A Rider's Legacy

Chapter 12:
 
The next morning at around half past ten, Harry and Murtagh stood, facing the barrier between platforms nine and ten in King's Cross station. They were both camouflaged, so that no one could recognize them. Harry would lift his camouflage only when he spotted the Weasleys. He felt that he should do this at least, just to ensure that Mr and Mrs Weasley did not continue to worry about him. He still felt guilty for causing them and the rest of his friends such stress.
Hedwig was perched on Harry's shoulder, finally free of her cage. The only reason why both she and Harry had put up with that thing was because of the Dursleys. But now, Harry felt that she should be free to fly about as she wished. Hedwig was pleased, and fluttering on her perch.
He was also dragging his trunk behind him. Murtagh had already attached his luggage to Thorn, who was hiding with Colaen on a roof-top under camouflage.
Murtagh turned to Harry.
"Are you ready?"
Harry smiled.
"Yeah, are you?"
Murtagh smiled slightly.
"Yes."
The two turned to the barrier and casually walked through to platform nine-and-three-quarters.
 
The platform was just as Lily had described to him all those years ago. Murtagh could see it was crowded with magic-users of all ages, families large and small. Children ran among the adults, who were talking amongst one another. Students met with friends and began to talk about their summers. It was all overwhelming.
Murtagh could not help the stabbing pain in his heart as he looked at the families. He could not stop his mind from wondering what could have been, if he had only stayed. Could he and Lily have made a life together? Could they and Harry have had such a family, together? Could they have even had more children? They could have been one of the families walking among these people. His life could have been so different, if only...
"Father?"
Murtagh was shaken out of his musings.
"Ha, oh, yes?"
Harry was staring at him.
"You had that look again."
"What look?"
"The look you get when you think about something and get lost in your mind." Harry replied. "Are you okay?"
"I..." Murtagh shook his head. "I am fine."
Harry eyed him suspiciously, but did not comment.
"Well, umm, I think I just spotted the Weasleys."
Murtagh followed where Harry was pointing to find a large group of red-heads, excluding one girl with bushy brown hair.
"I better go check on them and get Mrs Weasley's angry tangent over with."
Murtagh grinned.
"She cannot be that bad."
Harry rolled his eyes and smiled.
"Oh, she is. She's more of a hover-parent than you."
"I am not..." Murtagh began, but decided to not continue the same argument.
He looked around.
"Well, I suppose we shall see you at Hogwarts."
Harry smiled, though the expression did not reach his eyes. Murtagh guessed he felt the same as he did. Though this was not a goodbye, it felt too much like it.
"Yeah, try not to get lost, or worse, attacked by a tree."
Murtagh chuckled.
"We shall be careful. And the same goes for you."
"I'm only going on the train." Harry protested. "What's the worst that could happen?"
Murtagh raised an eyebrow.
"Did you not faint the last time you went to school on the train?"
Harry rolled his eyes.
"That's only because the Ministry thought it would be a good idea for dementors to go and guard the school."
Murtagh shook his head.
"It is a miracle that this country is still standing with such a poor excuse of a government."
Harry chuckled.
"Yeah, I just hope none of the students now need therapy after last year, mainly because I don't know if the wizarding world has therapists."
They both chuckled, but then fell silent.
"Well, I guess I'll see you later." Harry said.
Murtagh wrapped his son in a quick embrace.
"Stay safe." He said before letting him go.
Harry grinned.
"I make no promises."
And with that, father and son parted. Murtagh watched as Harry approached the group of mostly red-heads, his camouflage falling. He was instantly embraced by the woman in the group, and Murtagh chuckled at his son's obvious embarrassment. He could sense that his son was safe with these people.
 
As Harry walked away from his father, he let his camouflage fall. The Weasley's and Hermione did not spot him at first, making sure they had everything and saying their long goodbyes. Then he spoke up to get their attention.
"Hi guys."
Instantly, they all turned to face him. Harry shuffled uncomfortably, but kept a smile on his face.
"How've you been?"
Immediately, Mrs Weasley was upon him, practically crushing him in her embrace.
"Oh, Harry," She began, relief on her face. However, her expression quickly melted to the look she most commonly wore when the twins had done something.
"Where have you been? Do you know how worried we have been about you? When Dumbledore told us you were not at your Aunt's house, you could not imagine how worried I was. Why would you do something so..."
"Molly, dear," Interrupted Mr Weasley. "Please, let him breathe."
Mrs weasley let him go and Harry gasped in air. However, as soon as she was gone, the twins were upon him.
"Good job." Fred said, clapping him on the back.
"Nice trick," George continued.
"What a show."
"That is enough boys." Mrs Weasley said scoldingly. "Harry did something very idiotic and dangerous, and you should not be congratulating him."
The twins grinned.
"But Mum," Fred began.
"He had good reason." George continued.
"To want to do a runner."
Mrs Weasley scowled.
"No, what he did put him in danger. He should have stayed where he was safe."
"Errr, Mrs Weasley," Harry began. "I am sorry to disappoint you, but if you wanted me to be safe, then the last place I should be is with the Dursleys."
"What?" Mrs Weasley asked in surprise. "What do you mean? I know that you always seem to come back from the summer far too thin, but..."
"I would hate to be so blunt," Harry began. "But there are many things you are not aware of. I'm not going to get into detail, but let's just say the Malfoy's treat their house-elves better than the Dursleys treated me."
Everyone then gaped, and Mrs Weasley's eyes filled with tears.
"Oh, Harry!"
She then yet again wrapped him in her arms.
"I know that you are not one to tell lies, so I know it must be... But, oh why didn't you tell us sooner?"
"I... Didn't... Want to... Worry anyone." He spluttered. "Put me down please."
Instantly, the older witch let him go. Mr Weasley put a hand on his shoulder.
"I understand why you did not tell us," He began. "But I wish you had told us sooner. I might have some friends in the ministry who could..."
Harry shook his head.
"Thanks Mr Weasley, but I've found something."
"But where...?" Mr Weasley began, but Harry shook his head.
"Sorry, can't tell you, even if I wanted to." He said, grinning. "But don't worry, I'm perfectly safe."
"Well, if you say so." Mrs Weasley replied reluctantly.
"Umm, I think the train's about to leave." Ginny interrupted.
"Oh, of course." Mrs Weasley replied. "Do you have everything?" She asked Harry and the five other students.
They all nodded. She embraced all of them, lingering the longest on Harry.
"Stay safe, okay?"
Harry grinned.
"I'm sorry Mrs Weasley, but I can't promise that."
She shook her head and let him follow his friends onto the train.
As the scarlet steam-engine departed from the station, Harry looked out the window to watch all the smiling families waving at their parting children. He could see Mr and Mrs weasley clearly near the front of the crowd. And as he looked near the back of the platform, he briefly saw his father drop his camouflage long enough to wave at him. Harry smiled. Though he knew that he would see his father and both their dragons in only a few hours, this still felt too much like a goodbye.
As the train rounded the corner and the platform sped out of sight, he turned to his friends. He had feared that, once he admitted how the Dursleys had treated him, they would look at him with pity in their eyes. However, their expressions looked no different than they usually did.
"Errr, so," He began awkwardly. "How was your summer?"
The twins were still grinning at him, Ron and Ginny were smiling slightly, and only Hermione was frowning at him.
"Well, it was fine," The bushy-haired witch began. "Excluding my inordinate amount of worry after hearing that you had up and disappeared."
Harry winced.
"Yeah, sorry about that."
"Don't be." George began.
"That was brilliant." Fred continued.
"You should have seen Dumbledore's face."
"It is not funny." Hermione snapped. "He could have been in serious danger."
"He couldn't have been in any more danger than he would have been with the Dursleys." Ron argued. "And he was obviously safe, because he's still here."
"And I actually think he looks better." Ginny added, observing him. "He doesn't look so skinny."
Harry smiled.
"Thanks, I've been working out, and I'm on a special diet."
Hermione sighed, then her eyes filled with concern.
"But oh Harry, why didn't you tell us how you were mistreated?" She asked. "My parents are muggles. They could have..."
"What?" Harry asked sarcastically. "What could they have done?"
Hermione frowned.
"They could have contacted child-services and..."
Harry scoffed.
"Been there, tried that, sorry."
He then put a hand on Hermione's shoulder.
"I'm sorry to be so blunt, but I'm tired of hiding how I feel. All these years I didn't tell you because I didn't want to worry you. Well, that, and I was embarrassed about it."
"Oh, Harry."
And suddenly, he was wrapped up in Hermione's arms, his face berried in her bushy mane.
"Hermione... Can't... Breathe..."
She pulled away from him, blushing.
"Sorry."
"But seriously mate," Ron began. "You didn't have to feel embarrassed. It's not your fault you have bad relatives."
Harry smiled.
"Thanks, but please don't call them my relatives. I have officially disowned them."
They all laughed. There was then a long silence. Fred, George and Ginny left for their own friends, leaving him with Ron and Hermione.
"Come on," He began. "Let's find a compartment. I have something I want to tell you."
They began walking down the corridor.
"What is it?" Hermione asked. "Is it about where you were this summer?"
Harry smiled.
"Yes, and a lot, lot more."
They finally found an empty compartment and sat down. Harry closed the door and locked it behind him. He then cast several spells for privacy in the Ancient Language. His two friends stared at him in surprise.
"Errr, what was that?" Ron asked.
Harry grinned.
"Magic, just not the kind you're used to."
"But," Hermione began. "You didn't use your wand."
Harry continued to grin as he sat down.
"That would be because I don't need a wand for this magic."
He sucked in a breath. After much discussion with his father, Colaen and even a non-verbal conversation with Hedwig, he had decided to tell Ron and Hermione at least of his secret heritage. However, he was also going to make them take an oath in the Ancient Language, preventing them from revealing his secrets by any means. It was not that he didn't trust his friends, it was just that Murtagh did not want to take any risks, and Harry had agreed.
"First, before I tell you anything," He began. "I'm going to need you to say this."
He took out two pieces of parchment and handed them to his friends. They both read over the words and frowned.
"Is this the same language you used for the magic?" Hermione asked.
"Yep." Harry replied. "It's to make sure no one can find out through you. It's not that I don't trust you, it's just that there are some people who don't like taking risks."
After a few minutes of helping his friends through the pronunciation, they were ready for him to tell his story.
"So, where to begin?"
"Maybe at the beginning." Ron suggested.
Harry smiled.
"Well, it began just after last term ended..."
After about ten minutes, Harry was finished with his tale and his friends were staring at him in surprise.
"Blimey." Ron began. "So that's where you've been all summer, with your long lost Dad on an island full of dragons that can talk in your mind?"
"Yeah, basically." Harry replied.
"And you are also now one of these "Dragon Riders"?" Hermione continued.
"Yep." Harry replied.
Ron sat back, shaking his head and grinning, and Hermione face-palmed.
"Only you," She began. "Only you could possibly have such a life and think it was just an ordinary summer."
Harry shrugged.
"What can I say?"
She looked up.
"Well, I am happy for you, now that you have a proper family."
Harry smiled.
"Thanks."
Ron grinned.
"Don't tell Hagrid where this island is. He'll most likely go there for a holiday and never return."
They all chuckled.
"Are you going to tell Hagrid?" Hermione asked.
Harry frowned.
"I want to, believe me. It's just, you know how bad he is at keeping secrets."
"But why don't you make him say whatever it is you made us say?" She asked.
Harry sighed.
"Because it would become obvious he was keeping a secret. If you were to try and mention it, even by accident, you would suddenly begin coughing at a loss for words. I think people would notice Hagrid doing something like that, and I don't want people, i.e. Dumbledore, finding out. I might tell him eventually, but..." He trailed off. There was a long awkward silence. Finally, Harry cleared his throat.
"So, that was my summer, how was yours?"
For the next half hour or so, Ron and Hermione described the events of the Quidditch world cup, Ron going into explicit detail about the two teams and especially the Bulgarian seeker, Viktor Krum. However, after about five minutes Hermione managed to get the story back on track, describing the Death-Eater's attack on the campsite and that, apparently, Ron's wand had been stolen by whoever had cast the Dark Mark. She then grew quite angered when describing how a ministry worker, Barty Crouch, had treated his house-elf.
"It was honestly not fair." She said. "If she hadn't left the tent then she would have been either burnt or crushed!"
It took both of them to calm her down. Though, Harry's head was spinning with thoughts. Before, he had always associated house-elves with Dobby. Now that he knew of the other kind of elves, and even called one a friend, he found himself more inclined to agree with Hermione's fury. He had to do some more research on this, as he wished to know the connection between the two kinds, and if they were of the same species or different.
For the next few hours, the three of them talked about this and that, watching the country-side fly past them.
 
Just before they reached Hogsmeade station, it began to rain. They, along with the rest of the students, left the train and entered the downpour. Hedwig was still perched on Harry's shoulder. He looked at her.
"Well, do you want to come to the feast, or would you rather just go straight up to the owlery?" He asked.
Hedwig hooted and seemed to think about it for a few seconds. Then, she spread her wings and after nipping his ear once, she took off. Harry chuckled.
"Well, I guess that answers that question."
As he, Ron and Hermione walked to the horseless carriages which took them up to the castle, he felt a familiar presence in his mind.
[Harry?]
[Hey Colaen, did you guys get here okay?]
[Yeah, but Thorn kept complaining about me jumping around.]
[And were you?]
Colaen sent him a feeling of sheepishness.
[Maybe. I couldn't help it. I was just so excited.]
Harry chuckled. Ron and Hermione looked at him strangely.
"Errr, mate, are you okay?" Ron asked.
"Oh, err, yeah." Harry replied. "Colaen just came in range for a conversation through our bond. Though, I don't think my Father and Thorn are close enough to establish a four-way link."
He voiced the question to Colaen.
[Nope, sorry.]
She replied.
Hermione's face had brightened in curiosity.
"Really?"
Harry smiled.
"Yeah, should I tell her you said hi?"
"Yes, of course."
"Me too." Ron added.
[Ron and Hermione say hi.]
[Tell them I said hi too.]
Colaen replied.
[Where are you now?]
[Thorn's just flying over the border into the Forbidden Forest. I think he and Murtagh are looking for a safe place to camp.]
[Tell them to avoid the centaurs and anywhere there are giant spider webs. Oh, and the tree that can attack you.]
The bond was silent for a few seconds.
[I think they've found something. Talk to you later?]
[Yeah, after everyone's in bed. And maybe tomorrow after lessons are done I can introduce you to my friends here.]
[Yay.]
Harry chuckled again. He then turned his attention to Ron and Hermione.
"How would you like to meet my dragon, my Father and his dragon tomorrow?" He asked.
Ron smiled excitedly and Hermione's eyes lit up in the way they did when she had found a new book.
"Oh, that will be incredible." She said.
"Oh no." Ron muttered. "You do know she's going to attack all three of them with questions?"
Harry chuckled.
"Yeah, pretty much."
 
The feast went on as usual. Harry had pulled out his diet-list from his robe pocket, as Hermione had insisted upon reading it to help with his meals. Harry had begun to protest, but Hermione could but quite hard to argue with. So he submitted to her help. He was actually slightly thankful, as the food at Hogwarts tended to be a little less fresh and a little more fattening than the food at the Rider's academy, which was purely organic.
When the feast ended, Dumbledore stood for his customary speech.
"Good Evening," He began. "Welcome to all the new students and welcome back to all our old faces. Now, before you all go to bed, I have a few announcements. First of all, I would like to introduce our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, however, it seems that he..."
Suddenly, there was a clap of thunder and a flash of lightning. Then, the large double-doors opened to reveal a middle aged man, with a wooden leg, walking-stick, scars all over his body and most strangely of all, an eye which swivelled around, very different to his other. He walked up to the staff table.
"Sorry I'm late, got held up." He said in a gruff voice before taking the empty seat at the staff table.
"Professor Moody." Dumbledore finished.
There were mutters around the Great Hall.
"I know him." Ron muttered. "That's mad-eye Moody. He used to be an Auror, and a very good one too."
Dumbledore then called the Hall to silence.
"Now, I would also like to announce that this year, there shall be no inter-house Quidditch tournament..."
At this, the entire hall erupted in yells of shock and outrage. Dumbledore had to fire off several bangs from his wand to quiet them down.
"As I was saying, there shall be no inter-house Quidditch tournament, as there shall be a special event occurring at Hogwarts this year."
There were now some quiet mutters around the hall.
"This year, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry shall be hosting the Triwizard tournament, an ancient tradition between three different schools which has not been held for a long time due to... Certain reasons. Three champions are chosen, one from each school, and these champions will compete in three tasks. Whomever shall win this tournament shall win a prize of 1000 galleons and eternal glory."
There were now louder mutters around the hall.
"Do you know anything about this tournament?" Ron asked Hermione.
Hermione frowned.
"Yes, I have read about it. It was held by three schools centuries ago, but was stopped due to its high death toll."
At this, Harry felt like hitting his head against the table.
"High death toll? Great, just great. At least I know how the universe is going to try to kill me this year." He muttered.
"You don't know that this will affect you at all." Hermione replied reasonably.
"And when has something that is dangerous been around me and not affected me?" He asked bitterly.
Dumbledore yet again called the hall to silence.
"To avoid risking these circumstances, there shall be an age limit. Only those who are of age will be able to participate, and they shall be chosen by an impartial judge."
At this, there were many exclamations of outrage.
"You see," Hermione said. "You won't be in danger because you are not of age to compete."
"Don't count on that." Harry muttered.
Dumbledore then called silence to the hall.
"On the 30th of October representatives of the two other participating schools, Beauxbatons and Durmstrang, shall be arriving with the heads of their respective schools. Then, on October 31st the champions shall be selected."
At this, Harry did bang his head against the table, several times.
"Harry, are you okay?" Hermione asked in concern.
"I am doomed." He groaned. "He just said that the champions will be selected on Halloween!"
He then banged his head against the table again.
"And"
Bang.
"everything"
Bang.
"happens"
Bang.
"On Halloween!"
He banged his head on the table and rested it on the wooden surface. His forehead felt as if he would get a bruise, but he did not care. Both his friends put a hand on his shoulder.
"It will be okay." Hermione comforted.
"Yeah, you can get through anything." Ron agreed.
He looked up, his lips twitching in a small smile.
"Thanks." He replied.
After Dumbledore's speech, they were dismissed to their common-rooms. However, before Harry could leave the hall, he was stopped by Professor McGonagall.
"Mr Potter," She began. "The Headmaster wishes to see you in his office."
Harry sighed, but complied.
"Wait for me outside the portrait hole." He requested to his friends before following Professor McGonagall to Dumbledore's office.
 
When they entered the office, Dumbledore was sitting behind his desk, with his usual smile and twinkling eyes. He sat in the chair opposite the old wizard and Professor McGonagall went to stand on the other side, next to the Headmaster.
"Harry, my dear boy..." He began.
"I beg your pardon?" Harry interrupted. "But with all due respect, sir, I do not feel comfortable being addressed so casually by someone I barely know."
Professor McGonagall frowned, but Dumbledore just continued smiling.
"My apologies, Mr Potter. But I must say, you did give us quite the scare this summer."
Harry raised an eyebrow.
"Oh, I have heard. Sorry for causing such a panic."
Dumbledore continued to smile.
"It is alright. I am sure that come next summer, whatever grievances you have with your relatives will be settled and you will be able to..."
"I am going to stop you there." Harry interrupted. "Correct me if I am wrong, but it seems as if you are referring to the Dursleys."
"But of course I am." Dumbledore replied.
"Well, I am afraid you are mistaken." Harry continued. "For I do not consider them my relatives."
"But Mr Potter," Dumbledore insisted. "They are the family of your Mother's sister, your family, your blood..."
"And I am going to stop you again." Harry interrupted. "For while I may have the great misfortune of sharing blood with two thirds of them, I do not, nor have I ever, considered them family."
Dumbledore shook his head, the twinkle in his eyes dimming slightly.
"But you must stay with them, it is the only place where you could possibly be safe."
Harry scoffed.
"Safe? If how they treated me was what you would call safe, I shudder to think what could have happened to me if I was not safe."
Dumbledore frowned.
"What could they have possibly done to you...?"
Harry tapped his chin.
"Well, let's see. Starved me, made me live in a cupboard under the stairs for ten years, constantly called me a freak and said that I was a waste of space and that I should have died in the car crash that killed my parents. Oh, yeah, did you know that before I learnt I was a wizard at the ripe old age of eleven, I believed that my parents were drunks who died in a car crash, as I was told by the Dursleys? And I was forced to do pretty much all of the housework from the age of five, cooking, cleaning, gardening, etc. And every time something went wrong, I was beaten, even when it wasn't my fault. And I'm not even talking about accidental magic. One time, Vernon beat me half to death because his favourite bakery had raised the price on his favourite bun. I was six at the time..."
He had to suppress his smirk at Dumbledore's face. It had become extremely white, and the twinkle had completely disappeared from his eyes. Oh, this felt so good. While he had managed to let go of most of his negative feelings concerning the Dursleys, and had left them in the past, he still felt angry that Dumbledore had constantly subjected him to them. And it would appear that he was not alone.
Professor McGonagall had gone from white, to green, to a brilliant shade of red.
"That will be enough Mr Potter." Professor McGonagall said through gritted teeth. "You may go now. Albus, I must have a word with you, now."
If it was even possible, Dumbledore had gone even paler. Harry got up from his chair and left the office. However, he did not descend the stairs and instead listened in to what Professor McGonagall had to say to the old fool.
"Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore...!"
Harry smirk. Oh, full name. Dumbledore was in for it now.
"I told you, I told you! Didn't I say those people were the worst kind of muggles? Didn't I say that he should not be left in their care? But did you listen, no? No! Because you knew best! I remember when Lily was at school, and I had to comfort her because of something that her sister had said to her! That was the last place the boy should have gone, but of course you did not listen to me because of course you know best...!"
"Minerva..."
"Don't you Minerva me! I am personally ashamed that I did not notice the sinessigns of abuse before. Oh wait, I did, but every time I broached the subject with you, you brushed it off and told me not to worry, that he was safe with his relatives. You told us that he was living in luxury, that he was being treated with the love he deserved! Oh, I have half a mind to..."
After that, she slipped into another language that Harry supposed was Gaelic. He decided to leave at that point.
After leaving the spiral staircase, he rounded the corner and instead of going straight up to the common-room, he took his invisibility cloak out of his pocket and snuck out of the large front doors.
 
Murtagh had found a relatively large clearing near the edge of the forest, but far enough to not be noticed. He put up privacy wards and erected a tent that he had purchased in Diagon Alley. Both he and Harry had been amazed to find that magical tents could be made to have the interior of a house, or even a mansion. However, he had settled on one that only had a small bedroom, a kitchen and dinning area, and a spare room where he stored all of his books. It wasn't that he did not like camping, it was just that if he was to live in this forest for the next several months, he would prefer to be a little more comfortable. Thorn and Colaen could do just fine in the open, but he would rather have a more private living area.
Once the campsite had been set up, he lit a fire and sat down. Thorn and Colaen joined him and dried from the rain in front of the fire. He lent against his dragon, Colaen coming to lay her head in his lap. Together, the three waited for Harry.
Eventually, after a little while, Colaen's head jerked up and she began to run around excitedly.
[She says he is coming.]
Thorn said.
Murtagh chuckled at the younger dragon's antics. She seemed to have a limitless amount of energy.
Soon, Harry stumbled through the trees into the clearing and took off his invisibility cloak. He had a smile on his face, as if something very amusing had just happened. However, to Murtagh's alarm, he also had a dark bruise on his forehead that seemed to be very fresh.
As soon as Harry had entered the clearing, Colaen ran to greet him. He laughed and embraced her. Both walked over to Murtagh and Thorn. He sat and lent against the older dragon beside him.
"Hey, I see you got here alright." Harry began.
"Yes, the journey was fine." Murtagh replied.
"Have you eaten?" Harry continued.
"Yes." Murtagh replied. "Have you?"
Harry grinned.
"Yeah, Hermione insisted upon helping me. I guess it's good I have some help, because the food here isn't as healthy as the food at the academy."
Murtagh smiled, but then his attention returned to the bruise on his son's forehead.
"What happened?"
"Hmm?" Harry asked.
"There is a bruise on your forehead." Murtagh explained. "How did you hurt yourself?"
"Oh." Harry replied, touching the bruise. "Don't worry, I got that from banging my head against the table."
Murtagh frowned.
"Why did you bang your head against the table?"
Harry frowned.
"Oh, no reason. Just that Dumbledore's had the brilliant idea to hold a death tournament this year."
"What?" Murtagh asked in shock. "What do you mean a "death tournament"?"
Harry explained that something called the Triwizard Tournament, was to be held at Hogwarts for the first time in over a century.
"And they're choosing the champions on Halloween!" He finished. "Hermione and Ron think that I don't have anything to worry about, but come on. Everything happens on Halloween!"
Murtagh sighed and rubbed his temples.
"Yes, this is concerning. We mustn't rule out the possibility of something happening."
"Thank you." Harry said triumphantly. "Someone is finally taking this seriously."
Murtagh nodded.
"We must be prepared for anything. Which means I expect you to be training every day."
Harry nodded.
"I was already doing that, but I'll work harder."
Murtagh smiled.
"Just try not to overwork yourself."
"Okay." Harry replied.
The two sat in silence. Then, Harry smirked.
"Oh, I just remembered." He began. "Dumbledore called me into his office after the feast."
Murtagh frowned.
"What did he want?"
Harry shrugged.
"Wanted to know where I was this summer and why I did a runner. I didn't tell him where I went, but I did give him a lot of my reasons for running away."
"And how did he take it?" Murtagh asked.
Harry chuckled.
"You should have seen it, he looked terrified. But that was nothing. Professor McGonagall was there too, and she heard everything. She didn't seem happy at all."
Murtagh could not help the grin that appeared on his face. Lily had told him of her old Transfiguration Professor, and that she had quite the temper, especially when someone hurt one of the students under her care.
"What happened?" He asked.
Harry's grin widened.
"She told me to leave the room, but I listened in. I knew that Dumbledore had really done it this time, because she started with his full name, and you know that nothing good comes when someone addresses you by your full name."
Harry then explained, in great detail, exactly what she had said, up to the language change.
"The rest was in what I think might have been Gaelic." He finished.
"How would you know?" Murtagh asked.
Harry shrugged.
"She's Scottish, and seeing as the wizarding world seems to be behind the times, I guess that they would know old languages like that. And plus, I think I recognize some of the words, because I used to hide in the library from Dudley and I once stubbled upon something in Gaelic."
Murtagh chuckled.
"She must have been angry to revert to another language."
They both laughed. Even Thorn and Colaen were shaking with laughter. He and Harry had identical grins on their faces.
[The old man deserves it, after what he had done to your hatchling.]
Thorn said.
[Yes, I agree.]
Murtagh replied.
He looked at his son, sitting and smiling beside him. His heart felt as warm as the fire upon seeing his son in such joy.
He thought about Dumbledore. It was because of that man that his son very rarely had cause to be joyful.
As Headmaster, it was Dumbledore's duty to ensure the safety of the students under his care. However, he had not done so, leaving it up to Harry and his friends to fix the problems.
Dumbledore had failed Hogwarts. He had failed Harry.
But Murtagh would not. He would do whatever it took to ensure that Harry never had cause to not be full of joy.
Dumbledore had failed to keep Harry safe, but he would not.