Chapter 5 Finding A Way In

Thanks to alix33 and darrelldeam for looking this over. All mistakes are my own, feel free to point them out.

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They set up camp between the golden dome and the rainforest. There was a good stretch of land that was grassy and flat, like the wards kept the forest at bay. The Centaurs put up some cloth lean-tos and made a fire pit. They had no idea how long it would take to get inside, so they were setting up for a long wait.

Sirius and Harry erected the pup tent and moved to help the Centaurs. When they had first started out, Harry had offered Dobby's help, but the Centaurs stated they would rather do for themselves. After journeying together the native ones were getting used to the humans. When they had saved Nalla's life it endeared and frightened them. But after talking to the British horsepeople, that fear faded into admiration. Now the wizards were a welcome addition to the herd and their offers to lend a hand were welcome, as long as they didn't use magic. It was believed that manual labor was good for the soul.

Their stalkers stayed in the forest, up in the trees, which surprisingly didn't cause the monkeys to scatter. Harry looked up from where he was helping Nalla's family, and saw about ten of them, six men, one boy and three women. They were dark of skin, like a very deep tan, and the men wore loincloths while the women wore a tunic like dress. They had bows strapped to their very fit upper bodies. Unlike the villagers that Harry and Sirius had avoided when they first entered the forest, these guys were wild. Their black hair was unkempt and their features were lined with too much sun and hard lives. Harry could tell that they worked hard at whatever they did.

The dark-haired Brit tentatively waved to the wild boy, who gave a toothy smile and waved back, causing the older ones to break out in rapid talking, which Harry only understand a little of. He was glad that Iago had taken it upon himself to teach him Portuguese. The villagers then faded into the trees. The boy gave one more grin to Harry, before he scurried up the tree and disappeared in the broad leaves. Harry wondered if these guys were going to join them when they got into the city. He knew they were magical, since the muggle repelling charms didn't drive them off. He hoped so, the boy looked friendly and about his age.

The dark-haired teen shrugged and went to find Sirius. He roamed about the camp and noted the excited looks on everyone's faces. He was now glad they had brought the Centaurs along. It was the start of their utopia, where there would be a place for all magical creatures. Well, not all, now that he understood there were some that will not get along with anyone, like the giants, vampires and the Acromantula. Sirius had given him a rundown on which Dark creatures (or half-breeds) were friendly enough to cohabit.

They were going to see if they could get some of the goblins, dwarves, friendly werewolves, the free house elves and of course the repressed witches and wizards. Sirius explained that once they tweaked the wards, the magical animals would come on their own, like the fairies, gnomes, and hippogriffs. Those types were drawn to places of strong magic. For all they knew there were some already in the dome.

Harry was thinking of all this while wandering the camp and was brought out of his musing when Sirius called his name. He looked up and saw his godfather, standing with the two leaders, waving the teen over. So he picked up his pace and jogged to where they were standing.

"What's up, Sirius?" he asked as he came to the man's side. "Good evening Matta, Melampus."

"Good evening, Harry Potter," Matta said with a small bow.

"It is a nice evening, Harry Potter. I trust you are tired after our journey," Melampus stated with a friendly smile.

"Very tired, but really happy we made it," Harry answered with a nod. Then he turned his head to his godfather with a questioning look.

"We're having a bit of a debate," Sirius answered with a frown. "These guys keep saying that you're the only one who can open the way. I keep telling them you're just a kid. Not that that's a bad thing," he hastily added. "Just that you're an untrained wizard, well, half trained."

"Well, what do the stars say?" Harry asked, turning towards Matta.

"That only one with great power can open the way," the steel-coated Centaur said. "I believe that you are that one."

Melampus nodded and said, "I too think you are such. It is foretold that you hold great power as a prophesized child."

"While I'm not one to argue with the stars, they don't say it is me," Harry pointed out. "I don't really feel like I'm more powerful than Sirius, so perhaps they are speaking of someone else."

The two Centaurs frowned at that, since these were the only two wizards in their group. They looked like they were about to argue, when Sirius held up his hands. "Well, let's put this off until tomorrow when we can look around. Right now, I think everyone wants to party," he said, ruffling Harry's ever messy hair.

Harry swatted the hand and regarded the camp. All of the lean-tos had been put up and the Centaurs were in groups of four or five all chatting and stomping their hooves in excitement. There was much waving at the golden dome and the younger ones were right up next to it, faces almost touching, trying to look inside.

That night there was indeed a celebration, with a wonderful, spicy root stew and much dancing and singing. Sirius even produced some fire whiskey and butterbeer from his bag and some of the braver horsemen took to drinking, mostly the Brits. No one got belligerent, for which Harry was very thankful.

Every now and then the Centaurs would gaze at the stars as if to see what was in store for them now that they were here. None of them were disappointed; though more than one warned Harry that Mars was still bright, making the dark-haired teen sigh.

Is that stupid star ever going to leave me alone?" he mused to himself, glaring at the planet in question.

Harry and Sirius were late going to the tent that night. They did their nightly routine and were once more sitting in their chairs with Dobby and some tea and sugar biscuits.

"So now what?" Harry asked, sipping some of his tea.

"First thing in the morning, we'll look around and see where the ward stone is. Then we'll try and interpret the runes. Once we do that, we'll see if the stargazers are right and if you're the only one who can open the dome. We don't know. It's been thousands of years since this city has been lived in," Sirius answered with a frown. He didn't want it to have to be Harry that let them in. He was just a kid.

"I'll do anything I can to help," Harry said firmly. Sometimes his godfather was a bit too protective for his taste.

"I know you will," the older man said. "It's just that we don't know what this great power will do to you. For all we know you could be knocked out for days."

"I'm sure it is nothing dangerous or the Centaurs wouldn't see my future," the dark-haired boy said, trying to soothe the man's fears. "Remember, Mars is still shining for me."

"You're probably right," Sirius sighed, taking a bite out of his biscuit. "I wish they'd tell me what that meant. I know Mars is a sign of war, but if it is shining bright for you, does that mean you'll be fighting a war or just that you have enemies." The dark-haired man got lost in his thoughts, trying to come up with ways to protect his godson.

"Dobby," Harry said, turning to his little friend, letting the older man do his planning, "now that we're here, do you think you can round up more free house elves?"

"Dobby is already being doing that. When the Great Harry Potter is telling Dobby about Winky, he is going and bringing her to the island," Dobby said, bouncing in his seat. "It was a good thing Dobby did. Winky was drinking butterbeer." His face turned into a frown.

"Butterbeer isn't bad," the confused teen said.

"It is being very bad for house elves, Harry Potter. It is being getting us drunks. But, Dobby brought Winky to the island and gives her jobs to do." Dobby started bouncing again. "He is telling hers that there may be families soon."

"Oh, well, that's good," Harry said with a smile. "Maybe now you can find more."

"Try looking all over the world, Dobby," Sirius suggested, looking up at the two smaller magicals. "There have to be free elves everywhere."

"Dobby will start on that right away, sir," the diminutive elf said with a short nod, already thinking about how he would accomplish that. He knew gossip and ridicule among the house elves would point out where free elves were. All he had to do was find the ones that would tell him anything. Since he was considered a freak of an elf they might not talk to him.

"We're going to need a few to carry messages," Sirius said, rubbing his chin in thought, still trying to figure out how they'll get people here without causing a ruckus in the governments. If he got enough wizards together they could cast an area wide Fidelius charm. That could work or maybe there was a similar rune on the ward stone. He'd talk it over with the leaders in the morning. "Hey, Dobby, can you, you know, pop people here?"

"Dobby is thinking we house elves can be taking ones at time," the elf said thoughtfully, his big ears twitching.

"We might need you to do that," the older man said, once more going over plans in his head.

"Sirius," Harry said, breaking the man from his thoughts, "are you going to get Professor Lupin to come?" He really liked that quiet man. There was something about him that just made you calm while in his presence.

"I've been debating that. See, Remus is a good friend, but, he, like Hagrid, has a deep devotion to Dumbledore. I'm still trying to word my letter to him correctly, so he doesn't tell anyone where we are. There are a few charms that can be placed on such missives, but I'd hate to do that to a friend," the dogman answered solemnly. He too wanted his friend here, but was leery about it. Remus had good reason to be faithful to the Headmaster, much like the gentle half-giant, but it would ruin their plans if Albus came along and talked Harry into going home, which would turn out bad for the teen.

"Right, but, wouldn't he have a better idea of what werewolves we can invite?" Harry pressed.

"Yeah, he would. Let me think on it some more," Sirius said. Then he got up and said, "Time to hit the hay."

Harry let out a jaw cracking yawn and nodded. He put his cup down and stood to go to bed.

The next morning after a full English breakfast, they joined the rest of the travelers. Many of the women were tending the camp and the men were scouting the outer rim of the rainforest. Animal eyes seemed to be peeking at them and the monkeys were chattering and bouncing on the tree limbs, so the repelling spells must have worn off during the night, but since Sirius refreshed those two days ago, that was pretty good. The wards on the camp were still strong, but those only kept the animals out as one or two of the primates found out when they came to try and steal food. They were standing outside the wards jumping up and down scolding the Centaurs that were smirking at them.

Harry and Sirius went around and asked all the Centaurs if they wanted the repelling spells back on them. They said yes, so they recast them. The monkeys moved back to the forest.

Sirius joined Matta and Melampus and the three of them put their heads together and talked. They seemed to be debating on how to find the ward stone. Their arms flinging about as if to decide which direction to start.

Harry left them to it and went to the edge of the dome to look inside. The area was vast, spreading out for miles and miles, like it was extended, since the dome didn't look that big. He could barely make out a large pyramid type building in the back of what appeared to be an adobe city. He couldn't really see how good of a condition the houses were in, but he could tell they were light brown and not made of wood and covered in some type of vine. He also spotted a large forest in the dome; it created a semi-circle around the city. Where Harry was standing was clear of trees, like an entranceway.

Nalla came up to him and asked, "When do you think we can enter?" her legs stomped the ground nervously.

Harry turned and smiled at the young skittish filly. "I don't rightly know, to tell the truth. Sirius said they were going to look for the ward stone. Could be today, could be in a month." He shrugged his shoulders, still calmly grinning.

"Oh," the brown-coated Centaur said as she relaxed. "The stars are not forthcoming about when we will enter."

"If there's one thing I remember about divination it is that you can't predict everything," Harry said. Remembering all of the times the books said just that, though Trelawney tried to make it seem as if she could, with her constant foretelling of people's mishaps.

"That is a hard lesson learned," Nalla said with a bright smile. Then she turned her head when her mother called her name. "It was very nice talking to you, Harry Potter." She whirled around and trotted back to where her family was.

Harry stared at the retreating girlhorse and got a fond look on his face, glad they were able to save her. It was good to talk to someone who wasn't an adult, even if they were younger. Though he wished there were humans around, his fledgling libido was not interested in Centaurs. Then he noticed movement out of the corner of his eye. Turning his head he saw Gundabald waving him over.

Harry sighed, knowing it was time to study. He ran to his tutor and they went over Charms and how to use them in a fight. Harry was getting quite an education on defense. He worried that he was missing out on other things, but put it out of his thoughts for now.

After a day of searching, the disappointed searchers returned to camp. They hadn't found the ward stone. Harry, Sirius and Dobby were in their tent, talking, as they did every night.

"Sirius," the teen said, "What does a ward stone look like?" He kept picturing a large stone tablet with squiggly lines, like he'd seen on the telly.

"Well, it differs, but for a place this large, it should be a large rock with markings on it," his godfather answered, confirming Harry's thoughts.

"Oh, hey, do you want me to ask the snakes to scout it out?" the teen perked up at that. He always liked to be useful.

Sirius smacked himself in the forehead. "Why didn't I think of that?"

Harry just smirked and made a mental note to do just that in the morning. They then talked of nonessential things and practiced some spell work and then retired for the evening. The next morning Harry called a large group of snakes to him and asked them to look for a large stone that smelled of magic. They all agreed and slithered off.

The next week was spent much the same. Harry would get up in the morning, eat, study, talk to the colt and fillies, eat, study, get reports from the snakes, wave to the kid in the trees, eat, talk to Sirius, practice his spell work and go to bed. Rinse and repeat.

Now he was sitting and reading letters from Hermione and Ron. Much like he predicted, his friends had drifted apart and his bushy-haired friend was lonely. She talked a lot about the Triwizard Tournament and how she knew if Harry were there he would somehow get caught up in it; making the dark-haired teen thankful he was in the middle of the Amazon. She also wrote that she hoped he was keeping up with his studies and that the newspaper and gossip were no longer about him and Sirius. She did say that Harry should tell Dumbledore where he was, to keep the Headmaster from worrying. She still scolded him for being impulsive and stressed the fact that she missed him. Then would turn around and say she understood and hoped they found what they were looking for.

Ron's letter was full of complaints, like the fact he wasn't old enough to enter the competition and that Quidditch was cancelled for the year. He lamented that Hermione had turned into a bossy know-it-all after Harry left, that they were no longer friends and now his schoolwork was suffering. The redhead also berated Harry for going off on an adventure without him. This letter made Harry frown, wondering if he should continue to write the other boy.

Harry hadn't told his friends they found the Lost City of Z. Sirius had suggested that he not do that until they figured out the wards and were safely inside the city. The godfather said that there were people who could read minds and it would be easy to pick up that bit of information from two unprotected teens. Harry reluctantly agreed. He hated having to hide things from his best friends, but could see Sirius's point. So for all those two back home knew, Harry was hiking through a forest. He never really told them it was a rainforest, just that there were a lot of trees and monkeys, which could put him anywhere there were primates.

Sirius came in and saw Harry frowning at a letter. "What now?" he asked as he dropped into his chair. He really hated it when Harry got bad news from home. It put the boy in a right funk and it took days for him to cheer up.

"Ron's being a prat. He has broken off his friendship with Hermione and this letter is nothing but whinging," Harry answered, waving the piece of paper around.

"Really? Hmmm, that's too bad. From what you told me of Hermione, she's a good and loyal friend. Oh, well, his loss," his godfather said with a smirk.

"Yeah, but, it's making me second guess why I'm mates with such a git," Harry said, still frowning.

"Remember what I told you about your dad? How he was an immature bully and stuck-up bigot? Well, Ron might just grow out of his attitude just like your dad did," Sirius offered, not wanting Harry to lose any of his friends.

"Yeah, I guess," the green-eyed boy conceded, folding up the letter and putting it in his pocket. "So any luck?"

"No, not really, but we've only gone around half the dome," the older man said, slumping a little, showing how tired he was.

"Would the ward stone be inside or outside? I never really studied that," Harry asked, it was something that he'd been thinking about.

"Well, logically, if it is the way to open the dome, it would be on the outside, so that it can be activated," Sirius said, sitting up and going into lecture mode. "Most ward stones are buried on the grounds outside of the area they're protecting. We figured this one was big enough that it wouldn't be buried, but I'm running detecting spells just in case. That's what is taking us so long. Now sometimes they are inside the area, when there is a large amount of wizards that can control the stone, but for a place like this it would be on the outside. Well…" he said as if something just came to him. "It could be when whoever was here before knew the city would be deserted and they moved it." He rubbed his chin, his grey eyes going vacant, and then he shook he head as if to clear his thoughts and paid attention to the conversation.

"Oh, well, I guess that makes sense. I'm going to have to tell my snakes that," Harry said with a mild glare.

"Right, sorry," his godfather apologized sheepishly. "You didn't say how Hermione is coping," he said, changing the subject.

"She's lonely; she doesn't really get along with her roommates. They're more into boys, fashion and makeup than she is. I really wish we could get her and her parents here. I don't like this whole Triwizard Tournament. It sounds like a setup to me," Harry predicted, and after the long hike in the rainforest he had time to go over all his years in Hogwarts and they all felt like arrangements, well not third, but the other two. Though he couldn't pinpoint who would be designing these tests. His two main suspects were Dumbledore and Voldemort, he was leaning more towards Voldemort, since he had faced the man two times. Plus, he really didn't think the Headmaster wanted him dead.

"Yeah, it does seem convenient," Sirius agreed with a nod. "But we'll just have to wait and see. Have you had anymore dreams?"

"No, just feelings that aren't mine, but they are so slight that it takes me a minute to figure that out. Like yesterday, when I was talking to Nalla, suddenly I got a vague feeling of extreme satisfaction, which had nothing to do with our conversation," Harry explained, waving his hand like it was no big thing.

"Well, please tell me if that happens again. I can't do research if I don't know what I'm looking for," Sirius said with a firm look.

"Right, sorry, I'll let you know," Harry promised quickly. The conversation dropped and they did some spell work and soon went to bed.

In the morning Harry told his snakes that they might be looking for something underground or inside the dome. The scouts hissed in agitation that they weren't told before, and started their search anew. It took two more days and the whole camp got excited when a small snake came to Harry and reported a large amount of magic was found on the other side of the dome.

Harry, Sirius, Matta and Melampus went to the area. There was no sign of a rock, so they watched as the snake circled a large area. Sirius pulled some shovels out of his bag and they started digging inside the trail the scout had left. Harry thanked the little guy and it slithered away.

With the four of them working it took no time to uncover the stone. It was large and the runes on it were etched deep. Sirius took his time in reading them and said it would take a couple of days to figure it out. He and Harry would stay here with anyone who wanted to join them. The rest of the adventurers could stay at the base camp.

Matta and Melampus went back to their herd, and about an hour later, Talar, Iago and Firenze came to the two wizards, causing Harry to groan, knowing that he would have to keep studying. The teen called Dobby to bring the tent and they set up camp. Sirius had brought out some books from his bag and was going over the runes. Harry and his two tutors were also studying runes, but third year stuff. While Talar kept guard.

They went about their projects peacefully for two days and you could tell that Sirius was getting really frustrated with the runes. In their discussion the night before his godfather said they were in a language he didn't entirely understand. That it was close to Portuguese, but not quite. There was enough of a difference that it was making it hard to interpret, like Olde English and modern. Harry told him he understood and they simply went about their usual routines.

Harry was reading a Charms book and sitting on a folding chair outside the tent. Talar was watching the forest and Iago and Firenze were trying to help Sirius. Suddenly the leaves of the undergrowth shook and parted. Harry and Sirius whipped out their wands and guns and pointed them to the noise. The three Centaurs pulled their machetes and also stood defensively.

The oldest man Harry had ever seen came from the forest. His skin was dark brown and he had white hair which was chopped close to his head. The wrinkles on the man's face and body made Tom the bartender look like a spring chicken. He was stooped over like the world was on his shoulders and he had to use a walking stick to move forward. His limbs were fragile looking, like thin sticks. Harry was surprised the old guy was standing.

With this man came a young woman who was hovering over him, like he was going to fall any second. She had black hair that hung down her back and was wearing a tunic type shift. Harry could see many others in the trees, their bows drawn. He spotted the kid he had been waving at, and gave him a small smile, which was returned.

The old man sat down outside the camp's wards and started talking and waving his arms. Harry only caught one out of every five words. He was saying that he was here to help and knew the language on the stone. The adults in this little camp were paying close attention. They lowered their weapon and moved forward, which in turn made the people in the trees lower theirs.

Harry stayed where he was, though he did stow his gun and kept his wand close. The adults talked for around thirty minutes and Sirius invited the natives to join them. They came from the trees and all but the kid had gathered around the ward stone. The other boy joined Harry, but didn't say anything, just offered a toothy smile, which Harry returned. So the two teens turned back to the elders.

After a few minutes of talking a very worried Sirius said, "Harry, come over here, please." When Harry joined the small group his godfather said, "This is Jeuel, he's the elder of his village. He says the Centaurs are correct and you're the only one who can activate the stone. See this rune here? The one that looks like a circle with a lightning bolt? You need to touch it and put as much magic into it as you can push through your hand."

"What? Right now?" Harry asked, completely unprepared for the request. Yeah, he and his tutors had been discussing it, but he didn't think it would be right away.

"Sure, I'm going to be right here in case I'm correct and you fall unconscious. According to these guys you'll be okay. I'm a bit leery, but Matta said we have to get inside soon or we'll be found. So, let's try it," Sirius said, pulling out some pepper-up. "Here, drink this, it might help."

Harry gave his godfather the hairy eyeball, but took the vial. He drank the potion and then got in position. He placed his finger on the rune and pushed every bit of magic he could muster. He felt it flow from his core and down his arm until it reached his extended finger.

His thoughts turned to his godfather, praying this worked. The love and the desperation to be somewhere safe with his only family member made that magic flow faster. Then he thought about Hermione living somewhere where she wouldn't be looked down on, this also fueled the power.

It was a bit overwhelming; he never channeled his magic like this before. Iago, Gundabald and Firenze had explained the theory; it was different to feel it. He watched as his finger glowed white and waited for something to happen. It felt like hours, but was mere minutes.

Then the rune clicked and a blast of power came off the stone, knocking everyone but Harry back. The teen tried to move his hand away, but it was held fast. He could hear Sirius call his name telling him to stop. More and more magic flowed from the finger and the whole stone lit up, most of the runes started to pulse with blue lights. There were some that stayed dark.

Blackness was playing around his eyes as Harry held on. Then the stone clicked again and the glow stopped pulsing. Harry could remove his hand and staggered back. Falling into his godfather's arms he said, "What a rush." Sirius was pressing another vial of pepper-up to his lips and Harry drank gratefully. The potion took effect and he felt better. He stood on his shaky legs and shook his head to clear it. He turned to Sirius and asked, "Did it work?"

"I'm not sure. The dome is brighter, but we'll have walk around it to see if there's an opening," was the answer. "How do you feel?"

"I'm a bit muddled and shaky, but I think I'll be alright." He gave the man the best smile he could. It must have been wobbly, because Sirius didn't seem convinced.

"Right, you sit over here and rest," Sirius said, leading the tired teen to his folding chair and helping him sit. "Firenze, you're the fastest. Can you go and see if there's a doorway?" he asked the messy-haired Centaur.

Firenze nodded, whirled around and took off in a gallop. Iago and Talar were talking to the villagers. Sirius sat next to Harry and stared at him with a frown. "I'm really glad you weren't hurt. I honestly didn't think it would take that much power. Where did you get it all from?" he asked awestruck, now that he knew Harry was okay.

"Emotions," Harry answered. "Iago, Gundabald and Firenze have been going over that theory for the whole journey. Emotions play a large part in magic. Like Dark magic requires hate, Grey magic needs determination and Light magic needs love, or something like that. They said it isn't something really taught at Hogwarts, well Firenze said that, that it's all theory. So I pulled up the love for you and the resolve to keep us together. There were some warm feelings for Hermione and the need to get her to safety. Firenze says that's why you couldn't do it; your emotions are all over the place."

"Right, I knew that," Sirius said, nodding his head in understanding. It was one thing his father taught him about the Dark Arts. Plus, it was true that he was still recovering from Azkaban. This adventure helped, but he still had bouts of deep depression, though he thought he hid those from his godson.

One of Harry's snakes came up to him and hissed that the hidden world was now opened. He told Sirius and got up. His legs were sturdier and he could walk just fine. So he folded up his chair and threw it in the tent. Sirius joined the adults and they started talking, about what Harry didn't know. He looked around for the other teen, but didn't see him anywhere. So he shrugged, took down the tent and handed it to Sirius, who put it in the bag.

Iago joined him and said, "We are heading back to the herd. Your godfather has all of the runes on paper, to study when we enter the city. The villagers will come in a few days to move in the city and help him. Are you okay to travel? That was a great deal of magic you channeled." He put his hand on the teen's shoulder.

"I'm fine," Harry said, giving the historian a bright smile.

So Talar and Sirius half buried the stone and the villagers disappeared into the trees. The small group walked back to the other side of the brighter glowing dome. Because the color was so intense, Harry figured that whatever he did made the wards stronger. He would have to ask Sirius what all the runes that lit up were so he'd know what to expect if he had to do that again.

The four went slowly, but made good time. An excited Firenze met them half way and surprised everyone by offering to carry Harry. Knowing that it could mean ridicule for the Centaur, Harry declined. After about an hour of walking they made it to camp.

There on the front of the dome was a portal. All of the Centaurs were gathered around it, their possessions on their horse bodies and human backs. They must have broken camp when it opened.

The portal glowed silver and was large enough for a small giant to get through. Harry wandered up to it and put his hand through, ignoring Sirius's shouts to be careful. He could feel the wards wrap around his hand and judge him.

"I think there's an intent ward," he said, turning his head to the group staring at him and then removing his hand, shaking off the tingling feeling.

"Probably," Sirius agreed, coming to the teen's side. "Let me go first." He took Harry's shoulder and pulled him back. Gathering up his Gryffindor courage, he stepped into the opening and out the other side. Harry gave a sigh of relief when nothing happened. "It's fine," Sirius said when he turned and waved the travelers to follow.

Harry went first and joined his godfather, who had moved away from the portal. They stood and stared. The city was enormous. Hundreds of stone streets, lined with thousands of decaying buildings, were mapped out in a grid like pattern. At the very end was a medium sized pyramid like structure, not quite as large as the ones in Egypt, but tall enough to dominate the landscape. It was more like a half pyramid and half temple. The temple looked like it came straight from Greece, with its large gold doors and marble columns. At the front of the pyramid was a vast staircase, leading up to marble pillars. There were statues among those pillars, but they couldn't make them out from where they were standing. All in all, it looked spectacular.

As they stood on the grass clearing, they noted that it was completely silent. There were no animal noises in the forest. Not even insects. That made for an eerie atmosphere, which caused Harry to shiver a bit in the warm air. The sun shining through the golden dome was muted and gave the whole city a soft look. The air wasn't humid where they stood, but if there was a rainforest, it only stood to reason that there were weather spells over it.

After everyone filed in, they started walking down the stone path, which was overgrown with grass and vines. When noises from behind made them all whirl about, weapons at the ready.

Buckbeak, monkeys, birds, insects, snakes and various other animals were flocking through the doorway. Scattering about the clearing, many headed to the forest that mostly surrounded the city. The hippogriff stood nearby, but didn't join the group. After ten minutes of the stampede, suddenly the flow of animals stopped like the dome reckoned there were enough.

Harry laughed and turned to Sirius. "Well, shall we follow?" he asked mockingly.

"Let's."

Hphphp

To my knowledge there will be little to no romance, but my muse has a mind of its own, so who knows. So for anyone thinking this will be an H/Hr fic, well, not at this time.

I am still making this up as I go along, so give me your suggestions and I will read them and if it is something I can pull off, I will incorporate them in the story.