Chapter 12

"Get used to the floo network. It's one of the more reliable and safer means of long distance transport. Other than the Knight Bus, but the bus is slower by comparison. Here in Hogsmeade, there are two access points for the floo network available for the public. The one here in the Three Broomsticks and the one in Hogsmeade Station itself." McGonagall explained as the group of three stepped out of the now busy Three Broomsticks Inn.

"If you follow the roads south and then east, it will take you to the station. You'll need to take your things to the station and use the floor there to go to London Station. And before you say anything, I know. It doesn't make a lot of sense that you have to go to London only to take the Express back here, but unfortunately it's mandated by the ministry." Vesryn raised an eyebrow in response to the strange process as Aurelius scratched his head.

"That… is absolutely ridiculous." Vesryn said as he shook his head.

"That is tradition. And the will of the ministry." A high-pitched voice said loudly as they walked down the open street. The group stopped and looked toward the speaker that was approaching them. A short, stumpy woman wearing a fuzzy, pink cardigan over a green, tweed dress, and a black bow in her mousy brown hair. Her little neck, broad, flabby face, wide, slack mouth, and bulging eyes served to remind Vesryn of what would happen if a toad and a swamp hag were to breed.

A shiver ran through his spine as he attempted to rid himself of the unholy image before he turned towards the other individuals escorting the potential hag. Three men escorted the woman, one of which Vesryn recognized to be the man named Kingsley, who had a look on his face that clearly displayed his reluctance to be here. The other two men were dressed in similar attire, a gray trench coat over top a simple black suit with white dress shirt and tie. The man standing to the left of the woman had pale skin and short brown hair that was neatly maintained in a side part. The other man was a bit more tanned and rugged in appearance, sporting a full beard and somewhat messy, short black hair.

"Dolores Umbridge, Head of the Improper Use of Magic Office. And we are here on behalf of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement regarding your illegal use of underage magic to assault Mrs. Veronica Snyde. We ask that you cooperate and do not resist." The oversized toad declared loudly with a wide smile that reached ear to ear. Vesryn noticed how Kingsley and the bearded man appeared to have a look of surprise and confusion on their face as they turned toward the woman.

"What?! No, that is not why we're here!" Kingsley shouted.

"Then why are we here, if not to arrest this criminal." Dolores asked, as she examined the platinum-haired boy in front of her, sneering as she noticed the pointed ears peeking out of his shoulder-length hair.

"He's a child, not a criminal." The bearded man said, his eyes narrowing as he spoke. "You're not even supposed to be here."

"Mr. Robards. I don't need you to tell me where I can or can't be. This child attacked an innocent woman using dark magic, leaving her a patient at the Janus Thickey Ward at Saint Mungo's. His use of underage magic to harm a respectable member of the Snyde family more than warrants my presence here. Mr. Dawlish, please detain the... child." Dolores responded before turning towards the man standing to her left.

"Stand down, Dawlish! Respectable? The Snyde's were death eaters, and he defended himself." Kingsley said, pointing his finger at the man as he attempted to step forward. Vesryn noticed McGonagall quietly drawing her wand from her sleeve and conjuring a silver, translucent cat when she noticed the group looking away from her. With surprising speed, he watched the ghostly cat rush off into an alley and disappear into the distance.

"Please, if the Snyde's were actually death eaters, then how could a child have possibly survived? All we have are Lords Macnair and Jugson in custody while Lord Snyde has been badly splinched and Lady Snyde, reduced to a blabbering mess that will likely never leave the Thickey Ward. And for what? Because they put on robes and a mask?"

"They murdered a family of muggles." Robards retorted, his jaw clenching as he glared at the short woman.

"They were likely just defending themselves. What does it matter if a group of muggles died? What matters is that this criminal attacked a noble lady and has stripped a young witch of her mother's presence in her life. Mr. Dawlish, I believe I gave you an order." Dolores said as she turned to address the other man standing next to her.

"Don't you bloody move Dawlish." Robards ordered as he pointed at the man that was beginning to walk forward.

"I'm only following orders. As you should too." Dawlish said, drawing his wand from inside his coat. Vesryn turned to look at McGonagall as she pushed Aurelius behind her and stepped in front of them. He could feel the tension building in the air as the magical energy in his body began to fluctuate. His pupils turned cat-like in appearance as a layer of fine platinum scales began to spread around the outer corners of his eyes and along the sides of his neck. Aurelius looked over to see his sudden change in both posture and demeanor, as well as the change in his appearance. For an unknown reason his thoughts were drawn to the motto of Hogwarts, and he couldn't help but imagine that he was about to find out why.

However, the incessant arguing came to an abrupt end as a loud, ground-shaking roar reverberated through the air. Everyone, from the Aurors to the growing crowd that had gathered to watch the proceedings all turned to look in the direction of the sound. Fear spread quickly through the crowd as people stumbled backward and scrambled for cover while drawing their wands. A cloak of shadows fell upon the countryside as nearly a dozen giant, winged figures flew through the air, the sound of wingbeats echoing like thunder.

"Dragons," Aurelius whispered as he stared in disbelief as the group of flying creatures passed overhead before turning around to touch down behind them. Great, winged dragons of varying sizes and shapes with hide and scales of different colors landed in the street and atop the nearby buildings.

"DRAGONS!" Someone shouted as part of the nearby crowds began to run away from the giant creatures that were now looking down at them, while others simply froze in place. McGonagall held her wand out in front of her as she pushed Aurelius behind her. Kingsley and Robards rushed forward to stand between the crowd and the horde of dragons. The largest one, a black-scaled dragon, almost sixty feet in length, with four horns that swept toward the back, lowered itself to the ground, its front claws digging into the street beneath as it snarled, aggressively at the Aurors in front of it. Its violet eyes scanning over the crowd in front of it before stopping as it locked eyes with Vesryn. A loud growl echoed through the air, as the dragon lowered its head and slowly towards the platinum-haired boy.

"What are you doing? Grab the boy! We need to leave!" Dolores growled as she pointed from Dawlish to Vesryn. The man snapped out of his stupor and rushed forward to grab the young boy by his arm in an attempt to pull him away, only to quickly realize that we wasn't moving in the direction he wanted. His feet dragged along the ground as it became clear that he wasn't dragging the boy away from the dragons, the boy was dragging him toward them. Dawlish felt as he was trying to pull a carriage up a steep hill.

Vesryn paused for a brief moment as he looked at the man that was holding his arm and with a quick jerk, he freed himself causing the auror to be thrown to the ground. Ignoring the man, Vesryn stepped forward as he looked at the dozen of dragons before him. He felt no hostility, no threat or danger coming from the creatures, only a strange connection as his eyes met each of theirs. They didn't speak the way he expected them to, only growling and hissing like wild beasts, but he could see the intelligence in their eyes as they watched his every move. It was as though he was looking at newly hatched dragons that have yet to learn how to communicate properly.

"Vesryn! Stop!" He could hear McGonagall calling out with the other aurors as he walked forward. As his eyes met the purple eyes of the large black dragon before him, Vesryn began to speak. The air vibrates softly around him as a harsh series of sound echoed through the air, grating on the ears of the witches and wizards present.

"Can you understand me?" Vesryn asked as he spoke in the ancient language of dragons, hoping that the ones before him would understand. He smiled softly as the black dragon lowered and raised its head in what looked like a nod. The dragon stepped toward him, causing Kingsley and Robards to visibly tense as they slowly backed away. Vesryn ignored McGonagall's quiet attempt to beckon him away, as he stepped closer.

"Serve…Blood…Father." Vesryn heard the broken pieces of draconic echoing in the air, as the dragon lowered its head to his level. Listening to the dragon speak reminded him of when he first started to learn the language. Reaching out, he placed his hand on the dragon's snout, feeling the warm, scaly, black hide beneath his hand. His ears twitched as he heard the sound of rushing air from behind. Looking back he saw a dozen of robed individuals hovering in the air on broomsticks, their faces all frozen in shock as they watched him.

"Bloody hell." One of the figures muttered as he slowly touched down by professor McGonagall.

"Weasley! What is this?" McGonagall asked as she noticed the stocky, young, red-haired man that had just joined her.

"I don't know professor." The young man answered as he watched on in fascination.

"Most of these came from the reserve in Romania. A couple of days ago they broke escaped and started flying, we've been following them ever since. Look the big one. That's a Hebridean black! I've never seen one so big, or docile." He continued as he pulled out a notebook from a pouch on his waist and quickly began sketching something down.

"He's about twice the size of what Hebrideans used to be. But you're right, we've never seen him so docile." A woman said as she landed next to him and pointed out a different smaller black dragon.

"MacFusty, what do we do? Is he in danger?" McGonagall asked as she looked over at the spectacled, black-haired woman.

"I'm not sure. But, I don't think so?" She answered with uncertainty as the other individuals landed next to them.

"What are you doing?! Stop standing there, do your jobs and get rid of them!" Dolores screamed as she pointed at the dragons from behind the group, causing them all to look at her with a look of sheer disbelief.

"Has this minger's lost the plot? What the hell is she expecting us to do?" A young man muttered as he turned to the rest of the group.

"We barely have enough people here to wrangle one dragon, let alone a dozen!"

"Ignore the nutter. Just focus on getting people away from here and we'll wait for the others to catch up. Whatever the boy is doing, it's keeping the dragons calm." An older gentleman said as he pointed at the surrounding crowd, sending the nearby individuals into different directions as they ushered the crowd away from the area. As the group quickly secured the area and took up positions around the dragons themselves, maintaining their distance with their wands in hand, Vesryn carefully examined the dragons in front of him, his hand petting the scaly hide of the black dragon before him, causing it to purr with its eyes closed. Each and every dragon, despite their size, behaved like new-born hatchlings, curious, and cautious, but with clear signs of budding intelligence. His ears twitched as he heard the shrill voice of the toad-like woman scream out behind him.

"Why aren't you doing anything?! Detain him!" Dolores screamed out as she pointed her thick, stubby fingers at him, the gaudy old rings gluten-free in the sunlight. Vesryn watched as all of the dragons raised their heads in her direction and bared their fangs, their unified growls causing the ground to tremble as their eyes glared at her.

"Calm yourself." Vesryn said in draconic as he reached up and patted the side of the black dragon's neck before turning to look at the woman, his eyes glancing over at the aurors nearby for a brief second before he addressed the woman.

"I believe it's high time you leave. My... Friends here don't appreciate your...Behavior." Vesryn watched as the woman's face distorted with rage as she raised her wand before lowering it as she noticed the black dragon, that was towering over the village, opened its maw. Its mouth and throat glowing bright orange as the air around it began to distort from the rapidly increasing heat.

"Are you threatening me?! I am Dolores Umbridge! Head of the-"

"You're an obnoxiously loud and irritating hag, that has done nothing but accuse me of crimes I haven't done. Frankly, I'm surprised the Aurors allowed you out of whatever swamp spawned you." Vesryn interrupted as he stared her down, crossing his arms in front of his chest. Dolores pointed her wand at him, her face painted red and distorted with rage as she shrieked and waved her wand.

"Listen here you filthy half-breed! I will not be-" Before she had a chance to finish her words or her actions, a large tree-sized tail lashed out through the air, over the heads of everyone present, and smashed into the ground in front of her. The force of the impact threw the stubby woman back, her round form rolling along the street for several feet before stopping.

"Oh. You're one of those witches. Why? You're surrounded by dragons and somehow you think it's a good idea to try and cast something in their direction? Brilliant." Vesryn remarked flatly as he watched the woman struggle to pick herself up, her once brightly colored clothes now damaged and tarnished with dirt. The black dragon rose on its hind legs, its large body casting the entire street in shadow as it glared down at the woman that was now completely isolated, the nearby crowd having disappeared from her vicinity. He could feel the emotions from the dragons around him, rage at the display of hostility that was directed at him.

"Easy. I'm alright." Vesryn said in draconic as he turned his head toward the horde. The large black dragon lowered itself to the ground again, its eyes still locked on the woman standing down the street, its tail having partially wrapped around Vesryn in a protective manner.

"T-this isn't over. Dawlish!" She called out before she turned on the spot and her form disappeared with an audible crack.

"Stop right there! You're not going anywhere, Dawlish. We'll be having a talk with Scrimgeour about your... Loyalties." Robards said as he turned to Vesryn and slowly put his wand away. Raising his hands above his head as his eyes were trained on the large dragon, the man walked slowly over to the boy that was currently petting the dragon that was now laying on its belly, its large form taking up the entire width of the street. Vesryn turned to look at the auror as the man started speaking.

"I'm Gawain Robards, Senior Auror serving under Head Auror Rufus Scrimgeour and Amelia Bones, Director of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement." The man introduced himself, a small bead of sweat dripping down the side of his face as his eyes looked past the boy at the black dragon.

"And what exactly can I do for you?" Vesryn asked as he watched the other dragons moving around, looking as though they were trying to find a better place to perch.

"We only came to discern what spell you used to incapacitate Veronica Snyde. As Umbridge has already started, Mrs. Snyde has been confined to the Janus Thickey ward of Saint Mungo's. That's the ward for individuals suffering from permanent spell damage. Ever since Lady Snyde woke up, she's been in a permanent state of delirium. Seeing how you did it without a wand, we were hoping you could demonstrate it so we can close out the investigation." The man said as he stopped walking several paces away from the dragon.

"So she's gone insane." Vesryn remarked as he raised an eyebrow. "Here I thought all cultist were crazy to begin with."

"Ahem. That's one way to put it yes. Though she also panics anytime she catches the glimpse of something violet or purple."

"Hmm. Strange. Well, how do you want me to demonstrate? Should I just cast it into the air?" Vesryn asked as he looked around.

"Maybe we can take this somewhere out of town? The dragons are, how do I say it? Causing a scene." Robards replied as he looked at the dragon from the corner of his eyes. Vesryn nodded as he looked at his surroundings, aside from Professor McGonagall, the Aurors, and the group of witches and wizards that arrived by broomsticks, nearly everyone he saw was cowering in the distance.

"Yeah. I guess they are. There's a nice field behind the Hogshead Inn. Will that work?" Vesryn suggested as he looked at the large dragon behind him as a smile crossed his face. After quickly setting his owl free, Vesryn walked to the side of the dragon and hopped onto the giant creature's back, his hands grabbing onto a large spine that protruded from its hide as he propped his feet against a pair of smaller ones.

"I'll see you there. In a couple of minutes." Vesryn said as the dragon pushed itself off the ground, the force of its wingbeat forcing those nearby to cover their faces as it flew into the air with the rest of the horde following quickly behind.