"So the Trix have abandoned the creature that calls himself Lord Voldemort. From what the Winx Club has told me, this shouldn't be much of a surprise..." Nebula commented as she sat with her sister in her personal study.
"They only left him a few days ago, so that's not enough time for them to be up to something else. Now that they've left him though, wouldn't they be back to their old selves stirring up trouble in Magix?" Morgana asked.
"Yes. Yes, they probably would. And Roxy would be there and could certainly come under fire from them for her association with the Winx. Perhaps even her roommates by their association with Roxy. And the Crown Princess of Linphea is amongst them. Maybe we should have Roxy sound out an alliance with Linphea via her..." Nebula mused.
"She can always catch up with her when they attend the Young Royals Gala this weekend. Speaking of my daughter, where is she?" Morgana asked.
"She's exploring the island with Harry, Artu, Dobby and Hedwig. They should be back by this afternoon for Dobby's little demonstration session." her sister answered.
"A wizard, a fairy, a House-Elf, a dog and an owl out on an adventure together. When I picture it, it looks like a rather interesting group..." the fairy queen chuckled at the thought.
Morgana chuckled at well. "It does. It really does... Anyway, Harry loaned us some of the books that he says he acquired from either his Godfather's library or that place in England they call Knockturn Alley. Do you have time to peruse them with me? They could give us a clue to the types of spells that the Death Eaters might have access to."
"Of course. I have them right here in this study." Nebula stood up and raised her hands.
A few books from a shelf in the very back floated into Nebula's outstretched hands.
"And here they are. As a child, I never did like reading much, but I feel as if these books will be much more interesting than some of those..." Nebula smirked and Morgana rolled her eyes.
Roxy and Harry, dressed in clothes appropriate for hiking, were currently going up a mountain that loomed over the rest of the island.
Hedwig was flying above them, Artu walked alongside Roxy and Dobby was beside Harry, carrying their bags.
"I don't know why I took this challenge from you. A hike up Tir Nan Og's tallest mountain indeed..." Roxy breathed heavily.
"Why? Tired already?" Harry teased, walking backwards and not looking a bit tired.
"I hate your guts right now. Really. I do..." Roxy glared at him as she sunk down onto a rock to rest once they'd reached the top, but that only made Harry chuckle.
"Come on, Roxy! It's not so bad! It's kinda fun and it'll help you keep in shape, going on walks and hikes like this. It should help with your training, shouldn't it?"
"I suppose, but I'm still not quite where I want to be with it..." Roxy scowled. "I still haven't unlocked my basic fairy form. For someone who didn't really like flying at first, it's really getting to me now that I can't fly anymore..."
Dobby snapped his fingers and a picnic basket began to unpack itself between her and Harry.
A dark blue cloth rolled out onto the ground, the basket landed on top of it and the various containers of food and bottles of drink arranged themselves neatly around it on the blanket.
Another snap of his fingers and food for their pets appeared.
"Thank you very much, Dobby." Roxy smiled at the House-Elf. "This looks really nice..."
Dobby looked down at his feet. "Dobby thanks Princess Roxy, but Dobby is not one who did cooking. Dobby is just packing things..."
"You still did a good job packing and carrying our things, Dobby. Don't be so hard on yourself. You're a good elf." Harry reassured him.
"Master Harry is still kind and noble, even after all he has been through and with his travels to foreign realms!" Dobby looked ready to go into Harry-worship mode again but Harry put a stop to it before it could truly begin.
"That's enough, Dobby." Harry said. "Relax. It's time for all of us to take a break."
He loaded a plate for himself while Roxy did hers.
"How's your training coming along, really?" He asked.
"Like I said, I don't seem to be making that much progress. Sure, I'm learning lots of cool new things. I'm learning about culture, history, philosophy, etiquette and non-magical combat. But my magic..." Roxy put down her plate and flexed her fingers, letting her magical energy flow around her hands for a bit.
"...my magic feels incomplete..." she spoke quietly.
"You'll get your new wings eventually, I'm sure. It'll happen when it's supposed to." Harry smiled reassuringly.
"Thank you, but when is eventually going to be? Besides feeling odd, I'll actually be behind in some of my classes if I can't transform. I need to be able transform and fly for some of them!"
"In a way, this reminds me of the time that Remus was trying to teach me the Patronus Charm. I was getting really frustrated with myself, but I got it down eventually." Harry said.
"Oh?" Roxy raised an eyebrow. "You've never told me this story..."
"I guess it's story time then."
As Harry and Roxy ate, he told her the story of his third year at Hogwarts and all the excitement that it brought with it.
"So are you saying that all I need to do to be able to transform again is to be confronted by a bunch of Dementors?" Roxy stared at him over her bottle of orange juice, incredulously.
"Not in the slightest. I wouldn't wish those foul things on even Draco Malfoy. Voldemort certainly, but he has so little soul left in him, I doubt it would make much of a difference." Harry shrugged. "The Dementors probably would dismiss him as an utter waste of time. He wouldn't even make a decent snack for them..."
Roxy giggled. "If Voldemort could hear you now, I wonder what his reaction would be..."
"Lots of threats and grandstanding instead of getting down to the business of actually attempting to murder me, most likely." Harry gave Hedwig- who had decided to perch on his head for some reason- an owl treat as he spoke.
"While he's talking, you can get in the death blow. Better him than you, for sure. I might not like some of the things that'll have to be done to defeat him and his Death Eaters," Roxy frowned at the thought. "but if it has to be done, it has to be done..."
Harry put a hand on her shoulder, easily sensing her change of mood. "Hey. We'll get through this. You and the Winx Club got through against the Wizards of the Black Circle, my friends and I got through against Voldemort and his Death Eaters... It won't be easy, but Voldemort and his minions will get what's coming to them, I'm sure. The Trix as well."
"I guess... Once I get more training. I mean, you've known about your powers and started formal training for longer than I have and you've had far more actual combat experiences than I have." Roxy said.
"I wouldn't have counted that as a plus, Roxy. I could have done without the yearly encounters with Voldemort or his minions..." Harry muttered.
"True..." Roxy agreed, patting Artu's head as he walked over to her.
Harry checked his watch. "We should get going if we want to get back to the palace on time. I don't know about you, but I'd rather not piss off your aunt. Or your mum for that matter..." Harry shuddered at the very thought.
Roxy shuddered as well. "Urgh. You're right. Scary thought, that is... Let's get going."
Harry and Roxy stood up, the former retrieving his wand from a side pocket on his backpack and the pair cleaned up behind themselves and repacked their possessions.
"Dobby will carry youse things!" Dobby insisted, snatching up their bags before either wizard or fairy could retrieve them with magic or not and disappeared with them.
The two looked at one another and shrugged before simply making their way down the mountain and back to the palace.
Harry, Roxy, Morgana, Nebula and Dobby stood in the outdoor arena where Nebula liked to train Roxy in her combat exercises.
"Dobby, Harry tells us that your kind has a special sort of magic that other wizards tend to ignore or underestimate." Nebula knelt down to address the House-Elf, looking him directly in the eye, albeit speaking gently. "We fairies would like to know what you are capable of. What your skills are, what you can do. You may just be able to help us achieve a key victory against the wizard who calls himself Lord Voldemort."
Dobby squeaked and shivered a bit at the mention of the name, but otherwise didn't react.
"You can work with us, Dobby. Think of it as being like a soldier... er... Auror..." Harry said.
Nebula stood up. "Harry is right. And we won't be sending you in to fight our war. We just want you to help us out with this particular operation."
"Dobby, if you're ever uncomfortable at any time, let me know, okay? I am not one of the Malfoys. You can tell me if you feel something is wrong. Understood?" Harry smiled reassuringly.
Dobby nodded. "Yes, Master Harry. Dobby is understanding youse and Queen Nebula, he is. Dobby is ready."
"Great. So... You've already proven that you can Apparate within properties that are warded against Apparition- by wizards and that you can do magic without a wand. You can also hear me when I call you, no matter where we are." Harry counted them off on his fingers as he spoke. "We haven't confirmed if you can move inter-dimensionally on your own though. We need to try that sometime..."
"Very well then, Dobby. I think we can start by having Harry cast a few barrier spells and seeing if you can break through them. Is that an okay start with you?" Morgana asked Dobby kindly.
Dobby nodded. "Yes. Dobby can do that."
"Great then." Harry retrieved his wand from within his pocket. "We can start with basic Protegos. Ladies," Harry turned to the fairies. "I suggest that you stand back for a bit until you're ready to test him with your own magic."
They nodded, moving back to sit on some rocks surrounding the arena.
"Are you ready, Dobby?" Harry asked him.
Dobby nodded.
"Protego!" Harry lifted his wand into the air and began casting the first of many spells that afternoon.
"Well, Dobby. All I can say is that I have a newfound respect for House Elves now, after what you've shown me and the others over the past few days. Well done." Harry praised Dobby as he talked to him in the meeting room.
Dobby looked ready to keel over from excitement- and not a little adrenalin.
"Thank you, Master Harry. Dobby is glad he gets to show his skills. If Dobby can help beat bad wizards in Britain, Dobby is glad to show his skills and help!"
Harry sighed. "Can you please stop calling me Master? It makes me feel odd..."
Dobby gasped in horror. "Never! Dobby could never do that! It would be mark of disrespect!"
"Not if I say it's okay, Dobby. Try to at least sometimes, okay?" Harry put an hand on the Elf's shoulder.
Dobby looked reluctant, but answered. "Yes, Mast-" He stopped when Harry looked at him over the top of his glasses. "Yes, Harry. Dobby is going to find this very hard, he is..."
Nebula entered the room just then, followed by Roxy and Morgana.
"You can leave now, Dobby. I'll call when we're ready for you..."
Dobby nodded and Disapparated with a loud crack.
Nebula snapped her fingers and a stack of books appeared on the table.
"I must thank you for the loan, Harry. These books proved to be very interesting reading indeed..."
"Thank you, Your Majesty. Did you find anything useful in them?" Harry asked.
"Many useful things were in them, Harry. I believe we could adapt them to fit our own magic if we put in the effort to do so." Morgana smiled at him.
"Now onto something more light-hearted, at least for the moment: The Young Royals Gala tomorrow. Are you both prepared?" Nebula asked.
"I believe so, Your Majesty. I can dance well enough not to make a fool of myself and I have decent dress robes. I also know a bit of etiquette, though I am not an expert in that..." Harry admitted.
"Who are you bringing to the Gala with you besides Harry?" Morgana asked.
"One of my Alfean roommates: Rainer Del Mar of Andros." Roxy answered.
"Is that Lady Rainer? The one whose parents are part of the nobility there?" Nebula asked.
Roxy nodded. "Yes, it is."
"Ah, yes. Speaking of Androsian nobles and royalty in general, I must invite Princess Aisha back here for a more light-hearted visit. I have not seen her in a while. Plus since she's the closest of the Winx Club to the pixies of Pixie Village, I'd like her to escort you to Pixie Village someday to see if there's the possibility of you forming a Pixie Bond..." Nebula thought aloud.
"Pixie Bond?" Harry turned to Roxy, raising an eyebrow.
"I'll explain it later. I promise." Roxy held his hand lightly for a moment.
"Rainer is going to meet us in Magix and then we'll grab a teleporter from there to Domino. Going home afterwards would be easier. We can just leave from Domino directly." Roxy returned her attention to her aunt.
"To make it easier on her, why don't you invite her here?" Nebula offered. "I can adjust the permissions around Tir Nan Og to allow her through, at least, just for this weekend. I'd rather you be able to move directly between here and there, rather than going directly to Magix City. I feel it would be safer that way, especially with the Trix free and running amok..."
"I would feel better with that alternative as well. Call Rainer and ask her if she's willing to come here, then let me speak to her parents as soon as we leave." Morgana instructed her.
"Understood, mom." Roxy nodded.
"This event will allow you to mix and mingle with not only royals, but some high-flyers from many different planets and realms. I suggest that you use it to make connections that you could use in the future. Friendships, even." Nebula said. "Roxy, we are a newly flourishing realm. We have lots of potential for growth and we can be a source for several magical items and ingredients for potions, spell knowledge and the like. Establish trade and diplomatic relations, or more realistically, sound them out. See what they think about things here on Earth."
"Excuse me, Your Majesty..." Harry started and waited until Nebula nodded to him. "but how is Roxy supposed to do that in just one evening? I can imagine that fostering trade agreements and diplomatic relations is a rather complicated thing..."
"It doesn't seem that complicated for you, does it?" Morgana smiled at him and Harry's face took on a confused expression.
"I'm not certain what you mean by that, Your Highness..." Harry sounded just as bewildered as he looked.
"The work you have been doing between Tir Nan Og and Magical Britain closely resembles that of a diplomat and you have been doing an excellent job of it so far, in my opinion." Morgana explained.
"I quite agree with my sister. Perhaps in future, after you have completed your Red Fountain education- and defeated Voldemort, you may consider such a role, hmm?" Nebula suggested.
"Well, I did want to be an Auror before, but if this all works out, then... me, a diplomat?" Harry looked mildly shocked.
"My mother and aunt are right. You do seem naturally good at this sort of thing. You've handled yourself well here with us and going between here and Britain. You could use this as an opportunity to get those other royals there interested in the Wizarding world and Britain in particular. In fact, I'll introduce you to Bloom while we're there..." Roxy suddenly looked more enthusiastic about the entire thing.
"Princess Bloom? Of the same planet hosting the Gala?" Harry asked.
Roxy nodded. "Oh yes. Since she grew up on Earth and all, I think she'd be more interested than most in any magic they'd have. You should totally talk to her!"
"If you think it's a good idea..." Harry looked unsure.
"Of course it's a good idea! Plus the other Winx are going to be there and I know they're mighty interested in actually meeting you. Especially Stella..." At Roxy's mischievous giggle, Harry looked even more nervous than before.
He even had a flashback to the day he first met Roxy in Magix Mall, when Stella was apparently on a crusade to give Roxy a makeover, come hell or high water.
He shuddered at the memory and even Morgana and Nebula laughed at his reaction.
"On second thought, maybe I wouldn't be so good at this sort of thing after all..." Harry admitted.
"You can fight merpeople, Dementors, Basilisks, trolls, Death Eaters and Voldemort and the thought of dealing with the Princess of Solaria scares you?" Roxy looked incredulous.
"Not scared, no. Just rather apprehensive about it all. I'll be able to handle myself, but cavorting with all those royals and important people, some of whom are bound to be easily offended..." Harry said.
"You are important in your own right, Harry. Let us not forget that you are the only person that has ever survived what was meant to be a curse that causes instant death. That is unheard of even in Magix. Once that word gets around at the Gala, I imagine that you will have a lot of people who would be mighty interested in you." Morgana pointed out.
"It's just what I need. More people to treat me differently because of something I don't even remember." Harry groaned, putting his head in his hands.
"You two are enjoying this way more than you should be..." Roxy narrowed her eyes at her mother and aunt, who were far from concealing their amusement to Harry's reactions.
"Perhaps we are, my dear daughter. But even with all the negative things going on with the Death Eaters in Britain and how it's affected us, we must remember to laugh at things sometimes." Morgana chuckled.
"Yes, but does it have to be at me, Your Majesty?" Harry sounded exasperated.
"Yes. Yes it does." Nebula actually snickered after this pronouncement and Morgana joined her.
Roxy stood up. "Can we leave now? I need to call Rainer before it gets too late and I'm sure Harry has some things he'd like to do as well..."
"Go on, my dear." Nebula waved them off.
Roxy rolled her eyes as she and Harry left the room and she retrieved her cell phone from her pants pocket.
"I'll just go check that my... clothing is in order..." Harry ran off.
Roxy sighed as she dialled Rainer's number.
"Hey Roxy! What's up?" Rainer answered enthusiastically, her projection holding up two gown and apparently, trying to decide between the two, before tossing them aside.
"Listen: my aunt made a suggestion about getting to Domino tomorrow..."