Forgot to mention. Neville may be a little OOC only because he's more confident of himself in my version. Neville is my favorite character ever honestly so he's going to get more love then JK Rowling gave him

Well, sorry about the long wait. Life is hectic in the middle of the school year (ish) with exams coming up and tests to take. But, soon I'll have more free time so hopefully the next chapter will be up sooner. Enjoy the chapter!

If there was one thing he was not expecting as Harry skipped class to talk to Adena, it was her blunt, 'Is the female your coniux, or your mate?'

Now, Harry isn't a very clumsy person usually, but he'd love to see someone be greeted by that statement and keep their balance and not fall flat on their face in surprise and complete mortification while flailing around to make sure they didn't accidently squish their egg. He quickly scrambled back to his feet, instinctively looking around to make sure Hermione wasn't anywhere in the near vicinity, as in, three miles. 'Adena!' he hissed, glaring up at her in exasperation and embarrassment, heat licking at his cheeks.

Adena cocked her head to the side, sitting up in her cage with her tail curled protectively around her eggs. Her eyes glimmered with something that looked suspiciously like amusement, if Harry had to guess. 'It is a simple question, Rider Potter. The attraction the two of you give off is obvious enough.'

Harry shuffled his feet, feeling the heat of his blush spread down his neck. 'Well… she's my best friend. She's been with me through everything.' He confessed, unconsciously running his hand over his egg to soothe himself. It calmed him, somehow. Kept him grounded. 'But no. She's not my c-coniux.' He stuttered.

Harry swore that Adena just rolled her eyes at him, but he quickly continued talking before she could say anymore on the subject. He hasn't quite explored his feelings towards Hermione in-depth yet- still doesn't know how he went from seeing her as a sister to possibly… something else- and no way was he talking about it until he had it all figured out himself thank you very much. 'Anyway!' he continued quickly, not-so-subtly changing the subject. 'That's not what I'm here to talk about.' He shifted his weight from foot to foot, biting his bottom lip nervously. 'Something happened today. Something… bad. I almost lost control of myself.' Harry admitted honestly. 'I need to learn how to control it so that doesn't happen again. I don't want to be a killer… but I was so close today.'

Adena rumbled with displeasure and automatically Harry walked right up to the cage and she nuzzled the top of his head gently through the bars. 'Tell me exactly what happened, Rider Potter. I can feel the anxiety rolling off of you in waves.'

Absently tucking away the fact that Adena can sense how he's feeling, Harry told her the story of what happened in the Great Hall. He told her how hard it was not to kill the aurors keeping him from his egg, how much harder it was to keep from mauling the aurors advancing on Hermione. He had a confused frown on his face as he explained what Draco did, which in turn led him to explaining his history with Draco at Adena's request. When he was finished, Harry didn't need words to tell she was – not anxious, exactly – but a little concerned.

After a few moments of silence, Adena spoke quietly to him. 'I would like to learn more of this boy. It is unusual he would help you after years of hostility aimed at you; even more unusual he was able to take down so many of your guardians without being noticed. However, that is a conversation for another time. You want to learn control, so that is what we will focus on.'

Harry looked up and met Adena's eyes and smiled softly as he settled his egg down in the grass with the rest of her eggs that her tail curled around. He wasn't afraid to be separated from it here; he knew nothing bad would happen to it with Adena around. At her gesture, he took a few steps back until there was a decent amount of space into between him and his dragon.

'Take off your shirt. With what I am going to teach you, your wings are going to come out. No point in ruining your shirt.' Adena told him, an amused sparkle in her eyes.

Harry nodded and did as he was told, precariously throwing his shirt to the side along with his dragonhide trench coat and he closed his eyes, a small smile on his face as he relaxed his body and let his wings unfurl from his back. The pale grey wings spread from his back and Harry let out a soft sigh of contentment. Having wings seems so weird, but at the same time it just feels so right to have them out. Without prompting, Harry began the exercises Adena had given him last time.

Slowly, Harry imagined his wings moving up and down very slowly, grinning a bit when he felt the draft against his back that proved his wings were moving. He pushed them faster, grunting a bit as he struggled to lift himself up off of the ground. The exertion was making him sweat as he struggled to lift himself up, and he frustrated when he only managed to hover a few inches off the ground. Then, suddenly, a gentle gust of wind blew at him and his wings instinctively cupped the wind and used it to push himself higher up the ground. He let out a whoop of excitement as he managed to get a good several feet off of the ground before he heard Adena rumble, 'Enough, Rider. Bring yourself back down to the ground.'

Obediently, Harry slowly let himself drift back to the ground. Well, at least he tried. It kind of ended up with him face planting into the dirt. "Bleck." He spat out the dirt in his mouth as he stood up, wiping his mouth off with his arm. "Gross. Ow. That hurt." He winced, gingerly touching his jaw.

"Good job!" A slow clapping came from his right and Harry glanced over to Neville walking out of the forest, clapping with a smirk on his face and his wand sticking out of his pocket. "That was very impressive. Really, truly." He said very seriously, though the laughter in his eyes took away from his tone of voice. "I haven't seen a face plant like that since Fred slugged Malfoy off his broom!"

Harry rolled his eyes and replied sarcastically. "Haha. Laugh it up." He huffed then asked curiously. "Was the wind you?"

Neville suddenly look a little sheepish as he came to a stop in front of Harry. "Yeah. You looked like you were having trouble, and I know that winged animals use wind sometimes to fly so." He shrugged. "Figured it was worth a shot."

Harry grinned, feeling truly grateful. "Thanks Nev."

Neville grinned back at him, flicking his wand between his fingers so fast it was almost a blur. "No problem, Harry. Sorry I was late. Got held up by a bunch of first-years who got last." He sighed in fond exasperation. "You'd think they'd have figured out how to get around the school by now."

Raising an eyebrow, Harry crossed his arms over his chest feeling unimpressed. "Oh really? Because I distinctly remember someone getting so lost in the castle even the professors couldn't find him until Peeves chased him into the Library."

Neville stared at him with an innocent expression, one that said, 'who, me?' before they both broke down in laughter. They were interrupted when Adena rumbled something close to a laugh. 'Rider Potter, as interesting as I find your conversations with your sanguinis fratris, you did come here for a reason.' She gently chided him.

Now it was Harry's turn to look sheepish and he turned to Neville to explain. "She's reprimanding me." He chuckled. "Because I'm getting distracted."

Neville held up his hands and pointed to the edge of the clearing they were in. "Hey, don't mind me. I'm going to go sit over here and stay out of the way to avoid getting burned to a crisp."

Harry rolled his eyes; pretty positive he wouldn't burn Neville into a crisp but let him go without any argument. He focused all of his attention on Adena who nodded at him before she began to speak. 'First, I want you to willingly call upon your True Form. Focus on the fire in your heart. Unleash it from its cage; allow it to spread through your body as you imagine your inner dragon to be released. But be careful. I do not know all of the ways of the Riders but I have heard that their first conscious change is a struggle. You must not let the dragon inside of you gain control. Do you understand?'

Harry nodded in understanding and nervously took a deep breath began following her instructions, having no trouble identifying the warmth settled next to his heart in the middle of his chest. He was glad he actually had something to call it now and not just the warmth in the middle of his chest. It was his Fire. He imagined it spreading its wings, imagined the fire spreading through every atom in his body until he was soaked in the flames.

It was more painful then he remembered.

A scream ripped itself from his mouth and his eyes squeezed shut as his skin began to tear and shift and transform into scales. It was agonizing. Every inch of his body was changing into something new. With a grunt, Harry fell to the ground, his back arching against the dirt and his neck twisting involuntarily as bones broke and reformed. A roar that was definitely not Adena's echoed in his ear. It was too strong. The dragon was too strong for him to control. A roar escaped from his mouth as he convulsed on the ground, hands fisting, back arching, teeth grinding.

It was like he was battling with himself. The dragon waking up inside him seemed to be trying to take control – and instinctively he knew he couldn't allow that to happen. He felt a snarl escape him as he struggled to gain control of the fire spreading throughout his body, trying desperately to rein it in – to take control – to make the pain go away. But as much as he hated to admit it, he was struggling. This was by far the hardest thing he had ever tried to do but he knew, just knew, that it had to be done no matter how much it hurt. But he needed help.

"Harry!" A familiar voice cut through the haze of agony. Clarity struck him and he felt new strength flood through his veins. He couldn't let the dragon take control. He wasn't going to let it beat him. He roared and snapped open his eyes, leaping onto his feet and shooting in the air. His hand clenched as he fought for control, snarling to himself against his internal struggle as his body convulsed in midair, soaring high before stopping and falling and then flying again.

"Harry! You have to fight it!" Neville voice once again cut through the haze of pain and Harry knew he was right. But he also knew he couldn't just fight it. He needed to embrace it. So that's what he did. Slowly, oh so lowly, Harry forced his body to relax and imagined himself gently stroking the fire burning inside of him instead of trying to put them out. His fire kind of reminded him of a pissed off cat. At first the fire just continued to burn through his body, ignoring his gentleness, but it eventually started to come around and once it calmed down – oh!

It was the most amazing feeling ever.

His entire body no longer felt like it was burning, but instead it was like the comforting warmth that had been in his heart had spread through his entire body and settled in his bones comfortably. Harry whooped and opened his eyes, which had closed at some point during his struggle, just in time to see the ground and face plant into the dirt.

With a groan Harry rolled onto his back and grinned when he saw Neville's worried and panicked face come into his line of sight. "Oh my Merlin, Harry are you all right? What in the bloody hell just happened?"

Harry grabbed Neville's offered hand and was very proud of himself when he only winced a little bit as he got on his feet. "I embraced my dragon, Nev!" he flexed his wings, glancing over his shoulder to watch them curl before he turned back to Neville with the grin stuck on his face. "Mate, this is awesome!"

Suddenly Neville's hand reached out and smacked him across the face. Harry barely even blinked, his head barely moving from the force of the impact as he stared at Neville in surprise. "Hey, what was that for?"

Neville clutched his hand tightly to his chest and groaned in pain before glaring at Harry, but the young Rider didn't take it to heart because he saw the worry and fear in Neville's eyes. Immediately Harry felt guilty because yeah of course Neville was scared because harry didn't tell him what was happening and it looked as bad as it felt then… well, Harry can understand Neville's reaction.

"Hey, I'm sorry Neville." Harry said softly and walked towards Neville, hesitating before wrapping the boy in a hug. Neville was stiff against him for a few seconds before he relaxed and hugged him back, resting his chin on Harry's shoulder. Wow, Neville had been taller than him earlier this year. Adena's fire must have made him grow more than he realized.

"Don't ever do that again, alright?" Neville said quietly, his hands bunching in Harry's shirt. "That was horrifying to watch."

"Okay." Harry promised, but only because he needed Neville to calm down. Plus, he was about 90 percent sure that that wouldn't happen again. And if in the 10 percent chance it did… well, he would deal with that later. After another minute, they pulled back and Neville chuckled at him. "Mate, this is so weird. You look so different."

"Different?" Harry questioned?

"Your skin is still red and scaly," Neville elaborated, the edges of his lips curling into a smile. Your face shape kinda looks more defined and your eyes are like this golden rust color."

Harry blinked in surprise and opened his mouth to say something but was interrupted by Adena. 'Rider Potter.'

Harry motioned for Neville to follow him as we walked towards Adena, being careful not to accidently whack his friend in the head with his wings.

'I must apologize, Rider Potter.' Adena said, bowing her head down towards the ground. 'I did not realize it would be such a struggle for you to transform into your True Form. I have only seen Riders swiftly change from one form to the other. I have never seen them train themselves to do it and I was unable to help. I apologize, Rider Potter.' She repeated, looking ashamed of herself.

An animalistic whine escaped Harry's mouth and he reached forward through the bars of her cage and ran his hand down the side of her face until Adena looked up at him. He smiled at her. 'You don't need to apologize. You know much, but there were things that the Riders kept from you – from everyone. It's alright. I've got it under control now.'

Adena rumbled and rubbed her snout against his hand before pulling away and pulling herself up to her full height. 'Rider Potter, I also am obliged to tell you something interesting that I noticed as you and your sanguinis fratris were talking. He has Rider blood inside of him.' She told him bluntly.

Harry blinked at her. 'What?'

Adena sighed and rolled her eyes. 'He. Has. Rider. Blood.' She said slowly, as if he were some little kid who didn't understand what she was saying. It was true, but that didn't mean he couldn't be offended about it.

'I heard you the first time!' Harry growled and a frown worked its way onto his face. 'But I don't understand. You told me I was the only who had Rider blood. You never said anything about Neville before.'

Adena shrugged, looking unconcerned. 'I did not catch it before now. As you changed to your True Form, you must have called out to him because suddenly I could smell it on him and his eyes flashed a brilliant gold, very briefly. However, it is very weak. I am afraid that while he has Rider blood in him, it is nowhere near enough for him to have True Form, or even be able to bind with a dragon.'

Harry thought for a moment, the frown on his face growing deeper as he thought and glanced at Neville standing next to him. "Neville…" he began hesitantly as Neville gazed at him with curious eyes. "Adena said you have Rider blood in you. Not very much," he added hastily at Neville's surprised and hopeful look, cringing when his face fell.

"Well… why is she just telling me – tell you this?" he quickly corrected himself. Harry could tell Neville was trying to hide his disappointment, but he wasn't doing a very good job of it.

"She said she never noticed it until I unleashed my True Form," Harry explained, absently running his tongue over his razor sharp teeth. Huh. He had razor sharp teeth now. He sighed and turned his attention back to Adena. 'Why tell me this?' he questioned. 'Forget the whole honor bound crap. I'm so new at this – you could have just chosen to not say anything. It doesn't make a difference. Neville's a pureblood, so it would make sense if he had Rider blood in him.'

Here, Adena grinned (as much as a dragon could grin) and thoroughly confused Harry. 'He doesn't have just any Rider blood. His Rider blood was brought from its dormant state when you revealed your True Form. His Rider blood is the same as yours.'

'And…' Harry trailed off blankly, still lost.

His binding dragon rolled her eyes at him and huffed. 'Honestly, Rider Potter, for as strong and bright as you are you can be very slow. He is your sanguinis fratris. Your blood-brother. It is possible to make him a full Rider through a blood binding ritual. It has not been done in centuries, but if he wishes, it is possible for him to become like you.'

Harry's eyes widened so much it seemed comical, full of surprise and excitement as the information slowly sunk in. Elated, the young Rider turned towards Neville, unable to hide his glee. "Nev! Adena says that your Rider blood is the same as mine! Which means through some kind of blood binding ritual you could become a full Rider. Just like me!"

Neville's jaw dropped in disbelief. "No way." He breathed and shook his head. "You're joking. You must be joking, right? Harry I swear if you're joking this isn't funny."

Harry shook his head adamantly, the grin on his face only getting bigger. "Nope! No joking! Completely, and totally not crazy Harry right here telling you the truth." Harry suddenly felt worried. "Is that okay? I mean, I can totally understand if you wouldn't want to become like me and have a bunch of people staring at you every day all the time –"

Neville cut him off quickly. "Are you kidding me? Harry, this is the best thing ever!" his eyes were shining like the stars above them. "I've wanted to be a Rider since I was little. And now, to find out that I can actually be a Rider? Hell yes!"

'I'm glad to see he's so enthusiastic about this possibility.' Adena rumbled with an amused tone to her voice and when Harry glanced up she was looking at the both of them with fondness in her eyes. 'If Mr. Longbottom would like to being now, it would probably be best.'

Harry nodded and relayed what Adena said to Neville, whose gaze steeled and nodded in response.

Adena settled herself on her stomach so she was eye level with Harry and Neville. Her molten golden gaze burned into them. 'This is not going to feel good on either side,' she warned and smiled grimly. 'But I'm sure you have probably already guessed that. Rider Potter, you and Neville need to face each other to begin.' After Harry explained to Neville what she said, the young Rider and Rider-to-be faced each other with only an arms-length between them. 'Harry, you must be the one to do the Ritual. I will guide you, but only you know the proper words for the Ritual.'

Harry sent her a panicked look. 'Wait, what? What are you talking about? I don't know what this Ritual is! You said you knew it!'

'No I didn't.' she corrected quickly, growling a bit. 'I know not of many of the Rider customs that belong to Riders alone. Unfortunately, this is only one I have seen from afar.' Adena's voice softened into a comforting rumble that eased some of Harry's nerves. 'Look in deep inside of you, Rider Potter. Riders never truly go extinct, because their offspring has knowledge of things that are too important to be forgotten as soon as they are born.'

Harry took a deep breath and closed his eyes, feeling unsure of himself as he wracked his brain for the information he needed. Hermione popped up, oddly, and he suddenly found himself wishing she was there because she was so smart she would definitely know what to do. But she wasn't here, and he needed to trust himself. Adena believed in him. He could do this. He wouldn't disappoint her or Neville.

Harry imagined himself in the library, searching for a book on the ritual he needed for him and Neville. He opened book after book after book and useless and unnecessary information flooded him but he ignored it and began getting frustrated. He wasn't getting anywhere. Gritting his teeth, Harry took a deep breath to calm himself. Suddenly Hermione was shoving a book in his hands with a fond, yet exasperated look on her face. "Idiot. It's in here." Confused, Harry opened the book in his mind's eyes and immediately knew this was the right ritual.

Focusing on the present, Harry opened his eyes and held out his hands, waiting patiently before Neville got the hint and clasped his forearms. Harry's fingers tightened slightly around Neville's forearm as he began to speak. 'Lady Magic, I call up unto you in a cry of desperation. My blood-brother has been found, and through myself I offer upon a bond to share between us, to strengthen him to his full potential. I so humbly beg that you accept my request and allow myself to make my blood-brother a true Rider in your name.'

Harry held his breath, not daring to move a muscle. Nothing happened for a few moments, but he refused to let his faith in the Lady Magic waver. He didn't even dwell on why his faith was so strong when he knew nothing about her a couple days ago. It just… was.

The air suddenly became electric with an almost overpowering sense of magic, completely unlike anything Harry has ever felt before. A genuine, heartfelt smile spread across Harry's face and he tilted his head up to the sky and then opened his eyes. 'Thank you,' he whispered, barely audible above the howling of the magic surrounding him and Neville.

Now that he had the approval of his Lady Magic, Harry continued with the ritual. Releasing his grip on Neville's arms, he chanted Latin words that just seemed to flow out of his mouth. 'Ave Domina, offero tibi sanguine benedictionem tuam.' As he spoke, Harry drew one of his claws across his palm with little hesitation. The magic in the air curled around the blood seeping from the wound, but Harry paid it little attention. He took Neville's hand and turned it so the palm was faced towards the sky as he chanted. 'Ave Domina, offero et suscepit sanguinem fratris tui sanguinem meum benedictione.'

The magic curled around the blood seeping from Neville's wound and both his blood and Harry's blood floated into the air by the magic and when it fused together it glowed a beautiful, breathtaking crimson that stood out starkly against the slowly fading light in the sky. Distantly, he heard Neville gasp and whisper something, but it almost sounded like he was hearing it through water.

A grin broke out on Harry's face upon seeing the blood fuse and shine, his Lady's magic practically singing to him. 'Domina Magia, gratias ago tibi quoniam benedictio nostra referes.' Then his gaze met Neville's, silently asking him if he was ready. The other boy met his gaze steadily and Harry knew immediately that he didn't even need to ask. Satisfied, Harry grasped Neville's bloodied hand with his own bloody hand. 'Domina magia, quam dedisti nobis benedictionem tuam. Obsecro ut benedicat nos in veneficiis tuis. Curabit nos simul. Concede nostrum puteis manare cruor corda percutere, et ne unum quidem.'

An involuntary gasp escaped Harry and he heard a similar one come from Neville as the magic swirling around them became thicker and stronger. Then his blood suddenly began to burn, starting at his hand and spreading through his body. It was one of the weirdest, most painful experiences he ever had next to his first transformation. His heart seemed to be working on overdrive and his eyes squeezed shut as he opened his mouth in silent scream. His breath caught in his throat and for the love of Magic it felt like his heart was going to burst out of his chest if his lungs didn't stop working first.

As suddenly as it began, it ended.

The first thing Harry realized was that the magic that had been in the air he was gone. He felt disappointed that the comforting presence had disappeared, but he quickly acknowledged that his Lady could not be around all of the time and she had done more for him than he ever expected.

The second thing he realized was that Neville's eyes were glowing a brilliant sea green. Harry let out a soft gasp as he stared at the boy in front of him. Or, well, not so much a boy anymore. Neville has always been a little chubby, and though he had thinned out through the years, Harry could definitely see the change becoming a Rider had on Neville.

He was in his full form, his grown form, just as Harry was when he first Changed. Large, pale-grey wings spread out on either side of Neville, breathtakingly complimenting the blue sheen of his scales. It appeared he was the same height as before, but his figure had definitely trimmed down quite a bit. His face was a lot sharper and defined, his cheekbones seemed more pronounced and his hair had even grown a bit.

But his marks.

Oh they were beautiful and intricate. Curling around his eyes and cheekbones and holy Merlin they looked exactly like his! Except… they were glowing blue instead of red like his. Strange.

Neville twisted his head back and let out a positively elated roar to the sky and Harry grinned, joining in with a roar of his own. The two of them were echoed by Adena and the other three dragons in the clearing. It was an adrenaline rush. It was the best feeling ever.

Slowly, Neville began to change back and his wings melded into his back and the scales shifted back into skin. The bright sea green eyes were the last thing to turn back to normal. Neville stared at Harry for a moment before launching himself at him and hugging him tightly. Harry staggered a little, caught off guard, but hugged Neville back with little hesitation.

"Thank you." Neville said thickly against Harry's ear, his arms tightening around the raven-haired boy. "I can't believe it actually –" he pulled back, though he held harry at arm's length. "All that magic…" he asked hesitantly. "Was that the Lady Magic?"

Harry beamed. "Yes! Oh, Neville, she blessed both of us. That kind of blessing…" he shook his head, still feeling awed that such a thing happened to both of them.

'Welcome to the world of Riders, Rider Longbottom.' Adena rumbled, bowing to Neville as she had done to Harry and as Neville bowed back, she growled her approval and the two of them straightened. 'Now, there are a few important things you two need to understand. You are full blood brothers now, in every sense of the word.' Her tail curled in what Harry assumed was a sign she was pleased as she looked at Harry. 'The most important thing is that since you two are blood brothers, in the Wizarding World Rider Longbottom's guardians can now claim legal guardianship over you.' Her eyes softened. 'During the fire ritual, I caught a glimpse of your past as we bonded. If you choose so, you never have to go back to them again.'

Harry breath caught in his throat as he stared a Adena in disbelief. 'Now,' she continued. 'Technically, those guardians of yours could try to claim guardianship over Neville, but I don't think they will.'

With a jolt, Harry realized she was right. Not only would they never, ever do that due to the Dursley's immense hated of anything magic or related to magic, but there was no way they would let him back with the marks on his face. There was no way they could explain that to anyone. They would sooner kick him out on the streets, and Harry didn't doubt they would for a minute.

Neville turned to him with a large grin on his face, his eyes sparkling with joy. In fact, Harry was filled with joy to because this was so unbelievable. "Oh Harry this is wonderful! You can stay at my house with me and you'll never have to go back to those Dursley's and you can meet my parents and –" he cut himself off, suddenly looking very unsure of himself. "I mean, if you want to. You don't have to, obviously but…"

Harry refused to let him finish, reaching out to hug Neville tightly, feeling tears prick at the edges of his eyes. "I would love to, Neville." He said thickly. "I would love nothing more." He pulled back and grinned at him. "After all, we're truly brothers now." He placed his hand over Neville's heart and felt himself relax as the steady thump-thump of Neville's heart beat in time with his own.

'That is not all.' Adena interrupted them gently, a fond look in her eyes. 'A bond has been formed between the two of you. It is very weak, and will take quite a while to gain strength. But as the two of you grow closer, and the bond grows stronger, you will soon be able to feel what the other feels, know where the other is, and talk to each other through the bond link.'

Neville's eyes widened. Harry glanced at him and grinned. This was going to be awesome.

'Rider Potter, I apologize we did not get to work on your control as much as you would have liked to, but I hope you understand that having another Rider will help you keep yourself fin control.' Adena switched her gaze to Neville. 'You, Rider Longbottom, have great potential. The red marks, red scales, and darkening wings on Rider Potter mark him as a fire dragon. Your blue marks, and blue scales, and grey wings on you mark you as a dragon of the sea.' She paused, cocking her head to the side. 'If you wish, you two may come back tomorrow and we can work on your control and we can also discuss the significance of being a dragon of fire and a dragon of the sea.'

Neville and Harry exchanged a glance before Harry spoke up. 'That's sounds perfect, Adena. We'll come directly after classes and do our best not to kill anyone.' He joked, though he got the impression Adena didn't find it funny.

'I'll have to write to my Gran right away…' Neville mumbled to himself and glanced up at Harry shyly. 'Maybe she'll agree to gaining custody over you and you could come over for Christmas.'

Harry smiled brightly at Neville. 'I would love that.' He gave the other boy a light shove and smirked. 'Now come on, let's get back before Snape finds us and decides to give us both detentions for breathing.'

'Wait a minute, young Riders, I'm not finished with you yet.' Adena rumbled in amusement. 'Rider Longbottom, you need a dragon. I am your binding dragon, because you bonded with Harry and I was Harry's bonding dragon. Come over here into my cage.'

Neville hesitated, glancing over at Harry before slowly walking up to Adena and slipping through the large metal bars and into the cage.

'Choose the egg that calls out to you and it shall be yours.'

Neville's eyes widened at Adena before he took a deep breath and nodded. He made his way over to the eggs, and as if in a trance, he reached down and took one that appeared to be a gorgeous mix of light green and silver, intricate designs. He cradled it against his chest and when he turned around Harry saw him wearing the biggest smile on his face as he repeated thanked Adena before heading back to Harry.

Harry smiled at him, gently stroked his hand over Neville's egg, before bending down to grab his own egg from where he placed it near Adena's cage. The two made their goodbyes and headed back to the Castle, excitedly chatting about Neville's new found powers and discussing their plans for tomorrow.

Neither one of them even thought about what Hermione was up to. Perhaps it was better they didn't, at that point, or everything would have been different.

Oh no! What's happened to Hermione? Guess you'll have to wait and find out ;) review and let me know what you like! Review your suggestions and comments, I love hearing what each and every one of you say about my chapters.