I'm the wrong age, gender, and nationality to be JK Rowling, so I don't own Harry Potter, dammit.

A/N: Hello again, it's time for another chapter!

I just wanted to say Thank You to all you wonderful readers who gave my story a look and left a review. I especially want to thank Bright1 and Cherri202 for adding my story to their communities. Really, really appreciate it.

Chapter 4 – Adopted

Excerpt – A History Of Magic, pg. 156, paragraph 4

In the wake of the Goblin Rebellion of 1612, a treaty was drafted and signed by members of the then fledgling Wizengamot and the leader of the Goblin clans, Ragnok the First. The treaty managed to not only quell the unrest and resentment fomented between Goblins and Wizards, it granted far-reaching powers to the Goblins themselves. In concession to the promise of never again taking up arms against wizards, the goblin leader demanded complete control of all banking affairs in the Wizarding world. The wizards of the time, thankful for the chance to be rid of what they deemed as dark magic, foisted off everything involving blood magics to the goblins and outlawed their use in the wizarding world. Thus, to this day, any endeavor involving money or inheritances that is outside of business licensing is handled exclusively through the goblins of Gringotts.

Bathilda Bagshot – A History Of Magic

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"Wh-what?" Charlie stammered in shock when he heard Rashikira's suggestion.

:You heard me, make him your family. You remember the part of the letter where that Dumbledore person said that he cast powerful protections based off his family's blood? Well, taking him into your family should see those additional protections remain with him and keep him safe here. After all, his so-called family DID abandon him:

"B-but Rashi, the only way to do that would be with a blood adoption ritual and the only way to get one done is to go through the goblins of Gringotts!" Charlie exclaimed.

:Nonsense!: Rashikira snorted. :You British wizards have conceded so much powers to the goblins that it's a wonder that you can get anything done at all! It's something that any magical being can do, you don't need the goblins for it:

"Rashi, I don't know the first thing about how to properly perform a blood adoption ritual! What if I did something wrong and inadvertently hurt him or even worse, killed him?"

:You won't get it wrong, Charlie, because I'll be there to talk you through it. I've managed to learn a lot over the centuries and this ritual is one of them. Besides, I have a good feeling about young Harry and I want to participate in the ritual as well:

In his panic, it momentarily slipped Charlie's mind that Rashikira was a LOT older than she looked and remembered that she had bonded with quite a few wizards in her past, which is most likely when she learned the proper procedures of the ritual. He was relieved that she knew what to do in order to perform the ritual safely, but blinked and shook his head when he recalled what else she just said.

"Wait just a minute, did you just say that YOU wanted to perform the ritual as well? How would that work anyway, a dragon adopting a human child? Is that even possible?"

:It's possible because our legends say it is. Granted, far more human children have died during the ritual than survived, simply because they had no emotional attachment to the dragon performing it, but I'm absolutely sure that Harry will be all right:

"Whoa, whoa, back up a bit! You're going to do something that even YOU say has been successful only in LEGENDS? And you want to do this with Harry? Why? Why would you want to do something so risky? How would Harry benefit from you adding your blood to the adoption ritual? And for Merlin's sake, what makes you so sure that Harry would survive it?"

By the time Charlie finished his tirade, he was nearly screaming. He then stood still, breathing hard with his fists clenched to his sides and glaring at the white dragon who was gazing back at him calmly. When Rashikira responded, Charlie's anger dissipated nearly instantly when he heard the serene, almost...happy tone of her voice. There was also no mistaking the crinkles at the corners of her eyes that passed for a dragon's smile.

:Because, Charlie, he called me Mama:

Charlie blinked. "Say that again?"

:He called me Mama. He was smiling when he said it AND he was using Mindspeak as well. I am confident that the combination of his potential to become a Companion, his already powerful aura, his current ability to speak to my mind, and with him recognizing me as his mother, it will be enough for magic to accept the ritual and acknowledge him as my son:

The silence after her remark stretched out to almost a minute before Charlie could gather his thoughts. Unfortunately, he couldn't think of anything useful to say.

"Ummm, okay, this is something I've never heard of before."

:It's something NO ONE has ever heard of before, Charlie, both human and dragon. I DID say that it was the stuff of legends, and DRAGON legends at that!:

"Yeah, that you did." Charlie replied sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Sorry for yelling at you like I did."

:That's all right, Charlie, I don't blame you one bit. You were just worried for young Harry's safety, but I am very certain that he would be all right:

"Okay, umm, wow, this is a lot to take in! Right, I have some questions. Besides not being harmful to Harry which you've already answered, what other benefits would he gain from this? Would he still grow up normally as a human child?"

:He won't grow scales or fur or sprout wings if that's what you're worried about, so he would be normal as any human child. His eyes may become slit-pupilled when he gets angry, but that could be covered by a glamour. He would instinctively know how to speak to any dragon even if he isn't bonded with one. He would be slightly stronger both physically and magically than a normal human and may have greater resistance to spells. Other than that, I can't think of anything else that could happen to him:

Charlie stood and thought it over for a few minutes. After weighing the pros and cons, he smiled and nodded his head.

"All right, let's do this! What do we have to do first?"

:I knew I could count on you, Charlie: Rashikira said happily. :Right, what you need to do first is clear an area of the cavern floor to make it big enough to draw a circle. The circle has to be large enough for all three of us to fit inside:

As Charlie moved items to the walls of the cavern, he asked, "Do you need special materials to make the circle?"

:No, it could be made with anything, the materials are of no importance. What IS important is that the circle CANNOT be broken while we are performing the ritual! That's why it wouldn't be a good idea to use sand or water to make the circle, a careless tail swipe or gust of wind could ruin it. What I would suggest is to use chalk. When you draw it, keep in mind that the circle MUST be continuous, there can't be ANY gaps at all!:

"Would conjured chalk work?"

:As long as the conjuration lasts until the ritual is finished, conjured chalk is fine:

After clearing the space, Charlie paced off the distance, going in several directions to make sure there was enough room inside the completed circle for Rashikira to fit. He then conjured a thick, ten inch piece of chalk and a four foot long pole. Attaching the chalk to the end of the pole with a sticking charm, he started walking in a big circle with the pole dragging the ground, leaving a chalk trail behind him. Once the initial trace was made, he went over the marks several times making sure there were no gaps. Checking it over and satisfied with his work, he turned to the white dragon for the next step.

:Now, we have to step into the circle, making sure not to disrupt it:

"Do we need anything else?" Charlie asked.

:You have your knife with you?:

Charlie raised the edge of his jacket to show the ever-present knife in its sheath on his belt.

:Good. Pick up Harry and bring him into the circle:

Charlie went to Harry's playpen and bent down to pick him up. Harry lifted his arms and hooked them around Charlie's neck when he lifted him out of the playpen. Setting Harry on his hip, Charlie made an exaggerated step over the line and moved to the center of the circle. Rashikira was much more careful stepping into the circle, lifting her tail and wings while making large, exaggerated steps like Charlie did. Once she had all four limbs completely inside the circle and was sure she was clear of the edge, she curled her tail around her paws and sat on her hindquarters.

"What comes next?" Charlie asked.

:Now, we seal the circle. Place the tip of your wand on the inside edge of the circle, Charlie, I'll be doing the same with the tip of one of my claws. When I tell you, push with your magic while intoning the phrase, 'circulus signari testamentum', I'll be doing the same. That will seal the circle and keep out any magic that may interfere with the ritual:

Charlie nodded, took out his wand, and carefully placed it at the edge of the chalk circle. Rashikira extended her foreleg and placed the tip of a claw next to Charlie's wand and also touching the circle. With a nod from Rashikira, they simultaneously pushed with their magic while intoning;

":Circulus Signari Testamentum:"

The circle, which was once chalk, now looked like liquid silver that was pulsing with a blue fire. The fire lifted up toward the ceiling and then curved inward when it got above their heads. An open circle above them got smaller and smaller until it closed with a 'snap'. Rashikira looked up and around herself then nodded once, satisfied that the circle was sealed.

:Alright, Charlie, take out your knife and clean it thoroughly. You also need to do the same to your right hand and to Harry's right hand. You also need to clean the claws on my left forepaw and the pads of my right forepaw:

As Charlie took out his knife and whispered scourgify as he pointed his wand at it, he grumbled, "All this preparation! When are we going to get to the actual ritual?" Charlie tried keeping his voice low, but Rashikira, with her sensitive hearing, heard him perfectly.

:Oh, Charlie: she rumbled in draconic laughter. :We started the ritual as soon as we sealed the circle! That was the first step, called the Sealing. I already said that it's meant to keep out any foreign magics that could interfere with the ritual. The next step is the Purification which is what you're doing right now. Just like we don't want anything magical to cause problems, you don't want anything physical to disrupt the ritual, like a stray piece of dirt. What comes next is the Sharing, where you and Harry will make a cut on your palm and I will use my claw to make a cut on my right forepaw. Then, at the same time, we will drip seven drops of our blood onto the cut on Harry's palm while we invoke the Oath. That's where we use our full names and swear to the best of our abilities to raise and take care of Harry. The final part is the Naming. Since he is going to be one of our family, he would need a new name. However, we can't completely drop the Potter in his name:

Charlie nodded, it made sense to him. They weren't getting rid of all the Potter blood in Harry's veins, just adding a bit of their own. The Potter family, while not filthy rich, were a highly influential family and moderately wealthyby wizarding standards. He was sure that James and Lily Potter drew up a will and that Harry will at least be named in it if not the sole beneficiary. Making inquiries with the goblins of Gringotts would go MUCH smoother if Harry retained Potter as part of his name.

"I agree, we should keep Potter as part of his name, although I'm thinking of changing his first name to Henry. What were you thinking of naming him, Rashi?" Charlie asked as he scourgified his hands.

:Arlen:

"Arlen? Did you know someone named Arlen? Nothing wrong with the name, it's just that I'm curious."

:I knew Arlen a long time ago, he was one of the High Elves: Rashikira said with emotion in her voice. The next part came out so softly that Charlie barely heard it. :He was also my very first Companion:

Rashikira's comment nearly made Charlie drop his wand just when he was about to use a gentle scourgify on Harry's hands. He turned to look into her slit-pupilled blue eyes and saw infinite sadness there. Even after all these many years, her first companion held a special place in her heart. He then made a decision that he knew would cheer her up.

"Henry Arlen Weasley-Potter. Has a nice ring to it, do you think?" Charlie could see the sadness dissipate almost instantly as the crinkles returned to the corners of her eyes.

:I think it sounds wonderful, Charlie. Thank you:

Charlie returned the smile and re-cast the cleaning spell on Harry's hands. He then cast the same spell on both of Rashikira's forepaws. She was sitting back on her haunches, keeping her forelimbs off the ground and using her tail for balance. Just as Charlie was getting ready to make the cut on Harry's palm, he hesitated.

"Rashi, would a numbing charm on Harry's hand affect the ritual?"

:No, it wouldn't, since the intent behind the spell is to help instead of hurt or hinder it shouldn't affect it in any way:

Charlie nodded, cast the numbing charm on Harry's hand, re-holstered his wand, then used the knife to make a shallow cut across Harry's palm. Harry, for his part, remained calm and still. He looked at the blood pooling in his palm in fascination. Charlie then placed the blade against his right palm and with a wince, drew the blade across it then squeezed his fist to keep it from dripping on the floor. Looking to Rashikira, he watched her use her claw to make an incision on the side of one of her pads. When the blood was freely flowing, she looked up and met Charlie's eyes.

:I don't need to coach you for the next part, Charlie. As long as the Oath is coming from your heart, you will find the right words to say. First, speak your full name and let your blood mingle with Harry's, then speak the words of the Oath. Remember, let it come from the heart and magic will take care of the rest. I, of course, will be right next to you doing the same:

Charlie took another breath to steady his nerves and gently took Harry's right hand in his left. Holding the child's bleeding palm upward, he opened his right hand over it and allowed the blood to drip down onto Harry's hand. Rashikira had her paw right next to his, letting her blood drip onto the child's palm. After they both let seven drops of their blood fall into Harry's palm, they pulled their lightly bleeding limbs away from the cut so more wouldn't fall onto it. Throughout all this, Harry continued to remain calm. With another breath, both Charlie and Rashikira began their Oath.

"I Charles Septimus Weasley..."

:I Rashikira Northborn...:

After they recited their names, the rest of the Oath continued in a strange synchronicity as they said the exact same words at the same time. As they were speaking, a golden glow surrounded all three of them that got brighter as the Oath progressed.

":Do hereby give my Oath...:"

":That upon my Honor...:"

":My Magic...:"

":My Life...:"

":And my very Soul...:"

":Do hereby Swear to protect...:"

":nurture...:"

":raise...:"

":defend...:"

":and love...:"

":the One we Name...:"

":Henry Arlen Weasley-Potter...:"

":For as long as Breath remains in my body:"

":So I say it...:"

":SO LET IT BE DONE!:"

As the final syllable of 'Done' was uttered, the soft glow surrounding them increased instantly into a blinding flash of golden light. The flash of light was accompanied by a loud snap of the protective circle instantly dissipating. A startled cry went out from all three of them because none of them were prepared for it. Harry, now renamed Henry, continued to fearfully cry as Charlie and Rashikira blinked the spots from their vision. When the spots cleared away and their vision returned to normal, their attention was focused on the very fussy and unhappy infant in Charlie's arms. Both of them gasped at the physical changes in their young charge.

"Um, Rashi?"

:Y-yes?:

"Is this supposed to happen?"

:I was fairly sure it wouldn't, Charlie, but then again it HAS been a very long time since this has been done successfully:

"Bu-but Rashi, LOOK at him! How is he supposed to go through life like this?"

He wanted to hold Henry at arms length so he could see all the changes made to his body, but the child wailed even louder so Charlie held him close and patted his back until he quieted down. When his cries were reduced to quiet sniffles, Charlie pried him off his shoulder so he could see the changes better. Henry started to resist, but when he realized that Charlie was still holding him close, decided to settle down and watch what was going on.

Charlie lifted Henry's right hand to look at his palm and check the cut that he made. To his surprise, not only was the cut healed completely, there wasn't even a trace of blood on his skin. Turning Henry's hand over, he came across one of the changes to the infant's physiology. On Henry's palm and extending down the inside of his forearm was normal human skin, but the back of his hands and the outside of his forearm were covered in small black scales. He lifted the sleeve of Henry's pajama top and saw that the scales continued up the outside of his arm. Charlie figured that the scales were interspersed with human skin all over Henry's body.

Dropping the sleeve, Charlie looked at the most visible and obvious changes. He was happy to note that Henry's hair was no longer completely black, but kind of a reddish-black, almost a dark maroon. It was definitely an interesting mix of Potter and Weasley hair. The other changes were much more drastic. Henry's eye color was now a mixture between his own green eyes and both Charlie's and Rashikira's blue ones. They were now a bright teal color but that wasn't what concerned Charlie. What was concerning to him is that Henry's eyes were now slit-pupilled, just like a dragon's. Henry's face had a smattering of scales mixed with human skin but what was even more startling was the buds of horns on his forehead and the large, black, fan-like ears that looked like dragon ears. Charlie sighed and looked at Rashikira.

"Rashi, just how is he going to fit in with his peers when he goes to school? I'm not sure if even a glamour will cover this up!" Charlie finished with an exasperated snarl.

:Calm down, Charlie, I'm sure we'll figure something out by the time he goes to school: Rashikira kept her eyes on young Henry and smiled when she noticed the scales fading into his skin. :Besides, I don't think that's going to be an issue anymore:

Charlie's eyes went wide. "Not an issue? Just what do you mean by that, Rashi? LOOK AT HIM! Having scales, horns, dragon ears, and slit-pupilled eyes is NOT something that everyone is going to overlook!"

:I AM looking at him, Charlie: Rashikira replied calmly. :Maybe you should do the same: she finished with amusement in her voice.

When Charlie looked down at Henry, his jaw dropped open when he saw the scales fading into his skin, the large ears shrinking to normal size and color, the buds of the horns sinking into his forehead, and the slit pupils of his eyes rounding to human proportions. In less than a minute, all the dragon-like features disappeared leaving Henry looking like a normal human boy. It took another minute for Charlie to find his voice again.

"H-how...?"

:How did this happen?: Rashikira asked gently. Charlie simply nodded in reply. :I suspect that the magic of the adoption ritual wasn't completed when the flash occurred and the circle collapsed. The dragon part that is now in his blood first manifested itself on his skin, it just took a little longer for it to be absorbed into his body and his magic. He should look like a normal human child from now on:

"Well, that's a bit of good news, at least he wouldn't have a problem fitting in because of his looks." Charlie sighed in relief. He then tried addressing another concern. "What I don't understand is why he had black scales on his skin. Since you were the one to contribute the blood, shouldn't he be taking on some of your characteristics? After all, your scales are white just like your fur."

:I did say that he might take on some aspects of a dragon, Charlie: Rashikira said as she had a Dumbledore-like twinkle in her eye. :I never said those characteristics would be mine. Obviously, since the scales that were on his body were black and his ears looked nothing like mine, I'd say that he would be quite a bit different than me when he decides to become an animagus. Of course, since he has a bit of dragon blood running through his veins now, the transformation should be easy for him:

"Do you, by any chance, know just what kind of dragon he would become when he does complete his animagus training?"

:There's no telling with the few clues we have. It will definitely be some kind of black dragon, but there are quite a few varieties of them around the world. There is just no way to know for certain, Charlie. I'm sorry: Rashikira bowed her head in sorrow, but Charlie placed his hand under her jaw and stroking her there while he gently lifted her head. The white dragon closed her eyes and purred in pleasure as he did this.

"Don't blame yourself, Rashi. As you said, there are not enough clues to go by. Although there is one thing for certain."

:What is that?: Rashikira asked as she rumbled pleasantly.

"He's going to give old Professor McGonagall fits when he finally goes to Hogwarts!"

A/N: And that's all I have for this one. Any and all reviews left after reading are greatly appreciated.