I do not own nor possess any right over Harry Potter and World of Warcraft, all rights belongs to their rightful owners.
A bit of a heavy chapter about Azeroth's politics, explaining a bit of the world and a little reflection on the Horde and the Alliance. The story is now right before the siege on Undercity, in the BFA extension.
Please comment/review.
Thank you for your patience and good reading.
Nearly a year.
Amaria had been in Azeroth for almost a year. In all this time she learned a lot about her new world. Her knowledge of its history had been brought up to date, now diving into the current state of the world and the various people in power that she might meet one day as Ambassador of the black dragonflight.
This title easily fell on her, being the only member of the black dragonflight currently resting in the Wyrmrest Temple and the only one that could be reached easily. The other members of the Flight being Wrathion who had made it very clear the day he was born that he had no wish in siding with the Wyrmrest Accords and Ebbysian being the third one, who chose to remain in Highmountain and refusing to take the mantle of leader of the black dragonflight.
She never had to make use of her new title yet, but Tyrygosa saw fit to train her on the manners and duties as ambassador in addition to her magical studies. Since her little chat with Neltharion's spirit she had seen her abilities in magic grow up expansively, finally deemed capable enough by Tyrygosa to be declared a passable mage, which was the equivalent of near perfect for the blue dragon. Amaria learned what it meant to be a mage, the difference with wizards being the way the magic felt and responded, almost as a living force that wasn't fully sentient but close enough.
Her path as a fire mage had been clear since day one and she was now very good at it. Not a master like nearly every other dragons who could do feats of strengths and power that she could only be awed by but she could defend herself with more or less talent. Her magical arsenal now included several types of fire spells, ranging from setting on fire a candle to send forth a wave of fire around her. But her favourite spell was by far the Dragon Breath spell, allowing her to blow a cone of fire in front of her just like when she was in her dragon form.
She also learned spells that weren't exclusive to any type of mage, like barrier spells and portals. The first ones took a long time to master but once she succeeded she couldn't deny the use of a near impenetrable shield, becoming good enough that she was capable to create them quickly. The portals though. No matter how long or hard she trained, no matter if it was to create a portal to a room on the other side of the Temple or at the other side of the continent, she couldn't for the life her manage to cast a single one effectively.
Oh she could cast them, but it would take far longer than any other mage and it required far more focus on her part than anyone else. The first time she managed to create a portal was toward the Nexus, supposedly very easy as Tyrygosa explained that it would draw her toward it, it took her more than an hour. That had maddened Tyrygosa so much that it practically became the only spell they worked on until the end of the year, the blue dragoness refusing to acknowledge that her student couldn't cast well a single spell that even 'barely capable mortals' could manage. It was an insult to every dragon and magical users she had declared one day. This was a big deal because dragons simply couldn't teleport, they could use portals or be summoned through magic rituals but only the members of the Blue Dragonflight could do it thanks to having a part of the essence of magic in them.
Another part of her training revolved around her natural draconic body, since the human one was only a disguise. She learned how to use it by sparring with other dragons, learning how her body could fight and how to optimise her capabilities. Claws, teeth, tail and even their entire body, everything could be use as a weapon and the least she could say from a few demonstrations on the undead roaming across Northrend was that it was devastating. However many repeated over and over again that overconfidence was a dragon biggest enemy, as many had perished by taking the risk to land and becoming an easy target. Most of what they taught her was common for all dragons but she also learned how to use the powers unique to her flight, like her capabilities to call forth lava to harm her opponents on the ground or literally blowing out streams of lava out of her mouth. Some of those powers were shared with her human form but in a lesser version.
Azuregos taught her much about dragon society and how different it was from humans. From the roles and places of power such as the Aspects, the respect given to older dragons or how dragons courted each other. She got to learn it all and while it was a bit boring she managed to remember quite a lot of it, like how male dragons would try to impress a female or the cases where it was the opposite. One massive difference with pretty much every other mortal races, was the presence of mates. Not just as a name, dragons would at some point in their life met another that they would love above all others, a bond that worked in the two directions. And once she learned that she would one day find such dragon, much to her discomfort, she was told that there was an exception to that rule, meaning only the Aspects, who were often taking many husbands or wives as consorts.
Azeroth, from all that she had read and heard from her fellow dragons, was a truly unique place. It couldn't be compared to Earth, with so much more wonders, people, magic and history. Just Northrend, the continent where she was on, had the beauty of the frozen wastes and the Wyrmrest Temple, the Grizzly Hills which were simply amazing when flying above its many pine trees. Yet it also had it share of horrors, such as the Icecrown Citadel, where the Lich-King and its gigantic army of undead rested or Ulduar where the Old God Yogg-Saron resided, just his description as a mass of tentacules and countless mouths made it quite terrifying to imagine.
But it was the part of meeting all these new races, the excitement at the idea that she would soon go explore Azeroth that slowly helped Amaria getting over her grief of leaving Earth. It hadn't been easy to accept that she would never again see her friends, that she was most likely dead to them and that so was Harry Potter. She had left when the Wizard world in Britain was in the best state it had been in years, with more freedom given to those labelled as Dark Creatures and an overall improvement of the relations between wizards with even some starting to discuss the possibility to reveal themselves to the rest of humankind. In truth she probably disappeared at the best moment possible.
The company of her new mother and friends, as that's was Tyrygosa, Azuregos, Chromie and even Kandrostrasz became during the last year, had helped her a lot to get over her grief. They weren't the same as Hermione, Ron or Luna, they didn't shared the same experiences and were far more mature than her friends had been but they were another kind of friends to have around that she liked just as much.
Alexstrasza had always been her greatest support, a great friend that she could talk to and that would listen to her words, one that would share her great wisdom and kindness with her. It had taken a long time but no longer did the word 'mother' felt strange when talking with Alexstrasza, she was maybe not the mother who birthed her nor would she have the same relationship that she would have had with Lily but she was the mother she never had.
But now was the time to leave. Amaria had been diving into Azeroth current condition, looking at the many leaders, the factions ruling the world, the powers at work as well as researching the uses and customs of each races. And it wasn't pretty.
The fact that the orcs came from another planet blew her mind at first, but since she was sort of an alien herself she let it slide and focused on the wars that followed, how it divided the world between two great forces known as the Horde and the Alliance. Of course, there was much more than that but the amount of history to learn was massive, especially since it happened not too long ago and that most of the people in these history books were still alive. From the Burning Crusade in Outland to chase Illidan the Betrayer, the rise of the Lich-King and his undead army, Deathwing and his madness that threatened the world with a cataclysm, the discovery of Pandaria and the war crimes of Garrosh Hellscream, his escape in an alternate past version of Outland called Draenor, to the return of the Burning Legion and the defeat of the Dark Titan Sargeras.
She could hardly believe that this world still existed today after so many world-threatening events. But all these dark times had their heroes, people that were ready to everything to save their world from evil. In them, she recognised herself and found a lot of respect for many that died going to the very end, sacrificing their life for others to live.
A hundred times she asked other dragons and the few members of other races about all these events, getting more detailed information and greater understanding thanks to some of them being there and sharing their point of view. It also helped her to understand the world of today, the massive war between The Horde and The Alliance that raged stronger than ever before. She was hoping to not get involve, to be free to explore and discover without anyone asking her to save the world but she had a feeling her legendary luck would send her right into trouble.
After a year spent alongside dragons, she had learned much of their customs, their role and place which Alexstrasza never stopped to repeat. Even if she said that mortals should be left to thrive alone, that the Dragonflights were only supposed to intervene when the very existence of the world was threatened, she look very closely to what happened anywhere in the world. This was the case right now, as explained by many that passed through the Temple and coming back from the outside world, as a new war had started between the Alliance and the Horde, with proportions never seen before and Alexstrasza was devastated to learn of the burning of Teldrassil, the home of the night-elves. Thousands were saved before the assault but far too many died in the fire and Amaria stood alongside her mother, listening to her old stories about the relationship between the dragons and the elves as well as understanding her reasons not to join the war.
At first, she had been shocked beyond imagination of learning of such a massacre, and then a anger she never felt had filled her with a desire of revenge that she didn't recognise in her. Her mother explained that it was a consequence of becoming a dragon, that she had to master her emotions again for they were now wild and easy to get lost into. Yet Alexstrasza and the other leaders of the Dragonflights unanimously voted for not joining the war, judging it not dangerous enough to need their intervention, which didn't sat well with Amaria. Eventually though, her mother convinced her to follow their choice by citing hundreds of wars fought by the mortals and even some of which she had been told by Amaria, explaining the futility of stopping one war.
Alexstrasza was against all wars and only wished for peace yet she knew that sometimes peace had to be defended with everything we had. That the Alliance was seeking justice after the burning of Teldrassil was logical, yet in the Dragon Queen eyes it only meant for more wars and thus more death, and slowly Amaria came to share that vision even if she still had the will to take part to it. Not as a fighter or a force that could change the course of a battle, but just being there to help. She didn't know how such a thing could be possible but, in the end, she would not take part to it. Or at least not as a member of the Wyrmrest Accord, she respected the other dragon's decision and wouldn't contest it by joining the war for them.
And today was the way she would make her choice.
"Mother?" She called as she entered the Ruby Sanctum.
"Over here Amaria." Came Alexstrasza's voice from the foot of the massive tree with red leaves dominating the sanctum.
Flying over there, now smiling and waving at a few red dragons and getting welcomes instead of snarls, she landed in front of her mother who was standing at her true size.
"Good evening daughter, I suppose today is as good as yesterday?" Alexstrasza greeted with a large smile.
"Good evening to you too mother. And my answer is still yes." She replied, giving back a smile of her own.
"As always. Tell me, what question do you have for me tonight?"
"As you know, I've been talking with a few dragons about the new war between the Horde and the Alliance. I caught up everything until today and it led me to ask Tyrygosa about it and her opinion. She couldn't tell me much, but she said that it was a, and I quote, 'stupid war made by stupid mortals'." She replied, remembering well how the blue dragon had a deep lack of respect and interest in all those who were not dragons.
Alexstrasza closed her eyes a couple of seconds as a large sigh escaped her lips, bringing her head down to rest on her forearms.
"While I believe that all wars should be avoided and can be qualified of stupid, this one is maybe by far the worst one. After the Legion was defeated, the tensions between the Alliance and the Horde rose higher than ever, all because of some very unfortunate combination of events that led to the distrust growing and festering. Now, a new mineral has been discovered in Silithus and it attracted the interest of both sides." She started.
Her gaze seemed to look away for a few seconds before she focused again on Amaria.
"But then Sylvanas Windrunner brought the war to another level when she burned down the World Tree Teldrassil, along with all the Night Elves trapped inside. Of course, the Alliance couldn't let this go unpunished and they are now laying siege on Undercity, the Forsaken capital. My agents told me that the assault would begin shortly." Explained Alexstrasza as a tear ran on her cheek.
Amaria lost her cheer at that, looking down slightly at the mention of such a vile act. From all the atrocities in this world this one easily took a spot in the top three, she simply couldn't imaging burning alive an entire capital for a pure act of war. Rarely did she heard of such cruelty, even Voldemort and all his acts of terror never reached that level of violence.
"Do you know why the Horde would do such a thing?" She asked.
"Many are asking the same question, but I believe it is not as much the Horde as it is Sylvanas." Alexstrasza growled. "This elf had a tragic death, served a fate that I wish to no one, but when she freed herself from the Lich-King's control, she was not the same. Hear my word Amaria, her heart is tainted, darkened by her own selfish desires. She claims to do what is necessary for the Horde's survival, yet she has only been using it as a tool to her own goals. I let her live many years ago when she and those Forsakens came to fight the Lich-King, but I should have cleansed the world from Sylvanas's taint back then."
In the many nights that she had shared with her, Amaria never saw her mother truly angry. Melancholic, happy, but never angry. Deathwing only brought back sadness to her, a failure that she wished to remember as a lesson for the future. Yet here was Sylvanas, undead Queen, and Leader of the Horde, who managed to get the wrath of the Dragon Queen on her.
This brought many questions to Amaria. Was the Horde good if they were following such a leader? How could they accept such things if they truly fought for peace? It made no sense. It was obviously not all black and white, and the reasons that brought such a war were numerous and in certain cases understandable. But it didn't justified any of it.
"If she is so dangerous, why are we not helping the Alliance to get rid of her? I know that they themselves have participated in more than dubious actions, but Sylvanas must be arrested." Amaria asked.
"Our role is to guide the world, make sure it is safe so Life can thrive. If the mortals wish to kill each other's, then they may do so, we won't interfere. Do not mistake me, I am tempted to go against Sylvanas, and I will do so if she goes any further in her insane quest for power, but it is not me that shall challenge her first." Replied Alexstrasza before calming down. "While Sylvanas is threatening Azeroth, I do not believe that all the Horde follows her. I suspect that many are obeying her commands by fear of being executed, and the people of the Horde are mostly about honour, such as the Orcs, Trolls and Taurens. I would be surprised to hear that none of them have doubts about her capacity to rule for the good of the Horde."
Mulling over all of this brought Amaria back to the other reason she came here, one that she was now rethinking heavily.
"And where's my place in all of this?" Asked Amaria a bit unsure.
"Wherever you want. You can go in both the Eastern Kingdoms and in Kalimdor and and find places that are safe from the war, but I fear that you will meet it at one point anyway." Replied Alexstrasza.
"Where I should go? I thought that either the Alliance or the Horde would be a good start, but now I'm not so sure about going to meet the Horde." She spoke.
"I am proud to hear that despite their actions, you still seek to meet the ones misguided without animosity. Sadly for you, Humans have never been accepted in Orgrimmar, much like every other member of the Alliance, and it won't happen before a long time if the war keeps raging. The Alliance would be easier for you to start with, of course some might not take a liking to you at first but at least no one will discriminate you or outright attack you as if you were on the Horde's territory." Answered Alexstrasza.
"What about my dragon form?" She had to ask even if she already had an idea of how it would go.
"Forget about it. It pains me to say so but if you were to show up in Stormwind in your true form you would only get swords and arrows as welcome. For your safety, I would recommend you to stay human at all times and not to reveal your links to the black dragonflight even if this is your decision."
"Yeah, I figured as much. Does this mean I can go there?"
At this question, her mother stood up and changed into her human form, prompting her to do the same. When the smoke of transformation dissipated, Alexstrasza was only a few meters away and she quickly took one of Amaria's hand, getting her by surprise.
"You are not bound to this place, my daughter. If you believe to be ready for the world, then I am not going to stop you." The Queen said kindly.
"Thank you." Amaria said as she tightened the hug slightly.
What would the world show her, she had no idea. She had many expectations, many wonders that she now dreamed to witness and explore along with a thirst of exploring Azeroth, to learn more about it and its inhabitants. There was her own wish to do it but there was also her duty as a black dragon, a guardian of the world. She won't take part into it too much, not if she can't help it, but she would stand true to her flights duty and help wherever she is needed, well aware that it might very well throw her into something completely out of her league.
Traveling incognito was an idea that she had reflected upon for a while already and even if it was probably safer and more prudent to do so, she wouldn't lie about who she was now. For too long had she been forced to endorse the name of the Boy-who-lived, forced to be a saviour of a world she had only learn about when she turned eleven years old, playing a role that she had despised for so long.
Harry Potter had been all that, a boy who fought the war of his predecessors and almost wished he could have traded everything for the family he might have had. A boy who died because of another's madness.
In this new world where very few knew of her, where no one would expect her to bear the world on her shoulders and where she would be free to do as she like.
She was Amaria, daughter of Alexstrasza, a fire-mage in the making, member and Ambassador of the black dragonflight.
And she had a brand new world to explore.