Chapter 1
Lee was reading the list of fights set to exhibit as he made his way to his studio room when someone rounded a corner and body slammed him into the ground, his papers scattering around them.
“Ah, River, sir! I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean-! I wasn't looking where I was going, I'm sorry!”
The one who had ran into him was young, though you couldn't always tell age by looks in Nevarah. Still, Lee would guess it hadn't been long since this dragel had inherited. The kid had that helpless confused puppy look all the baby gheyos had in Lee's experience. Someone equipped with ferocious claws and teeth but no idea how to use them.
Absolutely adorable. But nowhere close to his honorary nephew.
Lee may be a bit biased. He lived with a kid with the unarguably best puppy dog eyes. Comes with the werewolf genes.
“It's fine, kid. But I'd appreciate it if you helped me pick up these papers, real quick,” he offered with a wide grin and a patient tone.
The kid looked relieved enough that his whole body sagged a bit, the tension in his frame relaxing before he quickly straightened up with a, “Right, of course!” and hurriedly began picking up the sheets.
Lee knew why the kid was terrified of him. Despite only living in Nevarah for four years, Lee had managed to secure a position as the Head Commentator for official Pit fights. Turns out most non-gheyos had a hard time surviving in the atmosphere of the Pits. But Lee survived a war. The Pits didn't scare him.
As the Head Commentator, Lee had unofficial power in the ranks of the Pits. It was his voice that advertised the training gheyos to all watchers. His words could be what helped decide if a gheyo would be chosen to personally train or even court. His words could make or break careers. And for a newbie like the kid obviously was, it would be career suicide to get on Lee's bad side.
Luckily for the kid, it was pretty hard to do that.
With his papers back in hand and the young gheyo running away in relief, Lee made his way to his 'office' in the Pits. The studio room had a perfect unbreakable window that looked down onto the central arena plus many looking glasses and globes that showed different angles of the arena for better observation of the fights.
Lee honestly loved his job.
After the war was over and the Wizarding World was left to pick up the pieces, Lee had been lost. One of his best friends had died and the other was mourning his other half. Lee's entire life since he had graduated had been at Fred's side. First helping out Fred and George with their joke shop and then once the war started, going underground and setting up Potterwatch with Fred as one of his co-hosts. Lee knew he didn't have it as bad as George who lost his twin but Lee was also in unbearable pain from the loss of Fred.
And then he had inherited.
Lee had been twenty at the time. He had known he had the potential to inherit as a dragel, of course. His dad had been one. But Lee's mom had been a regular witch and if Lee had a third he didn't know who it was.
But he must have had one as one day in the little apartment he shared with George above Weasley's Wizard Wheezes he went through his inheritance. George had panicked. He had already lost his twin brother, he had been terrified he was going to lose his best friend too. So he had floo called his mom and then the whole of the Weasley family had its own civil war as truths came to light about their family from the Weasley matriarch's understanding of the situation.
So hey, Lee inherited as a dragel. But so did George soon after! A lot of the Weasley children were still very angry with their mother for the seals she placed them under illegally.
And then Andromeda Tonks had died and adorable Teddy Lupin, the son of another of his co-hosts on Potterwatch was left in the care of his godfather, not yet eighteen Harry Potter himself.
Poor Harry had been lost. The teen who had secretly trained a whole militia of teenagers in school and been the leader of hope during the war was not made for peace. He didn't know what to do with it. And he was suddenly in charge of an infant when he was barely an adult himself.
Lee and George had offered for the younger teen to move into their apartment so they could help look after Teddy. The first few months had been rough, with the assorted PTSD from the war and raising a baby together. But the trio had grown into a somewhat cohesive unit after some time. The two older pareya taking care of Harry as he focused on taking care of Teddy.
But when the Ministry passed some laws that demanded Teddy be magically 'tagged' with a spell that would 'alert the proper authorities if the owner's dark magic made itself known,' Lee had known they needed to leave. The law was aimed at those related to any known 'dark creature' and as a literal 'dark creature' Lee and many of his loved ones were especially in danger. Thankfully Harry fully agreed and they had all fled Britain to the safest place they could: Nevarah, the sanctuary realm specifically created as a safe place for dragels.
Once they arrived, it turned out a step in the immigration procedure was a thorough check in with a Healer and it was there that everything that had been done to Harry was finally made known.
Lee had been utterly enraged. George had been worse. His friend's flames had felt hot enough to burn the world down when they learned of Harry's state.
Needless to say, Harry and therefore Teddy had been immediately assigned to a healing circle and as Lee and George refused to part from them the two followed
It had taken over a year of staying with the Kalziks for Harry to be given the closest thing to a clean bill of health he would get.
In that time, their little 'friend circle' had become close with the Kalzik family and were invited to any future family gatherings.
It had actually been the only gheyo of the main family circle of the Kalziks, Bharin who had got Lee his job. Once he had heard about Lee's past work with the pirate radio show Potterwatch and even his quidditch commentary when he was in school, he had gotten him a job in the Pits as a small time announcer for unofficial bouts. Lee hadn't been able to curb his habit of commentary however and had been unable to hold his tongue when he saw some awful techniques used by some of the more pathetic gheyos on the floor. Luckily, the audience loved it and Lee didn't lose his new job. Instead he got a promotion.
In the few years he had went from a simple announcer of the most pitiful fights in the smaller arenas to the Head Announcer and Commentator of the official fights set in the main show arena.
To not forget his roots he kept his codename from his radio show. In remembrance of the war and his lost cohosts, Rapier and Romulus.
So here he was, 'River', the simple earth pareya who had a lot of sway in the world of gheyos with just the power of his words.
With the Hunt starting up soon for the first time since he had arrived in Nevarah, the Pits were swirling with activity and excitement. Anticipation was practically visible in the air. Fights were breaking out constantly. Some friendly, some to show off early and brag to each other, others not so friendly and fueled by the frustration that arises from anxiety. Lee knew the desk workers in charge of who was allowed to fight were having a horrible time of it. But Lee's job was flourishing with the more showy the fighters got during their matches.
And Lee knew a secret that most of the usual members of the Pit didn't. A new challenger was going to appear soon and going to absolutely wipe the floor with the arrogant gheyos who will have no idea what's coming.
After all, Harry's mentor was insistent that he take part in Pit matches during the Hunt and had already signed him up for many.
And if there was one thing Lee had learned over the years it was that Harry never disappointed during a fight.