Chapter 12
Dragon Talk

Summary: Harry and Sirius arrive back in the future, but not where they expected.

Harry landed hard, an unconscious Sirius slumping a few feet away. He was dizzy - he didn't think anyone had noticed, but Morgouse cast something on him, just before he left the castle of Fryen.

Where had they ended up? Harry had only thought 'get away!' He wasn't thinking straight enough to decide exactly when, or where. He looked around, stumbling over to where Sirius lay. He wasn't as badly injured as Harry feared - he was bleeding a lot, but head wounds did. Harry debated for a moment, then cast an ennervate.

Nothing happened. What could stop an ennervate? Harry sat dumbly, staring past Sirius's still form with a mental blankness. He couldn't be dead. He couldn't. He felt his godfathers wrist, searching for a pulse. Upon finding one, Harry relaxed enough to look around, finally taking in his surroundings.

He was in a field, an empty field, with nothing in any direction. Grass dominated the landscape, a small, shrub-like tree being the only shade.

Harry's jaw clenched. He had just lost Camelot, he could never return. And now he had to find his way home to Hogwarts. He had absolutely no idea where he could be, no idea when he could be, and Sirius wasn't waking.

Harry brought his bags out, resizing them. He had his firebolt with him this time, but it wasn't big enough to hold the two of them. Harry re-shrunk his bag, debating. He started walking, floating Sirius behind him.

Harry had been walking for almost an hour. There wasn't a path, there wasn't a human or creature in sight. He wandered through the tall grasses, determined to find something to mark his location. He didn't dare jump again, not with an unconscious Sirius and no clue where he was.

He didn't like the wandering, though. It gave him time to think, and time to think made him come to terms with a few things.

He would most likely never see Morgana, Merlin, Killagarah, especially Arthur, ever again.

He thought back to Merlin's words. He spoke of destiny. Harry hadn't known the meaning of destiny when he had that conversation! He knew it now. He knew he had to kill Voldemort. He had killed before, but none of his enemies really compared to the power Voldemort had. And Harry really hadn't figured out all of his magic. Sure, he was in better shape, but he had never bothered to sit down and truly understand.

Harry also knew that in some way, somehow, he needed to get help for Sirius, but he didn't know how.

He just kept walking. The land remained unchanged, not altering. Except that... something sparkled, in the sky. It was coming from the direction of the sun, so Harry wasn't sure of it's existence. He thought for a moment of desert wanderers imagining an oasis out of thirst, so he cast an 'auguamenti' and drank, just in case.

No, the spark was still there. In fact, it was getting larger, a glint in the sky that could be mistaken for an areoplane but for its golden colour. Harry didn't pay it much attention, until it became close enough to be recognizable. It was practically overhead when Harry shouted incredulously, "Killagarah?"

The golden dragon didn't respond. Harry thought for a moment. Killagarah was a highly intelligent creature, one that Merlin said had powerful magic. If anyone could help Sirius right now it'd be him.

"Killagarah!" Harry shouted louder, but got no response. In a split second decision, Harry grabbed his broom, and flew at breakneck speed, leaving Sirius gently on the grass.

"Killagarah!" He yelled, and finally the dragon turned.

He squinted, maintaining the shared speed. "Harry Potter, the Time Traveller."

"Yes. And I may need your help, Killagarah, Last Dragon."

The Dragon chuckled. "No longer the last, but the wisest, undoubtedly. My kin do not return to the world unchanged. But, I can see you are confused, traveller. You do not know of which I speak. What has happened to you?"

Harry sighed. "Do you think we could land? I have a friend, he's injured."

The dragon nodded his giant head. "Yes. But speak to me on the way, for my time is not unlimited."

Harry obliged, "Morgana was kidnapped, by Cenred and Morgouse. I saved her, but at the price of banishment. It was... vital for me to get out as fast as possible, so I apparated away. I don't know where or when I am, actually." Harry landed softly on the grass, next to the giant dragon.

"Traveller, I haven't heard those words in hundreds of years. You have appeared in the 20th century. I remain in a land hidden from all humanity. Aithusa and I are the only dragons of our kind left. All the others have gone dumb - only conversing in the most simple dragontongue, so simple the dialect is changed to roars and whimpers."

Harry gaped. "I... how are we here, Sirius and I?"

Killagarah took a moment to speak. "Outside my borders, traveller, there is turmoil in the world. Bloodshed is not a foreign concept to me, but this must be stopped. You are aware you hold the power to do this. You share the magic of my old friend, Merlin."

Harry realized that Killagarah didn't answer his question, but let it go. "I have his power, but I don't know how to use it."

The dragon chuckled. "It is your power too. You are meant to wield this, and to save the world from an evil like we have never seen. The Dragonlord's dragons knew that."

"The Dragonlord's Dragons?"

"The dragons borne of a humans touch." Killagarah made the dragon equivalent of an eye roll. "Merlin was the last Dragonlord. After his death, the Dragons adapted to a world with no Lord, but at a price."

Harry was shocked. He had no idea dragons used to be intelligent, somehow assuming Killagarah was the exception. "I'm sorry." He said sincerely.

They stood in silence for a moment.

"I can do nothing for your friend."
Killagarah said. "Everything will be restored in due time."

Harry nodded. "You somehow brought me here." He stated. He had reached a stage of almost casual acceptance. His experiences were far too curious to be surprised anymore. It was a
feeling akin to entering the wizarding world for the first time.

"Merlin..." Harry muttered. He hadn't recovered from losing Camelot, not yet. But this was something he needed to do. "Merlin said you knew much about
our magic. Can you help me?"

Killagarah nodded his giant head. "Only, traveller, if you help me."

"If I can help you, I will." Harry vowed.

"Then I can teach you. I have, on occasion, ventured outside our private lands. I am up to date on the present magic manifested in humans.

"Magic is a complicated matter, and not to be trifled with. It can manifest in many ways, but since the creation of wands," Harry reflexively looked back at his sleeping godfather, "It shows itself in a series of alterations. In the present understanding of the world, nothing is created or destroyed, yes? Energy changes and shifts forms, but never dies. That way of thinking is expressed in how one wields magic." The dragon paused, lying down lazily.

"Your friend Merlin wielded the power over life and death. That power has never again been reached, as far as my knowledge goes. It is a lost art, or had been, until your power changed to mimic his. Many things have been renewed with your actions, and if they have not been than my hope is they will be in future."

Harry furrowed his brow. "How does the nature of magic change?"

Killagarah rested his head on his front legs, "Manifestation, not nature. It is still possible for one to control life and death, but the methods once known to do so - the cup of life, the isle of the blessed - they are lost. I remember you saying you had trouble with transfiguration. That is because over time, the way wizards use magic was altered and the magic adapted to the
types of wands they now use. Now you have the raw magical power based on change and creation, not alteration. It is the reason conjuring is simplistic. Changes within an object, not changing its nature, are a form shared by both magics. There are many other changes, and many lost arts. It is the way of the world for this to happen."

Harry nodded. "I was able to change myself into a merman once. I suppose that makes sense. But I still don't know how to fully wield this power; I haven't been taught, and I got less work done with Merlin than I hoped."

Killagarah chuckled. "I am not a warlock, traveller. My own magic functions on a completely different level. But I do have a way to teach you."

Harry sat up straighter from his seat in the grass. "What must I do?"

He gave a dragon like smile. "I had a price, I recall. But the two go hand in hand. For my price, I wish for you to restore the Dragons to
their former glory."

Harry blinked. "How should I do that?"

The dragon chuckled again. "You will gain that knowledge, for I will give it to you." He blew on Harry, sending a translucent wave over to him.

Harry closed his eyes, as with the wave came knowledge that he simply couldn't process in a moment - it was too much. In a state of near unconsciousness, Harry heard the dragons clear words.

"You are the first Dragonlord in a thousand years. The Dragons need you, and so you must aid them. But first, my Lord, you must wake up."

-—-

"Harry?" The named boy groaned. "Harry! You're awake!"

Harry opened his bleary eyes. "What's happening?" He croaked. His voice seemed stiff from disuse.

"Harry! You're awake!" Harry finally recognized the voice.

"Sirius! But..." He frowned in confusion.

Sirius spoke placatingly, "You've been out for several days."

Harry gaped. "But... I, you were the one - wait. When are we?"

"Back in our own time. You know, I don't actually know what happened. I was knocked out. Is Morgana okay?"

"She's alright. She was with Arthur when I left. But I won't be going back to Camelot." Harry said.

Sirius digested his words; he put his hand on Harry's shoulder, in a show of support. "I'm sorry, Harry."

Harry nodded. "It's okay. It just means I have to face the real world again. Kalens," he said, and a glittering representation of the date appeared. August 2. "Right. Where are we?"

Sirius grinned. "Osie, France. I may have broken into the house of a family on holiday."

"Right." Harry stopped for a moment, then shook his head to clear it. He was having trouble focusing. He didn't know if his earlier experience was reality or dream, but he had gained an incredible amount of knowledge to sort through. He could focused o "Let's get going, the extent of my French is bonjour and je m'appelle." Harry grimaced. "Dare I ask if you can drive? I don't know how far the nearest Floo is, and I don't want to chance jumping again."

Sirius turned his head. Harry reached for his glasses, before realizing that he could see clearer without them. Outside, in the drive, stood a motorbike with two helmets. Sirius gave an almost manic grin that worried Harry a great deal.

Sirius lost his smile, and gave Harry a hand to get up, which he took. "Steady." Sirius said, now serious. "You've been unconscious for a while now."

He tried - desperately - to ignore his godfathers questionable driving skills, as he took them who knows where, and focus on the knowledge he'd recently been given.

It looked like he had a new task.

Chapter Word Count: 1955

Thanks for Reading!

SH