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The massive bronze dragon, apparently named Nozdormu, whose colour was remarkably close to actual sand, stepped forward and looked at Harry in a weird way. As if she was not truly here. She had seen this in Luna sometimes and Harry found herself slightly surprised to see in again, especially in a massive dragon.
"I felt that my presence would be necessary to explain this young one's presence." He started, speaking at a low pace.
Harry tensed at that, a feeling of dread coursing through her. Did this dragon knew how she came here? Did he know she used to be human? She didn't got the time to ask that the other dragons turned toward Nozdormu with small looks of surprise and tension on their faces.
"So, you have already seen her." Stated the Queen of dragons. "Am I wrong to assume that she has a role to play in our future? You wouldn't know about any dragon without reason."
"Indeed, sister. The sands showed me that Harry's arrival was unique, a truly small number of timelines showed her coming here today. I have also seen what happens if I do not intervene to clarify."
"Your majesty, if I may." Interrupted Devrestrasz.
"Go on." Invited him the Queen.
"This filth speaks stories of pure non-sense. I advise caution your majesty, it can only be an attempt to escape punishment." Continued the red dragon.
"What stories?" Asked the Queen.
"She said that she was in Blackrock mountain, was attacked by murlocs and guards and pretend that she hasn't done anything wrong nor know why we were after her. Truly such idiocy can only be found in the black dragonflight." Continued Devrestrasz with quite the impressive amount of hatred in his voice.
Harry might have praised the impressive memory of the dragon for a couple of words she babbled in her panic earlier but she was too busy dreading what was happening. She was being put on trial without a chance to explain herself, a situation she was quite familiar with. And why did this red dragon seemed to hate her so much, she could only guess, but she wasn't about to let him crush her chances of survival.
"Excuse-me." She dared say.
All heads turned toward Harry who was still standing head low, feeling lost into what was being said. She didn't know enough to figure out what why she was here but it was obviously because of belonging to this black dragon flight if she heard correctly. And no matter how lost or confused she was, she wouldn't let anyone order her fate ever again. She already had enough of that for a lifetime. And Harry managed to gave back a glare at Devrestrasz who was doing the same, both of them plainly hating the other. She didn't know why he acted like an ass but that was the exact reason why she was hating him. And she certainly wouldn't forget the way he treated her today.
"Speak." Ordered the Queen.
"May I ask what's going on?" Harry asked, turning away from Devrestrasz and addressing the Queen more politely.
"Do not fret, child, for I knows what troubles you. Alexstrasza, this young one is coming to us free of any corruption of the old gods, unaware of our world and the misdeeds of her flight." Replied Nozdormu.
"Truly? I thought Wrathion and Ebyssian were the only uncorrupted black dragons." Alexstrasza, the dragon Queen, said in genuine shock as she looked at Harry with a new eye.
"Perhaps more still hide but Harry stands out by being completely unknown to us and us to her. Tell us your age, young Harry." Nozdormu asked knowingly.
Having seen the reaction of Devrestrasz and Azuregos barely a couple of minutes earlier, the two having almost ended her life just for saying it, it's with a bit of anxiety that she answered, afraid of suffering the same treatment again but not enough to put her chances of getting away to rest.
"Hum… Twenty-four years old, your majesty." She added, not knowing how to address him properly.
"Twenty-four?" Repeated Alexstrasza shocked.
"But she is bigger than a drake." Whispered the large blue dragon to the green one in slight awe.
"Adult even." Replied the green one.
"To answer your question, sister, young Harry will not have any significant role on our immediate future though her presence will change the timeline. Since she knows nothing about us and herself, perhaps you should introduce yourself?" Suggested Nozdormu.
"Never did I thought I would have to introduce myself to a dragon that does not know me. I am Alexstrasza, leader of the red dragonflight, Queen of Dragons and guardian of all life on Azeroth. Me and my siblings were tasked by the Titans to protect this world from all evil and we have been doing so for more than fifteen thousand years." She introduced herself, spreading her wings wide.
"As you've heard, I am Nozdormu. I lead the bronze dragonflight through the sands of time and have been tasked to protect the true Timeline of this world. I already know you because I saw this outcome many times before and never once did it went badly. Or at least not too bad." Nozdormu said with a small smile.
"I am Kalecgos, guardian of all magics on Azeroth. I took the place of my father, the Aspect Malygos, when he turned to madness." Introduced himself the blue dragon.
"And I am Merithra, Daughter of Ysera. My role is to secure and protect the Emerald Dream and care for the nature of Azeroth." Finally finished the green dragon.
They all looked at Harry who figured that it was her turn to introduce herself. And she was deathly afraid to mess up, being in front of what seemed to be dragon royalty or maybe even gods. She couldn't see any other reason for them to be able to live for so long. Most of what they said looked to be about being protectors of aspects of the world and universe, as if they were physical manifestations of the powers they had then they had to be gods. Harry knew of no wizards or anyone else for that matter capable of actively influence time if you except the Time Turner, a powerful artefact that still had strong limitations. And a being charged with holding all the magic in the world? That was pure insanity.
But she couldn't let her awe or shock stop her, not now.
"Nice to meet you all, your majesties. My name is Harry Potter, I'm twenty-four years old and I have no idea of what I'm doing here or why I was made prisoner." Harry explained briefly, raising up her head.
"There is no need to address us like this, young Harry. Would I be wrong to assume that you grew around humans?" Asked Alexstrasza.
"I- no, you're perfectly right." She replied surprised by how she had guessed that.
"It explains your name then. Please forgive us for how we brought you here, but the situation demanded it. We received a letter from Stormwind City warning us of your presence in Elwynn Forest, we simply had to make sure you were not here for nefarious reasons."
"Before we go any further, we should explain young Harry the reason of her presence here." Said Nozdormu.
"Yes please, I would appreciate that a lot." Agreed Harry.
"Very well. Does the name Deathwing tells you anything?" Asked Alexstrasza instantly a bit more morose.
"No, sorry."
"Don't be, for it might have been better for you to never learn the truth. Deathwing, or Neltharion, was our brother and the leader of the black dragonflight, which you are part of. Ten thousand years ago, our world was invaded by the Burning Legion, a crusade of demons led by the fallen titan Sargeras. Us along with the mortal races tried to fight back but our efforts to defend our world proved to be insufficient, we were being pushed back and slowly losing the war. It was then that Neltharion suggested to create a weapon combining the power of the five aspects, a weapon strong enough to turn the tide of war in our favour."
"Let me guess, he got mad with power?" Hazarded Harry having a feel of where this was going.
"No, for he was already mad. The Old Gods, creatures of the Void imprisoned in Azeroth itself, corrupted him for millennia, whispering through his connection with the earth. When the weapon was forged, we called it the Dragon Soul, and trusted Neltharion to use it against the Legion. It worked at first, the ranks of demons were obliterated in seconds by its power, it seemed the chance to win was finally back in our hands. But then came the greatest treachery of our race."
"You must understand, young Harry, that we were as close to brothers and sisters. Neltharion's betrayal was even more painful that we didn't realise what was happening to him." Said Nozdormu with a gaze full of regret.
"He turned the Dragon Soul on our allies and then on us. In seconds, hundreds if not thousands died under the fury of Neltharion, now named Deathwing as the madness of the Old Gods took over his mind. We tried to stop him, but it only caused more death on our side. It was a hopeless battle until Deathwing realised that the power of the Dragon Soul was too much to control and was melting his body, incapable of holding all its power. Forced to retreat, Deathwing left, and we managed to win the war against the Legion. Yet the dead of that day still haunts us deeply." Finished Alexstrasza with a veil of deep sadness over her eyes.
That was actually insane, a myth like the ones in ancient civilisations. Yet Harry just heard the story from someone that was actually there, and she couldn't come up with anything but a few words.
"I'm sorry." She spoke.
Alexstrasza looked at her with an intense amount of care, surprising Harry that didn't expected such a response.
"You don't have anything to apologise for, but it is accepted nonetheless. I won't tell you all of Deathwing's history, but he was vanquished a few years ago when he came back, shattering the world and threatening all life with a cataclysm unlike anything in this world. We had to relinquish our immortal powers to do so, but it was a necessary sacrifice."
"So, this Deathwing was a bad guy, attacked the world and you killed him. What does he have to do with me?" Wondered Harry.
"When Deathwing fell to the corruption of the Old Gods, his entire flight fell with him. Most of them are dead today, under our claws and the swords of mortals in our fight against Deathwing. Only two were known to have survived and remained uncorrupted from the Old Gods till this day. With you though, it is one more black that lives free of the corruption."
Harry was slowly processing all of this, coming to understand that she was attacked not because she was a dragon but because she was of the same 'flight' as the most corrupted dragon in existence. But the answers she got only gave her more questions.
"If there are two other member of the black dragonflight, how come they are not here?" She asked.
"Wrathion is a drake born during the Cataclysm, he chose to act independently of us, fixed on finding redemption for the black dragonflight. Ebyssian is an older black dragon that lives on Highmountain on the Broken Isles, he has no affiliation with us and never expressed any wish to take on the mantle of Leader of the black dragonflight." Answered Alexstrasza.
As the Queen of Dragons spoke, Harry realised something that filled her with dread, no, more than that, with a pure feeling of terror. She opened and closed her mouth a few times, trying to find the right words without success, only afraid of the realisation she just made.
"These two, they are males, right?" She asked with a barely audible voice.
"Yes, and you are the last female member of the black dragonflight known today." Said the Queen who already understood where Harry was going, giving Harry a beaming smile.
But her reaction wasn't anything like the dragons around her had expected. At least all safe Nozdormu who kept a perfect poker face.
"NO! Just- Just no! I won't- It's- NO!" She yelled looking at them frantically, taking a step backward, already picturing a dark and gloom future.
"Calm down child, you will not be forced to mate." Assured Nozdormu.
"Don't say it like that! I- I'm never going to do that!"
This was by far the craziest, maybe worst situation she had ever found herself in. She had faced death when fighting Voldemort and actually died for a time but the reality she was in felt a hundred time worst.
"What's the matter child? Don't you know what honour and pride it is to be the Broodmother of your flight?" Asked Alexstrasza surprised.
"No and I will never be one!" Screamed Harry horrified.
"Perhaps this is a subject best left for later. There will be other occasions to delve more in detail on your future place in the black dragonflight and we can teach you what we know about your flight if you wish so. For now, maybe you would prefer some time alone to reflect on these new information." Suggested Kalecgos.
That seemed to the best thing Harry had heard in the last twenty-four hours, a brief break would definitely allow her to put some order in her thoughts and deal with all she had learned.
"Please." She quickly accepted.
"Very well. Azuregos, would you mind showing young Harry where she could enjoy some peaceful rest?" Asked Alexstrasza.
"Of course, my Queen." Replied the blue dragon.
Azuregos stepped to the right and Harry was about to follow him, still worried about her being the last female of the black dragonflight, when Nozdormu stopped them.
"May I have a few moments with young Harry?" He asked.
"Of course, Lord Nozdormu."
"Follow me." The Bronze leader said looking at Harry.
He jumped in the air and she quickly followed but stopped again at the sight. She didn't got the opportunity until now to see where they took her, but she certainly didn't expected to be at the top of a massive tower in the middle of a frozen land. She remembered well her lessons about apparition and knew that the limit depended on the magic level of the wizard, but it seemed that they had moved from one continent to another.
A massive field of snow, littered with impressive bones, mountains peeking on the horizon along with what looked like a massive building aiming at the sky with two massive spires appeared before her. A few bit of forest were visible at a few places and there were also several big holes in the frozen toundra, one having an excessively large tree with ruby leaves. It was by far one of the most impressive sight Harry ever saw, all thanks to standing up a solid hundred meter high or more in the air.
"Do not get lost child." Said Nozdormu as he passed before her.
Frowning at the word, she stopped daydreaming and flew after him to a lower floor of the tower, entering a smaller room that was still big enough for both of them. The bigger bronze dragon sat on his haunches and looked down at her, keeping his expression still.
"I am not a child you know." Harry felt forced to add.
"Compared to me, that is what you are. A dragon your age is definitely a child and almost all creatures in this world are children to me, especially the mortal races. I do know that as a human you are no longer considered an adult though." He replied.
She froze at that, trying to keep a poker face but falling miserably, letting her mouth drop for a few seconds before she caught herself.
"I don't know what you are talking about." She nervously said.
"No need to hide anything from me, Harry Potter. I am the Timeless One, the keeper of the true Timeline. I know of many futures, ones where Deathwing would have won, one where his corruption would have never took place, and I knew many based on your presence in our world. Yes, young Harry, I know exactly who you are." He said calmly.
"Then can you send me back?" Blurted out Harry, hoping to finally have a way out.
"Patience, all will be said in time. First, let me greet you in our world. I know it wasn't easy for you and that you have been under quite a lot of stress in the last day so I will try to be clear but don't be afraid to ask any question."
"So, you know me. Do you know everything about me? Who I am? My past? My future?" Asked Harry.
"I have knowledge that our worlds are different, but I have never seen your past, only heard echoes of it thanks to your futures-selves. I know you were the Boy-Who-Lived, what you had to go through and to sacrifice to end your war against Voldemort. For your futures, I know of many but there are elements that can interfere and change it, just like this very conversation."
"Right. So… what did you want to talk about?"
"I wanted to tell you that along with two more things. The first one is that you are not expected to take a part in any upcoming war, you won't have to carry a world on your shoulders again for this task remains for others." Nozdormu explained.
"Well, that's already pretty good." She exhaled relieved.
"The second concerns your old world. I can tell you about it now or never, it is your choice."
"Old world." She noted darkly, looking down slightly. "I guess it means there is no way back."
"Sadly for you and your friends, no. I will be direct with you about this child, there is no way back for no one in Azeroth today knows how to send you back in your world. I am only the Lord of Time, not of dimensions."
Harry remained silent for a few seconds, mulling all of this. She had hoped when she woke up in this world that she would be able to come back quickly, that if there was a way to bring her here then there must be one to send her back. But to be told by what the equivalent of the god of time was that there is no way back, it hurts a lot more.
"That's it? I'm just… supposed to stay here forever? What am I even supposed to do now?" She asked him morosely.
"Do not fall to despair child, for many dark forces would only love to feast on your fears and desires to satisfy their own will. I know that this is a challenging situation that you've found yourself in, that it seems like everyone you knew was lost. Fear not; they are all in their world and will certainly be saddened by your disappearance, but it is inevitable." Warned Nozdormu.
"Well you can't expect me to be all smiles when I basically just died!" Suddenly exploded Harry, overwhelmed by all of this. "I don't even know if I left a body behind! Did I died and reincarnated? Did I crossed world and somehow became a dragon? A female one at that!"
"It will be hard b-"
"Yeah no kidding." Snorted Harry. "You know the future so is it just you trying to cheer me up or telling me that my life will be even worst? I just lost everything I had, the few friends I made and all of my life. Like if it was nothing."
"Perhaps." Conceded Nozdormu. "But does this mean that you cannot give Azeroth a chance?"
"What even is Azeroth?" Asked Harry frustrated.
"That is a very hard question. It is a titan in slumber, waiting to be mature enough to be born. It is this world, shaped by its inhabitants and history. It is the battlefield of the Horde and the Alliance. It is home of unspeakable horrors and marvellous wonders." Enumerated the bronze dragon. "Each of these statements are true but they are not the truth if not taken together. I could go on for eons but I feel like it would only bore you. To answer your question more sincerely, Azeroth is our home. That is how I and many other see it."
Nozdormu stopped and seemed to wait for an answer, but Harry had none to give, she simply didn't know what to say as she took in all that he had said. True, she hadn't really thought about staying here even if she was aware that she was stuck to spend the rest of her life here. Perhaps a truly long life seeing how old all these dragons were. Living here would certainly be an amazing opportunity to explore a brand new world, see things that she knew she couldn't even thought of and live a brand new life, leaving all that she knew and all that she was behind. But she couldn't help but imagine what Hermione, Ron and all her friends would look like as they mourned her. Did her old body remained? Did she burned just like it felt when she caught the orb? She hadn't thought about that until now.
"What you are supposed to do, you will have to find it yourself. It will come to you soon, but you should take the time to learn more about our world and what it means to be a dragon, what it means to be part of the black dragonflight. I can give you this advice thought: tell the Queen the unaltered truth." Nozdormu suggested as he stood up.
That got Harry out of her thoughts.
"What?"
"You heard me right. Alexstrasza might be the most suited one to help you, it is simply that neither you nor she knows it yet. Who you tell your story is your choice, I can be the only one to know or you can share it with whoever you want. Know that sharing with Alexstrasza will help you."
"Really? I mean, she is a Queen, why would she care about helping me?" Doubted Harry, not really ready to tell her whole, crazy past.
"She is the Queen of Dragons but also the Queen of Life. She cares for all that lives, even her vilest foes. That is why she had such a hard choice to do when facing Deathwing, she chose to renounce to her most sacred virtue when she realized that it meant little if there was no more life to defend. She will help you not because she might need you but because she simply cares." He explained, leaving the room with Harry following right behind.
"I hope you're right." She said half-trying to convince herself.
"Come now, I will show you the Obsidian Sanctum."
Jumping in the air, Harry opened her wings and flew down with him, flying around the massive tower until she saw a large path going under it. When they entered, she saw five massive portals, guarded by strange looking dragons, standing like humans but missing wings and bearing dragon-like features. She glanced at them warily but landed in front of the portal that Nozdormu stopped at.
"This is the Obsidian Sanctum. Once a place where the members of the black dragonflight would come together to exchange private discussions and where their eggs were protected from any invader. Now, it is abandoned, left to the supervision of the guards. You shall be safe here for no dragon of another flight may come here uninvited, it only happened once and for a vile act that we took no pleasure in." Assured Nozdormu as he showed the gateway.
"So, a very big room." Summed up Harry.
"In a way. It does lack a roof or proper beds, but it nerver rains and Neltharion once told me that the lava-baths here are the best ones he ever had."
Harry just gave him a deadpanned look.
"You're kidding right?"
"Not at all, child, black dragons are known to enjoy lava-baths. It apparently helps to shedding and rejuvenate their scales, in addition to be incredibly relaxing." He spoke.
Starring at the circling gateway for a few seconds, Harry thought about her options but the chance to be safe, to be able to relax and think about all that she learned was just too good to pass. Turning toward Nozdormu, she gave him a smile for the first time.
"Thank you for your help, and… for telling me the truth." She said thankful.
"It was merely preferable for me to explain everything to you, but you are welcome. If you have questions child, find Chronormu. I am not often present in this temple, but she knows enough of the future to help you." He replied as he left, opening his wings, and flying outside until he was out of view.
Turning back to the portal and its guardians, Harry stood there for a couple of seconds before stepping forward, still watching the creatures with wariness as she entered the magical entrance.