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Chapter Text

A faint and eerie light could be seen bleeding throughout the room and through the doorway where you stood. It gave everything that rests within a thin illuminated outline. Just enough to give someone an idea of what was around the room. Closer to the light, the shape of a cloaked man could be seen standing. He looks up and addresses a tall figure that the light couldn't touch. All that could be seen was this towering, black, form.

Nothing could be heard, but there was a sense of excitement from the man the longer he spoke to the dark, unmoving figure. A closer look at the two showed the man to be thin and very pale. Sickly. Familiar. The tall shadow was just that, a shadow. It rippled with each movement, and the edges of its form seem to be faded. It moved what could be assumed to be its arms. Crossing them in front of its body. No definite form but it was implied. Moving closer didn’t give you any more detail. Just more an idea of what the outline of the figure could be doing.

The room suddenly became freezing. The dark corners of the room started to ripple, and the began to crawl toward the shadowed figure. As the last of it bled into the figure, it suddenly turned toward the door and looked straight at you. The shadows started to pool around it. Getting bigger and bigger. It raised an arm, pointed right at you. The shadows gathered together in the middle of the room and began to rise into a shapeless form. As soon as it reached its peak, it rushed to the door, toward you, engulfing you in pitch black.

 With a gasp, Harry wakes up. Frantically looking around, afraid for a moment that the shadows followed him back from his dream.

“What was that?” He whispered.

After taking a few deep breaths, Harry looked to see if his episode woke the others. Seeing everyone still asleep, Harry laid down, closed his eyes, and tried not to think of the shadows until morning.

Chapter Text

  That morning found the Grimmauld Place bustling with activity. Mrs. Weasley ordering every able body to clean, organize, and help her in the kitchen.  The Order was having a meeting this evening. Discussing the next step for this year and what information has been gathered for Harry’s trial. A special guest was also due to arrive for this meeting. An old friend of Dumbledore who will be representing another group that will be working closely with the Order of the Phoenix. Mrs. Weasley needed everything to be perfect.

Harry was put to work in the room the meeting will be held. Arranging chairs, cleaning, that sort of thing. He was moving quite sluggish. Try as he might, he couldn’t go right back to sleep after his dream. He kept thinking about it until he finally drifted off in the early hours of the morning. Not long afterward, Mrs. Weasley came in dragging everyone out of bed for an early breakfast so they could help straighten up the house for the incoming guests.

“Harry, you ok?”, Ron asked as he watched Harry bump into a chair, again.

“Yeah, just a bad night. You know?”

“That’s rough.”

Ron took the answer readily enough because Harry has been having a few bad nights after his encounter with the dementors and the stress of the trial at the Ministry of Magic the other day. Not being able to get to sleep and just being in his head a lot. No one blamed him. A lot happened, and there was still more to come, and Harry still felt a little betrayed at the lack of communication this past summer, so he wasn’t talking much about it. Which is why he hasn’t brought up the dream.

He still couldn’t really wrap his head around the whole thing. A lot of details were lost when he woke up and fell back asleep, but he could still remember a lot of it. Especially how he felt. It felt so surreal. It was like he was there, but at the same time, he felt disconnected from what was physically in that room. He couldn’t really control what he did. Just observe. As if he was watching from someone else’s point of view.

He shivered a bit as his thoughts brought him to the two figures in the room. One was so eerily familiar to him and the other just frightening.  He hasn’t felt comfortable near darken corners of the old house since the dream. Thinking back to the crawling shadows coming towards him in his dream. He has even found himself imagining shadows moving. Making every keep stopping and asking if he is ok every time he tenses up.

Finally, all the preparations for the meeting were done, and dinner served and cleaned up. Harry found himself sitting a the top of the staircase with the Weasleys and Hermione. Waiting for the arrival of the members of the Order.  

“I can’t believe they won’t let us sit in.” Harry grumbled, “They’ll be talking about me anyway. Why can’t I have a say in what happens to me?”

“Harry, I’m sure they have a lot to discuss on top of what happened to you.” Hermione tried to reason.

Harry knew that he was getting on his friends' nerves with all his whining, but he has been left out of too much this past summer. He has had enough choices taken from him. His sluggishness turn for the worse. He was in such a foul mood after dinner when Mr. Weasley told the kids that they would need to stay upstairs during the meeting. They did find a loophole though. They remained on the balcony at the top of the stairway which happened to face the front door where they could see all the guests walk in. Harry was hoping to see Dumbledore and possibly have a word with him before he went to the meeting room.

"I'm telling you, this will work." one of the Weasley twins insisted.  

"And I'm saying that you're going to get in trouble. Just don't come and whine about it to us when your mother finds out." Hermione scolded.

"What's happening?" Harry said, shaking himself from his daze.

"Fred and George want to test out one of their tricks and listen in on their meeting." Ron answered, "Extendable Ears."

"Just you wait, when they all head inside, we'll be able to hear everything they say," Fred said, looking confident as always.  

"Yeah! You'll see. Another great invention!" George said in encouragement.

A knock from the door stopped all further conversation. Harry's and the others attention much more focused on the new visitors arriving. One by one, new and old faces come through. None noticing the group on the balcony. Except for one Severus Snape.

"He's part of the Order?" Harry asked, shocked and frustrated.

No one had a moment to respond though, as Dumbledore came in following behind. He spoke to Mrs. Weasley, who was the one greeting all the visitors. Then, as he turned toward the designated meeting room, he glanced up to the balcony. Making eye contact with Harry. Harry started toward the stairway but stopped when he saw Dumbledore already heading toward the room below the balcony. Without so much as a glance his way.

Shocked and disappointed by the blatant behavior to avoid him, he didn't resist when Hermione pulled him back away from the stairway. He just kept staring toward where Dumbledore stood. Trying to wrap his head around all this. Not only has Dumbledore ordered everyone to keep Harry out of the loop all summer, but he also had the nerve to ignore him.

Harry didn't have much time though to stew in his frustration and anger. A knock once again came from the front door. Trying to think of who else they were waiting for, Harry then remembered that there was something special about this meeting. A mysterious guest was supposed to arrive. Someone that seemed to have had some of the members in the household nervous.

This was reconfirmed as Harry watched Mrs. Weasley fuss over her appears for a moment before opening the door. The group couldn't hear exactly what was being said but could assume it was in greeting. As Mrs. Weasley opened the door the rest of the way, Harry could catch a glimpse of a nervous smile from Mrs. Weasley as she let in the guest.

They were very tall. Which was all Harry could tell from the long and dark cloak the other was wearing. They had to bend down a little to come into the doorway. If Harry had to guess, the guest could easily be taller than Hagrid by the way they were hunched over and still towered over poor Mrs. Weasley.

Harry tried to get a good look, but the cloak didn't leave much to the imagination.  Not only did the hood keep any trace from prying eyes, the cloak its self, covered every inch, even trailing behind them.

"You think they are part giant?" Ron whispered as they continued to watch Mrs. Weasley fret about the new guest.

"They are quite tall." Hermione said, "but I think they are a bit too lean to be of giant decent. They tend to be a bit bulkier."

They all froze when they noticed the guest looking their way. Stopping any further sound. The guest simply nodded in their direction before heading toward the meeting room.

"Now George!" Fred whispered as the door shut behind Mrs. Weasley.

George took the Extendable Ears from Fred and lowered down from the balcony and toward the door. Everyone huddled close so they could try and catch anything the Order members were going to discuss. Harry especially was invested in the outcome of this.

"Forgive me for running late, my old friend." The mysterious guest said as they sat in the seat directed to him by Mrs. Weasley, who rushed off to get more tea as soon as he was securely in his chair.

"No worries, Lao Shi." Dumbledore assured him, "we were just making pleasant conversation and enjoying this lovely tea Mrs. Weasly brewed for us. I'm sure you'll enjoy it."

Mrs. Weasley was quite red as she walked back with said tea, having heard what Dumbledore said. She quickly served Lao Shi his cup of tea and then went about making sure no one needed a refill.

"I'm sure I will. You know what I like when it comes to tea." Lao Shi mused as he took his cup in his claws.

He took a deep breath, savoring the sweet smell and warmth before taking a sip. The moment of peace was short live though as this meeting was of the most importance.

"Now, let's get to it." Loa Shi said, voice becoming much more firm and decisive.

"What did they say?" Ron asked as the group huddled even closer to George and his end of the Extendable Ears.

"Shh!" The rest of the group whispered harshly.

What Harry and the rest of the eavesdropping group have been able to hear was that a group will be sent to Hogwarts this year. The reason not clear. Only that they were from some other country or other. Unfortunately, before they could discuss this further, Hermione's lovable cat, Crookshanks, decided that the Extendable Ear was another of his toys.

With great difficulty, George was able to pull the one end of the invention toward the balcony and away from the playful cat. Unfortunately, that means it was in clear view for anyone else. This was shown by Professor Snape bumping into the said invention as he was leaving the room, yanking it from George's hands and glaring at the group up on the balcony.

They all quickly ran back to their rooms before anyone else noticed. If they had stayed just a little longer, they would have seen the mysterious guest come from the meeting room and up to the door, following behind the other members as they left.

"I look forward to seeing you and the others this year." Dumbledore said as he walked Lao Shi to the door along with Sirus, "Do say hello to the council on my behave as well."

"Of course, my old friend." Lao Shi said, "May this year be filled with new friendships and victories."

That being said and a curt nod toward Sirus, Lao Shi descended the stairs away from Grimmauld Place toward the empty street.  After a quick look around, Loa Shi crouched low on the ground before pushing off into the dark night sky. Cloak trailing behind him as he flew into the distance quickly.

"Sure will be an interesting year for everyone." Sirus mused as he stood beside Dumbledore watching Loa Shi leave.

"Yes." Dumbledore agreed, "Indeed it will."

Chapter Text

“I can’t believe you nearly got expelled!” Hermione said, exasperated that Harry once again got in such huge trouble. Harry just went and told his friends what went on during his trial. Something he really hadn’t had the chance to do until now.

“Just drop it, Hermione.” Harry said, already done with the conversation before it had the chance to start, “It’s all said and done with. I just want to get through this year without any more problems. If that is even possible.”

The sharp witch didn’t respond, quickly noticing how tense and exhausted Harry looked as he looked out the carriage. Ron, trying to lighten the mood, went on about some quidditch match he read in the paper but Harry wasn’t really paying attention. Harry merely kept looking out at the passing scenery, wishing this moment of peace and quiet would last forever. As excited as he was to return to Hogwarts, Harry was just too exhausted from everything that has happened since encountering the Dementors.

Ron and Hermione were finally able to pull Harry into talking about classes, teachers, etc. As the conversation reached a lull, all you could hear was the train and the soft murmur of other students. Harry once again found himself looking out toward the window, seeing that it was already well into the evening. As he watched the sunset, something caught his eye.

"What are those?" Harry muttered.

A group of dark flying forms in the distance, seemingly going in the same direction as the Hogwarts Express. With the way they were flying in the air, Harry could see that they weren't people riding brooms. Harry figured it was some sort of creatures heading toward the Forbidden Forest. There was always something strange in there. Harry's thoughts were quickly drawn away from the sight as the chocolate frog Ron accidentally let go landed on the window. Laughing at his friend's loss, the young wizard didn't give the dark figures another thought the rest of the train ride.

As the whistle announcing their arrival to Hogsmeade, the excitement that filled Harry was all he thought about as he got changed into his uniform. All other thoughts of his horrible summer were behind him as he got ready for another adventure-filled year.

"Welcome back to a new year!" Dumbledore began, surrounded by the teachers in the Great Hall. The aged wizard smiled as he looked out toward the students, their eager faces illuminated by the candles suspended up by the ceiling.  "I hope you all had a wonderful break and look forward to continuing to learn and grow." he continued on. Speaking of the usual business and reminding them all no to enter the Forbidden Forest.

"Ehem."

All was quiet for a moment as a stout, and a very pink woman stood up from her seat and walked up beside the Headmaster. Dumbledore took a moment to look at the, very pink, woman as if he was thinking through his next move. He made the decision to introduce her.

"Students, I would like to introduce Dolores Umbridge, Madame Undersecretary of the Ministry of Magic and our new professor for the Defense Against the Dark Arts."

The student body continued looking on in silence as the new DADA professor thanks the Headmaster for his introduction. She went on from there about the importance of proper education of young witches and wizards was to the Ministry. Her voice becoming increasingly annoying as her volume and pitch increased. Many students didn't appear to process much of anything being said.

"I wonder what the Ministry is doing here?" Ron whispered to the others.

"Who knows? They don't usually appoint teachers themselves like this." Hermione answered, already her mind working to find an angle to all this.

Harry didn't say anything as he recognized the woman from his trial. She wasn't a pleasant person to remember. She really got under his skin. Not only were the Ministry butting in their school but his favorite class has just been ruined. Harry just knew that this year was going to be very difficult.

Fortunately, the students didn't have to suffer much more of Professor Umbridge's sermon. Beginning with Dumbledore, who gave polite applause, everyone noticed that she stopped speaking. Dumbledore then went on to the rest of the school business.

"Students, I would like to inform you all on some important guests Hogwarts has the honor of hosting this year." Dumbledore began, capturing the attention of everyone in the hall, "these guests are extraordinary and unique. They must be treated with the utmost respect. You all must be aware of your decorum as the Minister of Magic himself will be joining us later this year to welcome them."

That definitely got everyone's attention. Who could possibly be coming that would bring the Minister of Magic to Hogwarts for a personal welcome?  

"Our guests may be familiar to some but most likely are fairytales to others." Dumbledore began, moving on into familiar territory of a class lecture. "I'm sure many of you have heard of the Isle of Draco, the legendary home of the guardians, warriors, peacemakers. Titles that have been used in association with a very unique race of dragons that have been in this world since the days of old when magic was much more powerful, raw, and intuned with the earth. Throughout history, they have been known to protect the magical creatures of this world as well as nature itself.

"It is also said that as mysterious and isolated they appear, they are very aware of the happenings in both in the wizardry and muggle world. Always arriving when needed but only concerned and involved in the safety and preservation of their world. That being said, do not assume that because they seem to be smaller versions of the dragons we encountered last year during the tournament, they do not rely so heavily on their instincts and have their own sophisticated society. While they may not be as destructive as their cousins, that does not take away from their power.

"With that being said, do be on your best behavior when they arrive. Have a good night." Dumbledore casually dismissed them all. As if he didn't just shock the whole student body and faculty with that announcement.

"What are the dragons of Draco?" Harry asked as they all walked into the Gryffindor Common Room. "From what Professor Dumbledore said, it sounds like they are smaller, talking dragons."

"You're not too far off," Ron said, falling into the nearest seat with Harry, still reeling a bit from what they all heard.

"True but they are much more than that." Hermione said as she sat down on a nearby couch, "depending on the source, they were the first beings to be able to manipulate magic. Others say that they are a species of dragon that evolved; therefore their origins do not date quite as far. But to be honest, no one quite knows for sure. Not only are they very closed off to outsiders, but the last recorded interaction between wizards and the dragons of Draco was also hundreds of years ago. What is agreed on is that they don't quite agree with how wizards go about things."

"Wait, but how do they know if they keep to themselves so much?" Ron spoke up.

"That definitely is a mystery," their ever patient friend answered, though tad exasperated at being interrupted. "Not many know how they even get around without being seen outside their island. No one even knows where the island is! I’ve read that it’s believed they somehow live with muggles and wizards without being detected."

"How?" Harry asked, not even able to imagine how they would achieve that.

Hermione shrugged, "Most records I've read mention the use of ancient magic while others talk about their use of confidants. A chosen few entrusted with the knowledge of the Isle of Draco. No solid proof though. Most of what I've found are based on supposed eyewitnesses. But out of all of them, I find it the most plausible."

"How do you think they'll be like?" Harry asked, the young wizard already imagining these unknown, cryptic beings.

Both Hermione and Ron took a moment to think about it.

"Who knows?" Ron answered for the both of them. Even with all that she has read, Hermione couldn't say.

The trio sat in silence for a moment, trying to process the night's revelations while ignoring the surrounding students going on about liars and mad professors, before bidding each other a good night.