"Jake! We were racing to the STAIRS to meet Lao Shi, not the…" Fred was yelling to Jake as he climbed the staircase to meet the red dragon. He stopped short when he reached the top and saw the council door ajar with Jake on his back in the entryway, a tall human who he did not recognize (but was clearly stifling laughter behind an enormous beard), and one, two, three, … eight dragons who did not appear all too pleased with the interruption. Fred stood frozen with his maw sagging open until Haley quickly rushed passed him to Jake's side.
"I'm so sorry, grandpa! I'll get him out of here," Haley pleaded, bending down to help Jake to his feet, practically hissing at him, "Get UP you idiot." Seeing Haley struggle with her brother, Fred snapped out of his stupor and hurried over to assist her, all the while whimpering, "We're so sorry, so very sorry, we'll leave right away!"
"Please, forgive our students for the interruption," Lao Shi apologized politely to the wizard, who merely responded with a humorous, understanding laugh and shook his head in turn.
"It's quite alright! In fact, they had perfect timing. If you'll allow it, I'd like them to remain and listen to what I was about to explain," he asked both of Lao Shi and the council members. All were still surprised by the intrusion and at a loss regarding the wizard's grand plan, and a meeting of this nature was hardly the place for dragons in training. Kulde was the first to break the silence after meeting the glances of his fellow councilman.
"If you think their presence is necessary then they may stay," the icy-blue dragon answered hesitantly. "Lao Shi? Dominic? Sun?" he asked the blue, teal, and green dragons below, more out of respect than anything.
Lao Shi bowed slightly and looked for the approving nods from his comrades before responding with, "Very well. Come, young dragons, take your seats."
Jake had just regained his balance and let go of Haley and Fred when Lao Shi beckoned them to sit at the benches. He rubbed his snout gingerly, still aching from the hoop incident, while approaching the benches near the other dragons, the other two following close behind him. He couldn't help but feel that the gaze the robed man trained on them, though seemingly filled with delight and interest, was critical and almost scrutinizing. He had heard the others referring to him as a wizard, and they had addressed him in respectful tones so he was obviously no enemy. However, everyone had also remained in their dragon forms despite their attitude towards the man. It was clear that he did not know the Dragons of Draco Isle had natural human bodies - a crucial fact that few witches and wizards were ever made aware of - and everyone in attendance aimed to keep it that way. Once they finally sat on their bench, the wizard seemed satisfied with his observations and, with a reassured nod, turned back to the councilmen.
Dumbledore continued, his voice again devoid of pleasantries. "I will be simple, councilors. It was my hope that I could convince you to allow some of your number to join me at Hogwarts for this next school year. Not simply as students, naturally, but as observers and, admittedly, guardians. The Ministry of Magic, in its power struggle, is sending its own members to control me, though that is of little concern. What truly worries me is that the students and their families are terrified after last year's events and faith in Hogwarts is diminishing." He paused for a moment as though collecting his thoughts before continuing. "I am not exaggerating when I say this: if Hogwarts and its students are captured by Voldemort's influence, or worse, lost to the grips of fear, then we will surely all be destroyed."
If any of the councilmen had yet to be doubtful or confused, they certainly were now. Councilor Andam considered voicing his concerns when a voice from below interrupted him mid thought. "And just how would having a bunch of dragons in your school fix anything, yo?"
Haley looked like she was about to viciously murder the red dragon next to her that had now rudely barged into a conversation beyond his understanding, twice. The daggers her eyes shot at Jake seemed ineffective, however, as he noticed he now had the room's attention and nervously kept babbling. "I, uh, mean…well if you're trying to make your school seem safer or more protective, how would unfamiliar, strange, talking dragons solve that? And if you want to protect your school from this Volde-guy, then why not have your own guards, yo?"
The tension in the air was palpable. The councilors seemed infuriated (though not surprised), and Jake was certain he'd signed his own death certificate when the wizard (Dumbledore, right?) beamed a genuine smile, almost as though Jake had said exactly what he had wanted. Jake fought the urge to just sit down and melt into the bench, his wings, ears, and tail all reflexively ducking to reflect his self-consciousness. I'm really going to have to learn to shut my big mouth, he scolded himself, before the wizard addressed him.
"My apologies, your name is 'Jake', correct?" Jake jumped into a stiff posture, as though snapping to attention in the military, and nodded quickly at the question. "Tell me Jake, when you are terrified, alone, and feel lost without any direction, who is the first person you turn to?"
His eyes immediately found his grandfather's (who was still too furious to appreciate the sentiment). "Well…my Dragon Master."
"We have many of our own instructors at Hogwarts," Dumbledore continued. "And our professors are quite excellent at their jobs, as I'm sure your Dragon Master is." He gave a light bow to Lao Shi at this, who politely returned it, before continuing, "Imagine, though, if your master were not around, or you could not find him. Who then?"
Again, Jake's eyes betrayed his thoughts as he slightly turned his head to look at Fred and Haley to either side of him. "Probably…my friends. They would never let me down." He said with a smirk looking at Haley and then Fred. "Okay, maybe Fred would, but I'd still give him a chance," he added with a snicker. Fred's expression jumped from mutual understanding to outrage, his retort being cut off by the wizard's reply.
"My point exactly. The other professors and I can only give so much to the students. The rest of their strength comes from their friendships, their trust, and their love for each other. Friends can only make you stronger." He turned back to the councilors who had watched the exchange in near exasperation. "I think that it is time for new friendships between the Dragons of Draco Isle and wizards to be made. It will be new and strange for the students, and uncomfortable for the dragons, to be sure. I am confident, however, that these new bridges we build will stand strong. Not just against the influence of evil men like Lord Voldemort, but against his most powerful weapon: the doubt he instills, the uncertainty of the unknown, against fear itself."
He finished the last few words with indignation and a resounding strength that Jake wasn't even aware had been building in the air. Whatever he had done in the past to earn the council's approval, Jake could already tell that this man was impossibly charismatic, a natural leader. The council members were now openly conversing about the idea amongst themselves, as were the three Dragon Masters below. Jake was still swimming in his thoughts when the wizard turned to look at him, hands clasped behind his back in confidence, and threw him a wink with a coy smile.
Jake's head really was aching now, and it wasn't because of his recent concussions. An unfamiliar, albeit famous, wizard had appeared at the Isle of Draco in person. That just never happens, Jake thought. He'd then gone on to confess the imminent destruction of all magical creatures by someone everyone thought was dead, and then finished by proudly explaining his plan to prevent it all by filling his school of underage wizards with Dragons. If it weren't for the completely serious attitudes of everyone in the room, he would have thought it was an elaborate prank, maybe even a test. The councilmen, Dragon Masters, and Dumbledore were all still deep in their discussion at the councilors' platform.
"This is so whack, yo, he can't be serious?" he whispered to Haley and Fred beside him.
"I was thinking the same thing," Haley chimed, "but there's no doubt that Dumbledore is serious. Maybe insane, but definitely serious."
"He can't honestly think that there'd be any dragons jumping to watch over a school of magical teenagers…" Fred added, just before Lao Shi and the other masters turned towards their group and began to approach them. Jake knew that look in his grandfather's eyes, and despair about a certain wizard and his school grew deep in the pit of his stomach.
Jake let out a groan. "Aw man."
The rest of the day was a blur. After the meeting with the wizard, the World Dragon Council had ended their session and Jake, Haley, Sun, and Lao Shi returned to New York City. Jake's dreaded suspicions, it seemed, had been correct. The council had agreed to allow a small group of dragons to live at Hogwarts over the next semester until the break for holidays, at which time they would report back to the council and any further hosting of the Dragons of Draco Isle would be decided. As the council had begun to discuss the best candidates for the diplomatic mission, Dumbledore had interrupted with his own suggestions. He had been impressed with the three Dragon Masters and their pupils at the meeting and had asked if the six of them would able to assume the roles. The councilmen had argued the point, mostly because of the necessity of finding replacements as temporary American and Australian Dragons, and also due to their questioning the young dragons' abilities to act as diplomats on behalf of the Dragons of Draco Isle (particularly Jake). Dumbledore insisted, however, especially when it came to his faith in the red dragon, and ultimately the council had begrudgingly agreed to his plans.
No one, however, had asked the dragons in training their opinions, a point Jake made abundantly clear when they had finally returned to Lao Shi's electronics shop.
"It's my Junior year of high school, G!" he exclaimed. The two were in the back room of the shop as humans, Lao Shi sipping a cup of tea, Jake standing with his hands balled into fists. "I've finally managed to get school, dragon business, and a social life balanced after all this time, and now you're going to drag me across the world! I've got college to start worrying about, grades, my friends, and the magical community in New York! Why can't you leave at least Haley behind so she can handle the Am-Drag's job?" Jake knew that Haley was just as upset by the turn of events, but she'd never be disrespectful enough to question her master Sun's judgment, so naturally Jake had to do it for her.
Lao Shi would normally snap at Jake and remind him to never question the judgment of his Dragon Master, but in this instance he felt his grandson did deserve an explanation. He gently set the china on the counter before giving Jake his rebuttal. "We will homeschool you while we are in England so that you do not fall behind in your studies, Trixie and Spud will understand that this is your duty and wait for you to return, an experienced dragon will be assigned to watch over yours and Haley's duties, and, most importantly, Dumbledore strongly believes that both you and Haley will be necessary in gaining the trust of the students." He slid through the curtain to the front of the shop and began counting the register before closing shop.
"But G, why? This guy is ordering us around like dogs, and for what? Since when do we do the dirty work of wizards or sorcerers? He should be dealing with his own problems!" Jake grabbed a nearby broom and pan and began sweeping the floor, hoping the chore would calm him down. Lao Shi noticed and was slightly impressed with Jake's initiative. It was strange to consider that his obnoxious grandson really had matured well in the past few years.
"Jake, you need to understand," Lao Shi began, raising his head from his work to look Jake in the eye. "This isn't about playing bodyguards to the students, though that is what most will believe. This is about you and Haley learning about a community that we have sorely distanced ourselves from for far too long. This is about witches and wizards, the single most powerful and dangerous faction of magical creatures, once again working with us and learning to trust us." He closed the drawer and stood by his grandson, who still wore an expression of disappointment and anger. "I know that we are asking much of you and your sister, young dragon, but think positively. We will be the first dragons from the Isle of Draco to socialize with wizards in ages. Even when fulfilling our responsibilities, regional dragons never directly confront most wizards and it makes our jobs all the more difficult."
Jake swept up the pile of dust before dropping it into the trash bin and turning back to his master with a sigh. "I know, G, and that's great. It's just," Jake looked longingly outside the front windows of the shop, "everything was finally feeling right. Now, it'll be gone and we'll be stuck on another continent surrounded by strangers for months."
"Life is full of changes, young dragon. Even the mightiest river must alter its course or surely run dry." Lao Shi assured his student.
Jake still seemed troubled, though accepting of the truth in Lao Shi's words. "I know. You're right, gramps." He took a deep breath and turned to his master with a halfhearted smile. "So, how long until we leave? Trix and Spud and not gonna like this when I break it to them."
"We leave in just over a month, though you will not have much time to hang out with your friends, Jake. This mission will take a degree of secrecy and resourcefulness that you are not familiar with, and there are many techniques that I must teach you before then."
Though he wasn't surprised, Jake still hated the news and retaliated with a groan. "Harsh, G. When Trixie comes busting through the shop door, you get to try and calm her down," he joked, walking out of the back door and allowing the magical flames to consume his body, shifting into a dragon. The trip had them all exhausted, and his flight over New York City was so calming that he had forgotten Haley was breaking the news to their folks. He was met at his front door by two outraged parents and a sister still desperately searching for an explanation to placate them. When it came to his mom and dad, Jake knew a lost cause when he saw one and resigned himself to a nice, long, heated discussion.
"This can't be happening," he mumbled, closing the front door and accepting his fate.
As always, if you have any opinions or advice (positive or negative), PLEASE review and comment! Any feedback is great feedback, and it lets me know you at least cared enough to respond! This is my first fanfic, so I'll take what I can get.