Harry Potter and the King of Dragons

Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoat Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. All other characters come from my own twisted imagination. *cackles semi-maniacally*

A/N: This is my first Harry Potter fanfic. There may be some minor OOC and the possibility of a super!Harry. Now read my story and give me some intelligent feedback! :P

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The faint light of dawn seeped through the curtains of a small room in a simple house in Little Whinging as a young man tossed and turned in his bed. He had tousled black hair and a scar shaped like a lightning bolt was on his forehead. A tapping at his window caused him to open eyes that were as green as emeralds. The young man moved the curtains aside before opening the window. A small reptile flew in and perched on the footboard of the bed. It had bat-like wings attached to the body of a serpent and feet like an owl's. The creature held out a leg with a note tied to it.

Mr. Harry James Potter,

It has come to our attention that you are one of the beneficiaries of the will of Sirius Orion Black. The reading of his will is to take place on August 1st at 10:30 am. Please send your reply no later than July 29th.

Signed,
Ignatian
Head of the Department of Wills and Last Testaments

P.S. It has also come to our attention that you are the only member of the Potter family. Under Wizarding law, you may receive your inheritance on your 16th birthday. Please send your reply no later than July 30th.

Harry sat down heavily on his bed, staring at the letter in his hands. His godfather, Sirius Black, had died shortly before the end of his fifth year. He had died in a battle with several of Lord Voldemort's followers. Many people who had known Sirius told him that he had always been a man of action, and had died honorably, defending his godson Harry.

Hedwig and the wyvern eye each other dubiously as the teenage wrote a reply on the back of the letter Gringotts had sent and grabbed a few owl treats, "I don't know what your kind eat, whatever you are, but all I have are owl treats," he held one out to the wyvern.

The wyvern flicked his tongue at the treat in Harry's hand before hissing, "We prefer raw meat, but this is acceptable," and neatly plucked the treat from his fingers before swallowing it whole.

"You're in the serpent family?" the Boy-Who-Spoke-Parseltongue hissed back in surprise, holding out the other treats in his palm.

The wyvern ate another treat before answering, "No, I am in the Dragon family, but I speak the serpent tongue."

"Oh. My apologies," Harry held out the letter, "Could you take this back to Gringotts for me, please?"

The wyvern tilted its head, a glint of amusement in its eye, "That is why I stayed, Speaker."

The teen tied the letter to the wyvern's leg and held the window open for it. After it had flown out of sight, he latched his window and turned to his room, a thoughtful expression on his face. He looked at the clock on his bedside table and began packing his trunk. He had about an hour before he had to be downstairs to cook breakfast for his relatives. He didn't have many possessions so it didn't take very long for him to pack his trunk.

Once he was finished he went downstairs to make eggs, bacon, and sausage. Petunia came into the kitchen as her nephew was pulling out the plates and silverware.

"I heard some thumping coming from your room. What's going on?" she demanded as she sat down at the table after removing notepad from the refrigerator.

"I was cleaning my room. I couldn't sleep so I decided to do some cleaning before I came down to cook breakfast," Harry said as he set the table.

"I see," was all she said before writing on the pad.

The young Griffindor had just finished taking the bacon and sausage of the oven when Vernon and Dudley waddled into the kitchen, kissing Petunia on her cheeks before sitting down. Harry quietly served them and then washed the dishes before going upstairs. Several minutes later he carried his trunk downstairs into the hall, Hedwig's cage under his arm.

"What's the meaning of all this, boy?" Vernon demanded, crossing his arms over his chest.

Harry took out his wand and held it up, the large man backed away slightly, "I decided earlier this morning that I don't want to live here anymore," he took a deep breath and stated in a firm voice, "This is no longer my home." The house shook slightly when Harry said those words.

Vernon looked around fearfully before turning angrily to the freak, "What have you done, boy?"

But Harry had quickly pulled open the door and dragged his trunk outside. He hurried down to the curb and stuck out his wand. A violently purple triple-decker banged into existence just as Vernon Dursley came charging out the door. The young wizard quickly dragged his trunk onto the bus, "Leaky Cauldron, please," he said handing Stan Shunpike 11 sickles. The Knight Bus quickly took off for London.

Several stops and a bumpy ride later, the Knight Bus stopped in front of the Leaky Cauldron. Stan helped Harry with his trunk and then closed the door before the bus zoomed off to its next stop. Harry entered the dark and shabby, yet welcoming, establishment and up to the front desk, "Excuse me, sir. I'd like a room, please."

The bald and toothless man turned to Harry, smiling, "Of course, Mr. Potter. Any room in particular?"

"Could I have one on the second-floor by a window?" he asked pulling out his money pouch.

Tom nodded, "Certainly, sir," he turned the guestbook towards Harry before taking down a room key, "That'll be nine galleons a night. How long will you be staying?"

Harry thought for a moment, "At least two weeks," he counted out the money for a week's stay and signed the guestbook, "I'll pay for another week next Monday if that's all right with you?"

"Of course, sir," the aging proprietor put the guestbook away before stepping out from behind the front desk and tapping the trunk with his wand, "Locomotor Trunk," and led the way up a handsome wooden staircase. Upon reaching the second-floor, Tom continued down the hall to the end, "Room 25. Would you like breakfast in your room or downstairs?" he asked as he unlocked the door and released the spell at the foot of the bed.

"Downstairs, please. Scrambled eggs with bacon and tea with milk and two lumps of sugar," Harry answered. Tom nodded and left the room after handing the key to the young wizard. Harry set Hedwig's cage on the nightstand and placed her perch by the window after opening it and pulled out some parchment and his quill and inkpot.

He went downstairs and sat down in one of the booths before laying out his parchment and began writing a letter to Dumbledore.

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During the summer break, Albus Dumbledore rarely woke before eight in the morning. On this morning he woke at half-past eight and went into his office after putting on a forest green robe. "Fortena," he called out.

A half-elf popped into existence next to his chair, "Yes, Master Dumbledore?"

"Tea with eggs and bacon, please," he requested and she disappeared before reappearing with a tray holding a plate with eggs and three slices of bacon and a small tea set. "Thank you," he said before unrolling the Daily Prophet and taking a bite of his eggs. Albus nibbled on his bacon and sat back in his chair, thinking about what was on his list for the day, when a glint of silver caught his eye. A bit of sunlight shone off one of the silver instruments on a table nearby. This particular object sat quietly in the sun while the others sat nearby puffing or whirring, some doing both. He quickly strode over to it and picked up before lightly tapping it with his wand. The small item tinkled quietly for a minute before whirring and then slowly wound down to a stop. The headmaster watched it for a few seconds afterward and then placed it on his desk before pacing thoughtfully. He finally strode over to his fireplace and threw a pinch of green powder into the fire, "Minerva McGonagall's quarters," he said firmly and placed his head into green flames.

"Minerva? Are you there?" he called out.

A door opened off to his left, "Albus? What's wrong? Has something happened?" Minerva McGonagall knelt in front of the fire.

"I'm gathering a few of the Order members, something's happened at Harry Potter's house. Could you take care of Hogwarts for awhile?" the ancient wizard explained quickly.

"Of course I can," she replied.

"Thank you. If you hear from Harry, tell him not to go anywhere and let me know as soon as possible," he said.

"Yes, professor," was her reply.

Albus pulled his head out of his fireplace and began writing several notes, "Fawkes, take these to Alastor Moody, Bill Weasley, and Remus Lupin," a beautiful gold and red bird that looked somewhat like a peacock with a short tail trilled softly. He handed the notes to the phoenix and went into his room to dress more presentably after watching the bird disappear with a flare. A short time later the three men who had received the notes arrived with the phoenix and sat down in front of Albus's desk.

"Lemon drop?" Albus held out a small dish with small, yellow candies. The three men politely refused and the old scholar leaned back in his chair, steepling his fingers, "As the three of you may be aware, I have had a ward placed on the home of Harry Potter. Sometime during the night, that ward fell. The instrument I was using to track the ward doesn't seem to indicate any foul play, but I would like to check just the same."

"If there was no foul play, perhaps his relatives know what happened?" Bill Weasley ventured.

"If they do, I don't think they'll be easy to talk to," Alastor Moody growled, "Something about the uncle didn't seem friendly."

Remus Lupin nodded in agreement, "From what I've heard about Petunia, she didn't seem to like wizards much."

"Either way, we need go check things out," Albus picked up an old quill from his trashcan and tapped it with his wand, "Portus. On the count of three gentlemen," the three men gathered around the quill and touched it with a finger, "One, two, three," the elderly man tapped it with his wand and four of them vanished in the blink of an eye.

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A few seconds later they came to a stop on a quiet street in a small town. The four of them walked a few meters until they reached number 4 Privet Drive.

"Bill," Albus turned to the redhead who nodded and pulled out his wand. He walked around the front of the house, waving his wand and muttering every few feet, before returning to his companions.

"It doesn't look as though anything broke the ward, it simply collapsed from the inside. Based on the traces I've found, the ward was collapsed approximately two to two and half hours ago," the young wizard reported.

Meanwhile Alastor Moody strode to a house several doors across the street and knocked on the door with his walking stick. It cracked open slightly before opening all the way, "Alastor? Is everything alright?"

The former Auror tipped his hat to her, "Good morning, Arabella. Have you heard anything unusual coming from Harry's house this morning?"

Mrs. Figg thought for a moment, "I don't know if this counts as unusual, but I heard a bang a couple hours ago. When I came out to look, I didn't see anything, though. What's going on, Alastor?"

"We're not sure exactly, Arabella. Dumbledore says a ward he had placed on the house collapsed sometime last night or early this morning and we're checking up on it."

"If you're going to talk to his aunt, I suggest you let me do it. She's more likely to talk to me," and with that she stepped outside and locked her door before walking across the street with the wizard.

Albus turned to Arabella when she and Alastor were closer, "How are you, Mrs. Figg?"

"I'm well, Professor Dumbledore. Alastor told me what's happening. Would you like me to talk to Mrs. Dursley?" she greeted politely.

"I don't think that'll be necessary. Whatever else she tells us, I'd like to investigate Harry's room. Perhaps we'll find a clue as to his whereabouts," Albus stated. He held up a hand to forestall her argument, "If we need your assistance, we will let you know. Thank you."

Tight-lipped the elderly Squib nodded at the gentlemen, a slightly softer look at Alastor, before going back to her house. Albus walked towards the front door, Bill following him, while Remus looked at his friend with a raised eyebrow. Alastor looked back at him, "Something on your mind, Lupin?" Remus merely shook his head, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips, and followed the old man and the redhead.

The Head of the Wizengamot knocked on the door of number 4 Privet Drive once the rest of his companions joined him and waited for the door to open. The door opened slightly and the Dudley's corpulent face appeared in the crack, "What do you want?" he demanded.

Albus nodded at Dudley, "My name is Albus Dumbledore. I'm looking for Petunia Dursley."

Dudley's face disappeared from the opening while he shouted behind him, "Mum! There's some old guy looking for you!"

Petunia took her son's place before looking out and gasped.

Albus nodded at Petunia, "Good morning, Mrs. Dursley. I think we have a few things to discuss. May we come in?"

She took a deep breath to regain her composure, "He's not here anymore. He left this morning, the ungrateful wretch."

Bill looked at Remus with a raised eyebrow while the Supreme Mugwump spoke, "I see. I'd like my companions to check out his room anyway, please. And I have a few questions I'd like to ask you."

She looked like she was about to refuse and then opened the door wider allowing them inside, "Dudley, show these gentlemen to Harry's room." Once they were inside she walked into the sitting room, Albus and Remus following her while Bill and Alastor followed Dudley up the stairs to Harry's room.

Alastor used his magical eye to check for hiding places while Bill checked for spell residue and magical traps. "Hmm, there's a space under a floorboard under the bed."

The young curse-breaker finished his scan and stepped into the room, "Anything in it?" he asked, looking inside the wardrobe.

"Doesn't appear to be," the grizzled veteran walked over to the loose floorboard and removed it, "Mostly crumbs and dust," he replaced the floorboard and picked something off the foot of the bed, "What about the wardrobe?"

"Nothing more than some empty hangars," Bill turned to Alastor, "What's that?"

"Looks to be a scale of some kind," he rubbed it between his fingers thoughtfully, "Lupin and I received a letter from Gringotts notifying us of the reading of Black's will, and they sent wyverns."

Bill walked towards the window, "Which means Harry probably received a letter, too," he picked up a small, white feather on the floor beneath the sill and turned to the former Auror, "Do you know what color Harry's owl was?"

"It was white," Dudley answered from the doorway. The two wizards turned to him, "Sometimes I'd see it leaving or coming back to his room."

"Did you see or hear anything this morning?" Bill asked.

The teenager thought for moment, "I was coming back from the bathroom and when I passed my window, I saw a snake tapping at his window," the wizards shared a look at this statement, "He's not coming back is he?"

"Doesn't appear that way. You're sure it wasn't the owl carrying a snake in its mouth?" the Albus asked.

Dudley shook his head, "I may not know much, but I do know that owls don't hunt snakes. Do you two know Harry?"

They nodded and the redheaded wizard spoke, "He's best friends with my youngest brother."

The teenager appeared thoughtful for a moment, "He saved my life last summer," Dudley's eyes appeared distant and fearful, "I felt like I'd never be happy again."

"I heard. Those were dementors. They guard one of our prisons," Alastor stated.

Dudley turned away into the hall and said softly over his shoulder, "If you see him, tell him I said thanks," and walked into his room. Bill and Alastor watched him walk away before looking at each other and then walked downstairs.

While Dudley led Bill and Alastor upstairs, Albus and Remus sat on a couch facing Petunia, "Perhaps you could start at the beginning, Mrs. Dursley?" Albus requested.

The horse-faced woman clasped her hands and looked down at them before answering, "I was awakened by some faint thumps coming from Harry's room, but when I went to tell him to stop, he wasn't in his room. I went into the kitchen to start a list of things for my nephew to do today and he was in there making breakfast as usual. When I asked him what he'd been doing, he claimed that he'd been cleaning his room becuase he couldn't sleep. He didn't say why and I didn't ask. Vernon came downstairs around five to seven and Harry served breakfast before going back upstairs. He came down with his trunk a bit later and said something about this not being his home anymore. The house shook a bit then. Vernon demanded to know what had happened, but the little freak had already run out of the house."

Albus sat back and stroked his beard while Remus spoke, "Mrs. Dursley, do you remember what Harry's exact words were?"

Petunia closed her eyes and thought for a moment, "He said 'I decided earlier this morning that I don't want to live here anymore.' Then he took out his wand and said 'This is no longer my home.' And that's when the house shook."

"I see," Albus said. Shortly thereafter Bill and Alastor came down the stairs and stood just outside the doorway to the sitting room. Albus looked up at them with a raised eyebrow, Alastor slightly motioned with his head and the headmaster nodded before standing and turning to Petunia, "Thank you for your time, Mrs. Dursley," he stepped into the entryway and the door.

Remus stood after his mentor and turned to their hostess, "Whatever else you may think of us, Mrs. Dursley, we are not so different. We both want to lead a good life and raise our children as best as we know. The tools we use to accomplish those goals may be different, but the goals are the same," the former professor walked into the entryway and turned to her, "Good day, Mrs. Dursley," and he walked out the door.

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Alastor led the way across the street to Arabella's house and knocked on her door, "Excuse me, Arabella, but would you mind if we came inside for a cup of tea while we discuss what we've learned?" he asked after she'd opened the door. She stood back and opened the door wider, inviting them inside. Alastor tipped his hat to her as he walked past her. The other three followed him into the kitchen and sat down while she started the water. Albus sat opposite the stove with Bill and Remus on his left, across from the sink, and Alastor on his right after setting a plate of gingersnaps on the table. The four of them sat quietly with their thoughts while Arabella put a tea service together and then set it on the table with the gingersnaps and sat next to Alastor. Alastor served Arabella first and then everybody else before serving himself.

Albus spoke first, running his thumb across the top of a gingersnap in his hand, "From what Mrs. Dursley told me, this was somewhat of a spur of the moment thing for Harry. He packed his trunk before he made breakfast and then left while they were eating. Shortly before he walked out the door, he told them that their home was no longer his home, which caused the wards to collapse."

Bill sipped his tea before speaking, "It wasn't your usual collapse, either. Most wards send out a shockwave when they collapse. The stronger the ward or wards, the stronger the shockwave."

Professor Dumbledore nodded as he took a bite of the cookie, "They were blood wards keyed to Harry's relationship with his aunt and uncle. By saying their home was no longer his home, he ended the protection of the wards."

"I don't know how much any of you have been told about what happened in that house, but they worked him hard while their son did nothing other than bully him and other kids," Arabella took a sip of her tea before continuing, "It got to the point where nobody wanted to be Harry's friend because they were afraid Dudley and his gang would beat them up. As far as I'm concerned Harry is well rid of them."

"Be that as it may, Mrs. Figg, we must still find Harry and see if he's all right," Albus turned to Bill, "Have you heard from your mum today, Bill?"

The younger man shook his head and passed the feather he'd picked up to the leader of the Order of the Phoenix, "I had planned on visiting my mum after work today. I can apparate over there once we're done here, though," he pointed to the feather in Albus's hand, "Alastor and I found that near the sill in Harry's room. I'm thinking he either sent Hedwig to one of his friends or he sent her on ahead to wherever he went."

Alastor passed the scale he held to the aged educator, "Remus and I received letters from Gringotts that were carried by wyverns," he pointed to the scale in Albus's hand, "Bill and I believe that Harry also received one and then packed his things after he sent the wyvern on with his reply."

Remus spoke up, "One question remains then, where did he go?"

It was at that moment that Fawkes appeared a small flash of fire in the sitting room and perched on Albus's outstretched arm, holding out the leg that had a slip of parchment tied to it. The Light wizard removed the slip and set Fawkes on the back of his chair.

Albus,

I've just received a letter from Harry Potter. He says he's fine and that he's staying at the Leaky Cauldron in room 25. He also says if you wish to set up a time to meet with him, send him an owl letting him know when and where and he will do his best to be there.

Signed,
Minerva

P.S. I have taken the liberty of sending him the preliminary list of books for the upcoming year.

Albus passed the note to Remus and sat back to sip his tea thoughtfully. Remus read the note and then passed it to Bill, "That explains most things, and what isn't explained can wait until you speak with him."

Bill nodded and handed the note to Arabella, "It's good to know he's alright, at least," he took a quick sip of his tea, "May I borrow your fireplace and Floo to the Burrow, Mrs. Figg?"

"No, go ahead. The Floo Powder is in the blue vase on the mantelpiece," Bill held out the blue vase with flowers on it, "No, that's Mr. Figg. The short one without the lid."

Bill picked up the short vase and checked to make sure it was the right powder before tossing it into the fire. He stepped into the fire and called out, "The Burrow," before vanishing away in an emerald burst of flame.

Albus picked up a gingersnap and stood up, holding out his arm for Fawkes, "I should probably get back to Hogwarts. It was good seeing you again, Mrs. Figg. I hope things go well for you," and with that the phoenix and the headmaster vanished in a flash of fire.

Remus smiled slightly as he bit into a gingersnap, "So when is it?"

Alastor slowly lowered his cup, his eyebrow raised, "When is what?"

"The wedding, of course," the werewolf took a sip of tea before ticking things off his fingers, "There's a ring on your mantelpiece and one on your finger, I'm guessing the ring on your mantelpiece was your wedding ring and the one on your finger is from Alastor. There's the way you two have been making eyes at each other. Don't look at me like that, Alastor, Lily and James made eyes at each other often enough when they were together. Plus, your scent changes slightly when you two are together."

"What about you and Tonks?" Alastor demanded.

Remus crossed his arms, "That's different."

Arabella put in her two pence, "Because you're a werewolf?"

"Bollocks on your curse, Remus," Alastor said before Remus could argue, "I know Tonks and she's stubborn as a mule. She's not about to let your curse get in the way."

"It's not just my curse. It's the age difference," Remus debated.

"As Alastor said, bollocks on the age difference. I knew plenty of couples where one half was quite a bit older than the other. Usually they lasted longer than where the lovers were closer in age," Arabella said before picking up the empty plate and putting it in the sink.

"So," Alastor said as he smiled slightly, "When's your wedding?"

~~~~~~~~

Dumbledore reappeared in his office and walked over to his desk, setting Fawkes on his perch on his way. He pulled out some parchment and wrote a short letter to Harry. When he was finished he went up to the owlery and asked it to take the letter to Harry Potter at the Leaky Cauldron.

Several hours later, while Harry was in Diagon Alley working on his homework and eating a sundae from Florian Fortescue's, an owl dropped a letter next to Harry's roll of parchment.

Dear Mr. Potter,

I am relieved to know that you are well, and I look forward to meeting with you to discuss your current situation. If it is convenient for you, I suggest July 24th at 9:30 am at the Leaky Cauldron. Send back a reply if this is not convenient for you. I shall assume no reply means that this time is convenient for you, and look forward to meeting with you.

Thank you,
Albus Dumbledore

Harry looked at the owl, "Sorry I don't have anything for you. As the letter said, if the time and place are convenient, I don't need to send a reply. Go back to Hogwarts."

The owl gave a slightly disgruntled hoot as it flew back to Hogwarts and Harry turned back to his homework after slipping the letter inside his robes.

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Post-A/N: *walks up to the podium and takes a deep breath before speaking* I'd like to thank my beta readers, Jestana and Filodea, for making sure my story is grammatically correct and makes sense. I'd also like to thank my friends Iivanainen, chelleybelle24, and Nickie for their encouragement and for putting up with me.