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Chapter Text

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11:17 pm,
October 31, 2000,
Potter House-

"A Long, long time ago, a child was born. He was born of a British
Mother and a Patrician Father, in his Mother's Homeland. Upon his
birth, his mother's tribe seer spoke of the boy's future. She said
that He Would become Great! He would be among the ranks of Alexander
and Caesar! The boy's parents were pleased. When the boy was a few
years old, he transformed into a dragon for the first time. The boy's
father became fearful and fled back to Rome, leaving behind the boy
and his mother. Years later, the boy killed him in revenge.

At sixteen, the boy, then a Man and an orphan, left Britannia and
travelled the world, learning, becoming stronger. During his travels,
the man defeated the fastest, strongest, wisest, oldest and wealthiest
dragons and laid claim to their belongings. He gained many followers
as his great power became more and more...noticeable. Whole Clans
pledged their allegiance to him! Some with blood!

Eventually, people began to call him, 'In Draconis Rex'! 'The Dragon
King'! They gave him many treasures to prove their loyalty and a crown
which was called 'In Corona de In Draconis Rex'! 'The Crown of The
Dragon King'! Made for Him and Him alone! For centuries The Dragon
King ruled the world's dragons with an iron fist. No one dared to defy
him! But it was once said, "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power
corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men.".

In Draconis Rex went mad, you see, or at least that's what some
believe. Others believe he was Evil from the beginning. He started to
attack and kill the humans, torturing and killing dragons suspected of
treason against him. If He was Cruel before, he was a Monster now.

Soon enough a resistance formed and War was declared! It was a Great
and Bloody war which came to a head on a dragon made Island where In
Draconis Rex had his Fortress. Sometime during the Battle, The Dragon
King was weakened. Some say He burned along with his fortress, while
others say he escaped and fled to the far reaches of the earth. A
century after his defeat, a Prophecy was made about In Draconis Rex.
It said:

'Iam Ipsa Terra Voluntatis Praeco in Revertere de Suph LUSCINUS Unus! Ille Voluntatis Venite Quasu QUIDAM Saevam Tempestatem, EJUS FREMITUS causando In Ipsa Terra ut Excuta, CUM BESTIALIS Oculi, Quidam COLOSSAEUS CORPUS et Quidam Corona de Cornua, In Draconis Rex Voluntatis Orior Iterum et Regula!'
"'The earth itself will herald the return of the Red-Eyed One! He will come like a Raging Storm, HIS ROAR causing the very earth to shake, WITH FIERCE eyes, a HUGE body and a crown of horns, the Dragon King will rise again and Rule!'"

A small child swathed up to his chin in blankets looked up at his red
haired Mother with wide green eyes. "When will the In, In D-raco-nis
Rex return, Mummy?"

Lily gazed down at her son with equally green eyes and smiled with
pride. "Hopefully, he'll never return, darling. And there's no 'the'
before 'In Draconis Rex', 'In' is already there."

Harry nodded at his Mother's words before drowning himself in
thought. "Well, If he did come back, I'd beat him again."

Lily laughed at her child's words. "I have No doubt you would,
sweetheart. Now, time for bed."

At that, Harry pouted. "No! Again! This time in Latin!"

Lily sighed to herself, knowing that she couldn't deny Harry this. "Alright. But straight to sleep afterwards, alright?"

Harry nodded.

Lily began with just as much fervour as the first time. "Quidam DIUTINUS, Longus Tempus Abhinc, infans fuit Natus...."

*********************************

Lily shut the room door softly, jumping a bit when she turned around to see her Husband who was obviously waiting for her. "He asleep?" James asked.

"Yes. I had to tell him the story twice before he finally fell asleep." Lily replied.

James smiled and opened his mouth to say something when a series of knocks from the front door caught his attention. "I wonder who it could be at this hour." He mused. He went downstairs to answer the door, Lily following him. When he reached it, he looked through the spyhole and frowned immediately. He pulled back and opened the door.

"What do you lot want?" James asked the unsavoury group of people standing on his veranda.

Bellatrix snarled at James' tone, but was pushed to the side by Severus.

"Potter, where is Lily, I must speak with her."

At that, Lily stepped outside and regarded her old friend with wariness. "What do you want, Severus?"

"In Draconis Rex. He is Returning." Was Severus' answer.

James and Lily paled at his words. "What?! What nonsense are You spouting now, Snape?!"

Severus regarded James coolly. "I cannot explain it. I shall say only that the extent of The Dragon King's power is of such that we cannot fathom."

Bellatrix shoved Severus to the side and got up in Lily's face. "The Dragon King is returning, so it's in your best interest to come with us now, because if you don't, may Medusa have mercy upon you, for His Majesty shall have none."

Lily didn't even flinch at Bellatrix's words. She stared the other Dragoness down. "I care not for your warnings, Bellatrix. My family can defend itself just fine."

Bellatrix sneered. Then suddenly a smile flitted across her face. "We shall see." She turned on her heel, stepped down from the veranda and walked off, her husband and his brother following. As soon as they were at a safe enough distance, large, scaled, bat-like wings sprung from their backs and they launched off into the night.

Severus turned back to Lily with a pleading look in his eyes. "Lily, please, come with Me. It's for your Safety."

Lily smiled sadly at her old friend. "I'm sorry, Severus. I Cannot join you. My place is at James' side."

Severus' face tightened with grief and a bit of anger, but he quickly turned before Potter could see either. After taking a deep breath, he spoke. "Remain safe, Lily." Just as he was about to walk away, he heard her whisper back,
"You too, Sev. You too."

He walked briskly away from his Love and her husband, releasing his own wings and flying away without looking back.

"Lils?"

Lily snapped her gaze from the night sky to her husband who was looking at her with concern. "I'm fine," she assured him. "Let's just go inside."

James nodded. "Yeah. We better inform Albus of this latest piece of Info."

*********************************

After informing their Leader of the events which were currently taking
place, the couple were urged not to worry and were told that they would
be contacted if their assistance was needed.

At the moment, they were fast asleep in their bed. That was until a Giant Fireball crashed through their roof. The Potters shot up from out of their
sleep by the sound of the explosion.

"We're under Attack! Lily, go get Harry! I'll contact the Order and
hold off our attackers!" As James spoke those words, the house was
riddled with smaller fireballs. A mad cackle was heard from outside.
James' face tightened with rage. "Now, Lily!"

Lily quickly ran through the house, not paying any mind to the fumes,
simply focusing on getting to her son, that is until she suddenly
stumbled. She was feeling light-headed. It made no sense, she was a
Fire Dragon, a bit of smoke wasn't supposed to make her feel like
this. Lily lifted a hand in front of her face and was a bit startled
to see four of them. She gazed around her and was shocked to see
Purple flames engulfing her home, eating away at the wood as if it
were acid. "No...", She heard herself whisper, which immediately gave
way to a body wracking cough. She had to get to Harry! She moved
slowly along the hallway, trying not to lean on the burning walls and
ignoring how everything was spinning. She had to get to her baby! She
fell to her knees as fireballs were rained down upon the house once
more.

A scream of terror came from Harry's room when the fireballs
riddled the house's mostly destroyed roof, the squawks of a highly
distressed dragon hatchling following immediately after. Lily licked
her lips and shakily stood, stumbling the last few feet to Harry's
door. She turned the knob, not even flinching at the near molten
heat, stumbling into the room as more coughs wracked her body.

At the sound of his door slamming against the wall, Harry stopped his
squawking and peeked from underneath his blankets to see his mother
coughing on the floor.

"Mummy!" He was about to throw off his blankets
but his mother shot up from off the floor and pulled them over his
head again.

"No! No. Harry, darling, I'm going to ask you to remain calm for me alright?"
Harry nodded under the blankets. "Use your words, sweetheart."

"Yes, mummy."

"Good, good." Lily dimly noted that she was trembling. There was
nothing wrong with that, anyone would tremble if they knew they were
rotting from the inside out. But, Lily steeled herself, she would not
let her son die.

"Harry, dear, ", Lily began as she began to make sure
that none of the poisonous smoke couldn't penetrate the blankets,
"listen carefully. Don't come out from underneath the blankets,
alright? Try not to move, and when we reach outside, I want you to run
as far as you can, as fast as you can. Don't look back either. Do you
understand?"

"Yes, mummy.", Harry answered.

"Good. Also, I'm sorry if I hurt you, but it's for your own good. I
love you, sweetheart. Now, Hold On."

Lily transformed. She felt immense pain throughout her whole body, but ignored it and somehow managed to stay upright. As soon as it was over, she lifted Harry into her arms. She eyed the window, tempted to go through it, but decided not to, for all she knew, their attackers were lying in wait to ambush them. She readied herself, tail writhing behind her, then
shot through the doorway, ricocheting off the wall with powerful legs
and speeding down the hallway towards the stairs.

Just as she reached them, an angry screech rent the air and a large fireball
crashed through the stair wall, taking part of the stairs with it. Not
missing a beat, she climbed the wall above the staircase, managing to
burn herself only twice, and launched herself, using one hand to hold
her precious cargo close to her chest, then unfurled her wings to
gently glide to the wall opposite. She then fell to the floor in a low
crouch and walked on all fours supporting her hatchling with her
wings to the edge of the gaping hole in her wall, peeking around it.

Her keen senses picked up the signs of a battle which was continuing
on the other side of the house. Sensing that the coast was clear, Lily
sped across the lawn, continuing to run until she was at least a mile
away from the house before finally coming to a stop. Trying her best
to ignore the burning pain in her chest, she set her baby down and
proceeded to unravel her son from the many blankets he was wrapped in.
Finally, she removed the last blanket.

Harry looked up at her with wide emerald eyes. He sneezed, then coughed. Lily felt her heart freeze. "Harry take off what you have on, right now!"

Harry looked at her in bewilderment.

"Just do it, Harry! Down to your pants! Now!"

Harry obeyed and was soon standing in just his pants, shivering violently. This was bad, Lily thought to herself, Harry was still a hatchling and wasn't able to stand the cold as well as she could, but he shouldn't be shivering this much! It seemed like her suspicion was correct. She gazed at Harry with sadness. Her son. Her magnificent, gorgeous, amazing child. She extended a hand to cup his cheek, he leaned towards it.

Lily snapped out of her daze and pulled her hand away before it could make contact with Harry's cheek.

"Mummy..." Harry frowned as he eyed his mother. She was in her hybrid
form, crying and looked like she had been play-fighting with daddy again.

"Harry, listen here." Lily shuffled closer to him on her knees. "Mummy and Daddy love you, alright? Never forget that. Alright?"

Harry nodded. "Good. Now run!" Harry jumped. "Go, Now! Run!" Lily urged.

Harry began running, but after the first few steps he paused and looked back at his mother.

"Go!" Said Lily once more.

Harry began running again.

Lily watched him run for a few minutes before turning around and sprinting back to the house.

*********************************

Just as Lily entered the clearing the house was situated in, she saw a hybrid figure get knocked out of the air and land on the house, finally collapsing the little roof left and taking a few walls with them. Lily felt her heart stutter in her chest. A mad cackle came from the smallest of the other three figures in the air. As the Lestranges began a course away from the house, Lily hid in the shrubs on the edge of the forest, praying to Asclepius that they wouldn't see her. They flew over her and although it seemed like her prayers were answered she waited a few seconds before running towards the house. She entered through the hole in the wall and went about searching for her Mate. She was about to let loose a cry but as soon as she breathed in to do so, another body wracking cough came over her, so much so that she fell to her knees. When she opened her eyes, blood was dripping from her mouth onto the floor. Her body wouldn't be able to stave off the poison for much longer.

"Lily?!"

Lily's head snapped up. James?

"LILY! Over *cough, gasp* Here!"

Lily moved in the direction of the voice, crawling through debris and
dodging more that was falling until a mostly buried James was before
her. "James!" She began moving debris off of him.

"No, Stop!", James managed to pant out.

Lily froze.

"Rabastan, the bastard, he managed to get a few hits on me." He looked at her with sadness. "I don't think I'm gonna make it." He swallowed thickly, but then coughed up blood. "I called the Order, they're on their way. Harry, is he safe?"

Lily nodded, just barely managing to choke back a sob. She was beginning to feel the burning pain in her chest spread to her limbs.

"Good, good." He bared his teeth in a hiss of pain. "Go now! Leave me!"

Lily shook her head, when James opened his mouth to no doubt tell her to leave once more, she beat him to it. "That first fireball, James, it wasn't a normal one. It was made of a fire created by In Draconis Rex himself! It's one of the most poisonous substances on the planet. It devours everything in it's path and only the one who breathed the fire can control it. By the time I got to Harry, enough of it was in my system to set me on the path for death. Now that I've ingested more of it's smoke, I have absolutely no chance of living." She moved her wing to the side, exposing her melting body.

James looked upon her in horror. "But...Harry! We can't leave him!"

"Do you think I Want to leave him? My poor baby boy, an orphan!" Lily
released a sob, beginning to choke right after as she felt the burning climb up her throat. "I can feel it...consuming me. The heat that used to bring me such comfort...turning against me." James gazed at her with tear filled eyes. "Come here." He patted his debris covered chest.

Lily lay her head there. She tried to hear the heart beat of her mate as they both waited for death.

"Curse those damn Lestranges. Them and their bloody king!" James
collapsed into a coughing fit right after his short rant. "Lils, do you think Harry will be okay?"

Lily closed her eyes as she felt the poison start to consume her heart. "I-I'm
sure he'll be f-fine. He'll have S-Sirius and Remus and Molly and A-Arthur
and m-many more. Th-They'll watch over h-him."
"Yeah." James could feel himself drifting away. "Lils? You know I love
you, right? With all my heart."

With her last breath, Lily managed to whisper, "I love you too." Before the burning finally ended.

James closed his eyes and followed his mate beyond the veil.

*********************************

Harry panted as he plopped down under a large tree. After running for
hours -in his mind- like his mother told him, he had walked and walked
before finally stopping to rest. Now he was tired, filthy, aching all over and just wished he was back in bed. Harry lay on his side and curled up into a ball. Maybe he'd just stay here for a while. He coughed, then sniffled. He was so cold. He wanted his mummy. He closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep, not knowing what was awaiting him in his dreams.

*********************************

Sirius stumbled as he landed, tucking his wings close to his back and staring at the ashes where his best friend's house was supposed to be. "James!" He ran towards the ashes but was stopped by a pair of arms wrapping around his middle.

"Sirius, stop! Look closer!", Remus urged as he began to struggle.

Sirius paused in his struggle to look closer at the seemingly black ashes and found purple embers and violet ashes among them. He gasped and on instinct, took a few steps back, subsequently making Remus trip and fall, taking Sirius down with him.

"Quit playing around! I've got a scent right here!" Moody snapped as he
sniffed at the forest's edge. "It's Lily's, and..." He took a deeper sniff. "Her boy's."

Sirius scrambled to his feet and went to Moody's side. "Where are
they? And do you smell James?"

"No more than usual, no. From what I can deduce, Lily fled into the forest with the boy." Moody gestured to the dark forest with his staff. "Left him there, then returned to the house, most likely for James."

"What does that mean?! Are James and Lily alive?" Sirius felt his heart fill with hope.

"It is highly improbable." All eyes went to the figure of Albus Dumbledore who was standing just a few inches from the lake of ashes. "But it is probable that young Harry is. So I suggest, gentlemen, that you begin searching for him post-haste. The poor child must be quite terrified."

******************************

Harry blinked and narrowed his eyes at the darkness around him. He
couldn't even see his own nose. He sniffled and rubbed his arms, trying to get warm. He wished his mummy were here, she always warmed him up. Harry turned quickly as his premature senses detected a presence behind him.

"Mummy?", Harry called out in hope. He received a deep, rumbling chuckle as an answer. That wasn't his mummy... Goose bumps raised on his skin that had little to do with how cold he felt.

"Tut, tut, tut. Poor puer. All alone and missing his mummy.” Said a booming, yet soft voice.

There was a gust of air at Harry's backside. He whipped around only to
find nothing, just more darkness.

"Do not worry, puer. I will not harm you. You are Mine, after all."

*************************************

"You find him yet, Remus?!"

After following Lily and Harry's scent
trail, they came upon Harry's discarded clothes and blankets, then
followed Harry's lone trail further and further into the woods, but there
was no sign of the boy.

"No!" Remus replied.

Sirius was getting anxious. Winter had begun and with Harry being a mere hatchling, he wouldn't be able to withstand the cold as well as an adult. Sirius sniffed the air as he stepped into a small clearing which was overtaken by a huge oak tree. Harry's scent was strong here. He paused as he heard laboured breathing on the other side of the tree. Sirius rushed to find the source of the sound, stepping over large roots and managing to trip just once. It was worth it though, for on the other side of the tree,
nestled at the base if it, was Harry, looking worse for wear, but he was alive.

"I've found him!", Sirius shouted. He went closer and crouched next to
the small, shivering form. Harry's lips, fingertips and toe tips were blue and his face, chest, neck and ears were a bright red. Sirius put the back of his hand on Harry's forehead, but pulled it away almost immediately and cursed at the intense heat coming from the hatchling. The bushes on the edge of the clearing rustled and Sirius took up a defensive position in front of Harry, but calmed when he saw that it was only the rest of the search party.

"How is he?", was the first thing Remus asked as he crouched down next to Sirius.

"Not so good. He has a fever and it looks like he got some smoke from that Asclepius damned fire into his system. We need to get him to a healer ASAP." Sirius took off his jacket and used it to wrap up the small child. "Don't worry Harry." Sirius whispered to the boy as he held back tears,  "You're gonna be better soon." He gave Harry a kiss on his burning temple.

Unbeknownst to the party currently concerned about Harry's well being, Harry was having a very interesting time in his mind, wrapped in the coils of his new friend.

Unbeknownst to Harry, his life was going to be very different when he woke.

Chapter Text

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Harry quivered a bit at the deep voice that seemed to echo all around
the dark space. But then he remembered what his parents taught him.
Harry straightened himself, put his shoulders back, puffed out his
chest a bit, raised his chin as high as he could, then addressed the
voice. "I am Harry James Potter, Heir of the Potter Clan of Britannia,
What do you want with me?" The creature cocked his in amusement at the
bold introduction. How brave. To be expected from a member of the Potter Clan. He coiled himself around the boy, feeling now, as well as
seeing, the tremors still going through him. "Puer,", the creature
crooned, " for once I am pleased with someone's boldness towards me,
so I shall let you go unpunished."
Harry blinked at the darkness.
"But, ", the creature suddenly growled, the boy flinched.
"I will not tolerate it again." The creature breathed out a burst of
flame in warning.
Harry screamed and covered his head with his arms.
"Tsk, there, there, puer. Look."
Harry received a nudge.
"I have something for you, Meum Paulo Draco. Look up."
Harry got another nudge. He sniffled a bit and tentatively peeked through his arms. Before him were the flames that were breathed by the creature,
but they were different than regular flames. They were in the shape
of...his mummy and daddy! Harry let out a small gasp and brought his
arms down and shuffled closer to the flames. They were in...hybrid
form and looked like they were dancing in the air! Their wings were
even flapping!
"Such a lovely smile.", the creature suddenly said.
Harry was smiling! He quickly frowned, crossed his arms and turned
away from the flames. But then suddenly there was more flames around
him. In the form of puppies! Harry was soon giggling and clapping his
hands as the flame puppies played with each other and did tricks for
him. It was nice, but then Harry finally saw something in the dark. He
squinted a bit and shuffled closer to where the puppies had piled on
top of each other, he barely got a glimpse of a patch of grayish-white
scales before the flames went out and something grabbed him and set
him down back in his previous position.
"That's enough of that.", the creature said. "Now let's enjoy some
from a distance, shall we?" The creature shot multiple balls of fire
and lightening from his mouth that came together in huge explosions
that made pretty fireworks which had Harry 'ooing' and 'ahhing' at them
with wide eyes.
"And Harry, "
Harry turned to where the creature's voice was loudest.
"you may call me 'Magister'.", the creature said before
breathing out a long stream of fire into the dark space.

*****************************

Sirius sat by Harry's bedside, staring at the small boy swaddled in
blankets and hooked up to a plethora of tubes. The last of the Potter
Clan. At that thought, Sirius tightened his hands which were clasped
in front of his face. The last... And so weak. Sirius clenched his jaw
and squeezed his eyes shut. No more messing around, he has a child to
raise now. A very vulnerable child. The last of a Clan. He whispered a plea. "Help me James, Lily. I can't do this on my own." Sirius finally
succumbed to his tears. He cried for James. He cried for Lily. He
cried for Harry. But most of all, he cried for the world.

*****************************

"Bellatrix."
When Bellatrix felt the presence in her mind, she quickly perched on a
sturdy tree branch, her husband and brother-in-law following suit,
knowing better by now not to make too much noise.
"Meum Dominator!", she thought earnestly. "I have eliminated the
Potters, as you ordered."
"Good, Bella. The Order shall now be hunting you down. Go to the
Eastern Lands, I have many servants there who will be happy to give
you sanctuary, but first, lose the Order. Follow this path, then head
to what they now call Tibet, you will receive further instructions
when you arrive. This is the last you will directly hear from me for
at least a decade. Vale, Bellatrix."
As the dominating presence left her mind, a map of Europe with a
complicated trail drawn on it came to the forefront.
"Boys," , she purred.
The two brothers regarded her.
" follow me." Bellatrix launched from her perch and began to fly along
the trail in her mind.
The brothers followed.

****************************

"That is enough for tonight, puer."
The stream of fire that was twirling around Harry dissipated, making
him a bit sad.
"Do not be sad, mi puer. I will show you many things in the future.
But for now you must rest. I shall be here when you next sleep."
"But I'm not- ", Harry yawned, "tired."
The creature ignored Harry's protests and used his huge claw to push
Harry to lie on his scales. "Bonum est Vespere, puer. I look forward to when we next meet."
Harry yawned once more and pillowed his head with his hands. "G'night..."
The creature brought his head closer to where the mental representation of Harry was slowly fading away as he fell into a deeper sleep. "Puer... Mi puer." He gave a wide toothy grin as the boy finally left. Everything was on track. He left the boy's mind.

***************************

Inside a hidden Glacier Cave deep within the Antarctic ice sheets,  the creature returned to its body. Though asleep, it was still undeniably aware of its body and surroundings. With a bit of resistance, the creature made its first voluntary movement in centuries. It twitched one of its fore digits. It will be painful and will take years, but he will regain efficient mobility as well as his former glory. At that thought he stretched his consciousness to encompass the dragons surrounding him within the cave as well as dragons in hidden crevices all over the globe. "Meum servi, hear me."
The minds of thousands of sleeping dragons acknowledged his call with a tired, "Meum Dominator."
The creature grinned within his mind. "Prepare yourselves, meum servi. The time for my return is near. Flex your muscles, regain efficient mobility. Soon, the world shall once again tremble in terror at the sound of the words, 'In Draconis Rex'.
The dragons gave him their affirmation and he withdrew his consciousness.
'Yes', In Draconis Rex thought to himself as he rested his mind. Everything was on track.

Chapter Text

'Thoughts'
"Speaking"

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Harry stirred in his sleep and tried to roll over onto his belly but only made it to his side. His chest hurt. A hand was gently rested on his head. He huffed and tried to move away from it.

'No...', he thought to himself as he buried his face into the pillow. 'I want to sleep some more.'

"Harry..."

'Siri?'

"It's time to wake up, hatchling."

Harry whined, but finally opened his eyes to blearily look up at up at his godfather.

"What?"

Sirius didn't say anything, just stared at him.

Harry frowned. "Wha's wrong?"

"'m fine, hatchling. I'm fine."

Sirius gently pulled Harry into his arms, making sure to be extra careful with him, and buried his face in his neck, breathing in his poison tainted scent as sobs wracked his body.

Harry laid there confused for a few seconds before beginning to stroke Sirius' back as he'd seen his father do to his mother.

After a few moments, Sirius' shaking stopped and he pulled away to look at Harry properly. He gave the confused hatchling a shaky grin. It felt wrong. He had no doubt that it looked wrong as well.

"I'm sure you're hungry. How about something to eat?"

His answer was a loud whine.

*****************************

Sirius watched bemused as Harry devoured the hearty porridge with gusto. It had been so long since he'd had any real food. The healers said that he was fine, but he'll always be a little sickly. The poison would always be lingering in his system.

It'd been two weeks since the dreaded event. The Order had lost track of the Lestranges within a week. They had caught a whiff of Severus near the ash filled clearing. That had been an utter dead end. If he ever found out that Snape took part in any of this out of spite...

"Sir-"

The whole dragon community was in shock and mourning over the brutal yet swift death of the Potters. Sirius could just imagine them talking in low tones about the "poor Potter hatchling".

"-ius?"

Everyone was fearful, and soon enough rumours were spreading. The Ministry tried to quell any dangerous rumours, trying to pass it off as an attack from some of the more radical Draconis Rex followers. But the key word here is 'tried'. There were rumours saying that In Draconis Rex himself taught Bellatrix the cursed fire. That he was returning. That the Potters were only the beginning. Sirius' face darkened.

"Sirius!"

Sirius snapped out of his darkening thoughts at Harry's call.

"Hmm?"

Suspicious green eyes -so much like Lily's- looked up at him.

"You're *not * fine. What's wrong?"

Sirius tried to play it off.

"I'm fine, Harry. Just a little tired is all."

"I've *seen* you tired, this is *more* than tired. Tell me *now*, or I'll call back the healer."

The look in his eyes showed he was dead serious.

Sirius paled. An insistent healer was a force to be reckoned with. The only reason he was able to stay by Harry's side day and night was because he hadn't woken and he had just lost his friends, but now...

"I can't tell you right now, Harry, but I'll tell you later."

Harry gave him a dubious stare.

"Do you swear?"

Sirius raised his right hand with a countenance of pseudo-solemnity. He felt something inside him break.

"On my life."

Harry huffed and a devious glint appeared in his eye; making Sirius wary.

"I'm still calling the healer. *Gasp* MISS HEA-!"

Sirius panicked and quickly covered Harry's mouth with his hand. Then the door opened.

"You called, hatchling?"

Sirius felt Harry's evil grin underneath his hand. Never trust any offspring of James Potter. His heart broke once more at the thought.

*****************************

Albus Dumbledore paced before in his office at the Order's headquarters. He needed answers. The supporters of the king were growing bolder, resulting in conflicts almost always leading to violence. And the recent murder of the Potters just increased the public's fear of In Draconis Rex returning. The murder of the Potters... What would Serpenius want with the Potters? They were a part of the Order, yes, but were unimportant in the grand scheme of things. So why...? Suddenly a lightbulb lit up in Albus' head. How could he have forgotten?!

"Albus...?"

He ignored Minerva who was sitting with Alastor at the chairs in front of his desk and moved to the bookshelf. He looked through book after book after book, until...

"Ah!"

"What? What have you found?"

Albus continued to ignore her -making her huff in indignation- and read one specific page furiously. When he was finished he stared at the page for a few moments before closing the book, sitting heavily in his chair and closing his weary eyes.

Minerva and Alastor glanced at each other and then back at the defeated looking Albus.

"Albus?"

Albus let out a deep sigh and finally opened his eyes.

"I've been a fool."

"Al-"

"M. Aquillius Tuscus Serpenius was *not* alone in the world. He had a cousin. They were quite close too. As close as Serpenius could get to another dragon."

"What does this have to do with-"

Albus raised his hand for silence and Alastor shut his mouth.

"They had made a pact, and not just any pact. A blood pact."

Minerva inhaled sharply. A blood pact was something that should never be taken lightly.

Silence reigned supreme for a few moments.

Minerva hesitantly asked a question.

"What did it entail?"

Albus sighed.

"That, I do not know for sure. But I assume it entailed loyalty of some sort because the Potter family head at the time broke it to fight alongside me in the war against Serpenius."

"You mean to tell me that the Potters, one of the staunchest anti-Rex families, are relatives of the king himself? One of history's most powerful tyrants?"

"Yes."

"But , I don't see how-"

Alastor interjected.

"They broke a blood pact, Minerva. In old tradition, that is one of *the* most *disgraceful* things one could *ever * do. And who knows what it had entailed. It could have said that he had the right to fuck them sideways with a pine tree in the event of a betrayal for all we know. In Draconis Rex obviously killed the Potters for revenge. I remember how much of a paranoid person he was. If he even suspected you of treason, he would scare you so straight, the mere thought of telling him a little white lie would cause you to flinch in terror. The dragon was ruthless. When it comes to him, killing is a mercy."

Minerva frowned at Alastor's crassness, but said nothing of it and turned back to Dumbledore.

"Albus, what does this mean for the young Potter?"

"Nothing good, I'm afraid."

He leaned forward in his seat and rested his arms on the desk.

"Harry Potter is in grave danger. Those who follow the old traditions will undoubtedly support In Draconis Rex's decision to seek retribution, so they will have no sympathy for Harry. Some will even try to seek it in Serpenius' name. He will never be safe."

Minerva sprung from her seat.

"I must inform Sirius immediately!"

She left the office in a hurry.

Albus didn't even try to stop her. He buried his face in his hands. He felt a tear fall from his eye and trail down his cheek.

"How could you have forgotten such a crucial factor, Albus?"

"Stupidity, Alastor. Pure stupidity and arrogance. I suppose a broken blood pact was a minor factor during the war. After, it simply slipped my mind. Serpenius was weakened and the war was over. I was more focused on erasing the stain left behind by Serpenius. I was a fool, Alastor. A fool."

******************************

Severus guzzled down another tankard then threw it away, watching dimly as it crashed and broke against the wall. His Lily. His sweet, fierce Lily. He had gone to warn her of the consequences of not joining In Draconis Rex. He asked her to come with him. She refused. He left. He didn't look back. Why didn't he look back? Severus took a swig from his 28th -29th?- tankard of wine. He wondered if she'd screamed as the poison consumed her insides. No. She wouldn't have. His Lily was stronger than that. She was so powerful. With an inner fire just as hot as her nature. Gaia should weep at the loss of one of her best children. Lily was an absolute treasure. And she certainly was cherished.

A tear fell from his eye and into the wine. Severus watched as the ripple distorted his reflection. What should he live for now? Pushing away the thought for the moment, Severus poured a libation in Lily's memory; one of several he's done since hearing of her death. He brought the tankard to his mouth and resumed his attempt at washing away his grief.

*****************************

Bellatrix huffed as she continued to climb the steep mountain side, her husband and brother-in-law not far behind. Two weeks it'd been. One to evade the order and another to reach this place. She was exhausted and cold. So very, very cold. Her toes were numb and it would probably cause her great pain if she tried to open her wings right now. She hadn't eaten in days.

'That's nothing compared to how long In Rex has gone without food. Centuries. It is a true testament to his power how he survived for so long.'

There! Bellatrix felt relief overtake her as the cliff's edge came into sight. Another hour or so and she was sure she would collapse into sleep.

"We're nearly there!", she shouted down to the brothers.

Rabastan mumbled under his breath; "We'd better be."

They climbed the last few feet up and over the cliff's edge before finally resting. Bellatrix looked up from her position on all fours and froze upon seeing the mysterious group of robed figures just a few feet away from them. The three fugitives took up defensive positions. It was difficult to predict the battle outcome. They were exhausted, but they were students of In Draconis Rex himself, they would not fall so easily. One of the figures -he seemed to be the leader- raised his hands in a gesture of peace.

"Calm yourselves, mighty warriors. We have been expecting you."

He gave a respectful bow, which was repeated by the others.

The trio exchanged dubious glances with each other. They did not relax their stances. It could easily be a trap.

The leader spoke once more; "May he who was crowned at birth rule for eternity."

The figures behind him spoke in unison; "Hail In Draconis Rex."

Only then did the Lestranges relax their stance. Rodolphus had to catch Bellatrix before she fell to the ground.

The leader turned away from them and began walking.

"I'm sure you that you are tired from your journey, please, follow me, I shall take you to receive sustenance."

The Lestranges followed in silence.