Chapter Text
Chapter One: Scream
Standing in the doorway, illuminated by the shivering flames in Lupin's hand, was a cloaked figure that towered to the ceiling. Its face was completely hidden beneath its hood. Harry's eyes darted downward, and what he saw made his stomach contract. There was a hand protruding from the cloak and it was glistening, grayish, slimy-looking, and scabbed, like something dead that had decayed in water... But it was visible only for a split second. As though the creature beneath the cloak sensed Harry's gaze, the hand was suddenly withdrawn into the folds of its black cloak. And then the thing beneath the hood, whatever it was, drew a long, slow, rattling breath, as though it were trying to suck something more than air from its surroundings. An intense cold swept over them all. Harry felt his own breath catch in his chest. The cold went deeper than his skin. It was inside his chest, it was inside his very heart.... Harry's eyes rolled up into his head. He couldn't see. He was drowning in cold. There was a rushing in his ears as if he was inside a waterfall. He was being dragged downward, the roaring growing louder… And then, from far away, he heard screaming, terrible, terrified, pleading screams. He wanted to help whoever it was, he tried to move his arms, but couldn't... a thick white fog was swirling around him, inside him -
-Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban
Harry felt something inside of him shift inside before hearing a loud crack. It was loud enough that he barely heard a smaller snap following it. All of this was drowned in a pain that felt like his muscles and veins were being torn from his bones, which were in turn being snapped and rearranged. Maybe this was what it was like to be blown up. It didn't seem to hurt Aunt Marge this much, the sudden feeling of expanding and changing. Something wormed under his scapulas, slithering out and breaking through his back to weigh him down. He toppled over, curling up on the floor as his very body and soul were pulled asunder. All he wanted was for it to stop, so he opened his mouth to call for help. Instead what came out was a scream unlike anything he'd ever heard, his vocal cords tearing and bleeding. Coming from the same place that the terrifying figure pulled, he put all his terror and pain into the drawn out noise. He heard an answering growl from the carriage, but he couldn't see the source in the dark.
"EXPECTO PATRONUM!" Yelled a grown male voice, so it was probably Professor Lupin. A bright white light lit up the carriage, illuminating the group of cowering children and Harry, covered in blood and viscera on the floor. A pair of light colored wings sprouted from his back, also covered in ichor.
*****
Confused but in protective mode, Remus tried to let out a soothing growl to make the boy stop screaming and calm down. No sooner did he scare off the Dementor in the carriage than he heard and saw the arrival of others through the darkness of the window. Howls erupted from the flashes of multicolored portals, and shadowy figures sprouted wings and started slinging magic at the attacking creatures. The surroundings started to thaw as the Dementors fled the onslaught, allowing the lighting to return. Dropping his wand, Lupin kneeled next to Harry with both horror and fear. His cub was in pain, and apparently going through a creature inheritance on a train full of wizards. He turned to look at the other children in the carriage, and said in the most serious tone possible, "Do not tell anyone about what happened to Harry, because it's not safe. They'd hunt him just for being what he is. Do you understand?"
The pale faces and wide eyes of the children moved from their prone friend to taking in the solemn look on their new Professor's face.
"Of course we won't!" Said a girl with bushy brown hair. The other children were quick to nod, afraid but determined. The redheaded boy also knelt by Harry, hands hovering. He seemed like he wanted to help but was afraid to touch his hurt friend.
"What is happening to him, Professor? I've never heard of a wizard growing wings!" The boy asked.
"Harry is a Dragel. They are a dragonkin that live somewhere far away, so I don't know how he ended up inheriting. If he was going to have it naturally, it should have been years from now when he hits adulthood. I think the Dementor attack pulled it out of him along with his soul. I'm unsure how hurt he is, but we can't go to Hogwarts now. The Aurors would come take him, and we'd never see him again. This is something that earns a wizard the death penalty, just for being a Dragel. That's why you can't tell anyone what happened. Do you know how to do an Oath on your magic?"
"An Oath! Isn't that a bit drastic, Professor? We could lose our magic if we made a simple mistake..." The other boy, the one with chestnut hair said.
"It's that serious. They will question you, and only an Oath will protect Harry. I can't leave here without getting one from each of you, and we must be quick. I think there are more Dragels outside fighting, and they're going to be in a hurry to get to Harry. We need to move him outside to them."
"Okay, I'll do it! Harry is my best friend, and he always gets hurt. I don't want to help someone hurt him." The bushy-haired witch pulled her wand and straightened her spine, meeting Remus with a determined stare. The others, some more slowly than her, did the same. He was asking a lot of such a young group of children, but his cub was more important. Everything was for his cub.
"Do you know the words? I'm sure your friends here do, so quickly sort out the wording that you want to use. Remember to try to make it as airtight as possible so no one can try to trick you into violating the oath. Magic will hold you to your word."
The children huddled up, furiously whispering overlaid by the noise of the battle outside. Eventually, they came to some kind of agreement and turned back to him.
"Alright, I'll go first. I, Hermione Jean Granger, swear upon my Magic that I will not reveal any information about the inheritance of Harry James Potter unless he permits it. As I swear, so mote it be."
"So mote it be." Echoed around the carriage, witnessed by the others. Each of the children repeated the Oath, sealing the truth of what happened to Harry from those interested in the Wizarding World; whether about the Boy-Who-Lived or a young unprotected Dragel. It was just another layer of protection for his poor cub, and he was very proud that Harry had such loyal friends. It brought back bittersweet memories of his own younger years, but that was a wound that he refused to touch. It hurt too much.
Sighing and noticing that the noise outside was dying down, but the growls and voices had not, Lupin looked at the children.
"Do any of you have a spare cloak? I need to hide him from prying eyes while I take him off the train. Will some of you also grab his and my things? We need to leave now."
"You can use the Cloak! It will make him invisible!" Yelled Ron.
"Ah, I remember that cloak well. I'm glad that it's here. Can you find it and cover him after I pick him up? He might be in a lot of pain, so be careful that you don't get hit with a wing or his claws."
The boy, Ron, scrambled to Harry's trunk and looked through it until he found the Cloak. Carefully, he laid it over Harry's twitching form without touching his injuries. Remus then waited for the children to gather his and Harry's trunks before sticking his head out of the door. The other carriages were closed, and he could hear terrified children calling for help or for their parents. Some were asking in confusion if they should check the hallways to see if the danger had passed. Taking that as a signal to hurry, he nodded at the other children over his shoulder and started to run towards the closest exit. The ones with their luggage followed as best they could, but his legs ate up ground.
He had barely opened the door and jumped off the train before a chorus of terrifying growls sounded from the fog left by the Dementors as they fled. Dark forms, with spread wings and holding various weapons, melted from the shadows and straight for him. Releasing a warning growl of his own, he snarled.
"Wait, let me put him down! He's injured, and I don't know any healing spells that can help him. He's my pup, so I won't hurt him!" Kneeling down again, he laid his poor child on the ground and pulled off the Cloak. Instantly, a trio of men were upon him, shoving him aside in favor of casting various diagnostic spells over Harry.
"He's too young! Why is he inheriting now? I'm sensing various seals on him, some broken or cracked, some very solid. One of you clean him up so I can see if there's still any active bleeding, the other should offer him blood. He's low on magical energy and his inheritance is going to need more fuel. We can't risk drawing on his life force."
Beyond the ones taking care of Harry, Remus could see more men battling the last of the Dementors. Deciding to make himself useful, he steps forward to cast another Patronus. The spectral wolf burst out; fueled by his protective instincts it circled the trio of Dragels before running off to chase some of the horrible creatures. Some of the fighting Dragels looked at him in confusion and suspicion, but he ignored their attitude in favor of gauging the strength of his pup's Intended. They appeared to be a well-oiled machine, cooperating nicely in battle. In no time the final Dementor disappeared in the distance with a chilling shriek, leaving only silence. There was a faint murmur coming from the train, and he saw that the children had left the luggage and closed the door. He was thankful for their discretion despite what must have been a very surreal scene. Once again he was reassured by the quality of Harry's friends.
A hand grabbed his shoulder, and he instantly spun in a crouch, wand drawn and snarl on his lips. The Dragel that touched him raised his hands in surrender, taking a step back and giving him a nod.
"I mean you no harm, but I need to know why our Submissive was in danger from such Black Magic. Those things do not belong anywhere near a train full of children, much less attacking one into releasing a Soulscream. What happened here?"
Behind them, the train slowly started leaving, winding away into the gathering dusk. Remus watched it go in silence before sighing and turning back to the obviously dominant ranked Dragel.
"His name is Harry Potter, and he's only 13. Due to a prisoner escaping our prison, the Ministry of Magic apparently released some of the Dementors to find him. They're normally used to guard the prison itself, and their ability is to suck the happiness out of you. Given the chance, they will suck out your soul. My cub was on the train with me, and they entered the train to look for the escapee I assume. One of them came in our carriage and attacked Harry, trying to suck his soul. Before I could run it off, there were wings and he was screaming. Given the attitude of the Wizarding world towards your kind, I decided that he couldn't go to Hogwarts like planned. It's not safe here for him now, nowhere on Earth is. Some very powerful people have a vested interest in anything that happens to Harry, and I refuse to let them have him. I'd like to ask for Sanctuary for myself and my pup. We need to leave, but first, a stop at Gringotts is needed. Harry has more assets than the average child, and I don't know what state his accounts are in."
"Alright, let's get him stabilized and then we can portal to your bank. Is it the one run by Goblins?"
"Yes, thank you. I'll grab our things and we can go. I'm worried about the Aurors showing up and catching us unaware."
The other Dragel, with his pale skin and orange red hair, would be mistaken for a Weasley if not for his intense orange eyes. They glowed like fire, constantly roving their surroundings in search of danger. With a quick nod to Remus, he walked over to the Dragels that were now mostly surrounding Harry. They had a quick, furious argument before one reluctantly reached down to pick up his precious cub. Another gestured for him to stand beside the one holding Harry, and suddenly a great wind blew. When it settled again, the clearing by the tracks was empty.