Harry Potter and the Tri-Fold Prophecy - 7. Chapter 7

“Yes, Professor, I would still like to speak with you if you have a moment,” Narcissa asked, forcing her gaze away from the enigma that was Harry Potter.

“Of course. Draco, if Harry is to wake up while we are gone, please let us know.” Dumbledore motioned towards the enormous doors of the Grand Hallway for Narcissa to follow him.

Once out in the hallway, Narcissa turned towards the headmaster and asked in a whisper, “Professor, I need to know. Is Family Magic more than just stories told by the Pureblood Families? I've never, until now, had reason to believe the stories. I went along with Lucius as that is what was expected of me. Now though, I feel it is important to know.”

Letting out a great sigh, Dumbledore stared into Narcissa's eyes. “What is said in confidence shall not be spread around, is that clear?” Dumbledore's tone brooked no other options. Apparently satisfied with her response, he continued, “Certain families do, indeed, have gifts associated with them. However, this has nothing to do with Blood Purity, as Voldemort and his ilk believe. Instead, it is believed that it has to do with ancestral ties to Old Magic, which has a will of its own. What made you think to ask?”

“I remember stories from my grandmother about Charlus Potter, Harry's grandfather, having 'A Magical way with politics, the likes I have never seen.' As he was married to her sister, I believe she would know about such things. I believe I have seen the same gift inside Harry in the dealings with him today. He defused a potentially deadly confrontation this morning when we first arrived, and then, as proper Wizarding Custom demands, offered me a chair at the meal table. None but the most traditional of the old families follow the Ancient Customs set down to discourage wars, and so how would Harry Potter, who was raised by Muggles, know to do so?”

“Ah yes, well. What you must understand is that the more powerful a wizard is, the more likely a Family Gift, if there is one, will surface. And so it stands the reason the magical gift is quite strong, and possibly only just appearing in young Harry, is because of the recent emergence of the Guardian and this new well of power. How the individual gifts of different families come about, I'm not fully certain, however I do know that certain families can have more than one Gift, based on power level. It is possible the Guardian meant to warn us obliquely about that possibility.”

“The power this boy contains is astounding. I have only heard stories about what a Host to the Old Ones can do, and they are more fables than histories. There is much truth to fables, however they tend to exaggerate certain details. Nonetheless, the powers of a host are very real, as we saw a slight demonstration of them today. My name is now magically tied to Narcissa Black. I am not sure if you realize how incredible that is, but every contract I have ever signed now will have to be ratified by me, otherwise they will be void. This is not simply as if I had divorced that man. Instead, it is as if I had never married him, and Draco was born a Black. Even Magical Parentage Testing would turn up that Draco's father is not Lucius Malfoy.”

“Intriguing. I had not realized the power of that spell. Does this mean you are now head of the Black Line?” Dumbledore asked, rubbing his beard in thought.

“I thought you would have known! Harry Potter is head of the Black Line, as Sirius was his godfather in Magic and in Oath. He was declared head of the Black Line at the same time he was declared an adult by magic. That is partly why I wished to return to the Black family when it was offered. Binding us by Magic, and through Magic, blood, to Harry Potter is the best protection I could hope for my son.”

For the first time in her memory, Dumbledore truly appeared shocked as he answered. “A most ingenious plan! You were rid of Lucius and gained protections through blood at the same time! I must admit, I am pleasantly surprised to see you returning to the Black family, and their ways of thinking. Your sister and aunt excluded, they are much more level headed than the Malfoys ever were.”

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Draco watched his mother and headmaster walk out into the hallway, and then turned back to watch Harry sleep. The headmaster told me I have to tell him as soon as he wakes up. That's the only reason I'm watching him. It isn't ‘cause he’s incredibly cute while he's sleeping, with that small smile on his face...

Draco sat bolt upright as he suddenly realized where his thoughts had gone. Bloody Hell. Why Potter, of all people? We've never gotten along, not to mention the whole Guardian bit. How would that even work? Besides, when have I ever thought a guy was cute? It must be the stress. Too many shocks at once. Told to kill the most respected man in the Wizarding world, finding out I had been controlled all my life, having my name changed... That must be it!

Deciding that he should think of other things, he began analyzing his life up to that point. I like quidditch, at least that hasn't changed. I wouldn't imagine he would have wanted to control my eating habits, so that is not likely to change either. Relationships with people though, that I have no idea how to handle. As far as I know, all of my friends are completely insane in their devotion to the Dark Lord. The one person I know without a doubt I want to get to know may hate me, my father's a lunatic, a madman that wants to see the world turn to ruin now also wants me dead as an example to his followers, not to mention the fact that I'm having feelings for Potter... Even if he doesn't hate me, he wouldn't be able to DATE me, and even if he could, I would never be permitted to, not when there's no possibility of an heir. It's a good thing I seem to like both, I'd hate to be strictly gay and still have to be married to some rich pureblooded girl.

While he was lost in thought, Draco failed to notice the changes happening around the great hall. The floating candles that lit the room had begun shimmering, becoming liquid in appearance. They had slowly become more rounded in shape, when suddenly the flame disappeared into the now-spherical balls of white-blue energy. Further changes were taking place around the room, yet the platinum-blonde was still oblivious.

The floor had melted and reshaped, forming a single slab of brilliant white marble. The outer walls of the room had shifted into huge pillars of clear crystal, with sapphire detailing at key places. The ceiling, which usually displayed the weather, had changed to show an enormous mountain range, and at the centre of the mountains, hidden from sight by the tall peaks, was a cave that glowed a dull red.

Draco was finally startled from his thoughts when Harry sat up, opened his mouth, and emitted a roar like an angry dragon. After getting over the further shock that Harry could roar, he noticed his surroundings and gasped. Not expecting the echoing roar that came from the scene in the ceiling, and already unsettled, Draco fell out of his chair with a muffled thump at the same time that the great doors to the hallway flew open with the Headmaster and his mother seemingly prepared for battle. He watched as they blinked in shock, and then hurried over to Harry who was just collapsing back into his bed. As soon as his head touched the pillow, mist started floating from the new surroundings, and the Great Hall slowly reverted back to its old appearance.

“Morgause and Morgana! What the bloody hell just happened!?!”

“Draco! Mind your tongue!” Narcissa appeared flustered by the turn of events as well, but her Pureblooded training took over as she admonished her son for his foul language, not to mention the audience. She appeared briefly satisfied as her son’s pale complexion was overtaken by a furious blush, but then quickly turned back to the Headmaster, hoping for answers.

“Language aside, I believe young Mr. Black stated it quite well. It appears that this is yet another puzzle we will have to await an answer for, as the only one who may have the slightest amount of information appears to be sound asleep, once more. Perhaps we should move back to the table for a spot of tea?”

Exchanging glances that clearly stated the headmaster was barmy, Draco and his mother made their way back to the table that Dumbledore had moved away from the bed. Whether he was a crazy old coot or not, the professor was still the most knowledgeable person in the room, and they figured they would get more answers with the tea.

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He slept. For how long, he knew not, but the world was young and covered in life when he last flew through the sky. His den was warm, heated by a small lava flow, and he was content. He knew he should find out why he had not been called, but magma was so much more soothing than the cold air. Besides, his last caretaker, Silendra, a tiny thing with a kind heart and tasty food, had told him that he would be called, and he trusted her word. Deciding that all was well, he tucked his tail closer to his heat source, and drifted back to his slumber.

Startled awake from his dreams of furry creatures as large as his caretaker’s house, he blinked open his eyes and looked around. Snaking his tongue from between his fangs, he tasted the air only to recoil in shock, and gave a roar of displeasure. What is that horrid smell? It’s as bad as the time Silendra and I went exploring, and all the things she kept in that box that made frost in her house turned to waste! Bah! He uncoiled his long neck to bring his head outside his den, and a small puff of steam rose from the air when he snorted in shock, Creators above! I slept far longer than I had thought! My lovely lava field is gone, cooled and made into mountains topped with horrid snow! There’s nothing here but ice and snow, what is causing that horrid smell? Deciding he needed to investigate, the enormous dragon-like creature finally uncurled from his warm pool, and lumbered out into the cold. Giving a great stretch to shake off the last of his sleepy mood, he stretched out his wings, and took off through the peaks.

He flew through many peaks, growing more and more annoyed. This mountain range is endless! Which of those foolish creatures decided to make such a thing around my home? Finally flying through the last of the snow-capped peaks, he went in search of what Silendra called a ‘village’. Hmph. She says I must not eat them, but then why place so many in such small areas if not to signify a buffet? They even leave large open spaces for us to land! These young beings are such strange creatures.Quickly coming upon a settlement, he flicked his long forked tongue out once more. What? These are not Alfkain! No, they smell far too young. And what is that terrible smoke rising from their rumbling metal beasts!? What strange manner of creature are these? I can’t even find the slightest trace of magic in any of them! And why are they running in shock? I’m hungry, they should be bringing me tasty treats! Realising that some were not, in fact, running away, but approaching him carefully holding out strange black metal devices, he decided that perhaps they needed to send a delegation to find his likes first. Most kind of them indeed! Those creatures Silendra kept with the curly fur and pointy horns were such a pain to eat. He had to wash his mouth out with lava for hours before he could get them out of his teeth!

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Qian Li Xun was not having a good day. First, his second-in-command had broken his leg and couldn’t work, and then his district commander had decided that the upper-levels of the police force needed to show a more hands-on approach for the local people. Politics. How he hated politics.

At 35 years old, he figured he was doing pretty well for himself. He was head of the local law enforcement in a small town near Mount Everest, and the views were just amazing! Yes, life was nearly ideal, other than politics. Until today.

When he first had the report of something flying through the peaks of the Himalayas, he figured it was the Americans trying to sneak some sort of spy-craft into the country undetected. Then he heard reports of flapping wings and a huge body, and thought perhaps the government was testing out some new sort of aircraft that didn’t have fixed wings. That was until he saw it. Fúcánglóng himself was flying towards the town! Cursing his luck, he called the dispatch and told them to ‘send everyone! Fúcánglóng himself is flying to the town to take our riches back to the earth!’.

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Hmm, these are strange little creatures, aren’t they? Why are they all talking into those little boxes? And what is that metal beast with the long pole sticking out the front? The dragon had been watching them for some time now, and none had made an effort to approach. Deciding that perhaps they were shy, as it was not often they met one as magnificent as himself, he moved to give them the standard greeting between parties meeting for the first time. He spread his wings as wide as they would go, placed his head close to the ground, and let forth a deep rumble that vibrated the loose stones, and caused some of the buildings nearby to crack. What horrible workmanship! Even the Goblins in their dirt holes have better crafters!

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It had been 4 hours since the dragon landed in the middle of a field, and all it had done was watch them set up around it. He had even called in a couple armored vehicles, in case the dragon decided to be violent; that had been quite the interesting conversation: trying to convince the military to send troops because there was a dragon in the city... The dragon now sat motionless at the middle of a ring of over a hundred soldiers, blinking every few minutes, and emitting an occasional puff of smoke from its nostrils. Qian Li watched in horror as the dragon seemed to get frustrated, rear it’s wings, and roar at them. He heard an enormous explosion, and then the dragon squawked as it was impacted by the tank shell.

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There! Now they have no reason to keep ignoring me. Ouch! What was that? That felt like the time I was distracted watching the phoenix weave a storm, and crashed into a mountain! Glancing down at his chest, the dragon grew furious as he noticed one of his beautiful scales was dented. How dare they! I will tear them all apart!

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Qian Li grew ever more frightened as he watched the dragon seem to inspect itself, and then turn huge, baleful eyes on them. The dragon gave a brief snort, and the tank exploded. Ye gods above and below! What fury have we unleashed?

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Fragile things, you burst into flames before I even begin! The dragon had been in the process of casting a spell taught to him by one of the Earth-Shaper clan of his caretakers, when the metal beast that had spat at him exploded. No matter, I will tear the rest apart instead!

Screaming in fury as he unleashed his spell, he watched in satisfaction as the earth first started to tremble, then slowly started to sink. Good, this will teach these pitiful things! How could they ever have made a village? They have no magic! They only have their stinking metal beasts! The poor tree-keepers must be asleep as well! They would never let such horrid things live! While he had been deep in thought, the second part of his spell had started to take effect, and the earth was cracking apart, with glowing magma shining through. Ah, I love volcanoes!

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Dropping to his knees, Qian Li started to pray to all the gods he could think of. He was nearing the end of his wits as the earth continued cracking and crumbling, when he remembered an old story passed down through his family. I hope this works! “Great Za’an-zi, we request your aid! We beg of you, come rescue us from Fúcánglóng’s fury!”

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Oh, marvelous! This one knows my name! Perhaps they need not be destroyed after all. He did ask for my help so nicely, after all! I wonder who this Fúcánglóng is though... Such a waste of a perfectly good volcano. Hmph. I do hope the one who woke me lives somewhere warm. Recalling his spell, the dragon took to the air. Well, I’ve had enough of these smelly creatures. Time to find my own meal, I suppose. I wonder if there are any ice bears in these mountains...

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“Oh, praise be to the Great One!” Qian Li had at first been horrified that the dragon turned its full attention on him. He then grew ecstatic when the rumbling had stopped, and the oppressive heat from the magma seeping through the earth sank back into the depths. “Praise be to Za’an-Zi! I shall construct the most marvelous temple in your name, to honour your greatness! None shall forget that you saved us from the Dragon!”

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“Minister Xa’Xien, Minister Xa’Xien!” A temporary assistant, hired only for the summer period as a courtesy to his rich family, was rushing through the halls of the Chinese Ministry for Magic, disrupting the progress of several senior Ministry members that resided on the same floor as the Minister. The Minister, one Xa’Xien Cheng, sighed internally. How the times grow old. When I was young, I would have been taken by my mother and strapped for causing such a scene! What could possibly be so important? He is assigned with the Department of Magical Creatures!

“Minister Xa’Xien,” the boy gave a low bow, and then quickly began to babble about dragons attacking the muggles, and trying to destroy a city.

“Boy, what foolishness is this? There have been no wild dragons in China in centuries! We would know if one escaped their home!” Really, what imagination these children have. Dragons, attacking an entire city? Impossible.

“Minister, it was not one of our dragons! The head of the department is working with the obliviators, and the stories they are telling say the claw marks on the dirt are over two meters long! The locals are calling it the Dragon God, Fúcánglóng! The earth was split open, and they say magma scorched the grass!”

“You’re sure this was a dragon,” the minister asked, skeptical that any one dragon could cause such a mess. “Well, regardless of what caused this, call all our security personnel back to duty, I want this matter resolved quickly. If the ICW finds out that we let a dragon not only get seen by muggles, but to attack them, well, we would never hear the end of it! They might even decide it requires an outside influence, and those nosy British would be all-too-eager to poke around our country!”

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