The Dragons of Raveana

Message Delivered

With a gasp, Harry's eyes flew open and he lurched against the body pinning him to the bed. Raising a hand, he rubbed his eyes before turning his attention to the wizard cuddled up beside him. Glowering at the blond, Harry carefully lifted the limp hand from his hair and tried to figure out where to place it. Muttering under his breath, he folded Draco's arm and wiggled out from under the leg thrown across his thighs. He froze when the pale wizard mumbled under his breath and hitched the blankets up to his nose, breath evening out as he slipped deeper into Morpheus.

"I hope you have a terrible headache," he whispered at the blond's still form, stretching slowly as he rose. Rubbing the back of his head, he walked toward the closed doors, pausing with his hand on the wood. He shot a look over his shoulder, emerald eyes resting on the messy blond locks peeping from beneath the duvet. No, he didn't, he thought. Drawing a deep breath, he rested his forehead on the cool wood of the portal, hands flattened on either side of him.

Somewhere within the manor, a bird called softly. Wincing as several raucous cries rent the air in response, he glanced back at Draco and smiled as the wizard shifted slightly. "Sleep through the worst of it." He ordered quietly, pulling the door open and slipping from the room.

He wandered through the winding halls of the sprawling manor, his fingers trailing through the dust layered upon ancient vases and old tables. Each room he peered into was in a terrible state of disrepair. Windows broken. Curtains lying upon the rotting floor. Furniture was moth eaten and stained, the entire place screamed for a good cleaning. Smiling at the sudden thought, he chuckled lightly, thoughts of a summer break spent assisting Mrs. Weasley in cleaning Grimmauld Place filling his head.

Shaking the thoughts off, he left the manor through a set of doors located in one of the side rooms. His feet led him toward the cliffs, following a path long since grown over with grass and weeds. The ground bore the telling marks of the Mage Dragons, deep claw marks and the hint of recently frozen or burnt grass. However, the same grass looked eerily healthy. As if it had been repaired by a loving hand.

Harry shivered and wrapped his arms around his waist, looking out over the dark churning water. He inhaled slowly, savouring the hint of salt carried on the cool breeze. Tipping his chin up, he peered at the pale sky, lifting a hand to shield his eyes from the harsh rays of sunlight. Above him, one of the Mage's floated effortlessly, its shadow sliding upon the ocean's surface. With a flip of long wings, the dragon fell toward the water, talons outstretched. Water flew into the air as the Mage slammed into the shifting liquid, vanishing into its depths.

Narrowing his emerald orbs in puzzlement, Harry eased closer to the cliff's edge, peering doubtfully through the waving grasses. The face of the cliff was sheer rock, craggy with up thrust boulders and sharp spikes of stone. Taking a deep breath, he shuffled closer, staring into the waves sloshing against the base of the rock. Of the dragon, there was no sign.

"Where did you go?" He whispered, stepping back and sitting down carefully. Pulling his knees back to his chest, he rested his chin atop them and glared at the ground. He ran his fingers through the tangled strands of grass, allowing the blades to slip between his tanned digits.

Wincing as the tip of his finger brushed along the sharp edge of a rock hidden in the strands, he cursed softly and slid it between his lips. He froze in the middle of withdrawing the digit, eyes widening in shock. In a quick movement, he pushed whispering blades aside, staring slack-jawed at the piece of metal jutting out of the ground. With gentle fingers, he freed the arrowhead.

"An arrow," he murmured, brow drawing down as he bounced it in the center of his hand. Closing his hand around the sharp piece of metal, he rubbed his thumb cautiously over the tip. "What are you trying to tell me?"