Chapter 12
Harry circled high above the heavily forested ridges and valleys of the Carpathian mountains near the border between Romania and Ukraine. He was sure somewhere below was where Anthony Goldstein was being held. Or at least the magicked galleon that he carried was there. His hunch that the dragon could find the galleons had proven correct. While Hermione's information on Susan's whereabouts was generally correct, the galleon she carried became a beacon the closer Harry got. She was, in fact, about five miles away from where Hermione had thought.
When Harry as wizard had appeared at the door of the house where she was being guarded, it created quite a stir. The members of the German magical security force were rather shocked that he had been able to find the place, but the two British Aurors, Alicia Spinnet and Terry Boot where able to vouch for him and assure their counterparts that a great deal of help had just arrived in a relatively unassuming package.
Susan was nearly beside her self when she first saw Harry, holding on to him and crying into his shoulder, alternating between trying to explain what she thought happened and asking what was going on. Harry was finally able to get her calmed down and had her explain what had occurred. They had just arrived in Prague for the last stop of their trip. They were walking along a street and she saw a shop she wanted to go into and he was examining some glassware on display in a different shop window. He said he would meet her inside. He never came in.
It had only been a matter of a quarter hour but he was nowhere to be seen and no one she asked could recall seeing him. She had becoming quite frantic when an unassuming older gentleman walked up, placed a piece of parchment in her hand and simply said,
"Compliments of Gerhardt Falkstein."
Harry of course recognized the name, and was a bit surprised that Susan had as well, but he assumed that Anthony would discuss things with her as he did with Ginny. The parchment held the name and address of a local wizard who put her in contact with the authorities and she was moved out of the country and placed in protective custody in Germany.
When she asked Harry how he expected to be able to find her husband when dozens of local witches and wizards couldn't, he pulled out his galleon and said,
"I'm going to follow my nose."
So now, having located the general vicinity of his friend and former comrade, he needed to pinpoint it without raising suspicions. Between the dark and the thick tree cover, even his keen dragon sight and sense of smell would require him to get far too close and likely draw attention. As he had flown about in ever tighter circles, he had noticed what appeared to be a house of some sort part way up the side of one of the ridges. He thought it might be worth a look so he altered course and retraced his 'steps' until he found it again.
He hunted around until he found the only likely spot for a tricky touchdown. A small bare patch on the ridge line above the house would provide just enough room to get his hind legs down and then he would have to make the change and find his way down through the trees. Suffice to say, he was pleased it was spring and he would be able to move about without the worry of snow. The perch was precarious to say the least and he needed to keep his wings extended for balance until the change was made so that Harry wound up standing on a narrow, but flat stretch of rock with his arms out. It made him feel a bit silly, but then again, there was no one to see him, he hoped. He had gotten a last fix on the house before he made the change and began his journey down hill, with a fair amount of slipping and sliding but he managed to stay upright until the incline lessened and movement was more sure.
It took him an hour until he had the house in sight. It was made of timber and stone, resembling a small hunting lodge. Smoke was coming from the chimney, for the night was chilly. Light was also coming from about half the windows. With wand drawn he began to make a slow approach. As he came around and saw the front he could see it had a covered porch the full length of the front with several chairs and a table. One of the chairs was occupied. The occupant appeared to be an elderly gentleman dressed in a heavy jacket, pants and boots. He was smoking a pipe.
"Come along, stranger. Come into the light where I can see you," the old man said in surprisingly good English.
Harry could sense no danger, and the dragon was alert but not unduly so. As Harry stepped into the puddle of light cast from the main front window the man smiled around the pipe and said,
"Ah, from the wand and robe, you appear to be magical folk. I thought that might be the case. A lot of you folks about these days."
Harry looked harder at the man, looking for any sign of intent, good or ill.
"You know about magical folks, then?" he asked as he stepped closer.
"Oh, indeed. I'm just a muggle, young man, neither wizard nor squib. But the talent does run in the family on my mother's side. Please, do come up. You have nothing to fear from me and I hope the same is true in reverse."
Harry slowly mounted the few steps leading up to the porch and stood looking at the old man, who looked to be close to eighty.
"If what you say is true, no, you have nothing to fear," Harry said. "You do know some of the terminology, I'll grant you. What might you be doing out here in all this wilderness, if I might ask?"
"Oh, you might, young man. Please, have a seat and I'll explain. And then you can tell me what you're doing out here so far from home. Oh, and where are my manners? My name is Archibald Blackstone. Feel free to call me Archie."
"Alright, Archie. My name is Harry. Harry Potter," Harry replied, looking for any sort of recognition or reaction.
"Hmm, that name seems familiar for some reason, but I can't say why. So, as to me being here, as you might be able to tell I was born in England, Shropshire in fact. As I said, I was aware of the magic but had no real talent myself. But it interested me. I became interested in what the muggles thought they knew of it and I began to study the old stories. So many of them came from this region. Of course, after the big war this part of the continent was difficult to get too, or stay in. And the new regimes did much to suppress the old ways. But I found my way here, met a girl who while herself a muggle, seemed to know an awful lot. We traveled together, fell in love and decided we would look for the stories together. Unfortunately, we attracted attention, the wrong kind and found ourselves out here. We were able to make a life for ourselves and so we remained. I don't know. I suppose you could say the place has a way of pulling at you. I imagine if we wanted to we could have left but we never really considered it. Olga died just last year. Had you come from the other side you would have seen her grave. I couldn't possibly go now and leave her behind," Archie said quietly. "And what about you, Mr. Potter. What has you moving about in the forest in the dead of night?"
"I'm searching for a lost friend. I have reason to believe he is out here, not too far away. And being held against his will."
Archie nodded thoughtfully, taking a last pull on his pipe before he laid it down in a tray on the table.
"Not surprised, really. As I said, been a lot of moving around up here. So far they've let me be. You see, Mr. Potter, I didn't tell the full truth. While I have no talent for doing magic, I can feel when someone who can is about. I get a sort of tickle or prickly feeling, depending on their strength. The case of goose bumps I have right now tells me you're one of the very strong ones. I thought I felt something moving around earlier, that's why I was out here when you arrived. I just finished having a look around."
"So, might you have any idea where I might find my friend?" Harry asked.
"Well, If you say he's being held against his will, that likely means it's them bad'uns that are holed up in what's left of the old fortress, about ten miles that way," he said, pointing nearly straight away from where he was sitting. "In our younger days, Olga and me did a fair amount of nosing about up here. Used to be lots of fighting up and through here over the centuries. Castles built and destroyed as different armies came and went. I've heard about them up there going on five or six years now. Nasty bits of business they are, so I hear."
"Who tells you these things, Archie?" Harry asked.
"Oh, it's not so desolate as it seems, Mr. Potter. Folks as don't want to be noticed find this a good place to be. Have a care if you go after this bunch, sir. A lot of magic up there I'm given to understand. And they don't seem to be concerned about using it or who sees it."
"So I've heard. Do you have any idea why? Having witches and wizards in your family, you must know why we need to keep certain things secret," Harry said.
"Like your very existence you mean?" Archie replied with a raspy laugh.
He fixed Harry with a squinty gaze as he leaned forward in his chair. He tapped the table top and then said,
"Are you familiar with the idea of the one eyed man living amongst the blind, Mr. Potter?"
"Yes, the saying says the one eyed man is king in the land of the blind."
"Aye, and what if there are more than one such man?"
Harry considered this for a moment as he looked into the very sharp eyed gaze of the elderly not-quite-a-muggle. Then a horrible thought started to form. His eyes pulled wide and he saw Archie begin to nod his head.
"Are you saying that those wizards and witches are trying to bring the muggles down on magical folk to wipe out the competition so just a few can take control of everything?" he asked, aghast.
"That's what I've been hearing, sir."
"That's insane."
"As may well be, Mr. Potter. But that doesn't mean they aren't cunning ones as well. You need to be very careful and consider this. The few one eyes may decide they don't want any competition from one with full vision," Archie said, nodding in Harry's direction.
The enormity of what Harry was hearing was stunning. A group of witches and wizards attempting to orchestrate the modern revival of the witch hunts so that they would face little or no competition or resistance when they moved to take over everything. It was that crazy old wizard all over again, but orders of magnitude worse. He wondered if this had started with the wizened old spellcaster or grew out of what was left of his operation after Harry had flattened it.
"Mr. Blackstone, would you be kind enough to tell me more of what you know about this old fortress where these one eyes, as you call them, call home?"
"Aye, I could, but you'll need to come inside. It's a lot to tell and it's getting a bit too cold for this old body."
It was close to dawn when Harry left the old man in that solitary house. Harry had made the offer to arrange for him to be brought out but the old man refused, saying it was all he knew anymore and it wasn't quite so lonely a place at it first seemed. He wished Harry well and again warned him to be very careful because insane didn't mean stupid.
Since he knew where he was headed, he Disapparated once he got deeper into the trees. What followed was quite literally a council of war. When Harry had revealed what the old man had said it created quite a furor. There was, of course, some skepticism about what the old man told Harry and how he had come by the information but some quick reconnoitering had revealed that indeed the old fortress was where he said it would be and that there were occupants. The scouts had even found signs of magical wards and traps.
Had it not been for the fact that Anthony and possibly others that had disappeared might be prisoners in the place, Harry would have just flown in and leveled the structure. But in this instance the collateral damage would be unforgivable. So he had to wait while the strategists, to include Evelyn Muntab and Ron Weasley met to forge a strategy along with similar members of the other special teams. It was turning out to be quite a combined operation. Teams from the UK, Germany, France, Belgium, Holland and Spain made up what would be the main attacking force. Fliers from Italy, Poland and the Czech Republic would provide air cover to prevent escapes and provide support to those on foot.
When Harry asked what his role was to be, Ron gave him a nasty little grin and said it was going to be Harry's job to blow in the front entrance, make as much noise and draw as much attention to himself as he could and if the dragon happened to show up and help, that was fine, too. Harry found that that suited him right down to his toes. He did think that the dragon's utility would be limited by the terrain and the heavy overgrowth of trees but he knew there was more than one way to use dragon fire.
It was after two days of planning and preparation that the assault got underway. It was a full moon but under the trees there was very little light. Those on the ground were in three teams, coming from the front, the rear and one side where as the other side was dug into the rock of the ridge itself. Each team was led by a wizard with exceptional night sight and the one behind him was particularly adept at finding and disarming charms and curses. The one from the UK had been heavily trained by Bill Weasley as part of the effort after the rescue of the children from what was left of Durmstrang.
Harry was about midway back in the team that was going to go in the front. His team was almost entirely made up of the UK Aurors, the reasoning being they were familiar with Harry's tactics and wouldn't be inclined to hesitate or be surprised at what he did. It took them nearly half an hour to reach their designated point from which to launch the assault.
As before, Harry's attack on the main door, which for a ruin looked remarkably intact, would be the signal for the others to make their moves. What no one else had been aware of was Harry had been feeling something odd as they climbed the ridge, moving amongst the trees. He was feeling that same sense of presence that he felt in the Dark Forest which resulted in the discovery of the cavern and the lines of energy below. Here in fact the overlying 'haze' was just as pervasive, if not stronger. It gave Harry a thought.
During a pause in the ascent, as the specialist did away with a nasty little cursed booby trap, Harry took his wand and pushed it into the soil at his feet. He called up the dragon, allowing the dark to cover the change to his eyes. It wasn't the same as with the pillar but it was obvious that lines of energy ran below the folded and forested terrain of the mountains. He began to formulate a plan. If it didn't work he could do it the usual way.
The team leader gestured to Harry that it was time to begin. He had previously warned them that they needed to turn away and close their eyes to avoid the possibility of temporary blindness. When he saw they were looking away, he took the wand and jammed it into the dirt. Holding it with one hand he pushed his awareness down beneath the mountains and he made contact with the line. He rode the flow until he found what he was looking for, a three line juncture. The energy raced back to Harry and as he felt it fill him he shouted "Incendio Draco".
A lance of pure white jumped from Harry's outstretched hand and slammed into the heavy ironbound wooden door. The door must have been spelled as it glowed a bright green for an instant before the spell and the door collapsed and was driven deep into the interior of the fortress. Harry let the lance wink out, pulling the wand from the ground. The members of the raiding team surged past him to form stacks on either side of the now empty doorway.
Harry moved forward to take up a position behind the line of Aurors on the right side. He heard the word 'protego' spoken as shield spells were invoked before the first wizards moved into the building's interior. He also came to realize that he wasn't feeling any of the usual drain that normally accompanied his working heavy magic. It felt more like when he was moving through the energy flows when he had been chasing the remnant of Tom Riddle.
He had to set these thoughts aside as he heard the sound of numerous spells being cast. Shouts were mingled with the sound of sizzling energy and the thud and boom of spells hitting rock, wood and bodies. Harry moved to the edge of the doorway and looked around the edge. What he saw was chaos.
Under the force of his attack, the heavy wooden leaves of the main gate had been driven far back into the fort. It appeared that two internal doors and walls had been smashed and filled the corridor with rubble. This was being used as cover for a band of determined witches and wizards at the near end and some of the occupants at the other. At least two of Harry's team were down. Harry thrust his wand in front of him and shouted 'expulso'. The spell struck the wall on the left side of the corridor above where the defenders were entrenched. The resulting spray of rock and fragments raked their position and the volume of spells diminished.
Harry muttered 'protego' and moved forward behind his shield. In rapid succession he fired off a flurry of small, short bursts of dragon fire, systematically destroying any piece of debris big enough to provide cover. Hugging the walls, the rest of the team began moving up, firing their own spells, driving what remained of the defenders back into the deeper recesses of the old fort. Harry let the dragon come forward again and his sharpened hearing picked up sounds of similar fighting coming from ahead and also to the right of his current position. He called to the team leader and said,
"I think if you hold here you'll trap the ones being driven from the back. I'm heading down to where I'm pretty sure they're holding Anthony. It sounds like the team on the right is making headway as well."
"Are you sure, Chief?" the older Auror asked. "We don't know how many are in this pile of rock."
"If you're worried I'll take two to watch my back," Harry said.
The wizard nodded once and said,
"Spinnet, Boot, on the Chief."
Harry gave his two old schoolmates a wry grin and then started making his way down a passage that led off to his right. Again dragon senses were allowed to emerge and in the relative quiet he picked up two sets of heartbeats ahead. One was behind a large door and a quick blast of dragon fire obliterated the age hardened wood. Whoever was behind it scattered. The second turned out to be a small determined band hunkered down behind a fallen stone pillar. Whether it had fallen due to Harry's efforts earlier or had been down for years, he couldn't tell.
Harry might have considered dropping some of the ceiling on them but since they directly blocked the path he thought they needed to go he had to try something different. Taking inspiration from his work finding the hidden lab in the Mysteries Department he sighted along his wand and envisioned what he wanted the pillar to be. It took a moment because of it's size but it wasn't long before the stone pillar now looked like a fallen piece of ice sculpture.
Accompanied by the shouts of surprise from the defenders Harry played a sustained beam of dragon fire over the ice and soon had the befuddled wizards standing in a large puddle of steaming water. Rapid fire 'stupefy' spells put them all down but one, who had the presence of mind to start legging it away as soon as the ice began to melt.
"Very slick, Harry," Terry Boot said as they hurried past the defunct obstruction.
Relying on his heightened senses Harry kept moving until he heard shouts coming from around a corner.
Pressing himself against the wall he looked around the edge of the stone wall and he saw a wide corridor, several of the defenders down on the floor and what looked like a short line of ill used captives being hustled from a room by the members of the team that hit the right side of the fortress. Harry stepped out away from the wall and the team leader hailed him saying,
"Monsieur Potter, we 'ave them all."
"Fine, we'll cover you from here," Harry said, but as he took a step further into the corridor a brilliant white light flared, accompanied by the crackle of massive energies, and he was gone.
Harry found himself sprawled face down on a rough hewn stone floor. It was completely and absolutely dark. While he couldn't see anything he felt fairly sure that the confines were cramped. He chose to roll over and take stock. It didn't feel like he had been injured and despite the heavy use of magic, he wasn't especially fatigued. What he was was annoyed.
Despite his rising anger, Harry figured he needed to relax and try to think his way through this. The first attempt he made was to Disapparate to the house of the old man but nothing happened. Not surprising, he thought. As Archie said, insane didn't mean stupid. As he tried to think of something else his thoughts were interrupted by a disembodied voice.
"Finding getting out of your present predicament a bit difficult, Professor?"
Harry wasn't sure but he thought the voice sounded familiar. And at the moment he wasn't inclined toward conversation. He raised his wand and whispered 'lumos'. The glow showed him what he already presumed. The walls and ceiling were all clearly visible and uncomfortably close. The exit was conspicuous by it's absence.
"Now that you've seen your room, I trust you understand the true nature of your situation. One way in, no way out. If you behave yourself we may decide to let you out, in five or ten years. As for now you remain safely out of the way."
Harry's anger was starting to build but he refused to engage in any conversation. But the voice wasn't done yet.
"Of course when we do let you out nothing will be as you knew it."
Harry rolled over into a crouched kneeling position. He took his wand and placed it against the floor, attempting to reach out for the flows. He thought he could sense one but it seemed blocked.
"Nor will anyone you knew be left."
Harry's anger flared into rage and he hammered the stone floor with his fists. The chamber seemed to shudder. He wrapped both hands around the end of the heavy wand and tried to use the power of his rage to force through whatever the blockage was. From the corner where the dragon resided, he clearly heard,
"Release me."
"Are you daft?" he thought back. "The dragon would be crushed in here. Who knows how much rock is around us, me."
"Not change, release. Attend," his dragon self said, the phrasing striking Harry as odd.
A thought flowed upward and Harry was staggered by the implication. Not in a position to debate it, he raised the wand in his two handed grip as best the confines allowed and struck the floor with all this strength. Instead of breaking or at least shattering the tip, the ironwood wand felt as if it had actually penetrated a bit into the solid stone. The barrier was likewise penetrated and he extended his senses down to the nearest flow. As before, he rode it until he found the nexus of three converging lines. The surge in return was massive. Harry used some of the energy to push backward as he had often done while flying and it helped hold him in place. The wand in his hand was growing rather warm.
"Hold, one more. As before," the dragon voice advised.
Harry strained to hold himself together as he sought out another line, finding it just off to the side. With the power already present from the other three he yanked the fourth until he had all four lines in conjunction. The rush of power was unlike anything he had every experienced and he knew he could not hold it for more than an instant, but an instant was all that he needed. In a roar he heard the dragon shout,
"NOW!"
The discharge was massive, but from Harry's perspective relatively benign. He was thrown backward , but not hurled against the walls or ceiling. He landed on his back but there was no slamming of his head or any immediate pain. His glasses were gone and he didn't have the wand in his hand but otherwise he was conscious and aware. The sound had not been that of a massive explosion but more a deep bell tone followed by the tearing of something not normally meant to tear. It had been rather bright and his eyes, even though he had closed them at the final moment, were tearing and his vision blocked by a blob of bright white.
He also felt that he was no longer so enclosed. Obviously he was still on the rock floor but the air was clearer and cooler. He had the feeling that there was a great deal of nothing above him. After some blinking and rubbing he was able to clear most of the blinding white and it was now mostly little sparkles. Holding out his hand he said,
"Accio wand."
Nothing happened. Maybe he was too tired to make the magic work, but he didn't feel that bad. Maybe he needed to try something else.
"Accio glasses."
In a moment, he felt the somewhat twisted frame of his glasses in hand. The lenses were present but cracked and scratched. One ear piece was badly bent. With some careful manipulation he got it straight enough that he could put them on. It wasn't great but it did help clear most of the blur and looking up he was able to see he was now under a clear night sky. Holding out his hand he said,
"Lumos."
He was rewarded with a ball of blue white light. The walls and ceiling he had seen previously were no where to be seen. A lot of stars were. Holding it closer to the floor he began looking around for his wand. After about five minutes he found a small pile of ash surrounding a small hole, perhaps an inch deep, in the floor. He took a closer look at his hands and saw they were both smudged with black.
"Bloody hell," he thought, "another trip to Ollivanders."
He stood up slowly, assuring himself he was uninjured and began looking about, trying to get his bearings. Off to his left he saw a dull glow that lit up a small portion of a ridge top. He thought he saw a small dot move across the glow a few times and then a line of fire reach down from some height and something else much smaller flare and then drop out of sight. This happened a second time but then his concentration was broken by the sound of a voice calling out his name.
"Le Professuer, Professuer Potter."
Then another from a different direction, both from above.
"Herr Potter, Herr Potter."
He let the light blink out. He wasn't sure if the hails were from members of one of the other departments or they might be remnants of the defenders looking to trick him.
"Harry, Harry, are you out here?" a much more familiar voice called out.
"Down here, Alicia," he called back in what he thought was a surprisingly strong voice.
He relit the lumos spell and held it over his head. In a moment three wizards and a witch touched down. He recognized Alicia but the other three must have been from different countries.
"Harry, are you alright? What happened?" Alicia blurted out as she dropped her broom and hurried over to him.
"As to your first question I seem to be doing rather well, all things considered, just a little tired. As to the other one, I guess I must have tripped a booby trap or someone was able to spell me somehow. I wound up in a small chamber of rock. I think it was right here. I guess I managed to free myself."
Alicia was able to absorb Harry's explanation without a great deal of shock, having been exposed to some of his prior adventures. The other three wizards were at a complete loss. What they were seeing and hearing defied belief. What they saw was a fairly physically unimposing wizard in charred and shredded robes, wearing badly damaged glasses, standing on a small plateau where not many moments before a small peak had been. There were a few shreds of rock here and there but otherwise the peak had been sheared off.
When the individual reports were written and read, it would be revealed by several of those flying cover who happened to be looking towards the peak that the top came apart as if shunted aside by what they swore was an impossibly huge dragon glowing like the sun at noon, but which quickly dissipated while large chunks of rock showered down into the surrounding trees. Moments later the sound of large wings were heard overhead and several unknown fliers were seen to be falling in flames. Since all the those associated with the assault were accounted for it was surmised these must have been defenders of the fortress trying to flee.
When Harry had finished his brief telling of what had occurred to him Alicia walked up and took hold of his arm, feeling the ruined robe beneath her fingers.
"We got every one out safe, Harry. They weren't in the best of shape but they are alive. Anthony, too. He'll need some time to recover but he's safe. The fortress looks to be a total wreck, not that it was in such great shape to begin with. We don't know how many were in there so it's hard to say if anyone escaped but we captured a couple of dozen and at least that many are dead. We lost a couple of ours, one Italian and one German. A bunch of injuries, too. Pavarti had part of a wall fall on her. Her right side is pretty broken up. Arm, shoulder, ribs and leg. We have a swarm of Healers here now, but she'll be a while before she's back on duty."
Harry took this all in calmly. Now was not the time for anger or regrets. Squinting a bit in the light of his spell he could see that Alicia had some cuts and abrasions on her face. He took hold of her free hand and gave it a squeeze.
"How do you propose to get me down from here," he said with a little grin.
"I'll fly you down, Harry. Neither one of us is a heavyweight."
With a nod, Harry climbed on behind Alicia and with a slow steady lift off they began making their way back to the ruins of the fortress. Despite the shredded condition of his clothes, Harry was declared injury free by the Healer that had given him a once over. The released prisoners were being shuttled to the nearest town that had a magical presence for treatment, then repatriation. A small vacant house had been located a few miles away and Harry was taken there for the opportunity to get some rest before making his way home.
He also needed the time to think his way through what had occurred that evening. That he had been magically trapped, that was obvious. Was it preplanned or did he just happened to fall victim to an existing trap, that was another question. The owner of that voice certainly knew him, or of him, and seemed particularly pleased that he was sealed up in that chamber.
How he got out, now that was an entirely different question. Yes, he had tapped into substantial flows beneath the mountains and apparently managed to take off the top of the small mountain he was trapped in. Somehow, the dragon part of him had managed to engineer the escape, perhaps based on knowledge gained from their times connected with, and once immersed in, the flows beneath the cavern beneath the Dark Forest.
As he lay stretched out on the rickety frame of an old bed in the long abandoned house he prodded around looking for the voice of his dragon self but it appeared no one was home. Was this part of the evolution of his mind from the multiple segments he first encountered to some form of singular identity or was the big fellow just too tired to respond? It appeared he had done the heavy lifting tonight. As he tried to will himself to sleep Harry was surprised by a voice that was anything but in the back of his mind.
"Hail, wizard."
"Dragon?"
"Indeed, wizard. Twas quite an adventure this night."
"Yes, it was. It seems I owe you thanks."
"My actions were as much to preserve my own existence as yours, so no gratitude is required."
"Um, your actions? Aren't they my actions?" Harry asked with some confusion.
"No, in fact they are not. I suggest you get comfortable, wizard. This may take some time."
"Go ahead," Harry replied, wondering if perhaps a visit to Dr. Medford wouldn't be a bad idea.
"As much as you may regret knowing this, I am not your animagus alter ego. I am a dragon," the voice said, with emphasis on the 'am'. "One of the true dragons. With that comes certain abilities. Perhaps the most profound is the ability to form a relationship with a mind of sufficient power and depth."
"You mean you've been inhabiting my mind? It's you I've been talking to all these years?"
"Yes and no. Perhaps you should think of it as a melding of sorts, but you held the more dominant position. My presence colored your thoughts and perceptions with certain overtones but the substance of those thoughts were yours."
"But why? Why would such a being as you choose to place yourself in such a situation?" Harry asked in amazement.
Harry heard the equivalent of a chuckle, but very deep and raspy.
"Curiosity. A desire to learn. Perhaps even boredom."
"Boredom?" Harry asked.
"The world has changed much since I first broke shell. But for most of it, there was a strong belief in dragons and other creatures that only you wizards still know to be real. That belief provided the opportunity for all manner of adventure. Now..." was all Harry heard but he sensed a rather huge shrug. "So when, during the course of my wanderings, I happened to stumble across a mind unlike any I've ever encountered, I resolved to investigate further and therefore, took up residence."
"Just like that? When did this happen?" Harry asked.
"While you lay unconscious on the forest floor after your encounter with the snake wizard. You were otherwise occupied in your discourse with your mentor."
Harry paused to consider what he was 'hearing'. He wasn't sure which was more fantastic. The idea that he was a dragon animagus or that he had been carrying around a real dragon inside his head. Based on the concept of animagic the only real issue was the size deferential. While an order of magnitude or two greater than any he was familiar with, it still held some plausibility. Now he was faced with the idea that he had in fact been one half of some sort of symbiotic relationship with an actual thinking, fire breathing dragon of indeterminate age.
"Hmm, symbiotic. I like that word," came the dragon's 'voice'.
"You know what I'm thinking?" Harry asked.
"In truth, it is easier when you project, but you are thinking very hard about this so it's not all that difficult," came the reply, colored with a sense of humour.
"So if what you are saying is true and not just some delusional thoughts on my part as a result of what happened tonight, where in the world does the physical you go when we are me?"
"Come now, wizard, think. You of all humans must know that the planes of existence are more varied than first meets the eye."
This pulled Harry up short. His experience has included nearly half a dozen visits to different places beyond the mundane. Which brought up another thought.
"Where are you now?"
"I'm currently resting on the recently created plateau. It provides ample space and still retains some of the warmth from it's creation."
Harry gave a mental nod and then offered,
"You still sound a lot like me, though. Just a lot deeper."
Again the chuckle.
"Consider it a side affect of our association. Were we to remain apart for a significant amount of time, you would not recognize me. Your ancient wizard friend would, however."
Harry assumed this meant Merlin. He figured the dragon didn't use names.
"So what now? I have to say I'm going to miss having you around. And the students will be hugely disappointed at Halloween."
"Hold those thoughts, wizard. You and I are not done. I could easily return us to our previous condition. I am choosing to delay this so that I might see the greater world with a new perception gained during our association. And fear not, I have no intention to give up my claim to my territory. It was hard won and much of that attitude originated with me. I will be there."
"I'm pleased to hear that. And I'm happy to hear that we might continue on. I've enjoyed the perception, as you say, that you've bought to the relationship," Harry said, projecting a bit of his smile.
"You may also find our time apart beneficial, wizard. I am aware that your physical well being has not been what it could. I may have to bear some of the blame for that. I suggest you use this time to take a more aggressive approach to improving such. I have much interest in what there is to gain from our association and wish it to be a long one."
Harry sensed a pause, almost of if there was a disconnect and then the dragon was back.
"We should bring this to an end, wizard. You need to begin your recuperation. And the little one is seeking you out. Do what you must to reassure them and we will speak again. And remember this. Should the need be great, call me and I will be there. Fare thee well for now, wizard."
"Farewell, dragon. Until next time."
He could feel the dragon was no longer there. It was an odd feeling but not unpleasant as he felt assured it was not the end, but a new beginning. Then he heard another voice.
"Harry! Harry, are you there?"
"Hello, little one, yes I am."
"Oh, thank Merlin. I lost touch with you for a while. Not like that terrible time in the cavern. I knew you were there, I just couldn't make contact. Are you alright?"
"Yes, little one. Remarkably, I'm in pretty good shape. I just need to get some sleep before I can come home, it was a busy night. I have a lot to tell all of you," he replied.
"I'll pass that on, Harry. Ginny has been holding up pretty well but it's been a little tense around here."
"Oh, and tell everyone that Anthony and the others are all safe. Worse for wear but safe."
"That's great, Harry. Um, Harry. You feel different. Something has happened, hasn't it?"
"Yes, it has, little one. Like I said, I have a lot to tell you."
"Alright, Harry. I'll go now and let you get some sleep. See you soon," Abagail said.
"Good night, little one."
Harry realized that he must have slid into a light doze at some point during his 'chat' with the dragon which made his conversation with Abagail possible. He was about to let himself slide down into true sleep but was stopped by a very familiar voice.
"Harry, my boy. A moment if you would."
"Certainly, Professor," Harry said as he saw his mentor walk out of the swirling gray mist.
"Harry, we couldn't help overhear what you've be saying. Well done you, dear boy. This was an important night."
"Yes, sir. It seems your fears were well founded. I don't think it's over, but we've hurt them. Whoever 'them' are."
"Indeed. I'd like to make a recommendation if I may."
"Of course, sir."
"When you return to Hogwarts, do not keep this a secret. This is every bit as important as the warning you brought to us when Tom Riddle regained his body. Make this known. The peril will only be the greater if we make the same mistake as was made with Riddle," Dumbledore said, his face calm but resolute.
"I believe you're correct, sir. Right now, only Professor Sprout is aware of whats been going on," Harry said and then paused. "Can I assume you're aware of what happened with the dragon?"
"Yes, Harry, but that is a conversation for another time. You need your sleep. I will convey your regards to the others and after you are properly rested we will talk again. Sleep well, dear boy, you deserve it."
"Thank you, Professor."
Harry watched as Dumbledore turned and moved into the mist. It didn't take much to slip into a deep sleep. In fact, he had been working to prevent it during the last bit of his talk with the former Headmaster.
When he awoke the next morning, his recollection of his dreams wasn't too coherent, and while it lacked the familiar scene of the dragon on aerial patrol, he had the impression that something had been out there watching over the small house, or someone.