Chapter Text
In Harry’s oh so humble opinion, Kingsley Shacklebolt, their current Minister of Magic, jinxed them. Or cursed them. Or just dared the universe to become a problem.
It was supposed to be a simple case. Those were Kingsley’s exact words and the moment he uttered them, Harry had groaned in dismay. Without a doubt, those words always preceded the more complex and bizarre cases handled by the Auror Department.
Case in point.
This simple burglary turned serial killing turned ritual sacrifice. And the ritual in question? Sketchy at best and entirely focused on raising the Dark Lord from the dead. This wasn’t the first attempt to resurrect Voldemort foiled by aurors, merely the latest in a string of them. It seemed that Voldy’s first successful “return” was all the proof of concept needed for his more desperate followers.
At least, so bragged one of the Death Eaters caught in the lead up to the raid on the Yaxley’s lesser known summer home.
Really, though, for all the inherent chaos and sloppiness of the criminals, this case had been some of Harry’s best work to date. He and the other aurors had been able to narrow down the who, what, when, and where of the ritual in plenty of time and managed to save three lives slated for the final ritual steps. The arrests went off without a hitch.
If not for the bloody Portkey.
He’s not even sure how it ended up in his hand, to be honest. One moment, he was binding the final Death Eater, who had taken a stunner or three to the face, and then the next moment he was staring down at a rather lovely jeweled artifact. A gold dragon emblem, set in a circle with seven colored stones.
He’d blinked in surprise at the artifact, then felt a familiar pull on his navel. The world spun away and dropped him… in the middle of a forest.
Yeah, Harry was going to blame Kingsley for this too.
Bouncing to his feet, Harry took stock of his surroundings. Nothing stood out to him as familiar. Lots of trees, as typical to most forests, with a gentle slope leading to what appeared to be the east. They felt a little eerie, though. Too quiet. Over the tops of the trees, he could make out the tips of mountain peaks, hazy with distance.
He definitely wasn’t in England anymore.
Sighing, he laid his wand flat across his palm. “ Point me. ” The wand spun until the tip pointed north. Confirmed, downslope was to the east. If he followed the slope down, he’d likely find a river or stream of some sort, and with any luck be able to follow that back to civilization.
He wasn’t, however, planning to walk the slope.
Harry reached into the pocket of his regulation robes and pulled out a simple mokeskin pouch. It was a little battered after years of use, but in good enough condition for his needs. Tugging the drawstring loose, he peered into the opening for a moment.
Coming to a decision, he dropped the unknown artifact inside. It clinked a few times as it fell, against both metal and glass. Then he flicked his wand and summoned his Firebolt. “ Accio Firebolt.”
The polished wood handle appeared over the lip of the bag. Harry grasped it.
Someone screamed.
Harry’s head snapped up and turned towards the sound. Up slope, he thought, but couldn’t certain. Not unless-
A second scream tore through the air, followed by a monstrous sounding roar.
Harry bolted towards the sound. There were sounds of metal clanging and growling. His heart pounded in his ears as his feet pounded against the forest floor.
When he burst into the clearing, he came to a sudden halt.
There in front of him was a dragon. A Chinese Fireball, based on the size, color, and attitude. It was perched on a ledge, staring down into the clearing.
Downslope of the dragon, there were several areas recently burned - small fires licked at scorched grasses and faint wisps of smoke rose from the ashes. Amongst the scorched earth, two individuals were battling.
It was a man and woman, both around Harry’s age. They were dressed in tight-fitting all black uniforms - some sort of combat uniform - wielding long knives. Each bore wounds, though the woman was considerably more beat down than the man.
A body of a man lay at their feet, throat opened up.
Three more men stood at a slight distance, watching the fight.
Harry didn’t like the grins they wore. He was reminded of Dudley and his friends.
The woman stumbled, locks of blonde hair sticking to her sweaty and flushed face. Her opponent sneered at her. “This is how a traitor dies.”
“Expelliarmus!”
Red light struck the man and the knife flew out of his hands to skitter across the forest floor. All eyes turned to Harry in surprise.
Including the dragon.
The Chinese Fireball snarled at him, head lowering and mouth gaping wide. Harry saw the dragon’s throat glow and dove to the side, flinging several hexes towards the gaping maw while he did so. At least one Stinging Hex hit the mark, judging by the pained screech aimed his way.
Movement in the corner of his eye and he ducked. A red tail slammed into the tree behind him, nearly slicing through it and showering Harry in pieces of bark. He kept moving forward, darting further into the trees to get out of the range of that tail, feeling very much like he was in his fourth year at Hogwarts once more.
Of course, during the First Trial of the Triwizard Tournament, he’d only had to worry about one dragon.
This one apparently had friends.
A very orange friend, of all colors.
The orange friend swung its own tail at him. Harry barely dodged the scorpion-ike appendage and then twisted in place, appearing on the opposite side of the red dragon with a crack! of sound.
Seeker reflexes meant the blade heading for his torso grazed his arm instead, a burning line of heat as the metal cut through cloth and flesh alike.
Harry hissed in pain, but kept moving. The woman was up and fighting again, her previous opponent on the ground and choking on his own blood.
Both dragons bore down on Harry.
He cast a Conjunctivitis Curse on the orange dragon, then took refuge behind a boulder.
The orange dragon screamed. Peeking around the boulder, Harry watched as it clawed at its own face, then stumbled sideways into the red dragon. The dragons collapsed in a pile of thrashing limbs - the red furious and the orange unable to see anything through its swollen eyes.
‘Divide and conquer. Wise.’
Harry startled and spun around. No one and nothing to explain the woman’s voice he heard. He turned back towards the clearing, but he couldn’t see the blonde woman anymore either. He could have sworn he heard someone speak to him.
A dark shadow fell over the clearing, followed by a heavy whump and gust of wind of dust from behind him.
His eyes closed briefly, his entire body filled with dread. He turned, back pressed to cool stone, and stared into the golden eyes of a green dragon.
The pieces clicked together in his brain.
Somehow, Harry managed to stumble into an illegal dragon breeding operation.
The green dragon wasn’t snarling at least. Instead, it tilted its head in what might have been curiosity.
‘There are no laws governing the breeding of dragons. ’
Harry ignored the voice. He’d find the witch in question later.
Over their heads, the red dragon took to the sky.
Fire blasted around the edges of the boulder sheltering Harry. He was unwilling to turn his back on the beast in front of him-
‘Rude.’
-but he could guess the orange dragon was both too blind to take flight and likely holding a grudge. Thinking quickly, he conjured a small flock of birds to fly in tight circles around the green dragon’s head.
‘Not me, you idiot!’
The green reared back, snorting and snarling at the bright yellow canaries spiraling around its face.
The noise drew the orange closer, clawed feet scrabbling over Harry’s shelter moments before the orange launched itself blindly into the green dragon.
Harry kept low and put himself on the other side of the boulder, deftly stepping around the patches of flaming earth. The clearing was empty now, the people having fled or been burned based on the smell.
The orange dragon barrelled into view, a ball of flailing limbs and rage.
Jade green scales crept around the edge of the boulder as the green’s head once more came into view, yellow feathers sticking out from between its scales and a single bloody wound slashing across its snout.
The green dragon growled, the sound deep enough for Harry to feel in his chest.
“Accio Firebolt,” he muttered under his breath. The handle jabbed him in the side. “If you don’t mind, I think I’ll be going now.” Then he threw the small dark stone in his hand.
Black smoke filled the clearing and Harry rocketed straight up on the Firebolt.
‘What the fuck? ’
Harry sped along the treetops, eyes scanning for any sign of human life or some other way to evade the dragon that was sure to chase him. The Hungarian Horntail had certainly been eager to follow him those years ago, and she’d only hesitated because of her eggs. These dragons had no such constraints.
As predicted, he heard an otherworldly bellow behind him and the rhythmic rushing of air - telltale sign of wings flapping.
The green dragon roared, enraged. In the fields below, several reptilian heads popped up to watch Harry as he sped by, as well as the dragon in pursuit of him.
The sight of so many dragons filled Harry’s stomach with lead. The mountain valley was full of them - both on the ground and flying through the sky around him. They were all incredibly large and scales colored in varying shades of colors he’d already seen as well as brown dragons and a single sapphire blue. He passed clearings where he could see more people as well, the small figures running and fighting and -
Was that man climbing on a dragon’s back?
Harry’s head snapped to the side to get a better view, but he was distracted by a flash of green scales. The green dragon was gaining on him. Harry boggled at the sight. That thing’s wingspan was incredible. Gold eyes locked with his once more, full of fury and deadly intent.
Harry gulped.
Twisting back around, he flattened himself along the broom handle and the Firebolt increased in speed.
Finally, he could see man-made structures ahead in the shadow of the nearest mountain. As he flew closer, he could see a castle or fortress of sorts built into the side. Leaning to the right, he aimed for the fortress.
‘Insolent child!’
Harry startled at the booming shout, momentarily losing his grip and dropping in altitude. He scrambled to right himself before the green dragon could take advantage. The voice was so much louder that time. He scanned the ground and air around him, but no source for the voice revealed itself. He continued flying for the fortress.
It was pretty much his only option at this point.
‘This is not the proper way!’
Harry jerked. That voice was so bloody loud, each word striking him deep in his core in a way he’d never before experienced. ‘Where are you?’ He tried calling back.
‘You must be joking!’
Was he a magnet for snarky women? He wondered. ‘I can’t help you if I don’t know where you are!’ He tried.
The green dragon snorted and burst steam struck his back despite the speed they flew at.
Whatever. He’d find the witch later. Right now, the fire-breathing death machine on his tail took priority.
The fortress grew larger and loomed in the mountain’s shadow. As he approached, Harry wondered if he’d miscalculated. Dragons of various colors and sizes were also flying for the fortress, or rather a field adjacent to said fortress. There were more people down below too, gathering at one end of the field.
‘You will not land without me! This is not the way of things!’
The witch seemed to be pleading through her anger now and Harry was no longer sure she was actually speaking to Harry. How could he land with her when she wasn’t even here ?
Landing in the field below was going to be risky enough, if Harry’s suspicions about the illegal breeding operation were accurate.
‘I told you - do not land!’
Harry ignored her and angled himself downward. He banked wide to circle the field in a slow descending arc, unwilling to reduce his speed until the last possible second.
The people, dressed in the same black uniforms as the rest, began shouting and running. He really hoped no one threw anymore knives.
Harry flinched as the green dragon roared yet again, the sound far too close for comfort. Desperation gripped him and he angled into a sharp dive, leveling out low enough his feet skimmed the grass. The dragon’s shadow loomed over him and fell away.
People leapt to either side around him as he raced along the ground. There was a dais at the far end of the field. As he approached the base of it, Harry swung himself sideways. His momentum was too great for a graceful stop, and he found himself rolling along dirt and grass, his broom clutched tight to his chest. Coming to a stop, he flopped onto his back, gasping, from a lack of air or exhilaration, he couldn’t tell. The ringing in his ear faded suddenly and the world around him burst into sound. People were shouting, dragons were roaring.
He popped up onto his feet. The ground shook beneath him and the green dragon landed roughly before the dais. Without hesitation, he broke into a run once more, heading for the far side of the dais. He fired a few stunners behind him as he ran, stopping only when he noticed the spells ricocheting into the surrounding crowd.
A woman dropped down in front of him from the top of the dais. She had brown hair cropped short and her expression was cold.
Harry paused. “Uh, hello.”
Her eyes narrowed and her hands dropped to her sides to draw a pair of blades. A shiver raced down his spine and the winds began to pick up. The very air around him became icy and he could see each of his panting breaths in the air.
“Blast,” he quietly cursed. “Can we not talk about this?”
Her glare darkened and her grip on her blade tightened.
So, not friendly. These people were not friendly at all.
He flicked his wand and wordlessly disarmed her. She startled, face blank with surprise, and took half a step back.
The ground continuously shook, dragons landing all around them. One, a brown dragon, approached from the rear and loomed over the woman. Its mouth was already opening wide and a glow was visible deep in its throat.
Gripping his wand tightly, Harry started to turn on one foot, his mind focused on the place he’d first landed as an apparition destination.
‘Drop!’
Auror training kicking to life at the command, Harry dropped to his belly.
Green scaled limbs appeared on either side of him, and the green dragon dipped its head towards the brown dragon. The sound that left the green dragon’s throat thundered through the valley like an inescapable force of nature. Laying under the dragon’s belly, Harry clamped his hands over his ears. The people he could see surrounding him did the same, some even falling under the weight of the green dragon’s voice.
Rage, foreign and not his own and utterly overwhelming, filled him and in an unending torrent. He panted and writhed, straining to bear it, straining to push it away.
The green dragon quieted.
The brown dragon’s mouth snapped shut. It huffed and turned away from the green dragon, head held imperiously high. The woman was joined by others, faces just as perplexed and hard. Their eyes darted from Harry on the ground to the green dragon crouched above him.
If Harry wasn’t mistaken, the green dragon had saved his life. But why?
‘I have been chasing you for TWENTY MINUTES!’ The voice was back and absolutely furious. ‘I did not suffer such an insult just for them to kill you now.’
Harry’s head jerked from side to side as he hunted for the witch who spoke in his mind. He couldn’t even pinpoint a direction.
‘THERE IS NO WITCH!’
Harry flinched as someone else’s frustration flooded him. Occlumency, Occlumency, why didn’t he ever learn Occlumency? Why? Because a greasy-headed dungeon bat told him to?
The green dragon sidestepped and Harry blinked blearily in the sudden light. He sat up and froze as the large jade-scaled head swung around. Eyes of molten gold bore into him.
‘Harry James Potter, you will listen to me.’
The dragon exhaled and he was hit by a gust of steam.
‘ Or I will burn you and save us both the trouble of your idiocy.’
Harry's mouth dropped open as he gaped at her in dawning comprehension. She was the voice. The dragon. She’d been speaking to him the whole time.
Oh. Oh, he felt like a bloody fool.
She heaved a sigh of exasperation, golden eyes rolling heavenward in an unmistakable bid for patience.
Inexplicably, Harry was hit with the certainty that wherever she was, Professor McGonagall was equally disappointed in him.
‘Get up and brush yourself off.’ The dragon ordered. Her tone brooked no argument. ‘I’ll not have a rider looking like he’s just been rolling in the dirt.’
“I did roll in the dirt,” he pointed out. A few flicks of his wand and the majority of the first and grass stains were gone. A few remained, but despite Molly’s best efforts, he was still getting the hang of household charms.
The dragon chuffed at him. ‘There’s no need to speak out loud. I will hear you either way.’ She shifted to nudge him with her snout. ‘Come, you must give the roll-keeper my name. They will let you approach now, so long as you stop acting like a fool.’
‘That might be a tall order,’ Harry snarked back. ‘Considering I have no idea what you are talking about.’
‘Which is why you should listen to me. I will keep you alive, Brave One.’
Harry’s eyes narrowed. “That still tells me nothing.” His eyes were already roaming over the crowd as he spoke, hunting for the so-called ‘roll-keeper’. He spotted a red-headed woman staring at him in stunned disbelief, a scroll of parchment in her hands. ‘So, not an illegal dragon breeding operation, I take it?’
‘No. As if dragons would allow humans to govern such a personal matter.’ The dragon huffed at him. ‘Now, will you listen to me and tell the roll-keeper my name?’
“I can’t.” Harry stared up at her.
Her chin jerked in surprise as she peered down at him. ‘And why not?’
Shrugging, he replied ‘You haven’t given me your name.’
Her eyes narrowed. Her tail thrashed. ‘Caraidbas.’ She straightened, head held high and proud. ‘You little shit.’
Harry snorted and walked to the roll-keeper. The people - dragon riders - between them parted the way.
The roll-keeper stared at him, eyebrows raised high.
Harry waited.
She kept staring.
“Er…” Harry glanced back at Caraidbas. “She uh, told me to tell you her name? It’s Caraidbas.”
The roll-keeper wet her lips. “And your name?”
“Harry. Harry Potter.”
The woman nodded and began to write, quill scratching into parchment.
Pandemonium erupted behind him.