The golden hues of the setting sun usually brought a sense of peace to the travelers, but for James Sirius Potter, the light only served to deepen the shadows of his mind. He sat in a heavy silence, the kind that acted as a wall between him and the world. Behind his eyes, the same nightmare played on a loop, vivid and visceral.
The man in the dream was a mosaic of nightmares. His skin was a canvas of jagged, dark tattoos that seemed to writhe like living snakes. His face remained a blurred smudge of malice, but his voice—cold, rasping, and dripping with ancient cruelty—vibrated in James's very bones.
"James Sirius Potter, I will come after you," the figure hissed, the sound like dry leaves skittering over a gravestone.
"You can't escape from me, and I will vow revenge on you and your dear ones."
The man's laughter echoed, a jagged sound that tore through the fabric of James's sleep.
"You… can't escape from me."
James blinked, the cool air of the high altitude biting at his cheeks, but the fear remained coiled in his gut. Every day the vision grew stronger, a haunting promise that he was being hunted, and that those he loved were merely collateral in a game he didn't understand.
Who is that man? James asked himself, his thoughts a frantic whisper. Why does he look so terrifying, and why does that voice feel like a memory I've buried? Why do I feel like I know him?
He looked at his brother and his friends, a lump forming in his throat. Is he Voldemort reborn? Or some other evil hunter? Who could possibly harbor such a specific, burning hatred for me?
The group moved through the sky in a formation of scales and silk. James, Rose, and Scorpius were perched atop the broad, emerald back of Thorn Claw. Albus and Frank shared the ride with Dagger and Miss Mirael on the sleek, midnight-blue Nyx Blazer. Hovering nearby, Bobby, Dim, and Kael were lounging on the enchanted ripples of a magical carpet, the tassels whipping in the wind.
The tension of the journey was momentarily broken by Bobby, who began to belt out a tune with reckless abandon.
"Oola la la la!" Bobby sang, swaying his head.
Kael, whose nerves were already frayed by the height and the looming shadows of their quest, snapped. He turned a sharp, irritated glare toward the singing boy.
"Bobby, can't you sit silent?" Kael shouted over the whistling wind. "I am already scared, and you are singing right next to me! Your voice is absolutely horrible!"
Bobby stopped, his face flushing with indignation.
"You also look like a monkey, Bobby!" Kael added, throwing his hands up.
Bobby's eyes flashed. "Even a donkey looks better than you, Kael! And what about that obsession you have with yourself? Remember this—my voice is a thousand times better than your constant self-praises. I sing better than you ever could!"
"HEY!" Kael bellowed, his face turning a shade of scarlet that rivaled a Gryffindor banner.
"HEY!" Bobby shouted back, matching his volume.
From the back of Thorn Claw, Rose and Scorpius exchanged a weary glance. They could see the carpet wobbling as the two boys began to shove one another.
"Please!" Rose called out, her voice laced with concern. "Both of you, stop!"
But it was too late. The petty bickering escalated into a physical scuffle. Bobby and Kael tumbled over each other, a mess of flailing limbs and indignant shouts. As they wrestled, the magical carpet—sensitive to the balance of its riders—began to tilt violently. With a sudden lurch, the carpet buckled.
Kael and Bobby were pitched into the open air.
"Woof!" Dim barked in a panic.
"Bobby! Kael!" Rose screamed, her hand reaching out into the empty sky. "BOBBY! KAEL!"
James's internal monologue shattered. He saw his friends plummeting toward the silver ribbon of the river far below.
"THORN! SAVE THEM!" James roared.
Thorn Claw didn't hesitate. With a roar that vibrated through the riders' seats, the dragon tucked his wings and dived with jet-like speed. The wind became a deafening scream. Below them, Nyx Blazer streaked through the air like a shadow.
Just yards above the churning water, James leaned out perilously far, his fingers locking onto the fabric of Bobby's shirt collar. He yanked him upward, securing him against the dragon's scales. Simultaneously, Nyx Blazer veered sharply, her talons gently but firmly snagging Kael's cloak to break his fall.
The dragons leveled out, hovering low over the riverbank. As the adrenaline began to recede, Thorn Claw's amber eyes flickered. He stared at the reflection of the water, his head tilting unnaturally. Glimpses of a life he didn't remember began to flash like lightning behind his eyes—clashes of steel, the scent of burning sulfur, and a dark shadow that looked just like him.
Rose, unaware of the dragon's internal turmoil, looked at the lush greenery surrounding the river. "Shall we stop here for a moment?" she asked, her voice trembling slightly from the scare. "I am so hungry. We can have food and then start our journey again."
James gave a grim nod. "Let's set down."
As the dragons landed, the heavy silence of the forest settled around them. Bobby scrambled off Thorn Claw's back and ran toward James.
"THANK YOU SO MUCH, JAMES, FOR SAVING MY LIFE AGAIN," Bobby cried, his voice thick with genuine terror and gratitude.
James offered a small, tired smile. He knelt down, bringing himself to Bobby's height.
"Friends will never share 'sorry' or 'thank you,' Bobby," James said softly.
Bobby let out a choked sob and threw his arms around James's neck. "I love you a lot, James. You are my best friend... the only one who took care of me after my brother, Dobby."
James felt a pang of protectiveness hit his chest. He tapped Bobby's shoulder gently. "I will take care of you, Bobby. Even in the future. I promise."
Bobby squeezed him tighter, nodding against his shoulder. A few yards away, Rose and Scorpius watched the scene. Scorpius stood with his arms folded, a rare, soft expression on his face, while Rose looked at James with a mixture of pride and something deeper. The bond between the boy and the creature was a light in the growing darkness of their path.
While Dagger began the practical task of pitching a tent, the atmosphere shifted.
Thorn Claw was no longer standing with the group. He began to pace, his movements jerky and agitated. The glimpses were turning into a rhythmic pounding—a headache so severe it felt like his skull was being split by an axe. He wandered away from the fire, seeking the cold solitude of the trees.
Nearby, Nyx Blazer stood by a small pond. She looked down at her reflection, her majestic form sagging with an invisible weight.
Rose approached her, carrying a small plate. "I have brought some delicious sandwiches for you, Nyx. Have this."
The dragon offered a weak, sad smile but didn't touch the food. She turned her gaze to the horizon, watching the sun bleed into the purple sky.
"What happened, Nyx?" Rose asked, stepping closer. "You look so dull. I can feel your sadness. If you really think of me as a friend, you can share it with me."
Nyx let out a long, shuddering breath and leaned her massive head against Rose's shoulder. To Rose's shock, she felt the warmth of a dragon's tear soak into her tunic.
"What happened, Nyx? Why are you crying? What made you so sad?" Rose whispered, stroking the dragon's white cheek. "Don't you like us?"
"It is nothing, Rose," Nyx replied, her voice a soft resonance in Rose's mind. "I just remembered a dear one... someone who was once close to my heart. But he left me long ago by choosing a different path."
She paused, her eyes clouded with ancient pain.
"After that, I punished him. I felt I was responsible for his destruction. To forget him—and the regret I carried—I chose to sleep for centuries. I never wanted to see him or remember him again. But now... I can't ignore the past. I didn't want my old wounds to destroy the peace of my present. But the memories..."
Nyx shook her head, her scales rattling.
"I don't know why, but when I was in the Hufflepuff Fort, his memories haunted me, yet they didn't hurt like this. Now, it is affecting everything. I wish I had tried harder to stop my dragon friend from choosing the wrong path. I think... I think this is all my fault."
Rose felt her own heart break for the creature. She pulled Nyx into a firm hug.
"It's not your fault, Nyx. Sometimes, things are simply out of our control. We cannot control the choices of others, even if we love them with all we have."
Rose glanced back toward the camp, her eyes lingering on James.
"We can love the people we want, but when we come to realize they don't feel what we feel... or they choose darkness... we have to accept it. Even if it breaks us. You punished him for his evil, Nyx. You stayed loyal. You stayed good. That is what matters."
Rose stepped back to look Nyx in the eye. "You are a worthy dragon. You are loyal and great. Don't worry about the others. Just do what your heart says is right. Don't let your good character be changed by the bad actions of others. You might have been alone in the past, but you have us now. You have me."
"I will always be with you," Rose promised solemnly. "Not as a master, but as a friend and family. I swear it on my life."
A genuine, bright smile finally broke across Nyx's face, a glimmer of light returning to her eyes.
"Rose! Nyx! Come over here!" James called out from the campsite.
"Let's go," Rose encouraged, leading the dragon back.
However, Scorpius wasn't looking at the food. He was staring at the pond. The clear water was beginning to swirl, turning an unnatural, bruised shade of violet. Suddenly, a sharp itching sensation flared on his hand. He looked down to see his ring—a family heirloom—pulsing with a sickly, rhythmic glow. It was changing color, a silent alarm.
Scorpius stood up, his hand on his wand, scanning the treeline for a hidden army. "Something is wrong," he muttered, but the woods remained deceptively still.
Miss Mirael, sitting with Frank, suddenly dropped her sandwich. Her eyes went wide. "The magic... it's curdling," she whispered. "Dark magic is close."
James didn't hear them. His focus was on Thorn Claw, who had wandered too far into the darkness of the trees.
"Thorn?" James called, walking toward him. "Thorn, why are you standing there? Come join us."
Inside Thorn's mind, the headache exploded into a vision. He saw a man in a tall, black hoodie—the same man from James's dream.
"Hey, you... Claw. Stupid dragon," the man sneered in the vision. "You are my shadow. Do what I say."
The man was commanding a dragon that looked identical to Thorn Claw to slaughter its own kind. Thorn felt the phantom agony of being torn between a master's cruel command and his love for his kin.
Back in the clearing, Nyx's eyes suddenly snapped to the same violet hue as the pond. She saw it. She saw the transformation beginning.
Near the fire, Kael, still bitter, stuck his foot out as Bobby walked by. Bobby tripped, falling hard onto James's bag. The impact caused the bag to spill. The Sword of Gryffindor slid out onto the grass, and beside it, the ancient Slytherin Book.
Dagger gasped. The book was glowing with a malevolent, pulsing light.
"Thorn!" James called again, reaching the dragon's side. "Why are you silent?"
Thorn Claw turned. But it wasn't the friend James knew. A cruel, jagged smile stretched across the dragon's maw. His fangs, once white, were staining a deep, bloody violet.
"James, get back!" Albus screamed, seeing the Sword of Gryffindor on the ground begin to hum with a frantic, golden warning light.
Nyx's voice rang out like a clarion call. "SHADOW CLAW!"
She lunged forward. "James, come back! It is not safe!"
Dagger and Miss Mirael scrambled to their feet, their voices joining the chorus of warnings. But Thorn Claw—or the entity that had taken him—reared back. He let out a roar that wasn't a cry of a beast, but a scream of pure, unadulterated malice.
"RRRRAraaaaHHHH!"
"RRRRRAAAHHHH!"
The sound shook the trees and sent birds screaming into the sky. James froze, staring into the eyes of his best friend and seeing only a stranger.
Rose took two trembling steps forward. "Thorn? What are you doing? Stop this!"
The dragon didn't hear her. He opened his mouth, and instead of the usual orange flame, a torrent of violet-black fire erupted.
James dove for Rose, dragging her to the ground just as the blast incinerated the air where they had stood.
"JAMES! ROSE!" Albus, Scorpius, and Dagger screamed in unison, their faces pale with terror. Bobby and Frank stood frozen, their hearts hammered against their ribs.
When the smoke cleared, James and Rose opened their eyes to see a wall of blue-white fire. Nyx Blazer had thrown herself between them and the attack, her own body acting as a shield. Her scales were scorched, and she hissed in pain, but she did not move an inch.
Nyx glared at the violet-eyed dragon before her. Her voice was no longer a whisper; it was a command.
"SHADOW CLAW! I would stand before you a thousand times if you choose the wrong path again! If you try to hurt my master or her friends, I will tear you apart! I will not spare you!"
The clearing was now a battlefield of conflicting energies. The peace of the evening was dead, replaced by a suffocating dread.
"Why is she calling him Shadow Claw?" Bobby whispered, his voice trembling.
Miss Mirael's voice was hollow. "Shadow Claw... the dragon of Varkon Blackshade. A creature of pure shadow and vengeance."
James held Rose tightly, his heart racing. "Why is he attacking? Why did he change?" He looked at Nyx, then back at the creature that used to be his friend. "Is there a connection between them? From the past?"
Rose looked at Nyx's wounded shoulder, remembering the dragon's story of a friend who chose the wrong path. She stayed silent, the weight of the realization pressing down on her.
Thorn Claw's scales continued to darken, the violet hue spreading like a bruise across his body. His eyes were no longer those of a loyal companion, but windows into a soul filled with ancient cruelty.
Across the grass, Nyx Blazer stood her ground, her eyes burning with a fierce determination to protect the new family she had found. Every eye was fixed on the two dragons, the air crackling with the beginning of a war they were not prepared to fight.