Emissaries of Angvard

Disclaimer – This is a work of purely speculative fiction. It is not intended to infringe on any rights by and of the companies and/or individuals involved in the production of any series mentioned here. The characters involved are the intellectual property of their respective authors/creators except for the ones that are listed as an OC, which are mine.

A/N – 1. Some of the words and excerpts are directly taken from Eragon – Inheritance Cycle Book I (last paragraphs).

That is all. Enjoy the chapter.

-x-x-x-x-x-

The Spine, a range of untamed mountains extending up and down the land of Alagaësia was a magnificent example of nature at its most raw. Though carrying on its edges more than a few villages that supported themselves on the game found within its thick forests, it also nurtured in its womb a few bloodthirsty races of beings who butchered and killed for their merriment.

It was a balance that had been maintained by the years of struggle and mediation by various parties both within and without.

Suffice to say it was not a place for the weak of heart or those who could not defend themselves from the perils of the clustered thickets or what they contained.

Filled with a cacophony of gargantuan trees, ivy and mossy plant life, the spine was most certainly a cursed dwelling.

Especially on an evening like tonight.

Thundering booms roared in the sky above as the lightning clashed between the angered clouds, drenching the wildlife with pouring rain. The animals usually found on the prowl were nowhere to be seen, as though by a pact, having decided to burrow in their homes.

High above in the heavens stood the Utgard Mountain, unreachable, unflinching, defending the southern villages with the wrath of wind and lightning.

Closer and closer the storm arrived at the lone clearing in the eastern Spine, bathing the grassy flats and the stone caves with mountains of water until it was upon it.

A piercing flash seared through the clouds and with a thunderclap, a bolt of lightning struck a cave with the forces of thousands of stampeding animals.

The cave mouth lit up not with fire, but with a brilliant white light that could not be seen if one was not standing at the mouth of the cave and looking straight at it.

The surrounding fauna submitted to the will of those high above and shielded the cave from prying eyes as the final rays of white light began to fade away, leaving behind somethings or someones to the mercy of their hosts.

And as though having served its purpose, the storm faded away from whence it had come, leaving the world below with the gifts, it had brought with it.

-x-x-x-x-x-

His eyes flickered open as the steady dripping sounds of water on stone trickled down to form an obstructive rhythm on the floor. All around him was a thin layer of water drenching his front with its cold wet touch.

He hauled himself up on his weak knees and attempted to clear out the mist fogging his mind. He felt lethargic, unbalanced for some reason.

With a heave, he stood up, swaying a little even as the strength came back to his limbs in little spurts. A strange scratching noise drew his attention to his surroundings.

He was in a cave, surrounded by a faint glow of the stones embedded in its walls. But that did not tell him much. There were plenty of caves from where he had come from and more still with unmined stones of wealth.

Taking a deep breath, he attempted to settle his rampaging emotions. It seemed the ride here, back among the living, had been a bit more challenging than he had thought.

There were no clothes on his body for one and for another, his senses could not feel the world around as they used to.

A glint from his finger caught his attention and he saw the familiar onyx ring on his finger along with the small black gem that he had carried with him for so long sitting within its crevice. Death had never asked him to return the stone ever since he had removed the power from within its recesses and Harry had never had the thought of removing the ring from his hand.

That the ring had followed him in his journey… It was…odd, to say the least.

Shaking his head he began to walk around, looking for something, anything that could clue him in as to where his friend had sent him to repay the debt.

He checked every nook, every cranny for a sliver of any kind of hint that he might have been gracious enough to leave for him, but nothing was to be found.

It irked him somewhat.

"Well, at least no one has tried to kill me yet…" He spoke out loud and was surprised by how rasped his voice sounded even to his own ears.

He knew that beings like his friend – not that there were many who still lived – could not divulge certain secrets to the common ears, but to have sent him here, in what appeared to be a stranded cave without the touch of the world outside, well, debt or not, he wasn't much pleased.

His green eyes studied his surroundings with the gaze of a hunter and found a crevice that seemed to be hiding within the shadows.

Having nowhere else to go, he sighed, it seemed he'd have to travel bare to get where his friend wished for him to go.

In a dark, gloomy cave, below the mighty Utgard Mountain, Harry Potter took his first steps towards the new life he had been asked to live and entered the crevice.

-x-x-x-x-x-

"Ugh…" Harry grunted feeling the jagged rocks on the floor cut into his already bleeding feet for the umpteenth time.

He had been walking more or less continuously for what he believed had to be close to a full day now. The crevice that had taken him further inside the cave had been the opening for a path that continued for as long as his eyes could see. And when he had finally reached the end, it had shifted to the right giving way to another long corridor that was similarly filled with sharp stones and mossy algae on the floor and roof.

It didn't help the matters that ever since he had gained consciousness he could not call upon even a trickle of his magic from within him when he felt it churning in his bones and beneath his skin just as before. No matter the lack of focus, he knew his own magic and had called upon it plenty of times without the aid of his wand. Not being able to get in touch with his own magic…

It scared him.

The possibility of losing the ability to wield his magic by whatever or wherever Death had sent him was not something he could easily digest.

And thus, he was trying to keep his mind off of theory for as long as he could.

But that did nothing to help him with his current situation. With no magic to call upon, he could not conjure clothing for himself nor could protect his body from any predator that might be living within the cave, as unlikely as it was. He had been inside the massive labyrinth for some time now, and he hadn't heard or felt the presence of a single creature besides himself. He was hungry, thirsty and without clothes, a state he hadn't been in for a very, very long time.

An old memory of his days in his cupboard surfaced in his mind and he banished it as quickly as it could. It would not help him to dwell in the hurts of the past. He had to get to a shelter.

There was another end visible to him a further hundred yards or so ahead but he wasn't holding his breath for it to be the last one. The cunning cave had fooled him before.

With a tired sigh, Harry put one hurt foot in front of the other and moved towards what was possibly just another disappointment.

That belief was challenged the next moment when the sounds of a burble of the falling water stopped him short. It was faint, but it was there! The gurgle of sloshing water as though hitting upon the stone with a fierce strike was audible to his sharp ears even from where he stood.

Minding the wounds on his feet, he increased his pace and jogged towards the sounds of rippling water on what sounded like another body of water.

He reached the stone wall that had looked like the end of the cavernous corridor and just as he turned to see past it, he was rewarded with the sight of blue shining water cascading down the stony stalactites onto the pool below.

"At last…" Harry released a relieved breath.

In seven quick strides, he was crouched by the pool, sparing a moment to wash his hands, before he gulped down the clean water as his life depended on it.

After a whole minute of guzzling down the delicious liquid, Harry lifted his head and got the first look at his face ever since he had arrived in this world.

A muscular, thick bearded face marred with dirt and grime of the travel looked back at him with hauntingly piercing green eyes.

He had suspected it, but hadn't really bought the truth when Death had told him about it. His face…it was exactly the same as it had been all those years ago. Not a single crease or wrinkle having marred it during all this time.

The bitter truth stung when Death's words echoed in his ears.

'You're ageless, my friend. Mortals cannot be the vessels of power within the Hallows and not be affected. They had my very essence in their cores and you were channelling two of the items of power, a change was bound to occur.'

"Change…" Harry said out loud, his tone carrying the bitterness of his emotions.

What use was his youthful visage when everyone he had loved or could ever love would sooner or later fade away before his very eyes when he remained the same. Unchanged.

Harry forcefully stopped his corroding thoughts from further gripping his mind and splashed his face with the cool, calming water.

It was after he was done washing the dirt and grime from his face and washing the cuts and bleeding wounds on the soles of his feet did he see the entirety of the cavern he had found himself within.

It was, well, there was no other word for it, humongous!

Stone pillars growing from the very foundations of the floor reached mountainous heights with some even going so far up that he could barely crane his neck to see where they ended. Thick vines entangled itself in spirals all the way towards their reach as though covering the stone's nakedness.

It was nature's marvel as he was sure, no human could ever carve out this beautiful creation with their hands or even the tools they carried.

Turning towards the mouth of the crevice where he had just entered from he saw the wall above the entrance was covered with the same ridges and ivies that the stone pillars had reaching similar heights just as the pillars supporting the cavity.

It was as he saw the entire structure did he realise that apart from taking his chances under the water where there must be an exit out to the world considering the water pooling on the ground had remained at the same level, his only other way was to climb either the wall or a pillar close enough to it if he wished to see the sunlight once more.

As he was considering both the options a small stone fell from far above and splashed into the pool of water creating ripples that touched his feet where he stood at its very edge.

Since there really was no way for him to know how deep from the surface the opening within the water pool was he walked steadily towards the pillar on the right corner which was growing alongside the back wall of the cave.

Wrapping the thick ivy around his waist a couple of times, in case he slipped and using some moss and odd leaves to hide his modesty as best as he could, Harry put one foot on a small indent in the pillar and began the steep climb.

-x-x-x-x-x-

It was the sounds of gusts of wind and a low growl echoing right above him that broke his focus he had been keeping ever since he had begun the climb.

The steep ascent he had been forced to do had been one of the most physically challenging trials he'd ever had to undergo in his life.

The ridges and ivy that had seemed like his friendly companions when the climb began had turned out to be tricky imps with the way they disappeared or merged with the stone on the way for quite a few meters on end.

The ivy he had used to wrap around his waist had become heavy after three or four hundred feet of the climb and he'd had to sever it by using a jagged edge of a rock jutting out of the stone pillar.

He wasn't ashamed to admit that fear had gripped his heart when he'd had to climb without any sort of safety by using the cave wall and the stone pillar as two ends to pull himself up. He had slipped, more than once, but had thankfully managed to recover with only minor scrapes to show for it.

If there was a moment when he was missing the familiar touch of his magic between his fingers, it had to have been then when he was almost certain that he would be seeing his friend sooner than both of them had wished.

But through sheer force of will and his own strength, he had finally caught hold of a stray ivy hanging near his position and continued his journey by using it as a lever.

He had found an opening to rest where the cave wall had almost joined the stone pillar to form a horizontal platform. Harry had gotten some much-needed sleep while using it as a sitting dais.

Dreams of the familiar hauntingly beautiful voice had woken him up with a start he had just the time to grab onto the pillar he was using before his momentum carried him to his death.

Breathing deeply to calm his rapidly beating heart, harry had put aside the words of urgency the female voice had spoken in his dreams and continued his trek ahead.

A few hundred feet from where he had stopped to rest, he had made an amazing discovery.

On a similar platform where another opening from the cave wall met the pillar, a small hole from above was leaking water on the platform and birthed a life.

A large smile had bloomed on his face when he had found the rough textured, round, dwarf green leaves on a lone stem growing out of the opening of the cave wall.

Dittany.

The powerful healing herb and restorative used to treat wounds and a few other maladies.

Aside from his need of the restorative in his current predicament, the reason for his smile had been something far, far more important.

The presence of the plant meant that all his fears and doubts had been pointless.

This world had magic!

And judging by how the plant had grown without having to be nurtured as he knew plants of such nature required to be, the surroundings must be positively suffusing with magical essence.

With a delighted glee, he had carefully cut two branches of leaves from the stem leaving half an inch of the branch as was proper to let the leaves regrow. Tearing the moss from the stone pillar and hollowing a thick vine with his hands to make a pack for the supplies, he had dropped all the leaves within it save for two.

Despite not having an intimate knowledge of magical fauna as many of the healers in his world did, Harry was more than familiar with most of the magical herbs and how they could be used. Especially the herbs used in healing draughts and potions, having been served as a dummy for the healers during the war for more times than he cared to admit.

And thus he knew that in addition to Dittany's essence being applied topically, the raw plant could be consumed to heal one's shallow to moderate wounds. Putting the two Dittany leaves clutched inside both his cheeks to cause the healing saliva to mend the wounds from within, Harry had begun his climb with more enthusiasm than he had before.

He had come across two more similar plants and had taken the liberty of acquiring more leaves to add to his supplies. And every time his eye had caught sight of the magical plant, a smile had fought its way to his lips, filling him with the hope that he might not be as alone as he had first thought.

Another few feet after the last find, when he was sure that he had more than enough, he had stopped taking the leaves for the odd platforms and continued his climb with aplomb.

And that is how he came to be in his current predicament.

With his ivy pack on his waist and another thick vine wrapped around upper chest, he was hanging just below a massive platform where the rays of sunlight were shining through what appeared to him a few openings in the cave wall.

Just above his position where the edge of the platform and the stone pillar met, there were dried twigs and leaves arranged in a rough circle along with a few stray pieces of sizable bones that were sticking out with a little raw meat still attached to their ends.

All these things should have registered in his mind that he was dangling just below the lair of a carnivorous beast that could eat his raw without much trouble seeing as he didn't even have a sharp stick to poke it in its eyes. But with the visible hope of an exit, the thought failed to pierce his conscious brain.

But what finally did the trick was seeing the vividly clear form of a snarling beast as it growled its displeasure at the large oval stone sitting in its nest innocently.

And a single look at the predator was enough to send his heart racing and get the analytical portion of the brain running at full speed again.

The beast resembled a giant serpent around twenty feet in length, with leathery wings similar to those he knew to be like dragons of his word, but much, much smaller. It had dappled green or brown scales that shone with a magnificent glow as the sunlight reflected off of them.

But what gave Harry a pause were its sharp talons and its jagged pointed teeth that were meant to tear into its prey with ferocious ease.

Hiding himself just below the ledge he attempted to minimize any sounds that might escape him lest the beast turn its attention towards his defenceless form.

Just as he was about to descend to look for another way to get to the opening above without having to go through the dangerous creature, a sound of a rolling stone made his ears twitch.

Something fierce, some echo of a lost memory touched at his consciousness and his eyes grew wide.

Harry was intimately familiar with his magic. He knew the way it flowed within his body. The way it felt just beneath his skin. Even with no way to channel it outside and feeling a block arresting him from reaching inwards to grab onto it, the memory tingled at his magical senses like nothing before had ever done since he had stepped foot into this world.

He did not know why, but unwilling to not heed the first call of his magic, Harry braved his heart and spied above the ledge with careful and slow movements.

A troubled frown came to his face as he attempted to understand what he was seeing.

Besides the dangerous-looking foe, the oval stone seemed somewhat of an oddity, not to mention the peculiarity of the actions of the beast itself.

The serpentine creature was using its snout to roll the perfectly smooth liquorice coloured stone to try and chuck it from the edge of the large platform.

Harry looked closely at the stone wondering whether there was something on it that had irked the beast somehow.

The stone looked hard, rigid by the sound it was making as it came in contact with the harsh stone floor. It had no groves or dents in it, which while something he had never seen in an ordinary rock of this size, was nothing that telling. The only thing Harry found a bit odd about it was the perfect shape of it and the smoothness of its surface.

But even that was not enough to know why it had bothered the enraged creature.

As the beast was rolling the stone an errant ray of light reflected off from the stone and his eyes caught the glint.

'…you will live in my memories forever, Harry Potter…'

"Aaagh…" A sharp cry escaped his lips as the same beautiful voice whispered the forgotten words in his ears and he barely managed to keep his balance holding the ledge.

But the damage had been done.

A moment later, just as he was about to peek another glace to check whether he had been discovered, a high pitched screech like that of iron against iron burst in his ears and his hands left the left and clutched his ears to stop the murderous sound from blooding them.

His vision blurred and the echoing screech in his mind made it hard for him to think clearly.

The thick ivy that was holding him in place shook from something and when he attempted to look above him for the cause, his eyes flew open in fear as he saw the same ferocious beast that had just been on the cave platform, hanging from the same ivy that was keeping him afloat.

The slitted eyes of the creature watched him for a moment with their predatory gaze before its sharp talons started cutting the vine with swift motions.

Still struggling with the sudden attack and what he was starting to suspect had involved a mental one as well, Harry scrambled to untie the vine from around his waist as he held onto the ledge with one hand.

Harry saw the creature look at him and even as he continued to untie the ivy, the beast seemed to understand what it was that he was doing. In a flash, the serpentine creature stopped cutting the vine and slithered onto the rope and advanced towards him with a snarling visage.

His hands fumbled once, twice and fear gripped his mind before he got control of his extremities and loosed one knot.

The beast was almost upon him, its hisses and spitting venom dripping from its maw.

With a wrench, Harry threw the vine away from him, clutching the ledge with both his hands.

Heaving with the effort it had taken him, he started to haul himself up and just before he could get one leg up the stone platform, the added weight of the creature combined with the sudden loss of tension in the vine caused it to snap and with a roar, the beast fell upon him.

Talons that could cut through flesh pierced his own as the beast clung to life by gouging its front claw into his left calf.

"AAAAHHHHHH….."

A scream tore through his throat as the pain registered through his mind.

The creature tried to move, attempting to use him as a ladder to get back to safety once more but even in pain Harry had enough presence of mind to try and shake the thing from his lower half.

When the talons in his calves started slipping with his shaking, the creature let out another roar as though threatening him to not let go.

Through the pain, Harry focused. Clamping down on his occlumency shields, hoping that since the magical branch involved using magic in one's own body and mind it would work. A surge of warmth settled within him when he felt the telltale signs of his magic infusing his mind and he subjugated the pain and let it flow through his body like a river.

Now was not the time to panic.

True, he had no wand. His magic wasn't working as it should. But there was one thing that nobody could ever take from him.

He was a survivor. He would survive.

With a clear mind and a few shuddering breaths, Harry attempted to see where the beast had caught his leg. It was right in the middle of the calf with just one of its claws piercing the muscle and flesh.

Once more the creature attempted to jump using him as an impetus but Harry put an end to it as he rotated his body to the side to loosen its grip.

"AAGGH…" It still hurt him nonetheless.

Just as the pain subsided once more, an idea struck his mind and without thinking much about how his leg would look like when he was done with it, Harry tightened his hold on the ledge and did what he knew best. He improvised.

In one swift motion, he pulled his leg from vertical position to a horizontal one and the claw embedding in his calf slipped from it with a wet slurping sound, taking a small chunk of flesh from it.

And the serpentine creature fell into the misty underbelly of the mountain.

"SSSCRRRRRRRGGGHHH….."

The screech and the sudden pain from the falling beast attempted to shatter his mind once again but his occlumency shields held and averted the attack without much effort.

With a deep shuddering breath and a profusely bleeding left leg, Harry used his uninjured foot to lever himself onto the platform and heaved his body up with some effort.

A gasp left him as his lungs filled with hastily gulping air. His leg was a torn mess, he had just encountered a creature that could attack him mentally and would have more than likely eaten him had it gotten its claws in him and his magic was not responding even for a defensive measure unless one counted the mental attacks from the aforementioned creature.

'Lovely! Now all I need is a clutch of dragons coming in to roast me up for a mid-day meal and I suppose it would be my average day.'

Just as the thought came through his mind, his eyes caught the stone that was still rolling down the platform in a slow tumble having reached more than half the distance to the edge.

Suddenly the magic-infused in his mind flared in the most bizarre and powerful way he had ever experienced and the second call of his magic surged within his very being, begging him, forcing him to do something.

Memories collided within him, flashing times of past that he did not know he had experienced.

'A rumbling sound came from her throat as she laughed? Our hides are much stronger than yours, little one. It was barely a scratch. she said as her tongue licked a scale near the centre of her body…'

'PEACE DAUGHTER…JUST THIS ONCE, THE PRICE HAS BEEN PAID…'

Harry squeezed shut his eyes to remove the pain and the sensations the memories brought with them despite his mental shields and shook his head side to side.

Another glance at the stone from the corner of his eyes increased the feeling tenfold.

A sudden urge came upon him and not understanding why but knowing he must, Harry grasped the nearest jutting rock from the cave wall and pulled himself up to save the stone from its end even as the pain in his leg reminded him of its presence.

He hobbled, limped and crawled as fast as he could to stop the still rolling stone.

A jagged end on the floor cut through the scarred wound that the Dittany leaves had just healed and fresh blood poured out of it even as Harry increased his efforts to reach the stone that was increasing its speed on the slope at the near end of the platform.

Knowing there was no other way for it, Harry gritted his teeth and broke into a half run.

"AAAHHH…" The wound in his leg and the pierced flesh from his encounter earlier raged on in defiance but Harry did not slow down.

The stone was almost at the end of the slope now.

Ten meters.

'Almost there.'

Five metes.

'Hang on!'

Just as the stone was about to touch the edge, Harry dove with all his strength and with a scream that came from the pain and the effort involved, his hands caught the smooth surface of the liquorice stone an instant after it had fallen off the edge.

Not even stopping for an instant, Harry pulled the stone above and crawled away from the edge as he clutched the stone in a hug against his chest.

His legs were burning and the blood was dripping through his many wounds as he looked down to see the thing he had saved.

It made no sense whatsoever but his magic seemed content again as it flowed with its usual calmness inside his body.

A couple of moments passed as he attempted to figure out in his mind what exactly was special about the stone even as he tried to crawl towards one of the openings in the cave wall where the light was coming into the enclosure.

It took some more effort but after generously applying the chewed-on paste of Dittany on his bleeding wounds, Harry was sitting beside a bear-sized opening with his back supported by the cave wall from where he could see the sea of forest that encircled the mountain he had found himself in.

While there was a way down, it was dangerous and steep. With his legs still shaking from the wounds they had suffered, he had wisely decided to take a break and let his body and mind settle after the harrowing events of the past day and a half.

Even with the fear of meeting more creatures like the one he had fought just moments before, he felt the tiredness in his very bones just as the hunger from the past day caught up to him.

Hoping to just close his eyes for a few moments, he never knew when he drifted into the world of dreams.

-x-x-x-x-x-

'To have the courage to do what is right not what is easy is the bedrock of what makes you a champion, little one…'

His eyes flickered open as the whispers of his dream faded away into nothingness.

A familiar scene flashed before his eyes as he saw the pinkish hue of the setting sun in the sky caught his sight. It rung something within him. The similar view of the sun sitting in the womb of the horizon did much more than just remind him of his hill in Death's realm, it's similarity also came with the fact that it was not the place where he had spent his recent years accepting the harsh reality of his existence. They were similar, but not the same.

He really was in a world that was different than his own.

Harry continued to gaze at the beautiful image for some time as he dissected the words he had heard in his dreams as he usually did when such dreams came to him.

The voice…it was enchanting. There was a strong pull he could feel towards the voice. It had been as such for a long time now. Though try as he might, he could not place it from his past.

It took another conscious effort to understand the pull and its consequent failure to provide him with any answers before the weight on his lap registered in his mind.

The stone was sitting there silently. Waiting. Just like him. But for what, he did not know.

Harry tried, yet again, to flare out his magical senses towards the egg, but could not even feel the magic leaving his own body much less touch the smooth, shiny surface of the liquorice stone.

After a few more moments, where he contemplated on the thing in his hand and tried anything and everything he could think of to reveal its secrets, he released a disappointed sigh.

It was clear to him that the stone was important. Much more important than he had realised. But what was his connection to it and how could a stone, an odd one, but still a stone could help him in his current predicament was a complete mystery to him.

Idly he tapped his nails onto the surface of the stone and jerked back when It produced a subtle ringing.

Surprised and thoroughly flummoxed at what had happened, he sat up with some interest.

He repeated his action with a little more force this time and was rewarded with a much-clearer ringing noise than what he had gotten before.

An amused smile grew on his face as the ringing touched at something within him that brought an emotion he had forgotten long ago.

Curiosity.

Harry grabbed a nearby rock and gently tapped at the stone's surface with the same amount of force he had used when tapping it with his nails. A mournful peal reverberated when it struck.

A bit more interested now, Harry decided to do one thing he hadn't tried yet.

Closing his eyes Harry focused on his magic and attempted to chart the flow of it in his body as he intended. A warm, soothing feeling settled within him wherever the magic flowed in its serene and calm disposition.

Harry carefully guided it throughout his body to flex his metaphorical magical muscles and gently brought the current into his hands, just below the surface.

The hair on the back of his hands stood up and some static between them travelled from end to end.

With his magic bubbling just beneath the surface of his right palm, Harry brought it near the stone to attempt to channel some through it in hopes of identifying its nature.

It was the oldest trick taught to the wizards who wished to learn warding and ward-breaking. Before they could cast protective wards, wizards needed to learn how to sense ambient magic and even the magic embedded within enchanted items.

As the need had arisen during the war, many of his people, including he had learnt the skill with some vigour. And after years of having to use it to keep himself and his people safe from the forces hell-bent on their eradication, Harry had become more than proficient with it.

But here and now, when he had successively failed in channelling his magic out into the world, it was with little hope that he was conducting his little experiment.

And thus, he was not surprised that when his hand touched the stone, there was absolutely no change that occurred either to him or the stone.

Harry released yet another disappointed sigh from his lips and removed his hand as his final attempt failed.

All was, as it had been, quiet.

And suddenly, a squeak pierced the silence, tearing him back to alertness.

Harry touched the stone again with the same hand as before and this time just a moment later, was rewarded with a louder squeak that rang in his ears and reverberated through his fingers.

Without knowing the reason for it but very much feeling the sentiment, a grin fought its way to his lips as he felt the vibration run through his hand.

He did not know what it was that was making the sound, but there was something he had realised. It was not a mere stone.

It was an egg!

Something he had lost long ago, a desire that he had buried deep within him reared its head once more and excitement at the fascinating discovery bubbled inside his stomach.

He had had the privilege of seeing a hatching only once in his life. It had been an experience that had exited him and frustrated him in equal measures. The birth of Norbert the dragon was easily one of the most magical things that he had seen in his early years even if witnessing such a wonder had caused him a detention with his head of house.

And now when he had just realised that he was about to witness the birth of a being that was more than likely magical – judging by how it had reacted to his own – Harry was understandably eager to see the tiny being.

He was just about to repeat the process when the egg started rocking against hands shaking with more than a little force. The last rays of the sun fell upon its near-black exterior and bleached its surface.

As though that was all the cue it needed, the stone started squeaking and rocking faster than ever with his own heart matching the rhythm.

The egg quivered in his lap and then attempted to roll forward. Harry, not exactly in the know about the hatching process of an unknown species of a magical being, decided to acquiesce to its demands. He put the egg onto the floor and encircled it with his legs, forming a small perimeter.

With his green eyes fixed on the shuddering egg, he waited. Patiently.

Suddenly a crack appeared on the stone. Then another and another. Transfixed, Harry leaned forward to gain a better view of the little blighter inside.

At the top of the stone, where all the cracks met, a small piece wobbled, as if it were balanced on something, then rose and toppled to the floor. After another series of squeaks, a small dark head poked out of the hole, followed by a weirdly angled body.

With a grin plastered on his face as though he had slept with a hanger in his mouth, Harry watched with bated breaths as the creature attempted to rise from inside the shell.

A moment later, the creature was completely visible to his eyes, the eggshells having crumbled the sides.

The grin on his face dropped in an instant as he realised what the creature was.

With its large onyx eyes looking at him, its roughly triangular head, a small pointed tooth jutting out of its mouth, stood a Dragon!

Harry blinked and suddenly found himself without a single thought.

Sounds of wind rushing past and moving trees came through the opening beside him and passed through his ears as though there was nothing to be heard.

A couple of moments passed before his face gave way to the emotion he was feeling at that very moment.

A laugh bubbled from his throat at the sight of the magnificent baby dragon and soon it was echoing in the cavern as he tried and failed to control his mirth.

It could only happen to him.

Harry indulged himself in a few more chuckles while the baby dragon did its very best to get out of the containment it was still stuck within.

With a happy smile, Harry gently tugged at the loose shell and broke some pieces so the liquorice dragon could find its way outside.

When Harry was done with a side, his sharp ears caught a small squeak from his quarry as though in thanks. The dragon lifted its head and its intelligent eyes caught Harry's own with a piercing gaze.

A rush of magic passed his senses and Harry's eyes opened wide in slight shock.

Instinctively, Harry focused on his magic and its flow to verify what he was feeling and waited patiently for the surge to happen again.

There!

A small tendril of magic was coming towards him unsteadily as though unsure of its path.

Without askance, Harry felt his magic respond in kind and a feeling of utter certainty passed through him as he saw the path ahead.

With magic as his guide, Harry gave in to his instincts and let them do what his magic desired.

Tentatively, he reached out with his right hand and touched its flank, bathing his palm in his magic so as to convey his emotions with its help.

Just as his fingers touched the dragon's snout, a blast of icy energy surged into his hand and raced up his arm, burning in his veins like liquid fire. He fell back with a wild cry. An iron clang filled his ears, and he heard a soundless scream of rage. Every part of his body seared with pain. Harry struggled to move, but found himself unable to.

Darkness crept from all sides as something attempted to burst from the sanctity of his mind.

Screams, his own screams reverberated in his ears and memories he had forgotten long ago burst their containments and speared into him and flashed before him as the events were happening right this very instant.

'I…I am sorry. I…I tried. I tried to bring them all back alive. I thought…I thought I would. He was here, for a moment…I could feel him. I am so sorry. He whispered softly. Tears that he was holding back with a purpose, rivered from his eyes even as he trie to brush them away with his sleeves.'

…

'Thank you…little one.'

'They will know what you have done, little one." Before he could say something in denial, she overrode him. "They have magic you have yet to learn and with intentions are dark as their own…they will stop at nothing if they find something amiss to hunt you down.'

…

'I may not be able to protect you from the perils of the path the spirits have chosen for you, little one. But I will not be so honourless to leave you to fend the wolves I know your kind to be…You will not remember me or mine, young one. You will not know how you saved me from despair. But you will live in my memories forever, Harry Potter…'

Tears prickled his eyes as he remembered everything she had made him forget.

His emotions were all over the place as Harry struggled to understand what it was he should be feeling seeing the eyes of the very being who had made him forget the precious times they had shared together, now looking at him in the form of a youngling he had just seen hatch in front of him.

Happiness. Anger. Sorrow. Confusion. Intrigue. A jumbled mess of feelings warred within him at the sight of the baby dragon.

Darkness was coming upon him from every direction as his eyes struggled to stay open.

He did not know how, but he knew that his magic was spent in whatever it was that had happened between him and her.

Suddenly, a thundering sound of flapping wings came from the opening to his right and he caught a glimpse of the gigantic form of what had to be another dragon.

Harry only had the time to grab the baby dragon in his arms and utter a name before the darkness settled upon him like a thick fog, stealing his senses.

"Lenora…"

-x-x-x-x-x-

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