The next morning saw a little drizzle waking them up. After clearing any evidence that they were there, they continued onwards toward the Crags. Daphne had no inkling what they were to find but each time she looked at Harry, it felt as though her abdomen was on the floor and there were scores of gymnasts of tumbling around. They were making a lot of headway. The Crags were much closer, and they guessed that they would reach there by the end of the day.

They figured that they were heading East in relation to this worlds sun and noticed that the trees were getting taller and wider. Some of the trees appeared to be hundreds of years old, although a lot of them had huge gashes as though from a giant animal.

Harry stopped.

"We are here."

He pointed to the base of the Crags no more than a few kilometres away. But refrained from taking a step further.

"What's wrong?" Daphne asked him gently. She tilted her head and stared at him.

"What if it's a trap..." he challenged her stare.

"Pfft." She rolled her eyes and marched through the tall bushes towards the now giant Crags.

Harry shrugged and followed her footsteps, wand in hand trying to keep up.

"If it were a trap, I am confident that we will detect it early," Daphne continued, "plus, you killed a basilisk the size of a car right?"

"Actually," he said while hopping over an oversized root, "it was as long as The Great Hall."

"So it IS true!" she gasped.

She turned and looked at him with a raised brow for a second.

"Are you the Heir of Slytherin?"

"No, none of that is true. I just helped people who needed help." He shrugged.

"Granger said you were modest." She shook her head disapprovingly. "You can never accept compliments with that Merlin-awful hero complex of yours. You HAVE to save the day and when the time comes for gratitude, Potter is gone with the wind..." Daphne smirked.

"I'll have you know that Ron and Mione thanked me plenty if times. Thank you."

"Ugh, I give up – aaaah!" Daphne almost tripped on something that crunched loudly beneath her feet. She quickly pounced off to the side.

"Is that another piece of that glass?" Harry said in awe at the serendipitous discovery.

"It's gold… and wait! Look! Another one there!" She pointed a few meters in the direction of the crags. "That one is purple, and there's some green and yellow!"

"Hold on a second, there aren't glass pieces. These look like eggshells!" Harry exclaimed.

Daphne bent over a few of the pieces and examined a maroon one closely.

"There appear to be veins on the shell, they are so pretty and connect in such a – magical – fashion." She looked up at him, "Harry. This is practically throbbing with magic. Here, feel it." She passed the maroon piece to Harry who gingerly took it as if expecting it burn him

It was about his pinkie finger width thick and the colour of a reddish-brown maroon. The moment it touched his fingers he felt a deep vibration resonating from the shell.

"This is incredible," Harry murmured, unable to tear his eyes away. "I've never felt anything like it before."

Daphne, still crouched beside him, nodded in fascination. "Whatever these - creatures - were… they must have been immensely powerful to leave behind fragments like this."

An eerie quiet fell over them as they glanced around the forest floor, noticing even more shards scattered in a path leading towards the towering Crags. Even these pieces varied in color—deep greens, vibrant purples, rich golds—all with those intricate veins of magic running through them, each one buzzing with energy.

"That way?" Harry enquired, the awe in his voice replaced by a steely determination. "I think it's guiding us to the place that voice described."

Daphne nodded and gestured for them to continue.

They followed the trail, ducking and diving through thick underbrush and stepping carefully over roots as they trekked closer to the nearing rock face of the Crags. The forest seemed to grow quieter with each step, the ambient sounds of birds and rustling leaves fading away until there was only the soft crunch of their boots on the forest floor.

Finally, they reached the Crags, towering cliffs of ancient stone that rose steeply above them. The rough, weather beaten surface was marked with patches of green moss and crisscrossed by faint trails that seemed to lead upwards, though barely visible. Trails that reminded Harry of those steps in Lord of the Rings that Gollum led Frodo and Sam up.

"We'll have to climb," Harry said, squinting up at the steep ascent. The sun was directly above them. He cast a glance over at Daphne. "Are you ready?"

Daphne looked up, the height of the climb making her stomach flip, but she flexed herself, nodding. "Let's do it."

They began their ascent, working together as they navigated the narrow footholds and precarious ledges. At times, Harry would boost Daphne up to a higher ledge, and she'd lean down, hand extended to help pull him up beside her. The climb was grueling, the stone rough and they received numerous cuts and gashes on their hands, but inch by inch, they pressed on, determination written on their faces.

A few hours later, exhausted but resolute, they finally reached the summit. The view from the top was breathtaking—the vast forest of wherever they were seemingly stretched out beneath them, like a giant green carpet that Aunt Petunia had in her living room at one stage. They both took a moment to catch their breath, a sense of achievement settling over them.

And then, as if drawn by some invisible force, Daphne's gaze drifted to a small, hidden hole in the rock near the edge of the cliff. Inside, nestled in the shadows, was an egg. It gleamed softly, its surface a striking shade of gold that closely matched that of Daphnes blonde hair.

"Harry," she whispered, pointing to the egg, her voice filled with awe.

He turned to see it, his eyes widening as he took in the sight. Carefully, almost reverently, he reached out a hand. But a crack appeared!

The crack widened and they hastily stepped back.

"Is it dangerous?" Daphne appeared afraid. She grabbed his hand.

"I don't think so…" he whispered.

The cracks grew wider and golden pieces started falling onto the floor of the hollow. A golden, scaly snout pushed through with steam wisping out of its nostrils.

Harry edged closer, pulling Daphne with him, her hand stuck to his. He had his experiences with Norbert. Or was it Norberta now? This could be a dragon – or a basilisk.

The egg exploded outwards with such cute force; Harry smiled slightly. The creature unfurled its wings, which caused the egg to break apart fully.

It was a dragon.
A golden dragon from a golden egg.

Daphne had her wand out, pointed at the dragon which seemed to have the most beautiful scales, although they were covered in goo. The dragon looked at them for a second, huffed, walked out of the eggshell and promptly fell on its butt and began to lick itself clean all over.

Harry looked at Daphne, met her gaze, then pulled her gaze to her wand. Understanding, she placed it back inside her robes.

Taking a slow and careful step forward, Harry reached out his free left hand towards the dragon.

"Hello there baby dragon," he said softly, "I will not hurt you."

The dragon picked its rather small head up, cocked it and blinked. It then stood up and hobbled over to him, clearly still annoyed that it was not fully clean. It sniffed the air in front of the teenagers and then stared at Harry. It's eyes were a deep bottle green, much like Harry's and it had slender yet graceful neck.

Harry reached out towards the dragon and curiously brought it's nose to meet his fingers.

The instant his fingers brushed against the dragon, a jolt of electricity shot through him, traveling from his fingertips all the way to his core, sort of like that time Piers Pissface Polkiss used a taser on him, but this time more pleasant. He felt an intense warmth, a deep connection—like an unbreakable vow snapping into place, or at least what he remembered Fred and George telling him about it.

Daphne gasped, her own breath catching as the air around them seemed to pulse with newfound energy. Her left hand was still grasped in Harry's right when she felt a surge of electricity on her palm. She had also felt an intense warmth inside, and a pull towards Harry.

The dragon, apparently also feeling a shock, jumped back and screeched indignantly, then scurried to Daphne and pressed itself against her legs, much to her shock.

"What was that!" Harry asked perplexed.

"I honestly have no idea!" She retorted unsure of the implications.

Harry opened his mouth to speak again when he heard a loud sound.

Thud.

"Shit." He gasped.

Thud.

This time louder.

And from behind the crags, a giant golden dragon shot up as if each flap of its gargantuan wings propelled it at least ten to fifteen meters upwards at a time.

Harry quickly cast a Protego Maxima to protect himself, Daphne and the baby dragon. A large, translucent white shield encircled the trio as the giant dragon landed a quaint distance away from them. Harry inhaled sharply as he saw that the dragon was missing its left leg.

The dragon brought its head down to the shield, and looked at them with intelligent eyes. It sniffed. And again. And then grunted as if satisfied.

And then, from behind the dragons huge neck, a figure emerged and jumped down with more agility than a gymnastics Olympian.

A hominoid creature, tall and graceful, with flowing silver hair and piercing eyes. His robes were a deep blue, embroidered with intricate silver designs that shimmered with magic. The aura around him was powerful, commanding respect and a quiet reverence. It was neither human nor goblin.

"Greetings, young ones," he spoke, his voice deep and resonant, carrying an authority that made Harry's spine straighten involuntarily. "I am Oromis, and I have sensed your presence since the moment you crossed into Du Weldenvarden. You are not from this world."

Daphne's breath hitched, but she managed a nod, her gaze locked onto Oromis' piercing eyes. "Do you mean us harm?"

"Eka weohnata néiat haina ono. Vel eïnradhin iet ai Shur'tugal." He said and Harry just knew that it was safe. It appeared that Daphne did too for she relaxed as well.

"Finite Incantatem." Harry said, cancelling the shield.

"You knew we were here the whole time? You spoke to me in my head?" Daphne queried.

Oromis inclined his head. "Indeed, though I remained uncertain as to who, or what, had arrived. The great wards of our realm alerted me to your presence, but it was Glaedr who perceived your minds first." He spoke carefully with his right hand gesturing towards the large dragon.

Harry's eyes widened, his heart hammering. "The voice that she heard was your dragons?"

Oromis gave the faintest of smiles. "Yes. He spoke to you, Daphne, though he did not reveal his name. We held back, as we have kept ourselves hidden from most, even our own kin. His egg, was a secret held from all—none knew of its existence until now. Including me."

At that, Oromis gazed lovingly at the baby dragon as though it were his own offspring. The baby dragon, who had been absentmindedly rubbing itself on Daphnes calves (much like a cat) looked at Oromis and quickly ran towards him, then stopped suddenly, then ran towards Harry, then stopped just as it started.

"I believe the baby wants to play." Oromis said smiling.

Glaedr made a sound like teeth gnashing and the baby spun on its paws to glare at Glaedr. Then the giant brought his head down towards the baby.

"My daughter." A voice sounded in Harry's head. "Protect her with your life or face my wrath."

"Yes, sir!" Harry jumped back, quite frightened.

Oromis gave a gentle nod of understanding, his calm expression unchanged as the baby dragon waltzed back and circled Harry, then Daphne, rubbing against their legs again, its small golden scales still shimmering with the afterglow of the egg's magic. A sense of peace settled over the cliffside, though Harry's heart continued to pound in his chest like a jackin' house song.

"Your arrival," Oromis began, "coincided with a most unusual convergence. Eragon, another Rider, arrived in Ellesméra at the very moment you and Daphne were transported to this place, deep within Du Weldenvarden. It appears you were meant to cross paths here, far from the eyes of Alagaësia's many intrigues."

Daphne frowned, glancing around the ancient trees towering around them like silent guardians. "Du Weldenvarden?" she asked, her voice soft with awe. "We're in an enchanted forest?"

Oromis nodded. "Indeed. It is the home of the elves, an ancient place infused with magic. It protects those who respect its power, though it can turn against those who threaten it. Your presence here was sensed by the forest itself, and through it, by Glaedr and me."

Harry exchanged a look with Daphne, his hand unconsciously tightening around hers. "But… why are we here?" he asked, glancing down at the baby dragon, now contentedly sniffing his boots.

With a piercing gaze, Oromis said, "When you touched the dragon, Harry, you became something that this world has not seen for generations until only recently – a Dragon Rider. The mark that now brands your palm, the Gedwëy ignasia, signifies a bond of ancient magic, a pledge between you and the dragon."

Harry glanced down at his palm, and Daphne, still holding his hand, did the same, her brow furrowed. "But… I felt it too," she said, lifting her hand to show a faint shimmer mirroring Harry's mark. "I didn't touch the dragon, yet there was something… binding."

Oromis smiled, a glimmer of understanding in his eyes. "The bond formed not just with Harry, but with both of you. The connection between a Rider and their dragon is singular and profound, but by holding hands, you linked yourself to Harry's fate at the very moment he was marked. You, Daphne, are now entwined with Harry in a way unique to this bond, though the implications of this are yet unknown."

Daphne's eyes widened, her gaze flitting between Harry and the baby dragon. "So, I'm… connected to Harry through this bond?"

"Yes," Oromis replied solemnly. "Such a thing has never happened before. Normally, only the Rider and dragon share this link, but it appears the magic of Alagaësia, and perhaps a bit of your world's, has found its own path."

Harry felt a profound weight settle over him, though not an unwelcome one. A newfound sense of purpose flared in his chest. "What do we do now?" he asked, his voice low.

Oromis' gaze softened. "Now, you learn. There is much for you to understand about this bond, about the magic within Alagaësia and within yourselves. You will need guidance, training, for your connection with this dragon will shape not only your future but possibly the fate of many."

The baby dragon huffed, clearly growing bored of the conversation, and nipped at Daphne's cloak, tugging playfully.

Harry smiled, resigning himself to his fate and reaching down to scratch its head. "Alright, little one. Guess you're stuck with us now."

Oromis watched them with a patient calm. "This forest will guide you toward understanding, and Eragon, who will soon join us, will be a great teacher as well. He knows what it is to be new to this bond, to learn as you must."

Daphne took a deep breath, still clutching Harry's hand, her eyes bright with both fear and wonder. "So, we're Dragon Riders now. Together."

Oromis nodded. "Not exactly, you are the rider, Harry, and you are his bonded like the baby is."