Book 1:
The Tale of Two Rings
Chapter 16:
On the Breath of the Silver Dragon

-Draco Malfoy-

"Draco?" the tall man asked as he slowly walked over to where I was standing, incorporeal as it were. I simply nodded.

Then, "You're the one that Harry claims is my Uncle?" It was his turn to nod."Sorry to say but I will need some form or proof."

"I married your mother's squib sister so of course you have never heard of me but I do have the marriage certificate."

"I would like to see it," I said while looking down at Harry.

"Of course! Let me fetch it." With that he left the room with a flurry of robes.

"Draco, we need to hurry I don't have a lot of strength in my old age," Talon told me after waiting a few minuets for Sabastion to return.

"I have to be sure." Talon simply smiled at me then looked over to Harry who was looking at my hand.

"Draco! Your ring?" Harry asked pointing at my finger.

"I know. It was missing when I got to the strange world."

"Can't you call it?"

"I tried but I think I am too far to call it to me."

"Spyro!" Harry shouted and almost instantly there was a pop in the room and a little black imp appeared on Harry's shoulder.

"Master call?" the little thing asked curiously.

"Go do Hogwarts and fetch Draco's Trunk and make sure you bring me his ring, too! It's important Spyro! Don't fail me!"

"Oh no master I never fail, Spyro get Draco's things." With that Spyro disappeared with another pop.

"Harry you do know that Hogwarts is warded against creatures like that?"

"Oh, not against Spyro it's not!" he grinned at me.

"Oh and how is Spyro different?"

"He is made of my blood, thus he can go into and out of Hogwarts just as if he were me."

"And how did your learn this?" I asked, truly interested in what the answer might be.

"Spyro told me." He looked past me for a second then looked back at me. "He has your trunk and is looking for the ring."

"Spyro told you?" I looked dumb struck. "You not only have an evil imp but you converse with it?" That sounded like something I would do, not something Harry would do.

"I am stuck with Spyro so I thought it might be smart to know what he can do," Harry stated simply.

"But it's an imp Harry! Evil, mean, and everything I used to be to you!"

"Not to me he isn't and I have you to thank for him anyway!" There was definite anger in his voice with that.

"Oh?" my voice was barely a whisper.

"Yes it would seem Spyro is a wedding present from your Uncle... he has the oddest notion that I am going to marry you." If Harry was not glaring at me I might have proposed at that moment, "Oh where would he get that silly thought," I smirked down at Harry who was lying in 'MY' bed.

"Oh now there is the Draco I know and love... to hate!" I think, maybe, he saw the pain in my face as I turned and left the room. As soon as I got to the hall I saw Sabastion comingtoward the room with a slip of paper in his hand.

"I found it Draco" he held up the slip of paper for me to read, for I could not hold it.

"So it seems." I looked to the door of my room. "Send him back to Hogwarts for me."

"Oh you don't want to keep him?" he asked me as he leaned against the door. "I could tie him up until you return.

"Yeah, that would go over well. He would truly hate me then." I looked back to Sabastion. "Just send him back to Hogwarts, unharmed."I could feel that I was fading away. "You make sure that Voldemort keeps away from him!" The last thing I saw was Sabastion, my uncle, nodding.

My eyes shot open the minute I felt myself enter my body again. Jason was still eating his dinner when I looked over at him and Talon was just opening his eyes.

"Jason, help me to my bed," Talon stated and Jason got up and moved over to help Talon as soon as he was asked and I was left in the room alone.

Wow that was fast. I blinked as I appeared just outside the wards of Hogwarts. Spyro appeared right next to me with a trunk floating behind him.

"Take that trunk and the ring to wherever Draco Malfoy is." The little imp closed its eyes as if searching by using magic, "Draco Malfoy is many days travel even for imps. Is master sure?"

"Yes." With that the imp and the trunk disappeared.

Harry started walking toward the castle as the light foot falls behind him started to pick up. Harry, having the feeling that someone was following him, turned sharply to see who or what. Nothing was what met his gaze. The maker of the footfalls stopped, waiting for Harry Potter, the-boy-who-lived, to turn back to his school. After searching the darkness a few minutes Harry turned back to Hogwarts. Just as he did he felt a sharp pain in the back of his neck and the world around him spun and went black.

"Did you have to hit him?" a man dressed in black robes that flowed about him like shadows asked his masked friend.

"Yes," the masked man spoke as he hefted the boy-who-lived off the cold ground.

"Here, make him drink this so he will not wake up on us!" the cold voice of the robed man commanded the masked one. The masked man gruffly took the potion from the pale hand and forced the foul liquid down the boy's throat.

"You will be rewarded for handing over our lord's enemy to him," the masked man praised the robed one.

"Yes," the robed one purred, "but for now I must return to the school. I trust you can get the boy to the Dark Lord... alive." If the masked man were not wearing a mask he would have given the robed man a withering look.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Harry Potter, the-boy-who-lived, never made it to Voldemort alive that night. No, he died in his sleep 30 minutes before the masked man made it to his Master's side, but the masked man did not know.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Voldemort gave a feral grin as he approached the Death Eater that had his 'prize' slung over his shoulder. The Death Eater dropped Harry's body at the feet of one eager Dark Lord. As Voldemort looked down at the boy his smile slowly faded, "What is this?" Voldemort asked the stunned Death Eater.

"I don't under stand master?" the Death Eater spoke, fear radiating as he started to shrink away and shake in fear of the towering Dark Lord.

"I told you to bring me Harry Potter, ALIVE!" The Dark Lord then pointed to the body at his feet, "What is this!" he asked the cowered of a Death Eater.

"It is Harry Potter master. I only..." The Death eater did not get any further for apparently if the Dark Lord couldn't take his frustration out on the 15-year-old boy-who-lived he would take it out on the man dumb enough to bring him a dead 15-year-old boy-who-lived.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Voldemort never did learn how Harry Potter died that night. I guess you should ask questions as you torture the person. Not just torture.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Draco was cutting wood for the fire out in back of the house of the old mage named Talon trying to figure out how he got into such a situation.

"Your uncle has asked that I take you in as an apprentice," Talon spoke, as I was on my way in to bed that night

"And if I say no?"

"Then I guess you will be trying to find your way to the nearest town... alone."

"You would throw me out?"

"I told you once that nothing is free, the only exception to that rule is if I were to take you in and train you."

"I learn more magic, and I stay here for free, and eat for free... I don't get it. What do I have to give you?" I looked into Talon's eyes searching I don't know what for, just something.

"You will be made a part of my House. Any power you obtain over the years I can use. Oh yes, and I get the honor of being called Master by you." I snorted.

"Point the way to the nearest town and I will be on my way." My voice was cold and deadly almost daring him to challenge it. He just raised an eyebrow and looked over to Jason who shrugged so I elaborated, "I will never call ANY ONE Master!" I spat with as much venom as I could. I turned and headed for the door fully intent on leaving and never returning to this HUT!

"Just where do you think your going."

"Nothing is free and I am not willing to pay." My voice once was again calm and flat with no emotions."Therefore I sleep out side" I left the room without waiting for a reply.

'Harry is dead...' the feeling is intense and I am drowning in it. It started with a great fall like falling off your broom at a great altitude, and then hitting the ground only to bounce a few times. each time with as much impact as the last, the pain never dulling. I have never felt such pain not even in the hands of my father. There was a ripping in my heart and it ached like it was ripped from my chest then stomped on. I was vaguely aware of a scream coming from somewhere close by. Could it be from my own throat? There is also this liquid dropping from my eyes, but that can't be right because I never cry, and, and Harry never dies...

I chopped another log vaguely aware of more of that strange liquid falling from my eyes. God, why do they have to leak so much! Why can't the pain just fade! The last two days I have done nothing but what the old man told me to do. I never spoke to anyone. Never objected to a task and I joined Jason in his lessons of magery. But it all seamed hollow, pointless. My life was stripped from me. I have nothing, nothing!

Faron Sabastion sat at the head of the table looking over the other five people around the table. V, Aaron Barodos, Jaron Tharose, Calos Milstar, and Sesa Rosewood did not know why the head of the council, High Dark Lord Faron Sabastion, would call a meeting just two days after the death of one Harry Potter. They knew that the likes of Tom could not bode well for the young Dark Lord. Lord Sabastion's voice broke the silence with a deadly glint that dared interruption, "I call this meeting of the Council of Seven to order." He looked over the other five members. All of them knew what the point of the meeting was. A meeting held with only six members meant the one missing would be judged here tonight and most likely would end up dead. "We are gathered here today to talk about Tom Riddle and his place on the council." Sabastion waited to see if any of the members had any questions. When none of them spoke up he continued, "I told him point blank to NOT go after, nor to LEAVE Harry Potter alone, but young Riddle did not listen nor heed the warning. Thus I move to have him removed from the council!" Sabastion's gaze scanned the table commanding them to agree with him, and indeed not one of them disagreed and the end of this meeting sealed Tom M. Riddle's fate.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Lord Voldemort at the same point in time as thecouncil meeting was ending just started presiding over a Death Eater meeting. Almost all his Death Eaters were gathered: inner crucial and outer ones. Harry Potter was dead and now NOTHING was standing in his way of bringing the world to its knees before him!

"My Loyal Death Eaters!" the silky voice of Voldemort left his lips "It is NOW time to act!" Most all of the Death Eaters let cheers of joy leave their lips. "In one year's time we will be living in a Muggle-free world!" This pronouncement was followed by more shouts of joy.

The Death Eaters were too wrapped up in there sick planning to note they were being surrounded by even darker mages...Necromancers of the Necro guild, "Frozen Death," and with them were the Battle mages of the guild of "The Brotherhood."

"We will take Hogwarts first in order to take out the pesky old Muggle-lover. His precious students will fall into our hands," Voldemort spoke with a cold deadly tone.

At that point an anti-apparition field was in place. Voldemort and his followers felt the magic slide into place and started to look around them. It was too dark to see too far ahead but they could feel the presence of the darker magic around them. It crackled in the air. Death was solid. No one wearing a mask would leave here alive. So they panicked.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Lord Sabastion now stood at the center of the table of judgment, three of the dark lords on his left and two on his right. Sabastion was the only one of them standing; he was facing the man that was brought before him.

"Your fate is already set, Tom." Voldemort did not speak he just looked to the ground.

"You will be stripped of your power and made a Muggle," Sabastion continued. At this Voldemort looked up into Sabastion's eyes.

"You can't! Have mercy masters!" With that his eyes swept the table looking for pity in the Dark Lords assembled. It is pointless. They are the most ruthless men alive. After all, here I am, one of them, being made a Muggle. A Muggle of all things! It's inhuman! Voldemort thought

"That is not all Tom. You will be reverted to a permanent state of your five-year-old self!" Sabastion intoned as if he did not even hear Voldemort's complaints. Voldemort just stared. He knew why. As a Muggle man he was still a threat but children could be controlled. They were fragile, weak, and helpless everything Voldemort was trying to escape. "You will also be made a slave. To the Malfoy family line." Ha! Voldemort had him there!

"The Malfoy Family line is dead!" Voldemort's tone was just as cold as always.

"I merely banished the boy, I did not kill him," V answered the unasked question,

"Lord Calos will be interrogating you before we revert you," Sabastion spoke up right after V's voice died. Voldemort's eyes fell on Calos. He knew full well what that man was capable of.