Rhunon and Islanzadi turn and look at me curiously at the exclamation as I just look at the biggest dragon I've ever seen. The thing's easily four to five times bigger than Gringott's Ironbelly that I stole with Hermoine and Ron, the dragon curled around my neck actually jumped down and tried to get airborne to be with the giant dragon.

I nearly slap my forehead, the one time the dragon decides to be an active little shit and it's when there's a dragon of dubious loyalty coming in for a landing.

And land it did.

With an earth shuddering thump, the dragon's fou- no… three limbs being thicker than I am tall with its head is even more monstrous.

'What could have sheared off a dragon's limb of that size? And can I even fight it?'

"Welcome!" the rider called out interrupting my train of thought. The man, elf, thing, whatever, walks down the monstrous tail before saying in a deep, soothing voice, "I am Oromis, Osthato Chetowä un Togira Ikonoka," he pauses briefly before resuming, "in the tongue of man: I am the Mourning Sage and the Cripple Who is Whole. I am the last of the Riders of Old, the last elven rider, the partner in heart and mind of Glaedr," the elf's feet touch the ground as I feel my Occlumency barriers shatter like frozen, poorly made glass as a presence that is truly incomprehensible make itself known.

"I am Glaedr, the last free dragon until this little one," the dragon directs his eyes to my dragon that's no bigger than a small dog and just as excited as one would be that's standing directly underneath the gargantuan ancient's head, "hatched. You are distressed, child. What has happened to you?"

"Get. Out. Of. MY. HEAD!" I roar at the golden dragon, shocking all the elves present even as the little one comes sprinting back over to me as worried as the little dragon can be. Through the haze of red, I notice I'm on my knees and that Oromis' face hardened into something harder and colder than glass… Not that I had much time to contemplate that as I wrestled with the dragon's sheer might.

Another presence touches my mind but unlike the overwhelming cloud of gold that my magic knows is foreign and unwelcome, the red light is warm and comforting but young, wild, and enraged. The magic of my partner.

Together we try to drive out the two presences assaulting my mind but it's useless as shoving a mountain away, Glaedr's magic is too steady and Oromis' too focused to falter.

Every second of my life was on display to the two ancient beings standing in front of me like two sentinels. Hell! I don't think even Voldemort could have shredded my defenses like these two and we were linked at a soul level!

For a split second, I had the thought that the two were viewing my memories like they were having a grand old time at the cinema. The image of the enormous golden dragon conquering a drive-in so he and his rider could watch the Life of Harry Potter is almost enough to drive them out of my head but after their initial surprise, all I could feel from them was amusement and concern.

So… they aren't bad (I hesitate to say) people (since it's a dragon and an elf but I shrug slightly with a thought of 'semantics') but I hate having people sift around my mind like a sandbox.

"You have lived a desolate, lonely life, Hadrian Potter. For that, we are truly sorry, but we had to know the measure of you - to decipher if you bore us and ours ill will. I thank you for the return of the dragon eggs and the swords of the riders, however," the elf's eye brighten like twin suns, "before you reveal the last prizes you took from Galbatorix, I must ask Islanzadi and Rhunon to leave, immediately," Oromis' eyes are alight with such hope that I almost have to question his sanity, especially after watching my life like that.

"Without laying our own eyes on the… objects in your possession we cannot be sure of their authenticity. Yet, if they are what we believe them to be," Glaedr's voice rings in my head once again but this time safely at the edges of my mental shields, "then we are forever in your debt, young rider. Though I find I must apologize for these actions mine. Invading your mind without permission is a violation most vile yet we in these dark times must ascertain the truth, thus I beg your forgiveness."

I glare at the great golden beast for a while before I feel a bump on my leg and that same comforting presence in my mind.

"Yes…"

I smile broadly at the dragon and scratch behind his ears getting a distinct impression that if I don't then I'll have a pissed-off dragon to deal with.

"On behalf of my dragon," I say cautiously even as I see Islanzadi and Rhunon walk away, "Your apology is accepted but the actions behind the apology are not to be forgotten. An invasion of my mind on that scale again will see you dead. I don't care how powerful you are or who you are you will-," I growl before I stop short and look at the dragon who looks smug but I can still feel his anger pulsing in waves in my mind, "now I find I must apologize, it seems I share my dragon's feelings a bit too well."

The elf chuckles lightly, "that is far more common than I would care to admit. Your dragon is your partner in heart and mind, he is your other half and you will take some of his traits and he will take some of yours. Dragons are prideful, willful, and arrogant. Traits that they have naturally gained when being the most majestic and powerful beings to roam the land."

I nod thoughtfully still bristling at the mental invasion I was just subjected to, "that makes sense, truly it does, but I stand beside my promise," I growl to the elf who nods.

"As should be expected, now I believe that there are gems in your possession?" He asks with a look of overwhelming hope on his face. I raise my eyebrow and take off my rucksack, calling all the gems out of it and hovering the two to three hundred at chest level. Glaedr takes one look at the gems before throwing his head back and roaring for all he's worth and even the elven elder's face lights up like a kid's on Christmas. Before I know what's happening, Glaedr's presence finds itself back in my mind and I feel his excitement and joy skyrocket.

"You have truly saved them," Oromis whispers while taking a bright gold gem in his hands, his face an odd mixture of hate and hope, "but the monster…" tears slip down his face as he throws his head back in unison with Glaedr.

I look down at my dragon while being horribly startled at the wailing of dragon and rider before Glaedr's voice rings through my mind once again.

"These are Eldunari, young rider," the golden behemoth says quietly, "the heart of our hearts. They are the last defense in the case of death. A vessel for the mind of the dragon, a way for dragons to share their knowledge with their ancestors but our order used them as a method for rider and dragon to communicate no matter where they were. These are the last of my kin, enslaved to Galbatorix by the blackest of magics. Until they are freed they shall not speak to us…"

I take in a sharp breath at the realization knowing what an atrocity that is, a dragon is not a slave. With fury burning through my veins I raise my hand and call out, "Finite incantatem omni, regio maxima," a bright red light explodes from my palm toward the eldunari, washing over each of them like a wave.

I stare at my palm dumbfounded until I glance down at the self-satisfied dragon who's almost strutting back to me like he did something that should be rewarded. That's when I realized that he may have helped, none of my cancelation spells have ever been that strong before and it would need a ton of raw power to fuel.

My thoughts are interrupted as a matching wave of voice crashes over me with the theme being mostly the same, 'we're free!' 'Thank you, thank you, thank you!' or even 'My thanks, young one. You have done our kin a great service this day, May good fortune rule over you, may the stars watch over you, and may peace live in your heart, from this day until your last day, young rider.' But the strangest, and most primal, were the ones that sent images and feelings rather than words.

I stand there slack-jawed at the proclamations even as Oromis tilts his head back in laughter and Glaedr roars his triumph to the heavens the red dragon paws at my shin and I can't help but pull him up to me.

I look at the little one and whisper "Astraeus," the little dragon's ears perk up and I feel his presence in my mind once again, "Astraeus."

Eventually, the Eldunari quieted their thanks as the newly dubbed Astraeus preens from his place strewn over my shoulders. I idly scratch behind his ears, getting a small purr from him as the two elders stand in front of us.

"So…" I start, "are we just going to stand here or are we going to secure these?"

"We shall hide them… They must be placed away, but I know not where," Glaedr rumbles.

"Nor do I, my old friend," Oromis said quietly but his happiness was all too obvious.

"If I may," I say, with a bit of uncertainty, "I know a way to hide the eldunari."

"Then we must act immediately," Oromis says, stepping up to me, "how is this done?"

"A magic from home, it's called a Fidelius charm," I say hesitantly, "if I do this I'll have to trust you absolutely, what I tell you must remain between us.

"What must I do?" The old elf asked quietly.

"First," I look down on the house below us in the valley, "we'll need to make a hiding place."

"The Broken Egg…" Oromis whispered quietly.

"Pardon me?" the elf pinned me with the full force of his gaze.

"The tallest peak of the crags, it is known as the place of broken egg and scattered nest… it is the most secure area in Du Weldenvarden," he says heavily but I just scoff.

"Oromis," I scoff while waving my hand to return the Eldunari to my backpack, "we're going to be warding the area that the Eldunari are going to be hidden in up to the nines. We can choose any place we want, it just has to be big enough to hold them all."

He looks thoughtful before he smiles brightly, "alright then, follow," he turns to Glaedr.

"We're going to that house, right?" I ask the old elf.

"Yes, yes we are," I scratch the nape of Astraeus' neck and send a mental warning to him,

'You aren't going to like this,' I get the distinct feeling of confusion from the small dragon as I turn on my heel to apparate to the doorstep of the house. I look back up at the top of the cliff to see Oromis and Glaedr still up there. I can't help the small smirk that crosses my face as the old dragon looked around like a startled deer, I send the image to Astraeus and the dragon actually fell off of my shoulders while giving a strange huff, roar, choking sound that I realize is a laugh.

"You ruddy dragon," I say while shaking my head at the little lizard while turning to the cliff while casting a Sonorus on myself, "I'm down here Oromis! Quietus," the dragon's head whipped around and I could almost feel his disbelief even standing down here.

Minutes later, Glaedr's immense weight crashed into the ground like an avalanche. "How?" Oromis asked with his eyes wider than dinner plates.

"It's called apparition, if you want I'll teach it to you when I can," I say with a shrug but move around to the back of the house with the old elf at my side.

"Why are we here?"

"We're going to dig a cellar," I look over to the surprised elf, but he nods slowly.

"A cellar? Why?" he asks slowly.

"It's easier to hide something underground," I shrug slightly thinking about one of my more nightmarish operations hunting down a wannabe death eater cell that liked to hide below ground, "come on," I wave him toward me, "we'll need to start now or we'll be working for a solid week."

"So short of a time?" Oromis asks in wonder, "it would take many moons to dig a cellar here, young one."

"Psh," I wave my hand, "I can do it in a night, I just need to know where," I grin slightly, "it just won't be pretty."

"Then let us begin," he says brightly, "we will need this to be…"

For a few minutes, we talked about the requirements the vault would need but eventually the work had to begin. Blasting and vanishing charms were a must use but I found something incredibly off with Oromis, he didn't use magic.

"What happened to you?" I asked him with a slight frown, "bombarda, evanesco."

"I was captured by two of my former student, I am unsure if it was a curse cast upon me or if my mind retreated with my magic to hide from the pain," I actually cringed at that, it sounds too much like what happened to Neville's parents.

"I'm sorry," I say simply, "but, if it helps, the last time I saw something like this in my last home turned out much worse."

"How so?"

"One of my mates, Neville… his mother and father were attacked by criminals, they were all magicals. There's a spell, well… to be more accurate there are three spells we consider forbidden, unforgivable if you would," I turn around and lock eyes with the elf, "the Imperius, the Cruciatus, and the Killing Curse. Against these spells there are no defense, there are no precautions to take, if you cast these spells on another living being you are marked for death."

"Why is this Killing Curse unforgivable?" The Sage asked quietly, "and I am unfamiliar with the terms Imperius and Cruciatus, I'm afraid."

"The words are derived from Imperial and Cruciare," I say, "I'm sure you know what Imperial means but in this case it means to dominate, a man's will specifically."

"That is truly vile," Oromis says with a knotted brow, "I assume that if the afflicted's will is strong enough they would be able to fight off the effects?"

"You're correct, but, in my opinion, the Cruciatus is the most truly vile of the three… While the Imperius can be fought against and the Killing Curse results in a quick, peaceful death, the Cruciatus…" I take a deep shuddering breath remembering all the times I had been hit with that nasty little beastie, "Its name is derived from Cruciare, that means 'to torture,' in a tongue that had long fallen out of favor with most people. The effects… well," I say while summoning a spider to me, smirking slightly at the memory of fake Moody doing the same thing before it vanishes as what I'm about to do hits me, "watch, engorgio," the spider swells from the size of my thumbnail to the size of my palm and set it down on a rock. "What you are about to see is not only disturbing but awful, I do not have the constitution to truly use this curse to its fullest effect, you have to want to hurt the person you're torturing, that being said…" I take a deep breath in before saying "Crucio."

Immediately, the spider bucked in sheer agony. Writhing and twitching on its rock as it tried to get away from the mind shredding pain, I held the curse for no more than a second but Oromis got the idea.

"By the Stars and on Dragon Fire…" he whispered before something in his eyes lit up, "malice incarnate." I just nod my head as the Elf takes a reflexive step backward.

"The killing curse works on much the same principle but it has to be the will to kill," I say grimly and the elf looks on completely stunned.

"The Twelve Words of Death here are much different, they require as much energy as lifting a quill but there is no mental preparation to be had…" The elf sounds like he's on the verge of sicking up and I can't blame him.

"Twelve Words of Death… sounds like a nightmare."

"A nightmare you will learn if you are to be my student," he says calmly, making my head snap over to him but I just shake my head.

"I'm not a bloody Ravenclaw but why not? Not like I have anything better to do…" I say quietly as Astraeus comes up to us almost like a puppy would.

"Yes, your bond must be trained, young one. Our magic is now yours," he says while staring at Astraeus.

"Yeah, but first things first, we finish this cellar and we cast the spell." I look at him and he nods back. For hours the work continued, but eventually with Oromis' precision and my power, we made a cellar deep enough to stand straight in once the planks above it were covered and charmed ever durable and never rotting to be covered with grass, the small wooden trap door set into the planks would be the only thing visible once the Fidelius was cast.

"Is it done then?" Oromis asked and I nodded hesitantly, "for now, we'll need to put shelves in but that'll do the trick," I wave him to the ladder, "come on, it's time to cast the spell," I kneel down and wave my hand, pulling the Eldunari out of the bag and leaving them on the rough wooden floorboards.

"You wish to just leave them here?" Oromis sounds sick at the thought.

"Oh no, when I'm done with this place it'll be the most secure place in all of Ellesmera."

"You're sure about this?"

"What do you know of the soul?" I ask while climbing out of the new cellar.

"It is the home of our personality, when we die it shall too," Oromis said simply but I just nodded.

"It's also the source of my people's magic," Oromis actually turned to me like I said I had three heads and shat gold.

"The source of your people's magic? Incredible… Absolutely incredible…" he whispered, "our strength belongs in our connection to the dragons and the ."

I nod slowly, "a symbiotic bond with a highly magical creature, interesting…" I scratch my chin with a small frown, missing my beard, "okay, yeah, I can see that. Wonder what Hermoine would say about it?"

"Who is this Hermoine?" Oromis asks as we stand over the wooden door.

"An old friend," I say with a small smile, "alright here we go…" I say quietly, raising my hand toward Oromis.

"Quis est ille Fidelius, hold these secrets mine… Into your hands, I give this secret: The Eldunari of the dragons lie beneath the vault behind Oromis' home. Guard it well, guard it true, in your very soul keep it, from this day until your last day. I charge you to hold it from those that would seek to do it harm, place it only into the hands of those that you know to be true. Tu es Religiose! Tu es Fidelius! Oromis, The Mourning Sage."

Golden light explodes and the memory of what I spent my last hours doing slips from my head like water, what the… right, I just cast a Fidelius but what did we do?

"Oromis, I need you to tell me exactly what I said to you after I said 'I give this secret'," I look him in the eye and he nods.

"The Eldunari of the dragons lie beneath the vault behind Oromis' home," and the memories came flooding back, I clutched my head slightly at the feeling but nodded.

"Charm's working, no one will know about it unless you tell them of your own free will. It can't be plucked from your mind, can't be taken under torture, and no one can make you say it no matter what they do to you."

"Then the Eldunari are truly safe?" I can't help but smirk slightly.

"Oromis, let's just say that after I'm done here an army of dragons could slag the valley and no one would be the wiser that the vault's here until well after we're both dead - and since you're functionally immortal well that won't be for a good long time."

"You do not know?" Oromis says quietly.

"Know what?" I ask with an owlish blink.

"All riders share their dragon's lifespan, and all dragons are untouched by time," I felt ice flood through my veins as Wyrden's statement was confirmed.

"Oh… That's, that's wonderful," I say quietly, "I uh, I'm going to finish warding the cellar. If you would," I look at him and pray he gets the message. He nodded simply while turning away from where we were standing.

"Alright…" I said once he left my line of sight, "so I'm going to need a slab of untouched granite, a knife, and a bonfire," I sigh slightly as I run my fingers through my hair and wonder, "are the cliffs granite?" the red dragon looks at me from where he's laying on the grass over the cellar, he doesn't do anything other than puff his nose hard enough to make the grass lay down a bit, "guess you're not up for a trip are you?"

He puffs again and just curls up tighter.

"Have you been up all night, Hadrian?" Oromis' voice carries to where I'm crouched over the slab of granite I carved out of the cliff face the night before.

"Harry, please," I called back, "but pretty much, this is uh… rather delicate work," while I never stopped carving out the runes on the slab.

"You need to rest," Oromis said gently as he kneels beside me, "you cannot focus when you are a simple step away from exhaustion."

"That's a horrible idea, if I stop here-" I pause for a beat while placing my knife back in the fire and chanting in Greek, "then not only will we be blown to Kingdom Come but Ellesmera will be ashed," I look the wizened elf in the eye. "My tutor, an old friend by the name of Bill, once told me that the more magical potential a ward stone has the more likely it'll blow if not carefully carved and meticulously tended to… if not," I look him in the eye for a brief second and see he's white as a sheet as I sigh and turn back to the rock, "we're dead, but thankfully…" I give a few more deft strokes with the knife and plunge it into the heart of the stone, watching as it shrinks down into a ball of pulsing light that sinks directly into the grass and into the cellar below.

I wipe my forehead in relief as the light intensifies before dying out, "I'm done and we're good…"

"What did you just do?"

"Oh! Uh… Well, there were the shield charms, the fire repellant charm, environmental protection, alert wards, water sealing charms, and quite a few more but the crown jewel to the cellar was the permanent enlarging charm woven into the walls of the cellar itself," I say with a bright smile, "this thing can fit your hut in it thirty times over if I did the calculations right, and there should be shelves woven into it the walls for the Eldunari. The bunker should be resistant to anything I could think to throw at it," I say with a small smirk, "now if you'll excuse me, I think it's time for me to get some sleep."

Before Oromis could say a word I was toppling forward onto my face in the soft grass, already gone.