Amalgamation Ⅴ

With the matter addressed at hand, Grok Gringotts invites the Prince family to have brunch with him and his grandson, Ragnok. They had much still to discuss and fine details to iron out. That and they were all hungry after an early morning meeting.

Wulm tactfully excuses herself desiring to take no part in their planning. She needed to have plausible deniability! One can never be too careful!

As they walk to the private quarters of Grok Gringotts, Rowan trails behind and signals to Ragnok, that she wishes to speak to him. Ragnok falls back causing Severus to send Rowan a pointed glance, but she gestures to Severus to not worry. Reginald privately arched his brow but did not protest the move nor did Grok Gringotts. Their grandchildren are old enough to have a private conversation. (And well, they are family after all….)

Having fallen back sufficiently from the others to not be overheard, Rowan sincerely says, "Thank you, Ragnok. Things would have gotten far more complicated if you had not answered as you did before the assembly."

Ragnok ruefully shook his head. "That sword has claimed enough lives as it is, I will not add more to it."

"Nonetheless, thank you."

With a tilt of his head, Ragnok accepted Rowan's sincere gratitude. His dark, slanted eyes gleam with curiosity. "I do have one question though, what are you planning to do with it?"

"Grandfather intends to use it," Rowan earnestly answered. "After which, it shall be returned to from where hence it came until is needed again."

"Oh?" Ragnok arched his brow. "And where is that?"

"Hogwarts, of course," Rowan's lips twitched into a sly smile. 

A slow smile spread across Ragnok at the response. "How fitting," he acknowledged in understanding.

"Though I have a request to make," Rowan abruptly changed the subject.

"If it is within my power," Ragnok replied gazing in silent inquiry at her.

Rowan stopped to stare directly Ragnok in the eye. "The dragon, release it." 

It had been on her mind for several years since her first visit to Gringrotts. Rowan knew Potter had released it after breaking into Gringotts to destroy the Hufflepuff Cup. At that time, she had taken an alternative approach to entering Bellatrix's vault to avoid the dragon. Nor had she been able to rescue it afterward having nearly died from the magical surge after destroying the Philosopher's Stone.  The dragon had been old and blind in Potter's time, but twenty years earlier it should not be blind yet. 

"Dragon," Ragnok blinked innocently as if he had no idea what Rowan was talking about.

Rowan's midnight indigo eyes grew colder. "The Prince's crest is a wyvern. It would be offensive to know that Gringott Bank kept such a majestic beast in captivity."

"Hypothetically speaking," Ragnok carefully said, "if such a creature was kept at Gringotts, it would be very difficult to remove, since it would already serve as part of security."

"I see, then it is of no matter in the grand scheme of things," Rowan's face went carefully blank before innocently glancing around. "Would you be so kind as to show me the nearest ladies' lavatory?"

"Of course," Ragnok hurriedly said in relief that the subject had been dropped. Though a part of him did wonder how Rowan Prince knew of such a carefully kept secret. He would have to tell his grandfather at the first opportunity. 

Ragnok generously led Rowan to a rather fancy lavatory. Firmly looking at the door behind her, Rowan paid no attention to the décor but rather turned on the running water from the facet. Closing her eyes, she opened her mind mapscape as the entirety of Gringott Bank appeared in her mind.

Familiar with the blueprint of Gringotts, Rowan easily spots the place she needs to teleport having teleported to Bellatrix's vault. She teleported just around the corner of the tunnel and remained still. She heard nothing except for the breathing of a large beast.

With great caution, Rowan peaked around the edge of the tunnel only to see a gigantic dragon, a Ukrainian Ironbelly that is tethered to the ground barring access to four or five of the deepest vaults in Gringotts. The beast's metallic grey-silver scales had turned pale and flaky due to its long incarceration under the ground. Its half-closed eyes are still red rather than a milky pink signaling it had not yet begun to go blind. Both of its rear legs bore heavy, thick metal cuffs from which chains led to enormous pegs driven deep into the rock floor. Its great spiked wings are folded close to its body, unable to spread its wings (though if it had, it would have filled the chambers).

  Abruptly the Ukrainian Ironbelly opened its mouth and rose to its full height sending a jet of fire that caused Rowan to sprint down the passageway. She took a deep breath and walked back slowly across the scorching floor. She slowly turned the corner and kept her hands lowered. "Shh," she hissed slowly approaching the wary dragon.

A growl escaped from the Ukrainian Ironbelly, who distrusted two-leggers. It snorted showing its razor-sharp teeth. Still, the dragon did not attack as Rowan raised her hand to the air for it to sniff her.

The Ukrainian Ironbelly nostrils flared, and the scent of the earth was faint, but still there. A yearning whimper escapes from the dragon's throat. Though only a hatchling when cruelly taken from his mother's nest, the dragon still remembered the smell of trees, the sun and water pouring onto the earth, and the blue skies high above where his mother would soar above the nest.

"Shh, I will get you out," Rowan whispered in solemn promise as she slowly took out her wand.

The dragon cautiously watched as Rowan raised her wand and removed the shackles and chains. The Ukrainian Ironbelly instinctively rose to its full height and roared triumphantly causing the entire chamber to shake. Rowan had to clamp her hands over her ears to not go deaf and even then, her ears were still ringing.

"Calm down," Rowan croons to the dragon, who unwillingly does so and huffs unhappily releasing a puff of steam from its nostrils. 

Closing her eyes, Rowan opens her mind mapscape. She had never teleported another living person with her or in this case a dragon, she didn't know if she would be able to. Touching the dragon, she teleports to the edge of the sea. (A location that had been added by coincidence when taking the Knight Bus with Andrew and Petunia to London, since the Knight Bus didn't travel linearly or logically).

The sun is bright overhead, and the seagulls happily cry out until a great beast appears on the shore. The birds cry out in instinctive fear and flee. The dragon wondrously gazed at the open sky as Rowan barely managed to keep from slumping down onto the sandy ground in exhaustion. 

Well, apparently it is possible to teleport with another, but not without repercussions. Even her toes felt tired not to mention the rest of her. At least Rowan now knew that in case of an emergency, she could teleport another to safety the price would be great.

Exhausted and with each passing second her being discovered missing grew higher, Rowan raised her hands and flapped them like wings. "Fly high and safely home," she steadfastly said hoping the dragon would understand the hint.

The Ukrainian Ironbelly lowers its nose and breathes on her causing Rowan to stop and extend her hand to it. She smiled tiredly as the dragon pressed its stout to her hand. A purring-like rumble is made by the dragon in gratitude before it straightens up and proudly roars. The ground visibly shakes as the birds cry out in panic.

With its cry still echoing in the air, the Ukrainian Ironbelly unfurls its wings and allows the sea breeze to cause his wings to shake ardently. It had never flown before, being far too young when taken from the nest, but a ferocious instinct hidden deep inside the dragon's soul roared that it could. The dragon began to fiercely flap its wings gaining strength while Rowan apprehensively watched.

Rowan finally had to close her eyes and hide them in her sleeve as clouds of sand began to swirl around her. Abruptly the sky goes dark with a fierce wind. The sand trickles down as Rowan through scrunched eyes sees a dragon leaping into the sky. For a moment, she fears the dragon's wings won't be strong enough to hold it and the dragon will tragically plummet into the sea.

Yet the dragon soars higher and higher on the sea breeze and into the bright blue sky. A rare joyful smile spreads across Rowan's face as she sees the Ukrainian Ironbelly continue to rise. She wished the dragon god-speed on its journey home.

Letting out a content sigh, Rowan teleports back to the lavatory at Gringotts. She stumbles back feeling weak and has to sit down. Feeling rather drained, she barely manages to clean herself up removing the traces of mud, sand, and smoke from her person. It simply wouldn't do to leave such an obvious trail behind.

Emerging from the lavatory, Rowan finds that Ragnok looks rather peeved. She had been in the lavatory for a good while. "Sorry, I had a stomachache," she lied.

Ragnok looks mollified at Rowan's words and her gaunt pallor only seemed to further improve her words. "We best hurry, they are waiting for us."

"Lead on," Rowan gestured to Ragnok.

The two of them hurry to join the others. The missing dragon would not be noticed any time soon, at least not until its handlers went to feed it. It should be several days before the disappearance is noticed.

Even if Ragnok suspected it was Rowan, he had no concrete proof. It was impossible to smuggle the dragon out much less for the dragon to escape! It would be a mystery that would never be solved even until the day Ragnok died.

Furthermore, the restrictions on the Dragon Reserves had gotten even stricter. It would be very difficult for Gringotts to acquire another dragon hatching and even more tedious to commence the training of another dragon. 

It is far easier to acquire a Cerberus and train. The three-headed dog is loyal and manageable once tamed. They would just have to find the right handler. Naturally, it has a weakness to music, but a muting spell renewed each day out to do the trick. But that is a tale for another day.