became a symbol of this... 'new age'. We cannot take back control by ourselves, which is why we are extending a hand of friendship to the established movement Britain's first. Please welcome them!'' Polite applause followed his speech, while the members of both movements threw each other wary looks. ''Very well, I will give the word to Mrs Dawson then.''

Mrs Dawson stood after applying a last dash of powder to her cheeks. ''Thank you Mr Richards. Let us cut straight to business. We wish to discard of the vermin that is eating away the foundations of our proud nation. None of us saw until it was too late, and now they are everywhere, like a plague of rats. The government is not safe anymore, the hospitals aren't safe anymore, and even educational institutes have been taken over. We cannot let this continue, which is why we are here. To join forces and stick our heads together to find a permanent solution. whoever has an idea, rise one of the green cards that are lying on the tables.

Petunia eyed her card, a green piece of laminated plastic, and she hoped they were new. Suspiciously, she tried to find any signs of fingerprints or smudges on it, and was finally satisfied when she only discovered a single pair, possibly of the person who had distributed them. She instantly claimed hers, although careful to only touch the part of the card that was still spotless. After a few others had spoken she would raise hers, to not instantly claim attention.

A few cards rose, and Mrs Dawson gave one after another the word. Some had ludicrous ideas, from moving all normal people together and raising an army, to poisoning all known wizards. Both would involve an operation on a far grander scale than they had the means to execute, and the creatures could defend themselves better than they could, so open warfare was not possible. One person had a slightly better idea, having heard of something called the Assassin's Guild, comprised of both magicians and normal people, raised together and being open to hire to the highest bidder. She suggested using them as both groups had extensive funds. While not useful for now, the idea was stored for later. At the moment, they did not know if they could trust the Assassin's guild, even normal people being raised with them. Besides, they didn't have specific targets.

Finally, Vernon gave her a nod, and trembling slightly, she rose her card in the air.

''Mrs Dudley?'' Dawson said with a friendly tone when the last speaker was done.

''I do not have an instant solution, but I would like to have the word for a while and hopefully offer some insight. You see, Vernon and I have some... unwanted experience with magic. It shames us to admit it, but we were forced to raise a magical child like a bird would a cuckoo.'' she paused dramatically to gauge the reaction, panicking slightly as some seemed to become aggressive. ''My husband has distant family members,'' she continued in a slightly quicker, higher pitched tone than before.

''We did not know them well, but we always knew there was something off about them. Then, they died in a car crash, and it turned out that the woman had been a witch. We were their last living family members, and some of their kind came to our house at night, dropped their baby at our doorstep and wrote us a threatening letter of that we have to raise it, or else they would come for us. We tried to raise him normally, hoped he would not have inherited her freakishness, but at an early age he made our lives hell already. He could not be stopped, tormented my own poor son, and got in trouble with teachers. Once he even blew up Vernon's sister!'' She shed a few stray tears that were not as fake as she would have liked them to be. Her emotions were getting the better of her when she thought about how the boy had freaked out Dudley by pretending to do magic out of school, or how the teachers would write once again to them about another unexplainable stunt the boy had pulled.

''I know it may shock many of you, and we profoundly apologise for not admitting this sooner, but we wished to forget about it. The boy is gone now. He ran away with his little friends last year and Vernon and I tried to forget about it ever since. But for the good of our country, I felt we needed to remember. We needed to remember how their kind can even be evil at a young age, and cause a rot in good families. We needed to remember so we can aid our country with the knowledge we have. We know some of their laws, we know how they are, we even met some of their kind in rather unpleasant situations. Our own son needed to go to the hospital twice after a visit from those creatures. But it gave us inside information, and we would like to share some of that to maybe help find a solution to get rid of this evil.'' She took a deep breath and sat down, all shaky. A thunderous applause sounded through the room, and she felt Vernon's comforting arm being slung around her shoulder.

It was Mr Dawson who took the word now, taking the microphone from his wife and straightening the sleeves of his suit before speaking: ''Thank you Mrs Dudley. That was very brave indeed. I had no idea you had to endure such a thing, no wonder you and your husband are always so active during meetings. I would not know how I would be able to handle a situation such as yours. To have a wizard in your house for so long... horrifying. We would be glad for any information you can give us, if it is not too painful.''

Petunia gave a slight smile that she hoped looked brave. ''Thank you for taking it so well. There are a few things about wizards that you should know that have not come up before. First of all, they are with far less than they would let you believe, a few hundred, maybe a few thousand at best in the whole country, against millions of us. However, they can move around to another location in the blink of an eye so it seems there are far more of them. Secondly, children are not allowed to use magic out of school. They only had one school until now, which is somewhere in the north, and to which a train goes from something called platform nine and three quarters, from King's cross station. I have no idea how it functions, as of course there should be nothing in between platform nine and ten, but there is... As you may have heard in the newspapers, they are erecting other schools as well, but elementary schools. This one, Hogwarts, you may have heard the name in the papers, is the only secondary education currently available. I suggest we start there. Even those creatures grow old and die, they are not invincible. If we make sure they cannot be educated, or somehow control them, we control the future. The train to Hogwarts goes every first of September. I suggest finding the entrance to that platform, and finding the railway to and location of that school.''

''A very wise advise,'' Mr Richards spoke. ''I am impressed. This gives us a solid lead. There are however, other factors to think of. How is that school protected? Is it perhaps invisible to us? Can we even reach it through that magical platform or train? And how would we take control? We cannot lay siege on the school. The ministry, now ruled by magicians, has the army. They will not be defenseless. It is certainly worth looking into, but more on a long run. Do you know anything about key players we are unaware of? Important people among them that form more of a threat than others?''

''Well... that is hard to say. One thing I know is that Minister Black is only an accomplice, maybe even a puppet, of the one who led the armies when London was taken over. Voldemort is his name. He is a... very shady person, and while the newspapers mentioned him, he is bound to have more power than they make it seem. He is what they call a... a Dark Lord with extremist ideas.'' A memory of Lily flashed in her mind, together with the explanation the headmaster of that school had given them in the letter, followed by that gigantic man who had explained it once again. ''Even many magicians fear him. He is probably the most powerful of them all. Then there is of course Minister Black, who still does have quite a bit of power... and then there is...'' she hesitated, and looked towards Vernon, who understood what she wanted to say.

''Harry Potter,'' his deep voice said, sounding clearly. He's been in the papers too recently, as a star player of that sport of theirs. But that is only a front. He is in very deep, and works together closely with Voldemort. While he is young, he is extremely dangerous. Nearly expelled from that school even because he broke their rules.''

''How do you know the information about this person?''

''He was a friend of John,'' Petunia quickly said. ''John is the child we took in. Potter and he always got in trouble. There were rumours about that boy, that he actually caused the death of the same Voldemort who has the reigns now, and then that same Potter helped him back to power. I seem to recall that their newspaper wrote the line: '' Potter, famous for the fall and rise of the Dark Lord'' not so long ago.''

''So Voldemort, Black and Potter... Any others?''

Petunia thought or a moment. ''A person called Albus Dumbledore was also very powerful, but I think he died...''

''Yes, he did. We also received information about him.''

''Oh, and there is one more,'' she said, suddenly getting an idea. A deep hatred rose in her as memories flashed in front of her eyes. The one who took her sister from her, who insulted her, who excluded and ridiculed her.

''Snape. Severus Snape.''


Harry's mind was still whirling with all the sights of their trip to Peru, even days after. While the resort had been too glamorous for his taste, he still went to the library and searched out books about the ancient magical culture of the area, and read about it till deep in the night, having found a new fascination. It was on one of those days that Marvolo searched him out in the library, and draped a cloak over his body. Harry hadn't even noticed that his feet had turned into clumps of ice.

''Peru again?'' the man said, amused.

''Well, all our trips had to be for something right? You told me about magical cultures from all over the world now... in the Amazon rainforest, in Peru, Japan, Egypt... It seems to finally have gotten to me,'' he said, and smiled. ''And I can't stop thinking about our trips. It was really very impressive. When you took me up to the roof to watch the milky way... I never knew there were so many stars. It was... magical''

''That is an awful pun.''

''I know, I'm good at those,'' the teen laughed. ''Come on, lighten up. But really, I've taken an interest in older magic. So much of it seems to have changed, or forgotten even. I wonder how much of it can be revived again. Wouldn't it be amazing to have a course at Hogwarts that deals with magic from other cultures, or ancient civilizations? It's such a different way of using magic... I wish I could show Hermione all of this, she would be jumping for joy. Or maybe she's already read all of these books. I wouldn't be too surprised.''

''I would be. Hogwarts' library doesn't have these.'' Marvolo gazed at his collection with pride, letting his eyes wander over the shelves, most books bound in leather to show their age, others in much rarer materials. He had gathered them from all over the world and stored them in a hidden cellar in Riddle manor, now and then returning from his travels to store more books. By the time he'd risen to power, he'd had quite the collection already. Now, that had expanded even more, and they did not need to rot away in a cellar anymore either. Beams of moonlight fell on the books, illuminating the shelves, and he gazed at the dust that whirled slowly downwards to the floor.

''Hermione doesn't only get her books from Hogwarts. She has a subscription to several book shops, and always looks through their catalogues, of both old and new books. If there is one that Hogwarts doesn't have, she gets it.''

''Miss Granger is in that aspect a likable person,'' he said slowly, as Harry obviously expected him to say something to the topic of the Mudblood. He personally didn't really think much of her. She was smart, yes, but also nosy and ignorant of everything not written down in a book.

''I really wonder how she is...'' Harry sighed. ''Maybe I should find out.''

''I thought the mail to Hogwarts was checked? They are not letting anything through that has your magical signature on it, nor of anyone who is available here to write it for you.''

''I'm not talking about letters. Apart from training, I've been cooped up far too much and long again. I'd say it's time for another adventure, like the good old times. And this time not one that I roll into without choice, but one I choose for. I technically have the means to sneak into Hogwarts. I would really, really love to visit her again, and maybe some others a well, like Luna.''

''I highly advise against it,'' Marvolo spoke, already getting a headache when thinking about Harry throwing himself in danger again.

''Why? You know I can do it. I can use magic, I know the way... And if you come with me, hell, it'll be incredibly easy! I have a lot of experience with dangerous situations too.''

''And that is what worries me. Usually your adventures end in a lot of luck and narrow escaping on your side, but get me almost killed. Pardon if I'm not too pleased with the idea.''

''I'll use my cloak, and the passageway I've used before. Not even the teachers or Filch know those, it'll perfectly safe. Well, until we are actually in the castle. But you have Snape there. As much as I hate him, he is quite good at keeping other people away so we could use that. And then there's Eyolf and Sameer, and that what's-his-name new Herbology teacher... I don't think it should be too much of a problem really.''

''Apart from the fact that your cloak is barely large enough for one person, let alone two, all passageways end in Hogsmeade, am I correct? Most of the country has accepted that the dark has won, but Hogsmeade and its inhabitants have always had close ties to Hogwarts. There might be one or two people there who would tip off McGonagall if they see either of us strolling about the town.''

''Well, one ends in the Shrieking shack... you could apparate there. But that one ends in the Whomping Willow on the Hogwarts grounds so then we'd have to sneak into the castle from there...''

''Completely watertight plans, I can already hear our victory... shrieking out in despair as it's thrown through a Quidditch hoop.''

''Such trust. I've become better at planning you know..''

Marvolo highly doubted that. Harry had become a good fighter in the war, and had intelligent streaks of insight for certain, but he was not a tactician, and not one to plan ahead. Mostly he just jumped in and somehow he would make it. ''Maybe you should get Weasley's help with this. He's had a bit more experience.'' That would at least give one person who could plan ahead and think out a better strategy.

''Ron!' Harry piped up. ''How could I have forgotten? Of course he'll also wants to come with us!''

On the other hand, those two together also had their fair share of unfortunate events, like that time they took a flying car to Hogwarts. Or searched out Acromantulas. Or jumped into a sink to find a Basilisk. ''Never mind, forget I ever mentioned-''

''He's bound to be desperate to see Hermione again,'' Harry enthusiastically continued. ''I mean, they left on quite bad terms, with him professing his love and her nearly breaking his nose. He was talking about it just a few days ago and wondering what he'd do with it. That was when Ron brought madam Pomfrey here, remember? When I had all those blackout problems?''

He remembered all too vividly. Pomfrey was not so easy to forget, nor was suddenly having a Weasley in your house. Of course, the worst of it had been the blackouts, where Harry had woken up from ill and thrashing. ''You do not seem to have many problems with that anymore. I haven't seen you having any night-time fevers either for a long time.'' he noted.

''Well, therapy's been really good. Narcissa is amazing. If you want, you could come with me next time... see the progress and such. I also think that during the war I left it all a bit behind me. My time at the Durleys seems so far away... When I met Dudley, there was not really any particular negative feeling, oddly enough. Not sure how I would react to seeing uncle Vernon again, but it's been nearly a year now since you got me out of there, and through all the raids and plans, our dates.. and not to forget brilliant sex, it's slipped away in my memories where it can't touch me so much anymore.''

''That's good. That's very good. I'm proud of you, Harry.'' Harry knew his smile at that compliment was so wide it bordered on silly, but he didn't care and gave his fiancé a crushing hug. He rubbed possessively against the man and snuggled into him when his hug was returned. ''You're so affectionate today,'' Marvolo said, amused. Harry felt his face growing hot with that.

''I missed you, that's all. It's not often we spend so much time together as previous days. Peru was amazing, and now the prospect of going to Hogwarts together...''

''I have to admit, I'm still not certain how much I can promise with that. Wouldn't it be better for you and Weasley to go? I assume Granger would not appreciate having me stalking you while you're talking with her, and if Ronald wants to come as well, it'll be all the more difficult to get in unseen. Even with two people breaking in it will be hard to come up with a plan in such a short time, let alone three.''

''Remind me again how you got into Hogwarts last time?''

''With disillusion spells using the chaos of everyone arriving to sneak in. It's a completely different situation now. It's not a school inviting new students, it's a fortress and they have upped their protection more than even during the first war. It won't be easy. Sameer and Eyolf both reported alarm systems being installed, some specifically for the purpose of recognising known Death Eaters. If you want to sneak in, you'll need to do it during the day, and avoid places you usually went before, like the common rooms. There will be too much security, and even though you were never branded, I doubt they will have excluded you from the list of unwanted people.''

''Can't we just have Eyolf checking it and removing me from their security?'' Harry grumbled. ''What is he even still doing there?''

''Spying... to be honest, there is not much for him to do, but I keep him in Hogwarts under contract so he can't take any jobs from others, and to make it harder for him to be approached with potential offers. I do not currently have anyone I need him to kill that I can't do easily myself, but I don't want my enemies to hire the best assassin of Britain. I hope I will find a new job for him by the time the contract expires...'' Though there was not much he could think of. Having Wizarding Britain under control, and also most of the Muggles, it was easy for him to just delegate troops to kill legally, or twist laws if he did not like something. The only real enemies he had that could do anything were the remaining Order members situated in Hogwarts, but he could not suddenly finish those off for various reasons. There had been rumours about rebellions, but any groups that openly showed violence were just declared enemies of Britain and that was that. Subtle kills had not been necessary since magicians openly took over the country.

''I hope for you that when the time comes, he'll want another contract again,'' Harry muttered. ''He never really seemed happy with his job at Hogwarts, and you kept him there for a long time.''

''He wouldn't go against me,'' Marvolo sharply said. The thought alone was ridiculous. Why would Eyolf say no to the man that pulled all the strings in this country now? It would be suicide. On the other hand, refusing a contract was not a crime by any means, and Marvolo would get a significant amount of people against him -especially members of the Guild- if he tried to force the man or seek retribution after Eyolf had served him so often. It would certainly be a dilemma. ''No matter,'' he said, trusting in his own persuasive abilities. ''He's never refused me before, and he won't do so in the future either. As for your request, McGonagall or other teachers are certain to keep updating the security. Suddenly removing you from their list will be risky. If they notice, it is clear that you will come to Hogwarts, and that there is a traitor in their midst. You'll have to keep out of sight and hide yourself with your own skills. I suggest choosing the Chamber of Secrets or the Room of Requirement as your main hideout. Alternatively, you could try somewhere outside, like the forbidden forest, if necessary.''

Harry sighed and put his book away. ''Shame, it would have been easier for me. Well, I'll have to trust my map and cloak then. And Ron, of course. you sure you won't come with?''

''I'll pass on this adventure. I'll walk through Hogwarts again when the castle belongs to me, no sooner.'' Thinking of having to sneak through the building he still saw as his second home made his stomach clench. He would love to see it again: the hilly grounds with the forest looming at the edge of the lake; The glass-stained windows which the rain battered against; the vast ceiling that showed the sky in the Great Hall and the Slytherin common room with the soothing rushing of water, dark shadows now and then passing by outside. The castle that breathed life and magic... He could not wait until he finally owned it. He had not told Harry yet, but it was still his dream to teach. Black had proven that he could handle politics, and he could trust Lucius to keep Black in line. His own passion still lay in teaching and ruling on a smaller scale. He had achieved what he wanted with Britain. Now he just wanted to settle for a job where he had more direct oversight, and become headmaster of Hogwarts.

He wasn't certain why he had never told Harry. His love had shared his own dream for becoming a Quidditch player, and Marvolo had supported him in achieving that, just like he knew Harry would support him. Still, it felt a bit strange to tell someone of his own dream, especially as it was so much less than he had now. He was practically the ruler of the country, and had put everything on line to come this far, only to want to let other people take over and pull back for something far less grand... Even to himself it sounded odd, and it had thus also taken some time to admit it to himself. Perhaps he would tell Harry when the boy came back from his trip to Hogwarts... yes, that would be a good moment, after he had a few days to sort out his thoughts and choose the best words to approach the topic. It wasn't as if he wanted permission, he could decide what he did on his own, but he wanted to be able to explain his motives properly.

He moved Harry to sit on the chair himself, and pull his fiancé on his lap. ''Before you go off to Hogwarts though, didn't you say you made a promise to one of the other Weasleys? I will accompany you on that one.'' Harry's face lit up, one of the best sights in the world, and Marvolo was suddenly hugged very tightly while lips searched out his to crush against.

''Of course I didn't forget! I've been looking forward to it very much. The dragons were of such a great help to win this war, I can't wait to thank them myself. Everything went so quickly before that I did not have time to do so, only through Charlie. You appointed the Scottish mountains as their new habitat right?''

''Correct. I thought they would find themselves most at home there. Of course, the Muggles who had to move away were not incredibly happy, but most don't remember anymore, and the others are too afraid to really say anything against it. Besides, we moved their entire houses so it's not as if they had to give up their old life completely, just get used to a new environment and neighbours,'' he explained while Harry stroked his face with fascination. Marvolo hummed at the feeling and closed his eyes. ''We should head to bed,'' he finally spoke with reluctance. ''You won't get enough sleep otherwise. I have a bit of time to spare tomorrow, so we can leave then. I might have to return to London in between, but I trust you can handle Charlie alone for a while until I come back.''

''Of course. Thank you. He might also be a bit relaxed without you around to be honest,'' Harry grinned. ''You're his Lord now aren't you?''

''True that.'' He picked up Harry's book, marked the page and sent it flying back onto the shelves in the spot it belonged. ''That won't leave the library,'' he said sternly. ''You can continue reading when we get back. I am happy that you picked up a new interest though.''

Pouting slightly, Harry got up and undressed, to which Marvolo raised his eyebrows. ''We're not in the bedroom yet dear,'' he pointed out, but Harry merely grinned and twirled his underwear around his finger.

''I know, but it's much more fun to tease you all the way going there. I can sleep much better after a good round of you pounding me.''

''Last time you complained about not being able to sleep from a sore ass,'' the man dryly said.

''That was then, today I am very horny and I don't care if I regret it after.''

Marvolo gave a rueful smile. ''As you wish. Bt you won't be the only one teasing,'' And with that, he vanished his own clothes, dearly hoping there were none of his followers out on a midnight stroll through the house.


Living with dragons was amazing, he thought. As a Dragon keeper in Romania, it had been great too, but he'd been frustrated at the distance, and felt sorry for that they had to lock these amazing beings in cages. Now, it was a totally different world, living with a full herd of all kinds of dragons in a mountainous area of Scotland. There was so much to learn and see and there were hardly any downsides to it. Everything was perfectly harmonious.

Or well, as harmonious as it could get with over fifty gigantic dragons living at one place. Sure thing, the Ironbellies did not get along well with the Spearheads, and the three Cloudrunners more than once tried to roast the forest. Then there were the small clubs that had formed, dragons who didn't want to leave him but also actually did not want to live with other dragons, and of course the Banpon Golden felt he should rule everyone instead of Charlie because he was the most intelligent dragon... who was he kidding, it felt like he was reliving his teen years at Hogwarts with the amount of drama that went on. Including the awkward romances.

He glanced over at Xaphia, who was sleeping still, curled up in the back of the cave they had made their home, smoke drifting from his nostrils. All around the cave were trinkets, gifts the dragon had given him as courting gifts, some more questionable than others. He had tried to make the ripped off stag head disappear by moving it further and further to the back of the cave, hoping Xaphia would not notice when the thing was gone so the dead eyes and dried crust of blood would no longer haunt him so much, but no such luck as of yet.

At least the dragon had noticed that it had probably not been the best gift, and had not returned with any other dead animals as trophies, instead giving him stones, gems, weapons -no doubt stolen-, and even flowers. Although they had had a discussion about that one after Xaphia had returned one day with a particularly large, exotic, magical and most definitely not wild plant. After some prodding he found that it came from the Hogwarts greenhouses, which now had a roof and a plant less. That would certainly not make anyone more favourable in their view towards dragons.

Suddenly, he was wide awake. He cast a tempus, looked at the date with horrifying realisation, and stormed out of the cave. How could he have forgotten the date really? For once, there was going to be an event here and he just outright forgot about it? About an invitation he'd made himself? ''Fuck, fuck, oh this was just what I needed to this brilliant morning,'' he muttered frantically under his breath as he got dressed. For safety reasons he had stored his clothes outside the cave. There had been too many incidents with Xaphia 'accidentally' burning them and blaming his morning sleepiness. Charlie did not believe a single grunt of it.

He still had about twenty minutes, he guessed. Actually there were thirty, but the Dark Lord was known for showing up fashionably early instead of late. Make that fifteen minutes, just to be sure. He put his fingers to his mouth and let out a shrill whistle. Unable to speak in dragon language or Parseltongue, and Xaphia not always there to translate, he'd developed a series of whistles, such as a call for every particular dragon type in the group. It had been hard at first, but by now he had almost perfected it. It came quite in handy, especially in a time like this, where he needed to organise things fast.

Only five minutes later, the mountains were full of life and the sound of heavy wings. Several dragons had gone to get water and food, other some pelts from a cave further up in the mountains, which had been very helpful for particularly cold nights. Now, they would serve as good blankets to sit on. He did not want the Dark Lord to have to sit in the grass and get covered in red ants. The image of it was funny. The reality would certainly not be.

Xaphia also finally joined him, giving him a reassuring head-butt that pushed him away a few feet. ''Trrrouble?'' he asked, cocking his head to the side in an adorable way that made him look more like an oversized puppy instead of a massive black dragon. Xaphia raised his lip, a nervous tick he had, and it made him look so much like a smiling black Labrador that Charlie just burst out in a laughing fit under the questionable gaze of his lover.

Yeah, lover. He admitted it now. Ever since his last conversation with Harry about a week ago, he had gotten more used to the idea, and accepted his and Xaphia's mutual feelings, despite the bizarre clash of race. They still hadn't had full-out sex together though, and he honestly wanted to wait with that for a good while still -much to Xaphia's displeasure, but thankfully also understanding-, and he just indulged in the purely romantic side of it all. It had reminded him of a Muggle fairytale he'd read long ago, where a girl meets a beast and teaches him both how to read and love. While Xaphia would never understand the human concept of books, the speaking lessons felt similar, and just as frustratingly slow in progress. Not that there wasn't any, but while his love was expanding his vocabulary, his own language hardly contained any grammar, and was full of body language and other forms of communication which did not translate.

Therefore, they often indulged into doing things together that did not involve much communication at all, such as flying together and enjoying sights, hunting -as long as Xaphia did not bring any pieces of it home- and sparring to keep in shape. It was a nice and relatively simple way of living, although he often found himself hoping that they could have some more private time. But alas, he needed to keep a whole herd of dragons from wandering off and causing destruction. It wasn't an easy task, made only harder by the vast number of different species with a lot of different languages. Xaphia thankfully spoke one of the more common types, and was a great help in keeping the peace and order.

His whistles seemed to not do so bad either, as before him stood food worthy for a full feast. Taking his wand, he transformed the rocks into tables, and separated some of the meat that he prepared with a few flicks of his wand as well. The cooking books 'Magical Meals in a Minute' and 'Dishes from the Wild' that his mother had gifted him when he'd left to go dragon-taming had helped him enormously. He took a deep breath when thinking of his mother. He was glad his dad had come around and was still alive. He hoped he could at least pay his mother some respect by using her recipes, although it would probably not have been her intention for that food to be eaten by the Dark Lord.

Water was quickly turned into a rather well-tasting wine, and everything was done just in time when he felt a powerful force pass through the wards Bill had set up for him. While his older brother was not a Death Eater, or even an active dark side supporter, he'd done Charlie the favour of helping him like this before going back to wherever Gringotts sent him. He thought his brother was in France right now, but wasn't entirely sure. The dragons demanded most of his attention, so he did not have much time left to worry about the rest of his family, although he gave them the occasional thought. The only one he really had no idea of what he was doing was Percy. Before the war he'd been working for the Ministry and apparently gotten into a fight with their parents, but that had been it. Perhaps the Dark Lord would know what had become of his brother. At least Percy had certainly not become an Order member at any point, he had disliked Dumbledore quite a lot.

He was just about to wonder why he didn't see the Dark Lord and Harry yet when something heavy landed in front of them. The Dark Lord's dragon form was far smaller than most dragons, but somehow he managed to look tenfold as menacing and imposing as even a Hungarian Horntail, the scales black as the night, with demon-like red eyes. Certainly an impressive sight.

''Charlie!'' He'd almost missed the teen who sat on the back of the black dragon, but who now jumped off, cringing a bit when he hit the ground. ''Ouch, I really should wear leg-guards or something. I always forget how much those scales chafe my legs.''

''I know the problem,'' he laughed. ''I usually stuff some wild grass or animal fur under it. So good to see you Harry.'' After receiving a hug, he turned to the dragon, to whom he bowed. ''My Lord, welcome.'' Charlie wondered if Voldemort would remain in dragon form, as he made no intention to transform as he trotted towards several dragon who had landed.

The Banpou Golden, one of the few who could understand Parseltongue perfectly, was quick to seek Voldemort out, and a hissed conversation started. Charlie gave Harry a questioning look, upon which the teen shrugged and said: ''Just some formalities about how the hunting is here and such. Wait minute, I also wanted to thank them still for their help in the war.'' Harry jogged over to the dragon and joined the conversation, though he quickly returned, smiling. ''So, I hope everything is well with you?''

''Definitely, it's a great place we've been appointed to. Couldn't have chosen better myself. There's plenty of food, caves for when it is cold, and from all the wood and stone it's easy for the herd to keep themselves clean and de-scale.''

''De-scale?''

''While distantly related to reptiles such as snakes, dragons don't shed their skin like them. However, new scales grow under the old ones nonetheless. Sometimes dragons need to rub the old scales off so the new ones have room to grow. It's a slow and constant process, but depending on the species, dragons will have a completely new set of scales every ten to twenty years. Xaphia described it as a constant itch.''

''About Xaphia.. we didn't have much time to speak last week, but what did you mean with him being difficult?''

Charlie groaned. He'd wanted to avoid questions like this. ''You sound like the Quibbler,'' he grumbled. ''Major gossip column. Will cross-species love ever prevail?'' Harry didn't answer that, only wiggling his eyebrows. ''Fine. He's a bit pushy. I mean, according to him we're mates for life or something like that. I realised that I.. well, that I love him... but it's hard to get some things across, such as not wanting a lot of intimacy yet. I'm just uncomfortable with it, even though I don't want to hurt Xaphia's feelings. He's respected that till now, but he's clearly more impatient than I am.''

''And here I thought that dragons would have more patience, becoming much older and that.'' Harry mused.

''You'd be surprised. They have a very fiery temper. Excuse the awful pun.''

''Just keep showing you love him,'' Harry said. '' Even if that's not through physical contact. You should know a lot about dragon courting right?'' Charlie nodded, thinking of the 'courting gifts' lining the walls. ''You mean I have to do what a dragon would do eh? Not sure if I want to be giving carcasses as gifts. But you're onto something. I think I tried to teach him to understand humans more than I focused on applying my own knowledge of dragons.''

''It might make him less frustrated at least.''

''Thanks Harry. Now, it seems the Dark lord is busy, but I did prepare a meal...'' A meal that around twenty dragon had already been attracted to and were staring at with hungry gazes. A twinge of pride swelled in him as he saw they didn't instantly dive in, instead waiting like starved puppies who saw the best meal in their lives. Harry nodded and walked over to Voldemort, touching his side briefly and exchanging soft hisses. A moment later the dragon had transformed into a man, a thin robe that would not be suitable for anyone else in winter covering a body than seemed to consist mainly of bone.

''We' be glad to dine with you,'' Voldemort spoke softly, and Charlie wondered if the ' we' meant he and Harry, or if Voldemort was referring to himself in royal sense.

''Well, then...'' he said, gesturing a bit awkwardly towards the table, at the last moment noticing the hides the dragons had brought were far too low to sit on compared to the height of the table. That did not seem to be a problem however, as the Dark Lord conjured up a set of comfortable seats. Charlie just lifted a nearby rock to sit on, and then divided the food. ''Apologies for not having many resources,'' he said as he gestured to the plates, which he'd made himself from wood he got from the forest. ''I was never great with Transfiguration so I make most of what I need by hand or buy it. Money is running thin though, as I don't have an official job and live with the herd because I want to.''

''Can't you talk with the department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures at the Ministry?'' Harry said, concerned. '' I was under the impression that they employed you.''

Charlie shook his head. ''This was officially declared a wild resort, and the department for magical creatures did not think a supervisor was necessary since they erected barriers round the place and moved all previous inhabitants away.'' He avoided looking at the Dark Lord. He did not want the man to think Charlie was begging him to pull some strings to fill a position the Ministry deemed unnecessary. While that would be nice for his finances, he did not want to be favored and be seen as corrupt.

''Perhaps you should think of taking up outside jobs then,'' Voldemort spoke, picking at his meat while giving the vegetables that had been gathered from the forest, a criticizing look. He probably had never eaten this poorly. ''I know for a fact that the Dwarfs of Dartmoor have a problem with an underground living dragon who regularly likes to snack on the population. I told them of your abilities, and they seemed willing to let an outsider in on my word. I'm sure they will pay handsomely if you convince the creature in question to leave. I am more than certain it gives several such jobs in this country or on the mainland. You should use the reputation you have build up, and talk to the press. You have years of experience as a dragon tamer, worked on the dragon task of the Triwizard Tournament, and guided a herd of many different types to aid in the war. That is quite a CV. You only have to be a bit more diplomatic and actually put yourself out there. You don't plan on wasting your days away in this valley hunting and crafting your own furniture, do you?''

Charlie was momentarily shocked. Voldemort had just given him... job hunting advise? He had to admit that what the man had said did sound rather promising, but it was surprising that the Dark Lord had given it any thought at all. ''Thank you, I'll... take that into consideration,'' he spoke, giving a respectful nod. ''How would I get into contact with the Dwarfs?''

''I can give you a recommendation letter, and you can ask your brothers to take you there. Last I spoke to them, they mentioned something about having trading relations with the Dwarven Kingdom of Dartmoor. They trade their products and gold for gemstones and Dwarven magic to use in their wares, especially the fireworks.'' It was somehow creepy that his 'boss' knew more about most of his brothers than he did himself. He was glad whenever he could see Fred, George and Ron, and looked forward to their meetings, but it was never enough to know as much about their lives as the ones living near them. He also hoped to see his dad again, who lived with Fred and George, but who had completely thrown himself into his work after the death of their mother. At least he was busying himself and not withering away.

''Has there actually been any news of Percy?'' he asked. ''Ever since his argument with our parents last summer he has not shown his face to any of us, even after the war. I wonder where he is...''

''Percy Weasley?'' Voldemort asked. ''Hmm, I have heard his name being mentioned before. He used to work for the old ministry. Fanatic, and anti-Dumbledore as far as I know. I think he still works in the Ministry currently, but I can't remember the names and positions of all employees. I don't think I have seen him personally. Perhaps Black knows about his whereabouts, ask him.''

''I can ask Sirius for you, if that helps?'' Harry said. ''Delicious food by the way! Hadn't imagined you would be able to cook up something like this in the middle of a forest, in early spring!''

''The spices are store-bought,'' Charlie admitted. ''But the dragons are formidable hunters so I'm never out of meat, and have time myself to search for edible plants. I learnt to cook my own meal in Romania, as we were often out in the wilderness, and using too much magic made the dragons restless because the flashes scared them. The dragon keepers used flashes of light and hard sounds as warning signs for pain, to keep them under control...'' Sadness welled up in him as he thought of it. ''It was sadly necessary. Some dragons were too dangerous, and we did not have as much space as we have here. If not kept in cages, there would have been a lot more damage. I am thankful they can all fly freely here.''

''What happened to the dragons that did not stay?'' Harry asked. ''Not all dragons that joined you came with to live here right?''

''True, but most of those were wild dragons who had joined me on my way to Britain and now returned back to their homes. All dragons that had been living in captivity before, mainly exotic dragons such as Xaphia who don't have a natural home here, preferred to stay.'' He got lost in thoughts as he ate, thoughts of his dragons, and the lives they had led before this. He was so far gone that he didn't notice the Dark Lord had finished eating and stood up until the man gave a pointed cough. ''Oh... erhm, my Lord?'' Charlie said, looking up.

''I still have other business to attend to. I will pick Harry up later this evening.'' Charlie just nodded - what was he supposed to say?- and watched as his guests gave each other parting kisses. Voldemort once more turned into a dragon, and spoke with those who could understand Parseltongue, before flying off.

''You can finally relax now,'' Harry grinned, to which Charlie gave a weak smile.

''Yeah.. never got completely used to his presence. All those tales I heard as a kid of ' if you don't clean up your room, You-Know-Who will get you!' had quite some impact on five-year-old me.'' He shivered even at the thought. His mother had been very scary with her imitations, using black cloaks and green harmless sparks that frightened him and his brothers nonetheless with the shadows they threw on the wall.

''To be honest, he is pretty obsessed with cleanliness, so that might not even be that much of an exaggeration,'' the other said, grinning evilly when he saw Charlie's face. ''Now, I'm pretty full... what did you all want to show me?''

''Well... everything. Be prepared, you'll have some mountain climbing to do. I don't think I will be able to convince any of the other dragons to let them ride on you.'' Harry groaned at that comment, looking at the tall mountains that even still had a bit of snow on top that had not melted yet. ''But you'll forget your sore feet soon, I promise. One of the dragons has a nest, would you believe that? here for a couple of weeks and the first eggs appear!'' He got up and decided to clean the table later, wanting Harry to see the nest. The teen followed after him with curiosity.

''Wouldn't that mean she was already pregnant during the battle though?'' Harry asked in between breaths as the ground became steeper.

''Not necessarily. It all depends on the dragon type. Dragons are not like dogs, with just different races. Dragons are a group of species that cannot mingle anymore. It's like calling all mammals one race. Some species have a pregnancy similar to a lot of mammals actually: the mothers get a lot of stress and strain on them, can't fly anymore, need rest and food... and some even birth their babies directly, not in eggs, which is a very unknown and rare concept. Other dragons, that had to adapt to harsher environments and evolved in a completely different way, have different processes. Some lay their eggs only a few weeks after continuous intercourse, when the chances of them being fertilised is high. This means the dragons can fight and fly up until the very last moment, and they lay their eggs shortly after conception as well, making pregnancy time minimal. Other dragons do carry their eggs for months, and the embryos are half grown by the time they finally lay them, but it depends on the dragon species whether the carrying of the egg is hard for the mothers or not... I'm sorry, am I ranting too much?''

''It's a bit much to take in,'' Harry admitted, ''But very interesting. So what species is this dragon from?'' They stopped for a while to catch their breaths. Charlie also noticed he should not have talked so much while climbing. he was far more exhausted than usual, even though he was used to quite a lot of physical strain.

''One of those who lay eggs fast, and have a long hatching period. A Himalayan Kite, to be exact. In the wild, they lay eggs in mountain caves to protect their eggs from the wind and cold. The mothers have to be able to hunt right after because of the climate. They do not only hunt for themselves, but also use the fur of animals they catch to make the nest warmer when the mother is not there to breathe on the eggs. Occasionally, the father will also help with the nest, but it is seldom that Himalayan Kites stay together after mating season.'' They continued their trek further in silence to spare energy. Harry conjured two cups of water after about half an hour, and they sat down to drink. The cups were a bit malformed, but of a lot better quality than Charlie would have managed. ''You're good in transfiguration,'' he remarked.

''Not that good,'' Harry instantly said. '' I just had to train a lot... At Hogwarts I was always average at it... My dad was supposed to have been incredibly good at it, but I don't think I'll ever reach a master level in it. It can be handy though.''

''What is... well, was, your best subject at Hogwarts?''

''Defence against the Dark Arts, ironically. Or maybe not so ironic, as we still used offensive magic there. I never got the pure defense down so well. I wonder why they even called it defence... it was mostly learning how to use offensive magic against an opponent in duelling, or get rid of dark creatures. And then there were those strange occasions where we learnt spells that would have been more suitable for harms, like the cushioning charm. Sure, it can be used as some sort of shield, but wouldn't it be a charm?'' Now Charlie thought about it, Harry was right

''Well, once we also have Hogwarts, you can throw the curriculum around right?''

''True,'' Harry said, ''Though I'm not sure how much I will be involved in it. I have a job now, and when I am home I either spend time with Marvolo, take care of Nagini and Arzòn, or train. Besides, taking over Hogwarts will only start in a few months, at least. If Marvolo wants to do it in summer, which is most likely as there are no students then, it will also be Quidditch season.''

They continued their trek up the mountain without speaking further, helping each other over rocks and fallen trees. Dragons preferred holes closest to the top to have good overview of their surroundings, which also made it less accessible for non-flying creatures. Finally, they arrived at the opening, and Charlie gave a few whistles to announce his presence and ask for entry. A low grumble answered him, and he gave Harry a nod. The cave was quite deep, and they had to walk through a long and winding tunnel before it started to resemble more of a dome. Inside lay the Himalayan Kite who, according to Xaphia, called herself something that resembled 'Iron Sky'.

''Hey Sky,'' he said softly, gesturing for Harry to wait, and approaching the dragon slowly, half-kneeled and with hands open. Her stormy eyes watching his movements with precision, and one of her claws scraped nervously over the stone. ''Don't worry, we are just here to visit,'' he said, still keeping his voice and head low. ''I brought a friend.'' He signaled for Harry to step forth. ''Keep low. And don't try Parseltongue, I don't think she can understand it.''

''Last time I got close to a nesting mother dragon, I nearly got fried,'' Harry said quietly. ''I'd rather not come too close.'' Charlie had almost forgotten that the boy had participated in the Dragon Task with a Hungarian Horntail.

''Well, you got the worst dragon,'' he whispered. '' This one is less aggressive.'' He finally stood next to Sky and touched her cheek, waiting for her to rub her head against him. Her eyes were focused on Harry though, and she did not move an inch anymore, frozen with anticipation. Finally, after what seemed ages, she gave a slight jerk with her head, and moved her wing. Underneath it lay a single, rock-coloured egg, with ridges on it that gave it camouflage. Her tail was still curled around it, and she suddenly spew fire over the egg to keep it warm. The heat was intense, and Charlie could feel the hairs on his arm being singed by the fire that passed him. It was a smart move of her, he had to admit. Even if he was there to steal the egg, he could never touch it like this.

Harry let out a soft sigh when seeing the egg. ''It's so beautiful. Not from appearance, I mean, but just... the feeling?''

''I know what you mean,'' Charlie said. A wing covered the egg again. '' Come, let's go.'' In afterthought, he opened a small bag that hung from his belt and he carefully withdrew a small slab of raw meat, leaving it on the stone in front of Sky as a gift, before they retreated to the entrance o the cave.''

''Wow, that was impressive. You can handle them so well too! Without you I would not dare to come near that..'' At Harry's comment, Charlie grinned. it was nice to be able to share this.

''I wish my brothers would come to visit me too... But Ron says he had enough of dragons after being bitten by Norbertina, and Fred and George are too busy. With the others I don't have much contact... Ginny was always most interested in dragons and dangerous things, but she is still at Hogwarts... I hope she is having a good time.''

''I'm sure,'' Harry said. '' I think she has quite a few friends, and she is bright too, so she won't have much problems with school. Don't worry too much about her. She's fierce.''

All the while chatting, they went down the mountain, a much easier task than up, though still straining when there were loose stones and steep parts. Harry especially looked exhausted when returning. Around two hour had passed, and Charlie decided it was a good moment to sit down by the small lake that was near. Two smaller dragons were already there, playing in the water. It was nice to catch up with Harry. Despite the boy being much younger than he was, he had so much experience that it was easy to talk to him. They spoke about the future, about Quidditch, dragons, family, and exchanged Hogwarts experiences until it became dark. At one point Xaphia joined them, demanding attention from 'Dragonheart', and Harry cooed over them kissing, which earned him a death glare from Charlie.

All in all, it was a good day, and when the Dark Lord finally came to pick the teen up, Charlie was sad to see him go. He was also exhausted though, and curled up with Xaphia at the edge of the lake, looking at the reflection of the water on the dragon's azure scales. He thought again about the Dark Lord's words. Searching jobs would mean leaving, if only for short times. Would the dragons behave if he was gone? Would they remain inside of the barriers that had been put there for their protection? He finally decided that he had to try at least. He could not go to the Dwarfs yet before he had that recommendation letter and spoken with his brothers, but he could at least speak to the press and gather attention. ''Tomorrow we'll go on a nice trip love,'' he whispered. ''A trip through Britain. What do you think?''

''Good,'' Xaphia rumbled, rubbing him affectionately. ''Alone time?''

Charlie smiled and kissed the snout. ''Yes, alone time, promise.''


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