Dragon Rose

A/N... I found the aura colors at reiki-for-holistic-heath.com, just in case anyone wanted to know. The meanings of colors are at the end of chapter.

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.


{Parseltongue}
:Mind speak:


Chapter Seven

As the lid of the chest opened completely, Harry couldn't help but gasp out loud. :Oh Dear Merlin!: Harry sighed into his mind as well, not realizing that he was allowing the other three to hear him.

:What?: he heard asked back, and turned around to face his bond-mates, smiling for the benefit of the adults present. :Nothing I can explain here. It will have to wait until we are behind closed and silenced doors.: he told them as he turned his back on them once again.

Gently taking out the shrunken portraits, he turned to face Salazar, {Is it safe to shrink this chest, My Lord?}

{Yes,} Salazar returned immediately, almost like he expected that question.

{Good. Expect me to rant at the four of you later. Right now I want to get back to the upper levels. No offense but this place brings back a lot of bad memories.}

{I expect no less from you Young Snake. We will await your Call.}

Nodding his head, Harry turned back to the chest, and with a casual wave of his hand, shrunk it down before putting it in his pocket. Turning back to the other's he grinned. “We really should be getting back. We've been down here long enough.”

“Indeed, my boy. Did you get everything you needed?” Albus asked.

“Yes Sir.” Walking over to him, Harry carefully laid the four portraits into the Headmaster's hands. “I believe that you can consult with them on any number of things now,” Harry finished.

“Very well. My Lords and Ladies, it has been a true pleasure to meet you,” Albus said as he turned to the Founders and gave a short bow.

“The pleasure, Headmaster Dumbledore, has been ours. Please make sure to place our portraits in a well-traveled area. We would love to be able to converse with the students that now occupy our school,” Lady Ravenclaw stated, giving him a regal nod.

Harry simply waved to his ancestors, while the others made their own good byes. He knew that soon after he got upstairs he would be calling this room to him. Making his way back through the tunnel, with the others following behind, his mind kept going over just what else was in that box, and prayed that his bond mates did not pick up on any of his thoughts.

When they reached the Main Chamber once more, Harry turned sharply to the left instead of going back the way the came, and with a hissed command at a seemingly solid wall, opened up another, smaller chamber. Motioning for the others to join him, he closed the door once again, before closing his eyes and placing both hands on the walls and released a steady stream of his magic.

“What are you doing, Mr. Potter?” Lucius drawled, hiding his nervousness.

Opening his eyes, which were alight with power, Harry grinned at the elder blond. “This room is a magical lift. I'm not sure exactly how the one at the Ministry works, but this needs someone to directly feed it magic to go from one spot to another, at least the first few times anyway. I'm taking us to the dungeons, and we should come out near an unused corridor by the potions classroom,” he explained, closing his eyes once again.

“Does this 'lift' only go to the Dungeons?” Flitwick squeaked in excitement.

“Would you like me to drop you off in your office, Sir?” was Harry's distracted reply, and brought the lift to a halt. Taking his hands off the wall, he allowed himself to slump tiredly against it. “I would have taken us further, but it's been a long day, and I think I'm starting to reach the limits with my magic,” he said with a soft, tired voice.

:Yeah right, Kitten,: Gali said in his mind while the other two snorted their own disbelief.

Harry flashed them a mental grin. :Ah, but they don't need to know that,: he admonished. :So be good little bond-mates and back me up. I'll explain when we get back to our rooms.:

Gali and Draco flashed each other a glance, amusement dancing in their eyes, before moving to either side of Harry. “Come on, Scarhead, let’s get you to your room so you can rest,” Draco said, while pulling one of Harry's arms around his shoulders and one of his own around Harry's waist, Gali echoing his movements. Then, they waited for the door to open once again at Harry's command.

Morgan slid one hand across Harry's shoulders, before turning to the others and bowed to them all. “If you will all excuse us, as Harry said, it has been a long day, and fighting Magical backwash is not my favorite past time,” she said to them all, and the led the three boys out, careful to keep her laughter to herself.

The four of them kept up the charade right up until they reached their suite and Lucius and Severus had all joined them. As soon as the door closed and was warded the teens dropped to the floor with laughter.

“Magical backwash, Morgan?” Harry choked through his laughter. “That was brilliant!”

“I thought so,” Morgan said while giggling. “Imagine that rush of pure power being anything but invigorating?” With that, all four started laughing once again.

Lucius looked at the four teens with a slight tint of shock in his eyes. “Are you telling me that Mr. Potter lied to the Headmaster?”

Severus gave him a look of amusement. “Why yes Luc, haven't you figured that out yet?”

The four of them settled down quickly, and three of them even managed to actually sit on the furniture other then the floor. Harry, for his part, just sat with his back against Severus's chair. Morgan kept giving her father confused looks, which almost set Harry off once again. “How did you figure it out Papa?”

Severus sighed and summoned a house elf to get drinks and snacks, before answering, combing his fingers lightly through Harry's hair. “I expect it's one of the side effects from being connected to Harry while that power surge came through, just like your Mind Bond. Instead of hearing Harry though, I feel him. I knew he wasn't tired, the same way I felt his flash of wicked amusement over putting one over on the Headmaster,” he explained finally.

Harry kept only part of his attention on the rest of the conversation, after hearing Severus' explanation. Instead of listening, he allowed himself to sink into his mind and study any and all new connections, focusing on the fingers running through his hair to help calm his thoughts. This was something he learned over the summer, and he found that even though he could not occlude his mind, he was able to clear and organize it. Standing in his mental room, he could clearly see the double bond he shared with the twins, a strong sharp blue, and a fainter purplish one that after 'tasting' it, he found went to Draco. A bright gold connection he found led to Severus, and much to his astonishment, a faint dark green connection had started to form between him and Lucius. Tracing each of the bonds so that he could find them again easily, he took another good look around the room, carefully avoiding the dark, hidden parts, before opening his eyes, only to find everyone staring at him. “What?”

Draco took a slow deep breath before answering, “We could feel you! What ever you did, we could feel you.”

“Would you explain to us what you did Harry?” Severus asked.

Harry sat back and tried to put the words together to explain what he saw. “Over the summer… Hermione… sent me a book on meditation. It was the last time I heard from her.” Here Harry broke off, fighting the tears that wanted to break free, and took a few deep breaths to bring his emotions back under control. The gentle mind touches by his bond-mates helping to ground him once again; Severus's fingers no longer ran through his hair, but had slipped down to lightly message his neck. Once more in control he let out a deep shuddering breath and continued, “I spent every free moment over the summer practicing, and eventually I found myself inside my mind. The first thing I noticed was how cluttered it was, so I went to work clearing out the clutter and organizing it. After that I found that I could pick out different areas specializing in different gifts. Some of those places haven't opened up yet, but it looks like the seals are starting to break on them,” he explained.

Here Severus broke in. “That's exactly how your mind should be: clear and organized. And you're right, those would-be new gifts that are starting to open up.”

Harry nodded his head in understanding. “The only downside to this is the fact that I still cannot close my mind to invasion,” Harry spat in disgust.

Lucius looked at him with faint shock showing in his eyes. “Why can you not occlude? That's the next logical step, to keep someone out of your mind.”

“That, Mr. Malfoy, is a long story. Just suffice it to say that you can't keep someone out when they are constantly there,” Harry replied, not failing to notice the sharp glance he received from Severus. Taking a deep breath he continued with his explanation. “Thanks to the Founders, I found that the best way to find what to expect is to look at my magic and see what has been altered or added. When I entered my mind, it was clear that there were a number of changes: some of the areas which represent my gifts are opened part way, a new section of knowledge has been added, the gifts I did have are now strengthened-- how much, I'm not sure, but I could tell that they are much stronger then they were. The most important changes would be the bonds. I'm assuming that each color represents either what you mean to me, or your auras.” Here Harry looked at the two men for clarification.

Lucius looked thoughtful for a moment before answering. “That, I guess, depends on what colors you found. My aura is a deep red, while Draco's goes through the range of earth tones. Morgan's is a yellow-green with shades of emerald green, Galahad is an orange-red with shade of deep red and emerald green and Severus is also red, but his is a clear red,” he explained.

Sighing, Harry shook his head. “Then it's what you mean to me,” Harry told them. “My bond with the twins is blue, while Draco's is a pale purple, moving towards blue. Severus is gold. The most surprising thing, though, is yours Mr. Malfoy. Yours is just starting to develop but it's coming in a dark green.”

“You share an unknown bond with Lucius,” Severus asked, startled. Jealousy flared inside him.

“I told you it was surprising, Severus,” Harry replied reaching out to touch the other man’s arm, feeling faintly from their bond the jealousy Severus was feeling. Reaching out he placed a soothing mixture of magic and thought across it, and was rewarded when Severus relaxed, not noticing when the others smiled slyly.

Harry looked over at Draco, and locked his eyes with the other teen. Putting up a shield so only Draco could hear him, he continued the next part mentally. :I can break this you know, if that's what you truly want. Neither of us asked for this bond, and it's still weak enough that it's possible at the moment.:

:How much time do we have before it's no longer an option?:

:Not long-- a few hours at most. The bond is getting stronger by the minute. If you want it done, it needs to be done now.:

Draco sat back and looked around at the others. “I think, Harry, that this should be done verbally. It's too important to leave the others out.”

“As you wish. I wasn't sure if you wanted everyone to know.”

“What are the two of you talking about?” Gali asked.

Harry sighed and rubbed his temples softly. A headache was starting to form, and he wasn't exactly surprised about it. “The mental bond that Draco and I share is not yet permanent. It will be in a matter of hours, though. I can break it, if that is Draco's wish, especially since neither of us asked for it.”

“Are you sure you can break it Harry?” Severus asked in concern.

Harry simply nodded his head.

“Kitten, are you sure that it's a good idea?” Gali asked

Harry glared at him. “If I was sure that it was a good idea, I would never have agreed to ask the rest of you. I would have simply asked Draco if he wanted it, and then done whatever. Hell Gali, we've spent years hating each other only to be hit with this!” he snarled in anger and confusion.

Lucius, Severus and Draco were all silenced by Morgan calmly raising her hand. “What do you want Harry?” she asked.

“It doesn't matter what I want. It never has, and I don't expect it to start now.” The anger in his voice was winning over the confusion, and that anger was quickly turning to fear at what Draco would choose.

“Yes it does Harry. It matters to us.” Galahad told him.

Harry stood and started pacing. He needed to lose some of the energy he could feel building. The distress he was feeling was clearly being bled through the connections he had with the others, to the point that even Lucius was able to feel it, even though his link was the weakest.

Watching Harry pace back and forth Severus thought he knew the reason for him wanting to break the connection, but he needed to hear Draco's thoughts on the subject. “Draco? What do you want?” he asked softly.

Leaning forward and placing his elbows on his knees and lacing his fingers together, Draco continued to watch Harry, going through in his mind everything that the Boy Wonder had done over the years before forming a reply. “In all honesty, Uncle Sev, I'm not sure. This had to have happened for a reason, but what that reason is I don't know.” Taking a deep breath he sent his own mental caress towards Harry, and felt fear and panic from the bond. “For whatever reason Harry seems to fear having this bond, and I feel it as well, but I don’t think it’s for the same reasons. I think the best idea is to keep it.” With these words, the bond flared with an even greater sense of panic before going dead. Instinctively knowing that it had not been severed, just blocked fully, Draco looked up and met shimmering green eyes that reflected many different emotions.

Harry wasn't sure what he was expecting, but for Draco to keep the bond was not it. Looking into his grey eyes, Harry could only see how serious the other teen was being. Feeling panic start to overwhelm him, Harry spun on his heel and ran to his room. The door slammed shut and, without thinking about it, he sealed and warded it so that no one could come in, and collapsed on his bed shaking, where he finally let go of the emotional storm within and let it flow over him with a howl of agony.

Morgan and Galahad were only steps away from Harry when his bedroom door slammed shut, and had just reached it, with Draco a step behind, when Harry screamed out his pain. The wash of magic behind that one scream sent all three teens flying across the room, and knocked them as well as the two adults unconscious.

~~hp~~

Bill, Charlie, Fred and George Weasley sat sitting outside the Headmaster's office as they waited for Dumbledore to return from where ever had been. Fortunately they had only been waiting for about fifteen minutes when the sound of voices reached them. Standing from the spots they had taken on the floor, they were greeted with the sight of three of the four Heads of House and the Headmaster talking excitedly amongst themselves.

Dumbledore looked up when a flash of red caught his attention, and gave the four remaining Weasley boys-- the last of their entire family-- a sad smile. “Good evening, my boys. Would you like to join me in my office?” he asked softly. When he received nods of agreement, he turned to the others with him. “See to your Houses; we will continue to discuss this issue when Severus is free to join us,” he told them while motioning the Weasleys up to his office.

When they where all seated with the required cups of tea and lemon drops he finally asked, “What can I help you with today?”

Fred and George gave Bill an uneasy look, and motioned for him to continue. Sighing softly Bill looked into a pair of sadly twinkling eyes. “This past summer has been… hard… on all of us,” he started, blinking tears away from his eyes, and taking a bracing sip of his tea. “One of our mother’s greatest wishes was to have all of her children finish their schooling. We were wondering what needed to be done in order for Fred and George to be readmitted to finish their last year and a half here.” he questioned, his voice soft.

Of all the things he expected to hear, this, the Headmaster had to admit was not one of them. Sitting back in his chair, he studied the Weasleys as he thought about what to do. “Well, this was not what I was expecting,” he said to buy a little time.

Fred looked up at the Headmaster and gave him a small smile. “I know that this will surprise everyone, but we do have more then one reason for wanting to return,” he said.

George took the explanation from there: “We do want to honor our mother's request, but we also don't want to leave Harry. He's going to need our support more then ever.”

“I see.” Taking a sip of tea, he continued, “You do know that Harry has the support of others within this school?” Dumbledore asked.

Bill gave him a small smile. “Severus and the two teens I saw with him yesterday? Yes, I know. I also know that Harry broke down in my arms yesterday morning, and that he blames himself for what happened. Having the twins here will reassure him that we don't blame him, and that we support him even now,” he said sadly.

“I see,” Albus said once again. “I must admit, my boys, that this situation has never happened with me before, and that I have never heard of anyone actually coming back to this school after they have quit,” he told them.

All four Weasleys seemed to draw in on themselves, the same thought going through all of them. No chance of coming back.

Albus' eyes twinkled as he gave them his next bit of news. “Fortunately, we have just come into possession of portraits of the Four Founders. Maybe they will be able to come up with a solution to this problem.”

Fred and George's heads snapped up as the Headmaster stood and retrieved the portraits from his pocket and resized them, hope reflecting in their eyes.

The Founders blinked their eyes as they became full sized once more and turned as one to look at the Headmaster. “How may we help you, Albus?” Helga asked.

“Yes Albus, and do explain why we are here instead of where we asked to be hung?” Rowena questioned.

Albus smiled and quickly explained the problem before asking, “Is there anything we can do for the Messrs. Weasley?”

Salazar and Godric looked at each other, and then the four Weasleys before responding. “There is a clause in the governing rules of this school that states that students who have had to leave or were forced to leave may be readmitted into the school as long as their Head of Family agrees. As long they have that permission and agree to resorted, there should be no problem with them coming back.”

The twinkle in Albus's eyes died just a little as he turned to the Weasley boys. “With the death of your father, I do not know who your current Head of Family is, as I don't see any of you wearing the Family Ring,” he said in a questioning voice.

Bill grinned slightly before responding. “No, none of us wanted it, so we made sure it went to someone who would not be… persuaded… to use it against us. I believe that you would be interested to know our new Family Head goes by the name Harry Potter,” his grin reflected on each of his brothers.

The Founders looked startled for a moment before Salazar started laughing. Even the Headmaster couldn't believe what he had just heard. “Harry Potter is your Head of Family?”

“Yes Sir. We signed over all of our rights yesterday while in Gringotts,” Bill answered.

“Well then, I do believe that we need to go find our young Mr. Potter.”

Albus ushered the group down towards the dungeons, his eyes twinkling brightly when they finally arrived outside the Potions Master's doors. As he went to knock, a blast of magic pushed them away. The Weasleys exchanged astonished looks, and as one came all to the same conclusion.

“HARRY!?”

A/N #2: Aura Colors and their Meanings

EARTH AURA COLORS: Soil, wood, mineral, plant. These colors display a love of the Earth, of being grounded and is seen in those who live and work on the outdoors....construction, farming, etc. These colors are important and are a good sign.
Yellow-Green: Creative with heart, communicative

Bright emerald green: A healer, also a love-centered person

Orange Red: Confidence, creative power

Clear red: Powerful, energetic, competitive, sexual, passionate

Deep Red: Grounded, realistic, active, strong will-power, survival-oriented