Eternal Rain
11th of December, 2001.
It took Harry two weeks to convince the Elders that bringing two more humans was a good idea. He nearly had to threaten them with Tanya leaving forever. Thankfully, it hadn't come to that. His apprentice was eighteen weeks along, and she wanted her mother. He would level Eldorado to give her what she wanted.
To say that Vatusia was not impressed with the Khajiit and their ways was an understatement. She had a sharp tongue, and she knew how to use it. She laid into both Shiva and her sister quite fiercely. As the daughter of an Elder in her Tribe, she understood their ideas to a certain extent. She didn't agree with how they were handling things, though.
Natalie sighed as she sat down next to Tanya. "Your mother really is on the warpath," she said. When Harry contacted her, she hadn't expected Tanya to be pregnant. She understood though. Tanya had always wanted somewhere to fit in. It didn't surprise her that she did as the Elders said just so she would be accepted. At least Harry was the father and could take care of the child with Charlie, so Tanya didn't have to.
Tanya nodded slowly. "She will calm down eventually," she said. "Let her vent for now."
Natalie shook her head slowly as Harry went with Vatusia out the door. She looked over at Charlie. "It will be alright, right?" she asked.
Charlie chuckled. "I'm sure it will be fine," he said. "Harry is running damage control." He shook his head and sighed. Then he looked Natalie in the eyes. "Would you like to be their guidemother?" he asked.
Natalie looked up at him, feeling quite surprised. "Yes," she said. "I'd love to." She looked at Tanya.
Tanya smiled at her friend. "We spoke about it at length. I want it to be you. Neville will be her guidefather. The both of you are important to both Harry and I."
Natalie smiled softly at her friend. "So you will still be their mother?" she asked.
"That is the plan at least," Tanya said. Harry and Charlie will raise them, but they are my child too."
"We see no reason why not. Eventually, Tanya's child will have to join their mother. It would be foolish to ignore the bond between them," Charlie said. "We will raise them, and we'll teach them what we can. Eventually, they much like Tanya will most likely want to come here though."
Natalie smiled. The situation was strange, but she was glad Tanya had good people to turn to. This child would be loved by all of them.
13th of December, 2001.
Two days later, Harry and Charlie got ready for the day and activated the portkey. It was raining as they landed.
"It's a temple," Charlie said. "I guess they excavate them the same as pyramids in Egypt." He took Harry's hand and walked him through the camp slowly.
"Hey! Charlie!"
Charlie looked around. He smirked as he saw the man who had called his name. "Hey Cedric," he said. He let go of Harry, who seemed to be scanning the nearby area. "You have Laurina and Ralis here as well?" he asked.
"Yeah, they are trying to convince the foreman that there isn't much they can do about the local dragons," Cedric said. "I'm guessing you are here to help with that."
"That's right," Charlie said. He looked back at Harry.
"What happened to him?" Cedric asked as he saw Harry's eyes.
"Bad curse. Bellatrix Lestrange got to him and fired something nasty at him. Kato went ballistic and took down Voldemort, but he didn't make it. At least Britain is safer now," Charlie said.
"Mom did write something about that, I guess," Cedric said. "Nothing about Harry, though."
"It doesn't affect him much. He uses magic to see now. He is getting good at it. It was touch and go for a while. I thought I might lose him."
"Man, you guys don't know how to stay safe," Cedric said while shaking his head. "I'm glad you are the backup. Ralis will be able to calm down."
"How have things been for you?" Charlie asked. "Sounds like you haven't been back to Britain for a bit."
"Nah, we went to Greece, and then we spent some time in Australia. We've been working around here the past four months or so. Not at this temple specifically, but you know, around the area," Cedric said. "Laurina and Ralis know so much. I don't know if I want to work like this forever, but after this, I'd make a decent defence teacher."
"It's good to have a plan for the future, especially if it is flexible," Charlie said. He looked back at Harry as a roar sounded from above.
"Right on cue," Laurina said as she came walking down towards them. "It's good to see you, Charlie." She watches Harry as he rose from his crouched position.
"Lok Vah Koor," Harry shouted, and the gathered clouds cleared for a moment. He smiled as another roar reached their ears. A big dragon with dark blue scales appeared from beyond the treeline. Harry didn't move as she landed in front of him.
"Beautiful," Charlie said as he watched the dragon. She was large with a fifty feet wingspan. She didn't have horns. Instead, she had fin-like ridges running along her head. She raised her head and roared. The clouds overhead gathered dark and heavy with rain.
"Strun Bah Qo," Harry shouted back.
A low rumble sounded moments before lightning struck only feet away from Charlie. He shielded himself from the sound but didn't move. "He won't hurt us," he said calmly.
Laurina raised an eyebrow. She knew Kato hadn't really been Kato and this young man shared Charlie's bond marks, so she guessed this was who Kato was supposed to be. He wasn't hiding any more. She trusted Kato well enough. Her head turned as another bolt of lightning struck not that far away from them. The frightened look on the goblins' faces was almost worth the danger.
Cedric moved closer to Charlie. He trusted that Harry wouldn't hurt Charlie well enough. He wasn't that sure about the rest of them.
"Zu'u Dovahkiin. Zu'u Krinahkro," Harry said calmly. "Drem Yol Lok." He bowed deeply before facing her. A bolt of lightning headed straight for him, and he caught it in the palm of his hand. "Zu kos ko drem, I come in peace," he said, and the lightning cleared up. "Zu kos tinvaak, I come to negotiate and to mindok, learn more about your kind. If you let me."
"What is he doing?" Laurina asked.
"Asking the dragon if she is willing to talk," Charlie said.
"Did he have to summon a thunderstorm to do that?" Cedric asked.
"Most dragons respect power. So he is showing her that he is powerful without causing her harm," Charlie said.
"Could you do that?" Cedric asked as he looked at Charlie.
"Yes, I have been taught how," Charlie said. "Kato made sure there were a few of us."
"So he was the one who taught you?" Cedric asked.
"He did," Charlie said absently. He was trying to listen to the dragon's response to Harry. He moved forward slowly and stopped next to Harry. "Zu ahmul dreh ni, my husband doesn't stand on his own, Lotgein," he said.
"Another jul, human who tinvaak, speaks. How interesting," the dragon said calmly. "This one holds power as well, if lesser than you, Krinahkro."
"He does," Harry said. "This is Yolfronin. Ok fen kos het zok ruz zu, he will be here more than me. I have young ones to teach."
"Zu mindoraan, I understand. Zu'u Tiirazlok," Tiirazlok said calmly. "Zu fen drun hi wah zu tah, I will bring you to my pack. You may ask your questions there."
Harry bowed. "Mu kos zin, we are honoured," he said. He turned towards Laurina and Cedric. "We will be back in a moment. Tiirazlok will show us their nesting rounds."
The dragon took off, with Harry and Charlie following closely underneath her. They moved through the jungle until they reached a large clearing protected by a veil of water. Tiirazlok landed on the other side and unfolded a wing past the water curtain so they could pass through. Four beautiful full-grown dragons lay in the clearing while several youngsters played around. One of the little ones rushed up to Harry and Charlie and rammed straight into them. "Diin Dah," Harry said calmly as he pushed the young dragon back.
"Daar los Krinahkro ahrk Yolfronin, they are allies who wish to learn about our kin," Tiirazlok said. "Hi fen kos dremorin, you will be peaceful or face my wrath."
Harry walked up to Tiirazlok as Charlie walked out among the other dragons. Since they still didn't quite know what the goblins' issue with the dragons was, they just wished to learn for now. They would speak to the disgruntled goblins later.
Charlie smiled as one of the young dragons ran past him. His questions were different from Harry's. He wanted to know about the physical and developmental aspects, while Harry was asking more about social aspects. He loved meeting new dragons. This was the first time in a long while that he dealt with such large creatures. They were friendly though. Much friendlier than other dragons he had met. Then again, he had changed when he became Harry's knight. Maybe ironbacks wouldn't be so bad any more.
As night fell, Charlie waved goodbye to Harry before heading up towards the camp. He rolled his sleeves up, so his bond marks showed properly. He wasn't the only one with marks, but he certainly was the only human.
"Harry didn't stick around?" Cedric asked as Charlie walked up next to him.
"No, he has lessons to teach in the morning," Charlie said. "He might come back in the afternoon with his apprentice."
"So, how are the dragons?" Laurina asked.
"Calm, reasonable," Charlie said. "What are your issues with them?"
"The rain mostly," Ralis said.
"So put up a ward," Charlie said. "The dragons need the rain. It won't stop."
"We suggested a ward, but the foreman, Ireck, doesn't think that is good enough," Laurina said.
"Harry was sent here to fix things. If the foreman is the problem, he can kiss this dig goodbye," Charlie said. "Unfortunately, only Harry has that kind of authority, though."
"So we have to wait for him to come back," Ralis said with a sigh. "This was supposed to be a quick dig." He rubbed his face. "I would like to get out of here before the end of the year."
"We'll see what we can do," Charlie said. "I'll help as much as I can."
Laurina smiled. She was glad that they got to work with people they knew. It was a refreshing change of pace.
14th of December, 2001.
A soft sigh passed Harry's lips as he sent his students away for the day. J'eteri was still part of the group despite his lack of skill in the subject. Harry had chosen to not send anyone away. Instead, he encouraged leaving if the Khajiit realised that what he taught was not for them. J'eteri was a special case, but he was running out of things to teach him. It was time to speak to his Elder, since his lack of skill in the subject was holding the others back. It was time to deal with that.
Hera smiled as they ran up to Harry. "What are we going to do today, Master?" they asked.
"First we need to go speak to Dra'farelie," Harry said. "And then we can head over to the temple site."
Hera nodded slowly. They wondered how Harry would handle Dra'farelie. She could be quite difficult to manage, and she was no fan of humans. They followed closely behind Harry as he made his way towards a cluster of houses belonging to Dra'farelie and her descendants. It always fascinated Hera how quickly Harry knew where to go. He knocked on a door and Dra'farelie's mate opened it.
Harry gave a slight bow. "I wish to speak to Dra'farelie about her grandson J'eteri," he said calmly.
The man let them in and guided them to the garden. Dra'farelie looked up at Harry with harsh, unfriendly eyes, making Hera hide behind their Master. "Yes?" she said sharply.
"J'eteri needs to be pulled out of my classes," Harry said. "While he shows great skill in certain human magic, he holds no skill in warding. He is no longer welcome."
Dra'farelie studied Harry for a long while before looking at little Hera. "This one understands," she said. "This other magic could it be taught?"
"My mate's brother is an expert in the subject," Harry said. "I could bring J'eteri with me when we leave and set him up to learn. I could bring him back here with Hera and the cub he is expected to produce."
Dra'farelie chuckled. "Harry-jo certainly knows how to make a bargain," she said. "The mother will have no claim on the child."
"Deal," Harry said. He was sure he could find a surrogate willing to carry for a prize. "Then I will inform J'eteri of this new arrangement."
Dra'farelie nodded slowly. "Very good," she said.
Hera moved closer to Harry as they left. "Harry-jo know only Dra'farelie wins from this agreement?" they said.
"No, J'eteri wins too," Harry said. "You can't tell anyone, but his preferences would bring no cubs here. If I help him, he can go his own way after this."
Hera smiled softly. "Harry-jo cares about our well-being. That makes Hera-ma happy," they said. They wrapped their arms around themselves. "This one worries what Mom and Dad would say. At least Hera-ma can get help from Harry-jo as well."
"Anything you need," Harry said. "Though I'm only fathering one Khajiit. I think that is more than enough."
Hera laughed. They felt how Harry wrapped an arm around them, and then the city was gone. They stood by an old ruin in the middle of the jungle. Humans and small creatures with large pointed ears walked around. They looked mean, so Hera moved closer to Harry just to be on the safe side. Harry didn't stop to talk to anyone until they reached a tent. He handed Hera a device and helped them put it on. Hera smiled as they suddenly understood what was being said. Charlie wasn't there, but they could smell his scent, so he stayed there with these people. They listened with half an ear as Harry spoke to the humans. The goblins seemed unhappy with dragons nearby. They guessed goblins were the other creatures. The mean-looking ones.
Harry sighed as they walked away from the tent. "Sometimes I wonder just why certain people are put in charge," he muttered. He turned his head up as a roar could be heard nearby and rain started pouring. "I'm thinking maybe we should bring the class," he said. "Weather wards are fairly simple, and I'm pretty sure they could make one good enough for this."
Hera smiled. "Llyssa-la would like that," they said.
Harry nodded. "I need to speak to the foreman first," he said. He walked up to a larger tent and created a bell-like sound to announce himself. He walked inside with Hera closely behind him. "Harry Potter of Clan Alfknif," he said calmly.
"Finally," the sole goblin inside the tent said. "I asked for aid against those scaly beasts ages ago. That it takes this long is unforgivable."
Harry raised an eyebrow. "I was called in a little over two weeks ago. I have other responsibilities. I have looked at your problem. The rain is your biggest issue, am I right?"
"Yes, it never stops pouring down. The tunnels are filling with water. How are we supposed to work that way?"
"And you haven't raised weather wards, why?" Harry asked calmly.
Foreman Ireck huffed irritably. "Wards. What are wards supposed to do against dragons? I want them gone," he said.
Harry raised an eyebrow. "The dragons live there. We don't move dragons at your whim, foreman. A ward could easily be raised around the dig to keep the rain away so you can work here," he said.
Ireck sneered at Harry. "If you will not get rid of the dragons, I will get someone who does," he said.
Harry smiled calmly. "And when I report back to my Clan that your work isn't proceeding because of a stubborn foreman who won't accept a simple and cheap solution to his problem, what do you think your Clan Head will say?" he said. "I'm sure Ivor won't be happy with you then."
"By the time your message has reached them, the dragons will be gone," Ireck said with a sneer.
Harry raised a hand and summoned Kali. She shimmered for a moment before disappearing entirely. Harry reached out and Hera stepped forward so he could place his hand on their shoulder. He shifted his consciousness to his familiar.
Kali landed in Gringotts and hurried through the halls. She reached the hall of the Chief and roared.
A caretaker opened the door and let her in. The Clan knew of Harry's familiar well enough to know she wouldn't show up unless Harry wished to speak to them.
"Harry, what news do you bring?" Radec asked as he walked into the room, followed closely by his wife.
"The reason the dig in Amazonas isn't proceeding is because Foreman Ireck insists that the dragons who live nearby must be eradicated instead of having a simple ward raised. The dragons are not hostile, but they produce near-constant rain. A simple weather ward would protect the dig and allow Ireck and his people to work without disturbing the dragons."
Radec sighed heavily and sat down. He had asked Harry to go over there, and he was glad he had. He looked over at his wife. She rolled her eyes. "I will speak to my brother," she said. "You'll have a new foreman before the end of the week. Please put the wards up."
"Will do, ma'am," Kali said before disappearing. Radac shook his head. "Sometimes I wonder about certain people," he said. "Ireck has been given quite a few chances."
"Brother will take care of it."
"I know dear. I know."
Harry opened his eyes. "Are the dragons gone?" he asked in a sharp tone. "Because Chief Radac is now aware of our issues here."
Ireck's eyes narrowed. He was no fan of humans in the clans. This one was a problem because of how powerful and influential he was. Most humans had their Chieftain's ear, and it pissed him off. If Harry was speaking the truth, he knew he was smoked. There was nothing he could do, either. He hated humans and their better-than-thou attitudes.
Harry stopped and scanned the area slowly. He walked over to one of the entrances. "How badly is the water affecting your work?" he asked one of the dwemer.
"It fills the damn tunnels," the dwemer said.
"If the rain stopped falling, would you be able to clear the water up?" Harry asked.
"Absolutely," the goblin said.
"Do we have ward points or will I have to lay them?" Harry asked.
"I don't think we placed any. Humans don't really travel this far into the jungle unless they are native, and we don't really have to hide from them."
"If I need some help to place points, can I get it?" Harry asked.
"Foreman won't be happy."
"Ireck will be answering to Ivor as soon as your Chief has spoken to his sister," Harry said.
"Then we'll happily help, just so we can actually start working on the lower levels. How many of us do you need?"
"Five," Harry said. "One for each person holding the wards."
"We don't have five warders here."
"No, but you have one, and I have students," Harry said. "I'll be back in an hour with ward stones and enough warders to lay the ward."
"We will be ready."
Harry moved down towards the tents again. "Ralis would you come with me so we can make the ward stones? Radac gave me direct orders to raise the wards," he said.
"Finally," Ralis said. He moved up to Harry and took his hand. His eyes widened as they landed. "Wait a minute," he said softly. "This is… Eldorado isn't it?"
"It is," Harry said. "Though the locals call it Rimasha. Khajiit lives here. I'm training warders so they can take care of their wards before they fall down around them."
"The goblins would drool," Ralis said.
"I will be creating some kind of contract between my Clan and the Mane and council before I leave here, I hope," Harry said. "I want to protect them from greed. The gold means nothing to them, but I don't want their homes to be torn apart because of some gold-grabbing idiot. A good deal of it isn't actually gold either, it just looks like it. A lot of it is pyrite."
"Looks shiny though," Ralis said.
"I am hoping to get a small crew here at some point just to document everything," Harry said. "This place is older than the Khajiit living here."
Ralis nodded slowly.
"Hera-ma will go get Llyssa-la for Harry-jo," Hera said before running off.
"Apprentice?" Ralis asked.
Harry nodded. "They are," he said.
"There you are, Harry," Tanya said as she came walking out of the house. She looked down at herself and sighed. "Why do people do this?" she asked.
Harry chuckled. "Because they want children, Tanya," he said. "Maybe one day it will make sense to you."
"Would you do it?" Tanya asked. "I know Draco made that potion."
"We are considering it," Harry said. "For now, we want what is best for you." He hugged her as she leaned against him. He could tell that Ralis was staring at him. He walked them inside while getting Ralis up to speed on what was going on.
"As long as you and Charlie agreed, I don't care what you do," Ralis said. "You do whatever you want." He looked at Hera as they returned and sat down next to Harry. "Just tell me that isn't going to happen again."
"Tanya is quite a different story from any other Khajiit whether they are my apprentice or not," Harry said. "No, I don't plan on any other." He chuckled as Keyara came rushing inside and threw herself at him.
Tanya smiled at Ralis. "Keyara is Charlie and Harry's daughter. They adopted her," she said.
Ralis shook his head. "I really shouldn't be this surprised," he said. "That at least makes perfect sense."
"Llyssa-la was going to gather the others before coming here, yes," Hera said. "They should arrive soon."
"Very good," Harry said. He stood up and dropped Keyara down between his apprentices. "I need to get some good stones, and then I need my tools," he said.
"I'll get what you need," Tanya said. She stood up. She had spent more time with her Master than the rest. She knew what he wanted. Ralis looked after Harry as he left. When he had learnt that Kato wasn't real, he hadn't expected the guy to be Harry Potter. It both made and didn't make sense, since Harry Potter was supposedly younger, but the person Ralis saw when he looked at Harry was much closer to Kato. Not that it really mattered to him. All he understood was that there was some kind of lie going around that made Kato out to be Harry's Master. It didn't affect him, so he didn't really need to dig into it.
Several more Khajitt showed up and Hera walked over to Ralis with the translator device and handed it to him. Ralis turned it on and blinked as he suddenly could understand what all the Khajiit were saying. It wasn't the first time he held one of these devices, but he certainly hadn't expected it to work quite so quickly.
"I asked the goblins to make that one for me, just in case," Harry said as he came back. He placed five stones on the table before grabbing the knife Tanya had fetched for him. He worked slowly and pushed magic into the marks as he carved them. If he had brought Charlie back with him, he could have asked him to do this, but he wanted to make it on his own. He handed the first stone to Llyssa. "We will be placing these while making the ward. We will all be working together, so I expect you to figure out a good way to do so. The ward is supposed to keep rain away, but we don't want all the water inside the wards to disappear. Consider how to make that happen for a bit, and we will talk more once I'm done with the stones."
Ralis moved closer to Harry so he could see what he was carving into the stones. "I can copy that," he said.
"That would be appreciated," Harry said.
"How do you do this when you can't see?" Ralis asked.
"Very carefully," Harry said.
"How did you lose your eyesight? Charlie said it was a curse," Ralis said.
"It was," Harry said. He paused for a moment. "You already know that I can do things that shouldn't be possible." He could tell that Ralis nodded. "I was hit with a level seven mind-terror curse," Harry said. "I worked through it with help from my Clan, but things could have gone very badly."
Ralis grimaced. He knew about those curses, but had thankfully never had to deal with one. "You have to be the only one for so many strange things that I guess it makes some kind of twisted sense that you would make it through that," he said.
"The black eyes were a side effect. To not scare everyone else, my apprentice and his pseudo-uncle created a believable lie to cover what spell I was hit with. Since so few know the mind-terror curses, it wasn't hard to get people to believe it."
Ralis shook his head. "I'm not surprised," he said.
"Some people are still terrified of me," Harry said. "It is the price I pay for being the only one who can do so many of these dangerous things."
They finished the stones and Harry enchanted all of them before turning to his students to see what they had come up with. Their ideas weren't bad, but they needed some guidance. It took another hour before they had a ward they could all make that would hold and do what was needed.
"I'm sorry we are a bit late," Harry told the group of goblins that had gathered to help them when he and his students arrived. He sent each one off with a goblin so they could place the ward. Hera looked up at the sky as it shimmered with magic for a moment. The rain stopped falling, and the ground dried up. They smiled at Llyssa as their sister came back with the goblin. "Llyssa-la did it," they said excitedly.
Llyssa nodded and smiled. "This one is very happy to see it work. Lyssa-la hopes that this means they are learning well and can protect Rimasha soon," she said.
"I'm sure you will be able to," Harry said as he returned. "You did well. These wards are strong. I believe that we should move over to proper creation in our lessons from this point on."
Llyssa smiled at S'glain and Rekir-sha. They all looked very proud of themselves. They were moving forward quickly and they had done a good job. Harry looked forward to the next few weeks.
…
In the following weeks, Harry moved between his students and the dig site over at the temple. He brought his students back and forth so they could test things on the wards placed by the dig site. Since those wards weren't as old and brittle as the ones around Eldorado, he felt it was safer for them to experiment there.
6th of February, 2002.
Harry and Hera arrived early that morning. Charlie had moved back to Eldorado after weeks of studying the Rainwing dragons. He couldn't learn much more now, so he had gone back to helping the Khajiit with their brand of Crystalback. Though he and Harry did their best to make sure Tanya had someone with her whenever she wanted it. She had entered her thirtieth week of pregnancy, and her temper was unsteady at best. Her mother and Natalie had left to return to work, but Vatusia had wanted to return for the birth. She wasn't going to leave her only child with just Khajiit around her.
Cedric came running down from the camp. "Harry, thank heavens you are here," he said. Ralis locked himself up with something in the temple. He has warded it against us. Laurina is ready to tear the building down. Foreman Highclaw will be happy to see you."
Highclaw had taken over after Ireck and he had quickly got the dig back on track. They had uncovered several hidden alcoves in the past weeks. Most of which weren't that dangerous, though there had been some inferi in one of the tombs.
Harry hurried after Cedric as they headed back to the temple and down several sets of stairs. "How long has he been in there?" Harry asked as they reached Laurina.
"Half an hour maybe," Laurina said. "He knows how to keep me out. He walked in with a team. Everything seemed to be going alright until he came running back. He sealed the door."
Harry walked up to the thick stone slab that served as the door. "Las Yah Nir," he whispered. "There is only one person alive in there," he said softly. "How many did you send in?" he turned to Highclaw.
"A standard team of five," Highclaw said.
Harry's eyes narrowed. "We wouldn't happen to have a rooster handy?" he asked.
"A rooster. Why the hell would you want a rooster," Laurina screamed hysterically. He husband might be dead and Harry was asking for poultry.
"There is a basilisk in there," Harry said calmly. He looked down at Hera. "You will stay here with Cedric," he said. He conjured a blind, just in case his blindness wasn't enough to protect him against the stare. "Do not follow me," he said. "Cedric."
"I got it," Cedric said. He moved closer to Laurina so he could stop her from running in there after Harry.
"Close your eyes," Harry said as he broke the wards Ralis had placed down. He placed his hands against the door and pushed it open. He closed it behind him. He could hear the hissing now. The basilisk was hungry. It was also mad from being alone and starved for so long. He shook his head slowly at the unfairness of it all. This poor creature shouldn't have been left like this. "Queen of serpents, hear my call," he hissed.
"Speaker. Lost abandoned. Feed the great one bones for the pile. No one will remember," the basilisk hissed back.
Harry could hear it move. Scales scraped against the stone floor. He activated his magic so he could see what was going on. This snake was almost as big as the one left beneath Hogwarts. He wondered how long she had been down there. "Light," he called out before throwing a magelight at the ceiling.
"Burning. Bright. Foolish human, I shall feast upon your flesh," the basilisk hissed.
Harry moved his arm and his wand turned into a sword. "You shall find that I am no easy target," he hissed back. He moved forward slowly.
"Die to my gaze!"
Harry smirked. He could tell that the basilisk had turned her head to look straight at him. "Sorry, my lady, I am blind and cannot see your splendour," he hissed.
"Then you shall feel my venom," the basilisk hissed. She struck for him, but he moved out of her way. He would have preferred not to kill her, but there were no two ways about it, Basilisks were too dangerous to leave alive like this. "Wuld Nah Kest," he shouted as the basilisk struck for him again. He moved around and stabbed straight into the snake's side. He moved back and circled as great jaws snapped closed where he had just stood. He wasn't about to become snake food. "I have tasted the poison of your kind before," he hissed. "It did not kill me then. It will not kill me now."
"Arrogant wasp," the basilisk hissed.
Harry rushed forward and ducked under the serpent's jaws. He climbed up on the scaly body of the basilisk and stabbed straight down. The basilisk moved beneath him and he fell off. He groaned as a heavy weight landed on top of him. How long had the teeth been? He wasn't sure if he dared to move. Despite his earlier words, he didn't feel like testing if he was immune to basilisk poison by getting bitten again. He could let Draco test that in a lab instead. He summoned Kali and sent her out. It took him a moment to get used to the lack of light. His magelight was far away.
Kali moved around the room quickly. "Ralis," Harry's voice sounded as Kali reached the man. She sniffed him. His heart was still beating. She placed a paw on his back and growled. "Ralis this snake is heavy," Harry's voice sounded from his familiar. Ralis didn't move. Kali turned around and rushed the other way.
Cedric looked up as he heard someone rushing down the stairs. He gave Charlie a look of relief. "Harry said there was a basilisk in there before he went in," he said before Charlie could ask what was going on.
"I'd say chances are the snake is dead," Charlie said. He placed his hand against the stone. "I feel like I'm getting crushed, so I'd like to get in." He heard a roar on the other side of the door. He pushed the door open and headed inside. He followed Kali to the basilisk's head. He drew his wand and cast a floating charm on the head. He pushed it aside and knelt next to his husband. "You'll have bruises," he said. He looked back over at Kali as he picked Harry up.
Laurina and Cedric moved up next to him as he followed Kali this time. They reached Ralis and Cedric drew his wand as he caught Laurinas's arm.
"Let go of me," Laurina said angrily.
Cedric pointed his wand at the floor and cast several spells. The entire floor lit up like a Christmas tree. "You sure?" he asked. He pointed his wand at Ralis and raised him off the floor slowly. He pulled Ralis' body closer and reached out. He is still breathing," he said. He looked down at Kali. "Is Harry awake?" he asked.
Charlie shook his head. "No, but he can keep Kali around anyway," he said. "I need to get out of here so I can wake him up. I don't know how good the goblin healer is. I need to know that he hasn't damaged anything important."
Charlie placed Harry down in the tent he had shared with Cedric and the Elovyns. "Alok," he shouted.
Harry stirred. He opened and closed his hands several times. Golden light spread over his body as he healed what he could. His movements were slow as he sat up and rolled his shoulders. "Don't recommend that," he said.
"No, really," Charlie said. "Getting crushed by a one-ton head isn't your idea of fun?" He sat down next to Harry and pulled him close so he could hug him. He looked at Laurina who was fretting over Ralis' unconscious body. "Do you know what is wrong with Ralis?" he asked Harry.
"I don't," Harry said. "I need to get closer if you want me to check."
"Should you be moving?" Charlie asked in a serious tone.
"Probably not," Harry said. He felt how Charlie moved and picked him up. He was carried over to Ralis and placed down next to him. He cast a diagnostic spell and looked at the results. "Physically, he is fine," he said.
"There were a lot of trap spells under him," Cedric said.
"You should probably check those out," Harry said. "Please get my sword before someone gets hurt, Charlie. Hera can keep an eye on me while you are gone." He smiled at his apprentice. "If I do something I shouldn't, you need to tell my mate."
Hera chuckled. "This one will make sure Harry-jo stays here or threaten Harry-jo with Tanya-jo, yes," they said.
Charlie snorted and followed Cedric out of the tent. Harry was right, he needed to get the sword. They hurried back to the stairs and headed down.
"That bonded of yours is something different," Highclaw said as they walked up to the dead snake.
"Half is yours, half belongs to Clan Alfknif," Charlie said. He knew right if conquest was Harry's, but they had no need for a full on basilisk. The Clan would have more use for it and splitting it showed good faith. He was glad his marks meant he could speak for his husband in cases like this. "I just need his sword," he said.
"Go right ahead," Highclaw said.
Charlie climbed up, grabbed the hilt of Harry's ebony sword and pulled. Blood followed the blade as he drew it out. He cleaned the blade off and jumped down. With a twist of his wrist, the sword turned into a wand. He looked over at Cedric, who was standing with a group of goblins studying the traps on the floor. He hoped they could figure that out so they could wake Ralis up. For now, he just wanted to get Harry back to Eldorado. His husband needed rest, and he wasn't likely to get it if he stayed. Maybe after Tanya had given birth, they could sit tight and not end up in mortal peril for a bit. That would be nice for a change. It would also be better for the newborn. He certainly didn't want to bring two small children with him into danger.