A/N - Hello. I have a new chapter here. But first for those concerned that this will turn into a bash Dumbledore story - it won't. I know Dr. Strange was rather stern with him in the last chapter but it won't be a bashing story. Dumbledore has his flaws which he does have to deal with but in this tale he's one of the good guys. This chapter will put that fear to rest, I hope. It's fairly light in tone and hopefully enjoyable. Just because you're king doesn't mean you can't have fun.
Bashing stories can be fun to read but I don't usually write them. The one exception is Dolores Umbridge but she's so incredibly bashable it's hard to avoid it with her - even Voldemort / Tom Riddle has the occasional sympathetic scene in canon, but Umbridge never does. When I bash her it's for the sake of humor (read my one-shots Indigestion and Umbridge Goes To The Moon (Or Tries To) to see what happens when I deal with Umbridge).
Secondly though people from other places may show up now and then this story is firmly a HP / D&D crossover. That will not change.
Oh, Kaiser Dragon thanks for the suggestion of having this be a story series instead of trying to make one huge story. I feel that is a very good idea and will probably adopt it.
Oh, and I don't own either Harry Potter or Dungeons and Dragons. They belong to their respective creators. The only things that are mine are the story itself and any original characters I might come up with. Please read and review; I always appreciate feedback. Constructive criticism is welcome, however no flames please.
6 – WELCOME TO THE PALACE
It was a few days later that Dumbledore received another letter from Dr. Strange, this time telling him to be in his office at exactly noon on the next day, July 30th, when a gateway would open that would allow him passage to Bahamut's palace.
Due to a prior engagement I cannot accompany you, the note continued, however there will be those on the other side of the gate who will welcome you and introduce you to the dragon king and his mate. Be prepared to stay for a few days. Good luck.
Dumbledore wondered about who would be waiting for him at Bahamut's palace but he obeyed Dr. Strange's message. Just before noon the next day he was in his office with some belongings packed in a travel bag that was larger on the inside and spelled to be feather light. Professor McGonagall was with him in the office and had packed a similar bag for the trip.
"What do you suppose Mt. Celestia will really be like?" asked McGonagall, "the records I've seen are very vague about it."
"I couldn't possibly imagine" said Dumbledore, "but I think we are about to find out." And indeed even as he spoke a portal began to form in the middle of the room. It very quickly became firmly defined although neither professor could see what lay on the other side.
"It would appear that our invitation has been issued" said Dumbledore, "shall we accept it my dear?"
McGonagall nodded.
"Then if you'll take my hand" said Dumbledore, "we two shall take the adventure that is being offered to us." He held out his hand and his deputy took it. They both stepped through the portal.
Once they were through the portal they both looked around at where they had arrived. They had appeared in a very large, lavishly decorated room. The room was so large that Professor McGonagall wondered if Hogwarts itself could have fit inside of it. Despite the large size of the room there was no furniture, at least no human-sized furniture. At one end of the room there was a low platform which contained a (very) large thin mat spread over it. There were a couple of enormous arches at either end of the room which clearly led to other rooms in this place.
There were also two humans in the room who, judging by their grinning faces, were obviously waiting for them.
"Sirius Black?" said Dumbledore in astonishment as he addressed the first human.
"In the flesh" said Sirius with a little bow as his grin got even wider. McGonagall, meanwhile looked at the other person.
"Remus Lupin" she said, "why am I not surprised that you're here too?"
"Where one Marauder goes another will usually follow" said Remus with a smile to his old professor.
"What are you two doing here?" asked Dumbledore.
"We're often here" said Sirius, "I am Harry's Godfather after all and Remus is his honorary uncle."
"We know about Bahamut having been James" said Remus, "he invited us here himself soon after Sirius was released from Azkaban and renewed his friendship with us. We can come and go as we like."
"We're very close to Harry too" said Sirius, "he treats us like part of his family."
"As his Godfather you are part of his family" said Remus.
"Please don't get technical with me again" said Sirius, "you're part of the family too, even if you don't have a so-called 'official' tie."
"Why have you never told us about this?" asked Dumbledore.
"Bahamut and Daranni asked us not to tell" said Remus, "they wanted as much privacy for Harry as they could give him."
"Now however things are different" said Sirius, "Harry's parents have decided that if he goes to Hogwarts then the truth about him will inevitably come out. They want to make sure that it comes out in the best possible way for Harry."
"We don't know all of the reasons behind this" said Remus, "but Bahamut and Daranni usually know what they're doing so – "
"Only 'usually' know what we're doing?" a deep loud voice interrupted Remus who spun around toward the speaker who, for the moment, remained unseen.
"Prongs, I really hate it when you do that" said Remus.
"Sorry" said the voice again, "it must be the Marauder in me." This time Dumbledore and McGonagall heard and felt some very large footsteps enter the room and step up onto the platform. The speaker remained invisible though.
Before anyone could say anything else a second set of large footsteps entered the room and joined the first set on the platform.
"I told you we should have had some other people greet our guests for us" said second voice, "you might have taken this a bit more seriously." This voice was just as loud as the first one but rather higher in pitch. If the first voice was male this one was obviously female.
"Relax my dear" said the first voice, "a little fun won't harm us."
"I thought we were going to have to explain things in more detail to Albus and Minerva before you arrived" said Sirius.
"They're both intelligent people" said the second voice, "I'm sure they'll be able to cope."
"So Padfoot, are you going to announce us?" said the first voice.
"I'm not sure that's necessary?" asked Dumbledore, his eyes twinkling, "would I be correct in assuming that, even though you are invisible, we are already in the presence of King Bahamut and Queen Daranni?"
"As intelligent as ever Headmaster" said the second voice.
"However we have never been properly introduced" said the first voice, "at least not like this. Sirius, if you would?"
"Oh all right" said Sirius, "Albus Dumbledore, Minerva McGonagall, may I present King Bahamut and Queen Daranni of Mt. Celestia."
As Sirius made the introductions Dumbledore and McGonagall saw by far the two largest dragons that either of them had ever seen become visible in front of them. Even though they had both known what they were getting into by coming here the two professors were still both overwhelmed with awe by the sight of Bahamut and Daranni in their true forms.
"Prongs, I think you broke them" said Sirius after a few moments of silence.
"I always wondered what it would be like to see our headmaster and deputy head be left speechless, even for a moment" said Bahamut, "definitely worth it." This seemed to snap McGonagall out of her daze.
"That is a James Potter statement if I ever heard one" she said, her mouth pursed in a thin line.
"There's a good reason for that" said Bahamut, "would you two feel more comfortable if we assumed our old forms?"
"I would" said McGonagall, "and thank you for doing so." Dumbledore simply nodded. Bahamut and Daranni looked at each other and then suddenly James and Lily Potter were standing in front of the two professors in place of the two dragons.
"James, Lily" said McGonagall softly as she looked at the two of them.
"Yes" said Lily, "it's us, or who we used to be – for a while."
"We don't have default human forms" said James who concentrated and suddenly an old man with a long white beard stood in his place, then a young black woman in her 20s, then a Japanese man in his 50s, then back to James again, "James and Lily Potter are simply two forms we can choose from when we wish to appear human. For you they are appropriate so that is who you are seeing. For myself when I choose to wander a mortal world in human guise I most often will go in the form of an old hermit. My inner seven usually accompany in the form of canaries."
"I've heard that story" said Dumbledore, "in the Chronicles of Merlin he wrote that he once encountered you in that form when he was traveling through a forest. He wrote that he would not have known you to be anything other than what you appeared to be except that you were attacked by bandits,"
"Yes" said James, "much to their sorrow. I remember that. Merlin was a good man. We spent a few days trading knowledge with each other before we parted company."
"So does Harry also not have a default human form?" asked McGonagall, "Dr. Strange did say he wasn't mortal anymore."
"Harry does have a default human form" said Lily, "since he was human and mortal first it has carried over into his life here after we released his true draconic self and made him fully one of us. Whenever he decides to be human he automatically assumes the form he was born with. If he wants to look like someone else he has to deliberately concentrate to change himself."
"Speaking of Harry" said Dumbledore, "where is he? We were hoping to meet him."
"Ah" said James, "I'm afraid that will have to wait a little longer. Harry's not here right now. He's at Longbottom Manor for his joint birthday party with Neville."
"He and young Neville are friends?" asked Dumbledore.
"Best friends actually" said Sirius, "a lot like me and James were. Frank and Alice often tell me that they can easily see the resemblance."
"Yes about that" said McGonagall looking at James and Lily with a shrewd expression, "it was nothing short of a miracle when Frank and Alice recovered from their Cruciatus comas, especially after all the best healers had declared them to be incurable."
"I wouldn't say all of the best healers" said James with a mischievous grin.
"Celestial healing is of a higher order than Earth healing" said Lily in a more serious tone, "after we heard what had happened to Alice and Frank we sent one of our top healers to see them. It had to be done secretly because Celestial healing methods are not usually meant to be used on mortals. Since Alice is Harry's Godmother it provided her with a connection that allowed for her to be healed and, by extension, Frank as well."
"I see" said Dumbledore, "do they know?"
"About us? Yes they know" said James, "they're part of a very small group of people who do."
"Who else knows?"
"That doesn't matter right now" said James, "look, it's very nice to see you both again Albus, Minerva, and hopefully this isn't a one time occasion."
"However" said Lily, "before we go any further we have something we need to ask you." Suddenly she turned back into Daranni. At the same time James turned back into Bahamut. The two dragons looked down at their guests.
"Headmaster" asked Bahamut in a deep voice, "why did you send Harry to the Dursleys when our wills specifically stated that he was not to go there?
Albus Dumbledore was many things. He was well aware of his position in the wizarding world and the power he held. He was also aware that some people (rightly) perceived him to be quite manipulative at times, as well as frustratingly cryptic with answers to questions if he felt the situation called for it. However, his slightly dotty grandfatherly persona notwithstanding, he was not a fool. Looking up at both Bahamut and Daranni in all of their intimidating majesty he realized that if he were to have any hope of a positive outcome to this meeting that the only thing that would do was (as they say in the muggle courts) the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. Fortunately for him the truth was not something that he felt he had to be ashamed of. He held up his wand.
"I, Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, swear on my life and magic" he intoned, "that the following statement I am about to make is the truth. So mote it be."
There was a flash as the oath was accepted. Dumbledore paused for a moment as he gathered his thoughts before taking a breath.
"I sent Harry to the Dursleys" he said, "because it was the safest place I could think of for him to go to in order to be protected from Death Eaters. Voldemort was gone, but in the immediate aftermath of his defeat his followers were still free. Some of them were almost as bad as he was. Think of Bellatrix Lestrange who tortured the Longbottoms to insanity, or Lucius Malfoy who was one of Voldemort's most trusted followers and was one of his biggest financial backers. They would have certainly tried to get revenge for their master's defeat by killing Harry if they could. It would not matter to them that he was a baby. Many of his followers did much worse than kill a child. I could ward a wizarding home all the way up to the heavens and I still couldn't be absolutely sure Harry would be safe.
"The only option I could think of that I could be sure would protect Harry was through the use of blood wards that I erected around the Dursley house. Lily's sacrifice allowed me to create those wards so that where her blood dwelled, meaning her sister Petunia, Harry would be safe from any wizard who would harm him.
"Did I know that Petunia hated Lily? Of course I did. Would she hate Harry? I hoped she wouldn't but I'm not going lie about this. I was well aware that probably neither she nor her husband would treat Harry well. But at least he would be alive. You can heal from abuse, but dead is dead. Maybe you have the power to bring the dead back to life but I don't. I would be damned before I let Harry die, not if there was any way at all in which I could protect him.
"No, it was far from ideal, but it was the best I could think of at the time. I didn't mean for it to be long term. What I really hoped for was that the Death Eaters would all be arrested and sent to Azkaban. Once that was done I would have been able to remove Harry from the Dursleys and give him to an appropriate wizarding family to raise. It would have been safe to do that by then. But it didn't work out that way. Bellatrix Lestrange was arrested but Lucius Malfoy managed to worm his way out of trouble, mainly through bribery I think, and he wasn't the only one who managed to escape justice.
"So in the end it seemed like there was no other option to ensure Harry's safety than to leave him with his aunt and her family. It wasn't a very good situation and I know it's not what you really wanted to hear from me but it's all I can say, and it's the truth."
Dumbledore held up his wand and said "lumos." The wand lit up brightly showing that he had indeed been speaking the truth.
Bahamut and Daranni exchanged glances.
"Did you ever check up on him?" asked Bahamut.
"No" said Dumbledore, "of course you know that I never did because if I had I would have known that he wasn't there."
"Why didn't you?" pressed Bahamut.
"I knew that Petunia hated the wizarding world" said Dumbledore, "so in my letter to her I promised her that she and her family would not be bothered by visits from anyone from our world – as long as Harry was in good health and being well cared for. I had charmed devices in my office that were tied to Harry and they told me that he was alive and healthy so I assumed that the Dursleys had taken my letter to heart and were taking good care of him."
"And if they hadn't been?" asked Daranni.
"Then I or someone I sent would have gone to the Dursleys to see what was going on there and, if necessary, deal with the problem. If the situation had been truly bad then I would have had him removed from there. As that never seemed to be needed I thought everything was fine."
The two dragons looked at each other again and seemed to be having a silent conversation with each other. Eventually Daranni looked down at Dumbledore.
"All right" she said, "I can accept what you've said. I may not like it very much but I do believe that you were trying your best to keep Harry safe."
"As do I" said Bahamut, "I know that sometimes there are no good choices. I'm well aware of what doing things for 'the greater good' really means."
"You would be" said a serious Dumbledore, "as a ruler I'm sure there have been times when you've had to act that way."
"Yes there have" said Bahamut with a nod, "so now that we've settled that question Albus, Minerva, allow me to welcome you to my palace. If you will accompany myself and Daranni to a less formal setting we can continue talking there. We have to much to discuss."
(To Be Continued)
A/N - And that's that for now. The story of Bahamut and Merlin is adapted from a story about a sage meeting Bahamut while he was in the guise of an old hermit that is mentioned in the original D&D Monster Manual from the 1970s.
Until next time...