This is it, folks. We've reached the end. Most of my comments this time around are at the bottom, so I won't say much beyond welcome back and enjoy!

The sound of a hammer smacking on wood echoed throughout the court-like chamber. Spectators turned away from their low conversations and sat still in the rows of benches, some choosing to appear as humans and others as dragons. It was only a fraction of the Dragon Order, the number who were available to answer the summons to the Isle of Draco on such short notice, but the emergent nature of the hearing meant they hadn't been able to wait for more to arrive.

"Quiet! Quiet down!" Councilor Andam called, banging his gavel from the high seats of the Dragon Council. He shuffled his notes and looked to the other councilors at his sides, waiting for their approval to continue. "Well, this has certainly been an unexpected couple of hours. The Council has completed its deliberation, but before concluding we would like to summarize what we've discussed thus far. Do you two find this acceptable?"

Below at the front of the assembly, Jake and Lao Shi stood side by side in their dragon forms. For the better part of the afternoon, they had recounted the events of the past few months. Jake wasn't sure which was more tired, his legs or his voice. He shrugged to his grandfather, who nodded with equal exhaustion. "We do, councilors."

"Very well then." Councilor Andam slid on a pair of reading glasses, picked up a pad of paper, and sighed. "American Dragon, you were approached by Albus Dumbledore, a wizard whom you had become acquainted with during your previous mission to Hogwarts, on New Year's Eve. This wizard proceeded to coerce you into abandoning your duties as the American Dragon and going undercover as a student at his school, in exchange for the capture of then traitor Ex-Councilor Chang. As part of this arrangement, you were also prevented from informing or contacting your Dragon Master, family, or anyone from the Dragon Order. Is this correct?"

Jake nodded. "Pretty much, yo-"

"American Dragon..."

"Yes, Councilor Andam. That is correct."

"Thank you." He turned a few pages and cleared his throat. "You then proceeded to follow this agreement, acting as a student at Hogwarts for the purpose of protecting its students from what Dumbledore perceived to be the threat of dark wizards. This continued for several months until the events at the British Ministry of Magic took place. During that time, despite your apparent precautions, no less than six underage wizards, one professor, and possibly one or more of said dark wizards became aware of your identity." He leaned further over his stand to frown at Jake. "Is this correct?"

Jake cringed. "Yes...that's correct."

"And the English Dragon had no knowledge of this?" Andam asked. "Neither you nor Dumbledore-?"

"No!" Jake lowered his voice and stammered, "I mean no, he...he didn't know anything. Not until the attack at the Ministry, after Gramps showed up."

Councilor Andam nodded and turned to Councilor Kulde, who spoke up next. "Lao Shi, upon the disappearance of your Dragon Student, you began a search for him lasting one week. Following its failure, you also abandoned your duties to continue searching alone for several months before you rescued him from the British Ministry of Magic. Not once did you inform the Dragon Council of your intentions or whereabouts beyond a single meeting with the Australian Dragon, whom you wrongly swore to secrecy. This, you state, was to prevent the Dark Dragon from discovering your Dragon Student's location. Is this correct?"

Lao Shi bowed beside Jake, unflinching. "That is correct, councilor."

"And do either of you have anything else you wish to bring forward to the Council?"

The two shared a look, and Jake raised his head. "No."

Councilor Andam nodded. "Then let us move on to sentencing."

A murmur ran through the crowd behind them. Jake felt the sweat dripping over his scales and focused forward, refusing to look away as Councilor Kulde stood with a stern look.

"Three dragons are dead," he announced clearly. "Two of them were fugitives; both traitors to the Dragon Order, both grave threats to the Magical World. Long have we dreamed of the day when they were finally detained, but instead of celebration that day has come with mourning. The English Dragon is gone, and he left behind a legacy of commitment and dedication far exceeding the highest standards of the Dragon Order."

Councilor Kukulkhan pushed away from his stand and stood as well. "American Dragon and Dragon Long, your actions have demonstrated an unacceptable degree of recklessness, negligence, and irresponsibility. Had you followed the codes of the Dragon Order and fulfilled your duties appropriately, Benjamin Stout may still be alive. It is indeed miraculous that his was our only loss, a fact that should not be lost on either of you."

He raised his voice to reach every ear in the room. "Adding this to the American Dragon's clear breach of secrecy, as well as the charges of misconduct, disorder, and obstruction of the Dragon Order caused by your intentional absences, there can be no question of punishment."

It was the worst of Jake's imagined outcomes, but still one that he'd seen coming. He knew, however, that he'd made the right choice. It was the only way he'd thought of reconciling his past mistakes, and he'd take whatever consequences it entailed.

Jake stepped forward. "I understand, and...I just want to say-"

"However," Kulde interrupted with a weary expression. "Yours were not the only actions to result in these events. Albus Dumbledore withheld crucial information from the Council and obviously had knowledge that threatened your safety and identity. Under this duress, it it understandable why you would concede to his wishes, American Dragon. The same holds true for you as well, Dragon Long. Your decision to withhold information from the Order for the sake of your Dragon Student, while misguided, was not unreasonable."

"There are also the schemes of the Dark Dragon, Ex-Councilor Chang, and the dark wizards to consider," Councilor Andam added. "The destructive potential of the two groups cooperating is unthinkable. Had the two of you not intervened, their plans may have reached completion and resulted in an even greater loss of life. None can predict what could have been, but the truth is this: the two of you have saved several witches and wizards, untold numbers of magical creatures, and the entire Dragon Order from its greatest adversaries in centuries."

Jake turned uncertainly to Lao Shi and back. "So...are we in trouble or what?"

Councilor Kulde perked an eyebrow at him. "Our decision is this. Witches and Wizards will be re-categorized as a primary threat, and all interactions with them restricted to their previous levels. Given his years of exemplary performance, unfaltering courage, and unquestioning selflessness, Benjamin Stout will be posthumously awarded the Golden Flame, the highest accolade available to any World Dragon. Finally, given that he was the last dragon in his domain, the responsibility for the English Dragon's territories shall fall to the Irish Dragon until a more permanent solution can be devised."

"As for you two," Andam intoned ominously. "Each of you shall receive one year of probation for your blatant lapses in judgement. Both of you will immediately return to New York and resume your duties, and be warned: the Council will be monitoring you very closely. Put one claw out of line, and you will both wish we'd simply taken your dragon powers here and now. Are we clear?"

Lao Shi reached out and tapped Jake's sagging maw closed. "Yes councilors, we understand."

"Then we are adjourned." Andam pounded his gavel. "Thank you all for your time. And if we forgot to say it before...it's good to have you two back."

Lao Shi bowed deeply. "And we are glad to be back. We will take our leave...Jake?"

Benches scraped and claws clacked as everyone began filing out of the room. As the air grew heavy with conversation, Jake struggled to tear his gaze away from the now empty stands above them. "That's it?"

"Indeed. You are disappointed?"

"Probation?" Jake raised his hands in annoyed bemusement. "No soul-sucking? No prison tours? Am I missing something or did we totally just get away scot-free?"

"I admit I'm surprised. Not by the Dragon Council, but by you." Lao Shi folded his arms and gave Jake a searching look. "Why did you not tell the truth about Benjamin? We may have avoided even probation."

"Yeah, but they would have dragged Benjy's name through the mud." Jake couldn't help but smile fondly as he though of the man. "The guy made a few mistakes, but he saved our lives, Gramps. He deserves to be remembered as a hero, especially if we don't even get any jail time for it!"

Lao Shi chuckled. "You forget, young dragon. You already have a prison waiting at home."

A voice called out behind them. "And don't expect to get just a slap on the wrist the next time you decide to rack off without telling anyone!"

Jake smirked and turned to face the approaching yellow dragon. "I don't remember inviting you, Kangaroo Jack. And let's be real, if I ever skip town again you'll be the last one to know."

"Too true." They bumped knuckles and laughed together, Fred shaking his head at Jake. "But seriously, no postcard? Not even an owl, or whatever those pommies have lying around? A quick 'yo Fred, it's Jake and I'm still alive!' would have been nice."

Jake rolled his eyes. "Didn't you hear? Wizards are back to being off-limits, so you won't have to worry about that for a while."

"How'll that work out, you think?" Fred huffed. "The UK's just starting to heat up from what I've heard. You think they'll be fine without us?"

Jake lead the way toward the exit, considering the question. "You know, I'm not that worried. The Dark Dragon was the one that started all that bad business between us a long time ago, and he's the one that started it again this time. Things will get worked out sooner or later now that he's out of the picture."

"And until then?"

"They'll manage." They walked out into the warm tropical air, and Jake looked over the peaceful landscape of the island. "Believe it or not, they're a lot tougher now than when we first got there. We left a pretty good impression on them. Speaking of which, I sorta owe you for those magic fireworks you left in the Dragon's Den."

Fred smacked himself in the forehead. "So that's where I left those! Well, no drama, how many'd you set off? Two? Three?"

"All of them."

"All...all..." His eye twitched and tongues of blue flame licked out from his snarling maw. "DO YOU KNOW HOW LONG I HAD TO SAVE FOR THAT WHOLE CRATE?!"

"Well whatever you paid was worth it, cause those babies were off the chain," Jake promised, leaning away from the Australian Dragon's building rage. "But hey, I brought something to make up for it!"

Fred growled. "If it's not a pot full of Leprachaun gold..."

"Even better!" Jake waved over toward the temple doorway where he'd left his bulging backpack. He manipulated it into his hands and unzipped the largest pocket. "Last day before I left Hogwarts, I may or may not have made a pit stop at the Quidditch pitch changing rooms..."

Fred's scowl shifted to skepticism as he watched Jake remove the dimpled maroon ball from his backpack. "Is that-?"

"Yup. One Quaffle, one hundred percent authentic and original!" Jake lobbed the ball to Fred. "What do you say we head over to the training area, set up a couple floating rings, and see who the better dragon is?"

Fred tossed the Quaffle in the air a couple of times, a look of playful excitement pulling at his scaled cheeks. "Hurting that bad to see me wipe the floor with you? Alright, Long, let's have a go."

Lao Shi put a hand on Jake's shoulder. "As your Dragon Master, I must remind you of our need to return to New York City as quickly as possible. Arriving late would also do little to improve your parents' mood."

"Think of it this way, Gramps. You said I needed to work on forgiveness, and that's what I'm doing. If I go make some mistakes, then I can forgive myself for them later!"

"That's not-"

"Glad we're on the same page!" Jake turned back to Fred. "Ready to be humiliated, Nerk, or do you - HEY!"

His competitor was already soaring in the direction of the training grounds, laughing as he flew. "Betcha I can get there first!"

"Yo, wait-! Aw man." Jake leaped into the air and chased after the Australian Dragon, intent on working out months of pent up energy. He felt rough, sloppy, and out of practice, and he realized just how far he'd fallen behind by wandering around, pretending to be something he wasn't.

But now Jake was back, and he had a lot of catching up to do.

The Atrium was abuzz with frantic activity. Witches and wizards in Ministry robes bustled between stations, trading files and tossing new interdepartmental memos into the stream of paper airplanes whizzing above them. Facilities were being repaired, departments restructured, and reports distributed, all in response to Voldemort's return.

It was exactly the change Dumbledore had hoped for. He only wished it had come a year sooner.

Dumbledore sifted through the commotion, occasionally bumping into workers too busy to respond with more than a passing grunt. The crowd thickened the closer he came to the lifts at the end of the Atrium, but he saved a few steps by walking through the Fountain of Magical Brethren's taped of remains. Only rubble remained of the statues and the basin was still empty, but he didn't stop to look at it. The memories the sight brought back were too fresh.

The golden lift grills slid open. Dumbledore stepped into the empty box and waved them shut again, closing his eyes as the lift jerked into motion. There was still so much for him to do, so much left to prepare, and yet every day seemed to pass faster than the last. He couldn't afford to dwell on the emotions that still haunted him.

"Level Nine: Department of Mysteries."

A hooded figure in black robes awaited him as he stepped out of the lift. "Good evening, Dumbledore."

"And to you, Mr. Croaker. Shall we?"

"Yes, yes." The man about-faced and led Dumbledore down the ebony hallway, still scarred and cracked from battle. "We shall be brief, I know you are sorely needed these days."

"That's very thoughtful, though you need not worry. It's not often I have the pleasure of speaking with an Unspeakable."

"I hope I didn't catch you at a bad time," Croaker wheezed, holding the black door at the end of the hall open for him. "I couldn't help but notice your attire. A wedding, perhaps?"

Dumbledore followed into the circular room beyond, glancing at his own formal robes and shoes. "A funeral, actually."

"Ah, fitting then." The Unspeakable closed the door and called out, "The Death Chamber, please!"

They watched the doors spin around them briefly before coming to a halt. The passage in front of them opened, and the two stepped through. They passed through the following hallway and came upon a massive chamber that looked as ancient as time itself. Like a coliseum, tiers of stone seats surrounded a central pit, in which there was a raised dirt mound.

Croaker led him forward, gesturing toward the mound. "There, you see?"

The last time Dumbledore had seen this chamber, it had been littered with unconscious Death Eaters and fragments of a large stone arch. The structure had been thoroughly shattered, far beyond anything Dumbledore considered reparable, yet now there stood the beginnings of its two pillars. They couldn't be more than a foot tall each, both surrounded by several more Unspeakables silently raising more fragments to their fractured ends.

As Dumbledore watched, one of the Unspeakable's fragments flew from their fingertips and snapped into place on the archway to mold with the stone. The cracks faded until the piece was nothing more than another part of the pillar, now one fragment more complete.

"It's repairing itself," Dumbledore muttered.

"Marvelous, is it not?" Croaker led him closer to the structure, explaining giddily, "We were sweeping away the pieces when we noticed that some were, well, fusing together by themselves! We think some form of Old Magic from one of the dragons was responsible for destroying the artifact. Theirs is as powerful a magic as any, but something even stronger is bringing it back together!"

Dumbledore nodded along, observing the work of the Unspeakables. "As fascinating as this is, Saul, I'm still not sure exactly why I'm here."

The shorter man wrung his hands together. "Our research into the archway was minimal at best, but the legends of its capabilities are well documented. Magical creatures were able to harness its magic long ago, a magic that could be used against You-Know-Who!"

"Or for him."

"Come again?"

Dumbledore waved it off. "It's nothing, merely thinking aloud."

Croaker cleared his throat. "Yes, well, you can understand our interest in repairing the object. Normally we would consult with the Minister in such matters, but since Fudge has resigned and we have yet to elect a new one..."

"You thought to consult me instead," Dumbledore guessed, smiling. "You flatter me, Mr. Croaker."

Dumbledore climbed the remaining distance toward the arch and the group of Unspeakables. He approached one and held his hand out. "May I?"

The cloaked figure jumped at his question. "Oh, er...s-sure, here."

Dumbledore accepted her fragment and turned it in his hand. He felt its rough edges, noticing a strange oily texture to the dry surface. Then he held it up to his ear and closed his eyes. At first there was nothing, but soon there came the faintest of noises. It was a brush of a whisper, like a voice carried in a breeze over countless miles. He listened more closely, and for a moment thought he heard the echo of some distant, monstrous laughter.

Croaker spoke up below him. "So, Dumbledore? Any thoughts?"

"Just one," he answered, opening his eyes and handing the stone back to the Unspeakable. He spoke again more loudly. "I would appreciate it if everyone could take a step or two back."

The black hoods turned to one another in question, but none refused him. Once they had all shuffled further down the hill, Dumbledore removed his wand from his sleeve, twirled it once in the air, and gently tapped the partially restored pillar.

There was a loud CRACK and a flash of white light. The Unspeakables all shielded their eyes from the spell, and when they looked again the pillar had been reduced to small pile of inky black ash. Croaker gasped beside Dumbledore. "Walloping wyverns, Albus! What are you-?"

"Once more," he announced. They all preemptively looked away as he disintegrated the other pillar into ash with a matching CRACK and flash of light. "There, that solves one ethical dilemma. Have your people scatter the other pieces as well, Mr. Croaker. Ponds, forests, it shouldn't matter so long as they are well dispersed."

Croaker and his Unspeakables were still gaping at the ash piles, stunned into silence. He trembled as Dumbledore descended from the mound. "Y-yes...right away..."

Dumbledore tucked away his wand and briskly left the room. The temptation to restore the archway had gripped him more strongly than he was proud of, but he knew no good had, or ever would, come from the magic it promised. With it removed, he had one less distraction teasing at his mind, an obstacle he simply couldn't indulge. After all, there was still so much to do and so little time to do it.

Outside, a war was just beginning.

The End

Author's Notes

First of all, I wanted to take a moment and thank everyone that's joined me on the journey of creating this monstrosity. Nothing inspired me to push forward with this project more than reading the reviews and personal messages, especially the ones from those who've contributed and followed from the very start. Shoutouts in particular to: Major Simi, OMAC001, Sly Bandit, Alarose, MariMart, Hornblende, and EmeraldSeaGamer.

I also wanted to put in a plug for another AD:JL and HP crossover story, Harry and the Dragons of Draco by Illuminati-4. This story predates my own and has very similar starting elements because it is what inspired me from the very start. If you haven't read it yet, I highly encourage you to do so because I still love it to death and sincerely owe my motivation to it.

Now, I'm going to elaborate on a few things that, after reflecting on the story, I think are important for anyone who feels like seeing a bit more into my perspective and what this experience has taught me.

Story Elements

-Fred's Romance: I knew the other dragons were gonna get kicked out from the start. But let's be real, if he ever did have the opportunity, Fred would have totally gone for Angelina.

-Cho Chang: Would you believe me if I told you that I originally intended for there to be a weird love triangle where Cho liked Jake, and also maybe trying to link her in relation to ex-councilor Chang? If it sounds confusing, it's because it is, which is why I ultimately scrapped it. But there's still a moment where you can see the beginnings of that relationship in Chapter 22.

-Benjamin Stout: I'm such a flake. I planned at first for Stout's ending to be much more sinister and less redeeming, something along the lines of Jake and Lao Shi beat the Dark Dragon only to have Stout return for a final showdown with Jake. He would have died in some unintentional self-inflicted fashion to save Jake from the guilt of killing him, but the chapter was bloated and it just didn't end up happening. Plus, I'm weak. I just wanted Stout to be happy.

-Sirius Black: One of the few keystones to the story I established at the start was the death of Sirius. To me, even with the added help of the dragons, it seemed clear that the characters themselves produced a degree of destiny. The attack on the Ministry and Sirius's reckless courage seemed inevitable, no matter how Jake or the others intervened, and that was a point I was wholly focused on conveying.

-The Training Collar: Besides being a comical plot device, the primary motivations for Jake always having to wear it were 1.) to keep him from accidentally revealing himself prematurely like he almost does with the dummy (Chapter 23) or the Astronomy Tower (Chapter 29), 2.) because the arguably more important silencing charm was also attached to it, and 3.) to act as a sort of mental game played by Stout. Stout reveals how he intentionally made Jake's protection fallible, but the significance he places on it and the conflict between wizards and dragons also serves to distract Jake. He fed the doubt Jake held over trusting the wizards, which made Jake less effective and perpetuated the lack of communication between him and Harry. I think it was never about Jake lacking control, but rather undermining his own confidence to weaken him. Believe, Stout's a smart cookie.

Things I Learned
As I stated from the get-go, this is my first fanfic ever. I've never attempted to write fiction before, and I wasn't sure what to expect going into it. That said, after completing a 200k+ word project like this I have a few takeaways:

-Chapter length: One of the greatest inconsistencies throughout the work. The more experienced I became, the longer the chapters got (to the point of being WAY too long). I chalk this up to experience, poor planning, and poor management on my part, and it's going to be one of my primary focuses in the future.

-Point of View: At the beginning, I didn't even consider this facet of writing. This is obvious in the first ten to fifteen chapters, where I frequently switch between Third-Person Limited and Third-Person Omniscient. It's one of those things I where once I realized what I'd been doing, I wanted to smash my head against the desk. So a piece of advice: figure this out early and always be conscious of it.

-I HIGHLY doubt that I will write a multi-perspective story again. Because this was a crossover, I figured it would be the best way to appease both fandoms while having fun with the mystery of Jake's identity. It was entertaining jumping between characters, especially for special circumstances like Greggy and Lao Shi, but it became a constant battle of keeping track of who has what information, and avoiding repetition. I think it's pretty clear that I was in it for Jake's side of the story, and Harry's half suffered because of it. That's not really fair, and it's one reason why I'm hesitant to ever attempt something like this again.

-Progress: Update times also fluctuated wildly, and while I could blame that on the growing lengths of the chapters it was also because I attempted to get everything perfect the first time. With writing, I've learned that vomiting whatever crap you have first and then cleaning it up later is a better way to go about it. Still it's something I continue to struggle with.

-Plot: Okay, so I had the ending and the begging planned out, but nothing in the middle. I gave no forethought to the overarching theme, or the intended tone. If it felt pretty "Frankensteined" at times, that's why. So more advice: figure out your plot ahead of time.

-Rationing Impact: I started with the attitude of "the fewer words, the better". I thought I was being precise with my language, but I decided half way through that I was wasting powerful words and trying to make every single event emotionally significant. Overall, I felt the end result was that the early and middle of the story was watered down. Another thing I'll keep in mind moving forward.

-Revisions: I won't be going back and restructuring/editing any of this work after I've finishing polishing this chapter. This is out of sheer laziness, respect for the mistakes I've made, and to preserve my growth as a writer. But mostly because I'm lazy.

If anyone has any other questions or discussions they want to bring up, feel free to leave a review or PM and I can edit them in here. Otherwise, I think that wraps up all of the major points I wanted to hit. As for the future, I do know what I would write if I were to do a sequel for this, but there's actually another project I want to start work on first. It won't be nearly as long as this one (God willing), but I won't even try to make any time estimates.

I'm starting med school in the Fall, and there's a very real possibility that this may be my first and only work. That said, follow my account if you want to know when I put knew material out and if you enjoyed the story consider favoriting it so that others will see it too! Once again - I can't emphasize this enough - thank you for indulging this work of fiction, and I sincerely hope you've enjoyed it even a fraction as much as I've loved writing it.

Happy Reading,

-James