Harry Potter: Dragon Whisperer

Mementos of Australia

Disclaimer – I solemnly swear that JKR owns everything Harry Potter. Whether or not I am up to no good with her characters is for you to decide.

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Harry Potter: Dragon Whisperer

Chapter 23 – Mementos of Australia

6:20am

Tuesday, 23 August 1995

Australasian Dragon Preserve, Australia

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The sunlight glittered on the water as far out as Harry could see. Not even the ever-present waves could stop it. Or, more likely, they helped the sparkle.

An enormous body dove through the air, the sunlight shining off of his pearl-like scales bright enough to cause Harry to squint and throw a hand up in front of his eyes. He watched as Zanzyn twisted, folded his wings to his back and dove into the water with a much smaller splash than would have been expected.

Moments later, the great dragon burst from the waves, his mighty wings beat and he rose high. A twist and flap, a toss of his head and two fish were thrown high before being gulped down.

Watching a dragon's breakfast and swim so early in the morning, the warm breeze ruffling his hair, the sand under his feet and the ocean before him was something that Harry knew that he was going to greatly miss. Soon, probably much sooner than he wanted, he'd be heading back to Romania. And while the northern country had some wonderful attractions and friends, it wasn't the same.

§What do you, Speaker§?

Harry looked up at Dankrum, the Weyr Leader, and held up the piece of eucalypt in his hand.

"I'm carving," he said.

§The wood in your hand looks like a dragon§, Dankrum stated, her jaw resting on the sand so that her great eye didn't tower so far above him.

"That's what it's supposed to be," Harry grinned at her. "I've used my knife to shape the wood into an Antipodean Opaleye."

§Why§? She asked.

Harry shrugged. "You've seen me paint, this is like that. I find it relaxing and having the carving is a reminder of my friends."

§You have other pieces of wood that you've shaped§? she asked.

"A couple of other dragons, as well as a few other animals that I've encountered – a unicorn and a hippogriff," Harry replied. There was no way that he was going to mention the merperson or even the bunyip that he was working on.

Dankrum watched him as he turned the piece in his hand, chipping away and shaping it to match what was in his mind.

§It is not unlike the hidden ones§, Dankrum said and Harry's hands froze even as he turned to her.

"Hidden ones?" he asked carefully.

He'd heard the term before. Memzath, the Romanian Weyr Leader, had said it. Not that he'd explained when Harry had asked what he meant.

Dankrum lifted her head, her long neck extending over the sand dune towards the ocean. Harry watched her, waiting, hoping. When there had still been no response after two minutes, he went back to his carving.

Further out, Zanzyn had been joined by another pair of dragons and he smiled, dividing his attention between the frolicking dragons the piece of wood in his hands.