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Harry lay awake in his curtained bed, the darkness doing little to calm his nerves for the day ahead. A test he had no choice but to pass after all of the work he’d done to get here. Suffering with his relatives, working like a slave until he could join Hogwarts, the school of witchcraft and wizardry. And now he faced his first end-of-year final.
All year they’d been preparing to enter the forbidden forest, the only day of the year allowed to do so, in hopes of finding their familiar. One could not be a successful witch or wizard without a familiar. So much so that if Harry failed today, he’d be sent back to the start, retaking the entrance exam and repeating his first year. He wasn't sure what he’d do if he didn't pass. He wouldn't go back to his relatives he knew. No, there was no choice, Harry had to succeed.
“I feel like I'm shaking out of my skin,” Ron griped at breakfast, filling his plate with trembling hands. “Bill had to retake his first year twice, you know? Charlie had to repeat too . Fred and George would never let me hear the end of it if-”
“ Oh, cut it out Ron , we’re all nervous enough as it is!” Hermione reprimanded, and her hair seemed much frizzier than usual.
Harry tried not to let Ron's words affect him, he needed to stay focused and remember the lessons he’d learned this year. He caught sight of Malfoy at his table across the great hall, blond hair eye-catching. He hardly seemed nervous at all, Harry supposed it could be a front, but Malfoy had been bragging all year about the one hundred percent pass rate of the Malfoy line. Not to mention if he did fail, he had a nice big house to return to. Hermione and Ron had loving families that wouldn't judge them for their failure. This school was all Harry had. It’d become home to him over such a short time and he’d be damned if he left now.
“Students! Students, may I have your attention, please. Yes, settle down now,” Dumbledore's amplified voice echoed through the great hall, drawing everyone's attention. He seemed chipper this morning, a feeling Harry envied, in bright blue robes the color of the sky above. His familiar, Fawkes, an actual Phoenix sat perched on the back of his chair, a red beacon. Fawkes was easily the most impressive familiar Harry had ever seen, sparking a hunger deep in Harry's chest for his own great familiar.
“Now I know we’re all excited for the day ahead. A significant day for you upcoming witches and wizards I know. But you must be vigilant and remember the lessons your teachers have shared this school year. The forbidden forest is a dangerous place, do not lose yourself on your quest for a familiar. Your health is of the utmost importance , after all, there is always next year,”
The speech left a bitter taste in Harry's mouth as they returned to Gryffindor Tower and packed their bags. They were allowed to bring anything they believed would be helpful to their search. Harry had prepared with a few emergency potions, mostly cures to common poisons and boils, a small stash of food, his invisibility cloak, and of course his wand. They would be given two days, from stepping foot into the forest today, to sundown tomorrow.
Harry hoped to be out as quickly as possible , the less time in the forbidden forest the better.
“One last reminder!” Dumbledore projected his voice over the jumble of students waiting to enter the forbidden forest. “If you find yourself in mortal danger, use your wand to shoot red sparks into the air and a professor will come to your assistance . However, this is also a forfeit from this year's quest.” Harry had already decided he wouldn't be leaving the forest empty-handed. If he couldn't find a familiar to bond with … then he wouldn't be leaving .
“I wish you all the best of luck , you may begin!”
There was a mad dash of first years into the forest, Harry quickly lost sight of Ron and Hermione, but it was better off that way. They wouldn't want to get in each other's way.
The day had been sunny and clear but stepping into the forest seemed to turn the clock, the thick treetops blocking out any sunlight.
“ Lumos!” Harry cast a burst of light from his wand leading him through the thick foliage. He could hear his classmates stomping around him but as time went on, they spread further and further out . Harry's heart beat a staccato in his chest, his palm sweaty around his wand. The forest was a foreboding place, every snap of a twig causing his hair to stand on end.
He could feel eyes on him but didn't come across his first creature until an hour in. It was a pale grey ashwinder, rearing up in a hiss as Harry stumbled by. Harry had always been fond of snakes, most likely encouraged by his parseltongue ability.
“ H-hello,” Harry tried and the ashwinder stopped hissing, turning a critical red eye on Harry.
“ Hello Wizard,” The ashwinder returned , it uncoiled, displaying an impressive length as it circled Harry. “ What brings you to the forest?”
Harry tried not to show his nerves, despite how wrong it felt to leave his back open to a predator. Their professors had made clear that trust was the most important part of forming a familiar bond.
“ I’m searching for a familiar,”
“Ah,” The snake hissed. “That time of year already?” He was a very long snake, stopping his circling in front of Harry to meet his eye again.
“ Good luck, speaker,” The ashwinder turned into the underbrush and Harry tried not to show his disappointment.
“ Thank you,” Harry's heart had settled in his chest, a childish hope that he’d found the right creature on his very first try. He shook himself from the thought , luck had never been on Harry's side.
He continued in the darkness, praying to any deity listening. I’ll take anything! Even a flobberworm! Though Malfoy would never let him live that down. Could flobberworms even be familiars?
Quickly approaching steps had Harry raising his wand in defense, ready to cast. Harry jumped at a terrified scream before realizing that the voice belonged to Neville. His face became visible in the wand light as he raised his wand into the air to shoot sparks.
“Neville, wait! It’s just me!”
“Harry?” For only being an hour and a half in, Neville looked rough. His face was covered in scratches, eyes wide in panic.
“Yes, Nev. What happened?”
“I’m so glad to see you, Harry. The forest is so much scarier than they told us I don't think I can do it! Nan was right I’m a coward-”
“Calm down Neville ! We’ve barely starte d,” This seemed to be the wrong thing to say as Neville's eyes flooded with tears.
“I’m a sorry excuse of a Gryffindor! I haven't even lasted a day,”
Harry laid a comforting hand on Neville's shoulder.
“Don't be so hard on yourself, Nev. Look, I have something…” Harry reached into his side bag digging around for the right potion. “Calming drought. This should help for a while,”
“Oh I couldn't Harry, that's yours…” Neville shook his head looking guilty, but Harry pushed the bottle into his hand.
“Whatever, you need it more than I do. Just don't give up too early, okay? You can do it,”
Neville gave him a watery smile as he uncorked the potion.
“Thanks, Harry, you’re the best.”
Harry continued his search on high alert. Growing increasingly anxious when he saw very few critters at all. As Hagrid had told them, a familiar chooses their wizard, just like a wand. Likely the animals here saw Harry and were not interested so they stayed out of his way. The thought was disheartening but he pushed onwards.
He did bump into Lavender Brown on her way out of the forest. It must've been nearing dinner time and she’d already found a familiar in a bright pink Pygmy puff. Her grin was blinding as she waved at Harry on her way past. It filled Harry with a jealousy he instantly squashed. He should be happy for his fellow first years.
Harry munched on his snacks as he continued, the smell attracting a few more creatures, though none seemed interested in conversation. His hopes rose again when an Occamy lowered from a branch by his face. The snake-like animals certainly seemed more interested in him, likely because they’d heard he was a speaker.
“ Hello wizard,” The Occamy began, purple wings laid sleek against its blue body.
“ Hello,” Harry wished he’d asked more questions about this part of the process. Was it better if he spoke or stayed quiet? Should he stay still or show he was comfortable moving?
“ Rather dull, aren't you?” The owner asked, and it seemed to grow in size as it dropped to the ground.
“ Uh- I suppose?”
The creature seemed unimpressed with this humming in its strangely birdlike hiss before winging off into the trees. Harry scowled to himself. None of the professors had ever mentioned how demeaning finding a familiar was.
He realized he must have wandered pretty deep as the trees grew denser , the light scarcer and scarcer. It'd be safer to turn from there, either retrace his steps or turn to the side. The further into the forest you went the less likely you were to come back out.
With this decision in mind, he settled down on the dark ground, draining a bottle of water and eating more of his reserves. He’d been walking for hours, maybe all day but the lack of light made it hard to tell for sure . He considered casting Tempus before deciding he’d rather not have the time left hanging around in his head.
He’d rest for a while, he decided. Best to keep his energy up. The day caught up to Harry as he rested his head against the tree trunk, legs singing to finally take a break . He didn't realize he’d drifted off until the snapping of a twig startled him awake. It was impossibly darker now, barely able to see his hand in front of his face.
“ Lumos,”
Rising to his feet, Harry spread the light around slowly, searching for the source of the noise. The beady eyes of spiders stared back from between the thick tree branches, but otherwise, he seemed to be alone.
A chilling bird call broke the silence, echoing through the forest and Harry jumped despite himself, arms prickling with gooseflesh.
“Scared Potter?”
Harry whirled around to face one person he’d hoped not to bump into during this test.
“Malfoy,”
Despite his words, Malfoy didn't seem entirely unaffected by the Forbidden Forest, usually tidy hair unkempt, face smudged with dirt. He even had a tear along one sleeve, and a bloody gash on his forearm.
“Looks like a nasty scratch there , sure you don't want to call for help?”
“Don't be ridiculous. I fought off a rabid hippogriff as if I need a professor to come save me,”
Harry snorted , Likely story.
“What do you want, Malfoy?”
“Nothing, it’s not like I chose to find you of all people,”
Malfoy sneered, his pompous face enough to annoy Harry on any day, but today was too important for distractions. Another twig snapped and Harry's eyes narrowed as Malfoy glanced quickly toward the noise.
“Though now that you mention it…”
Goyle barreled into Harry's side just as he cast a hurried shield. The force was enough to knock him off balance and then Crabbe was there, reaching for his bag. Of course, they planned to steal other people's potions. They’d never been smart enough to brew their own and Malfoy would never do someone else's work.
Harry spun to the side, keeping his wand raised and the other hand over his satchel.
“Don't be like that, Potter! Sharing is caring! Petrificus Totalus!”
Malfoy had always been a slow caster, Harry's shield deflected the charm easily, but he was outnumbered three to one. He only had a moment to curse his poor luck before he whirled around and took off deeper into the forbidden forest.
It was too dark to see where he was going, even with the curses shot after him lighting up the wood briefly. The upside was that Malfoy, and his goons couldn't see him either, and if they had any brains they wouldn't push too far into the forest.
After a few minutes of running, Harry ducked behind a tree to catch his breath. It was quieter here, even the bugs were silent this deep. Not a good sign at all.
“Tempus,” The time showed just after midnight. He had one more day to find a familiar or he would never be a wizard. He listened carefully for another few minutes to be sure he’d lost Malfoy before deciding to circle back around. He’d probably have more luck in the safer parts of the forest where the creatures wouldn't want to eat him.
Right as the thought crossed his mind a growl reverberated through the air. The sound seemed to come from all around and Harry froze in place, breath stuttering in his chest. He scanned the trees, but it was too dark to see anything, so slowly, he raised his wand and cast a shaky Lumos.
He almost regretted it when he came face to face with the drake. How the bloody hell had he found a drake of all things?
The scaled creature was crouched low to the ground, yellow gaze predatory where it watched him. Heart beating wildly in his chest, Harry took a cautious step backward. The drake's lip curled in displeasure displaying deadly yellowed teeth. Another step backward and the creature growled again, a ferocious sound. Harry tightened his sweaty grip on his wand, the drake's muscles tensing before he lunged.
“ Diffindo!” He shouted, knocking the beast backward before taking off at a sprint. He’d lost any sense of direction now, tripping over roots and stumbling through foliage. The drake was fast, much faster on the uneven terrain, eyesight much better in the dark, and Harry could hear it gaining ground behind him. Snarling and snapping like a dog at his heels. His heart was deafening in his ears, branches cutting his cheeks as he narrowly avoided a clawed swipe from behind, the gust of displaced air ruffling his hair.
Harry was so focused on escaping that he almost didn't notice when the drake abruptly stopped its pursuit. The beast slid to a stop, a frustrated growl filling the air as Harry sped away. He didn't slow down, only spared one confused glance backward before freefalling into a gaping ravine.
His stomach attempted to escape through his throat as he fell, grabbing at air before landing so hard on his back that all of the breath was knocked from his lungs. Harry gasped on the floor for long minutes, vision swimming in the darkness. When he could finally breathe again, he rolled onto his side with a groan, back aching something fierce.
He struggled to his feet, looking up the way he came but it was too dark to tell how far he'd fallen even with a brightly lit Lumos . He’d have to wait for sunrise to even consider climbing out and hope that the canopy wasn't too dense. In the meantime, maybe there was another way out. Casting his light around the cave had Harry's hopes plummeting. The dirt ground gave way to smooth stone further in , the gray surface gouged deep with enormous claw marks. Heart beating against his ribcage, Harry stepped forward for a better look and felt a snap beneath his boot. A bone the length of his entire leg. Looking more carefully at the ground now revealed a countless number of bones, a graveyard of beasts that were much larger than Harry in life, eye sockets wider than his whole head.
“Okay, this is fine,” He whispered to himself, self-soothing. “Maybe they fell down here like I did,” but the Drake had known to stop, a traitorous voice protested. The Drake had better eyesight in the dark, maybe these creatures hadn't. What kind of animal in the Forbidden Forest can't see in the dark?
Suddenly the climb out didn't seem like such a bad idea.
But before Harry got the chance to try the cave was filled with the smell of sulfur. A ripe burning smell that had Harry pinching his nose. And the heat. Surely, he’d fallen into some sort of oven and the heat had just been set too high. Suddenly his hair was plastered to his face with sweat and his glasses were fogged over. His clothes clung to him miserably as he tried to clear his lenses in vain.
“And who do we have here?” A resonant voice filled the cavern, echoing low like thunder and making Harry gasp. He whipped his wand around, squinting through the fog and the dark but could see no one.
“Don't be shy, little wizard,” The voice teased, a hissing sound that seemed to come from all around and had the hair rising on Harry's neck. He’d never felt quite so much like prey as he did in that moment . Backing away from the unknown part of the cavern slowly, bones crunching underfoot until his back hit the dirt-packed wall.
“Who’s there?” He called back, forcing steel into his voice despite his trembling hands. The voice chuckled and the sound bounced from wall to wall making Harry flinch. There was the sound of something sliding across the stone, a flash of something - an eye maybe . Whatever it was, it sounded big. They hadn't learned about beasts that could speak. And this wasn't parseltongue.
“I believe propriety demands you answer first,” There was an edge now , was that a hint of teeth?
“Harry Potter,” He gulped and cursed the way the sound carried.
“Harry Potter,” The creature purred, and Harry could hear it move again, slithering through the shadows, the sharp scrape of claws against the stone.
“What brings a young wizard like yourself to my part of the forest?” It must've moved closer, hot breath gusted against the side of Harry's face and he dared not move. Was it close enough to bite? There wasn't a spell Harry knew that could protect him from a creature of this size- of this intelligence. Would the professors even see a spark from this deep in the forest?
“I-I’m a student at Hogwarts. I’m looking for a familiar,”
Another sharp breath had Harry's eyes watering, and he squeezed them shut in anticipation.
“Hogwarts,” The beast moved away, and Harry released a shuddering sigh . “Is that fool Dumbledore still teaching there?”
Harry blinked, taken aback.
“He’s the headmaster,”
A reverberating growl raced shivers up his spine.
“How do you know Dumbledore?” He asked cautiously, steeling himself to move the light of his wand around. The creature slipped back to the shadows, the end of a black-scaled tail, Harry's only glimpse.
“I was a student once before he declared I was more beast than man and had me expelled,”
The voice was ripe with contempt , words growled through bared teeth. Harry could only squint in confusion. How could someone be both man and beast?
“What…” Would this upset him? “What are you?” His curiosity won out, sweat dripping from his chin.
“Come and see,” The beast purred, tone sweet as honey. And Harry knew it was a trick, even as he stepped forward on shaky legs and willed his Lumos brighter.
His breath caught in his throat as the eyes caught the light first, huge, red, and slitted like a cat. Then the teeth, bared in a snarl, sharp as razors and wide as Harry's fist. It was a dragon. Black and horned and horrifying, and oh Merlin Harry was going to die. The dragon opened its jaws to sweltering heat and Harry could see the fire growing as he dove to the side to avoid the roar of flames.
The light filled the cave and for the first time , Harry could see tunnels in the walls. Maybe not a way out, but at least away from the dragon.
He doused his Lumos and raced for the closest tunnel by memory. He couldn't know how good a dragon's eyesight was, but he knew that a brightly lit wand would be a dead giveaway.
“A game of hide and seek? I haven't had a playmate in so long,” The beast laughed, and Harry shivered at the sound.
He came to the cave wall, feeling along the sides as quickly and quietly as he could for the tunnel entrance he’d seen. He stumbled into the gap when he found it, breath catching on a gasp as he hurried through blindly .
“You forget we’re playing in my territory,” The guttural voice spoke from too close, and Harry yelped, stumbling forward as the dragon opened his jaws again, impressive magma bubbling deep in his chest. Harry was going to die; this was it there was nowhere else to go-
“Wait! Wait!” He roared to be heard over the building heat and could have sobbed in relief when the dragon heard his pleas.
“What is it?” It purred, a sadistic gleam in its red eyes. “Not ready to end the game yet? I could give you a head start I suppose,”
“We could help each other!” Harry shouted, nearly shaking out of his skin. The dragon laughed; head tossed to the side. He peered at Harry with one sharp eye like a bird.
“What could you do for me?”
Harry's blood pulsed in his ears. If this didn't work-
“I could get you into Hogwarts,”
The dragon froze, dark scales melding him with the shadows like a statue. He turned his eye on Harry again, the playful gleam gone, replaced with a calculating light.
“You’re suggesting I become your familiar,”
“It would give you the chance to be a Hogwarts student- to finish what you started,”
The dragon moved back, settling outside the tunnel entrance and Harry could barely see him but for the gleam of his eyes and scales.
“You’d get more out of this arrangement. I’d spare your life here, and you would leave with a powerful familiar,”
Harry's scrambled brain reached for an appeasement.
“But you’d be bonded to a powerful wizard, that'd make your magic stronger too, right ? And won't it be worth it to get back at Dumbledore for expelling you?”
The dragon was silent for a moment before a hot breath filled the tunnel once more, and Harry was sure his luck had run out. He could turn now, try to run before–
“ Well get on with it then , it’s been ages since I learned the words , I hardly remember,”
Harry's heart soared, nearly flying clear out his throat as he stumbled out towards the beast who’d just tried to fry him.
“Alright, I’m going to-to touch you…” The dragon huffed, unamused so Harry took that as agreement. Casting Lumos again to locate the dragon in the dark Harry cautiously laid a shaking hand on the end of the creature's claw. The claw that was nearly the size of Harry's entire arm. He shook his head and forced himself to focus.
“ Mutuarum obligationum communicatio magis movet quam sola iurium vindicatio,”
They’d studied the bonding process in class of course but it was nothing compared to the actual thing. Harry watched his magic seep into the air, a visible golden thing. It was ethereal, and mesmerizing to watch as it shifted and sparkled. The dragon's magic rose from beneath his scales to join, dark iridescent like a crow's feathers or spilled oil. Slowly, the two mixed–an impossible mixture– and yet as the feeling settled under Harry's skin with a shiver it felt undeniably right. As if he’d been missing a puzzle piece all this time without realizing and here it was.
Their magic faded from the air and Harry released a shaky breath. Nothing had really changed and yet he fel t…d ifferent. His magic had a presence in his chest now , he was conscious of where it flowed under his skin. And as the dragon shifted, he thought he could feel his startled contentment as well . The beginnings of a bond. The elation that filled Harry at the thought had him biting back a toothy grin.
“Don’t look so pleased with yourself , you have a long way to go little wizard,”
But nothing could dampen his excitement. Even after all this time, there had been a niggling voice in his head saying that he wasn't cut out to be a wizard, that he wouldn't make it (It sounded suspiciously like his uncle). And now he was bonded to a dragon of all things.
“It’s Harry,” He reminded, and the dragon huffed, unimpressed.
“ Well let's go meet your headmaster, Harry,”
Harry's head spun as the creature lowered a shadowed wing, a makeshift ramp to his towering back.
“This is so surreal. They’re gonna freak out,” He mumbled, taking a shaky step onto the dragon's wing.
“If I’m lucky the old man will have a heart attack and die,”
Harry frowned, growing bolder as the beast didn't seem offended by his clamoring. The climb was slow going , difficult to see in the low light, and the leathery wings slippery under his boots and hands.
“You have a weird sense of humor,”
The dragon leveled Harry with a startling red eye. “It wasn't a joke,”
Harry looked away from the piercing gaze with unease. Maybe he’d been expelled for a reason and now Harry was bringing him back to Hogwarts. Would Harry be expelled too ?
“Ah!” An impatient nudge sent Harry sliding up the remaining distance to land between the dragon's wings.
“You need to learn occlumency immediately , I refuse to have your feelings seeping into my magic all of the time,”
Harry righted himself, hands skating over black scales the size of his palm. They were smooth and pointed at the ends, hard like armor.
“I hope you know a sticking charm,” The creature remarked, Harry's only warning before the dragon climbed the cave wall. Harry yelped in alarm, sliding across the broad expanse of his back before shouting out the only sticking charm he knew. It was weak and wouldn't last long but it’d have to do. He leaned down, belly to the beast's back, digging his fingers beneath hard scales to keep his grip, boots slipping uselessly. The tree tops grew closer and then with a wave of leaves obscuring his vision they’d broken through the canopy and into the air.