The morning sun was bright and the skies were no longer covered under dark clouds. The weather on the island seems to have reached something approaching normalcy. Harry wouldn't have appreciated walking in the rain anymore. The storm must have weakened which was good news as their return to the mainland would be smooth.
But, before he could return home there was a small bit of favour he had to do for the ice dragon. It was a last wish of sorts for the old dragon and though it cut into his time Harry didn't have the heart to deny it. The only gripe he has with the situation was that Twerlton was not allowed to accompany him. Apparently, Twerlton was vulnerable to the influence of the dark entity and the ice dragon didn't want to risk the mission. So, Harry was forced to trek this steep hill all on his own. It was times like these that he wished he could use a broom. A Firebolt would have been quite handy in situations like these.
He just hoped the many magically resonating wood he collected from the island would be suitable for making a functional broom. While he was not confident in building a sophisticated broom suitable for racing or even a Quidditch game, he was sure he could pull off a broom suitable for quick transportation. If he could pull off an airship powered by runes then a broom should be a walk in the park.
It took Harry more than an hour to properly climb the hill but he finally did it. He was sweating and out of breath with the constant walking and climbing. The slippery slopes and glazed rocks were not at all a help in making this journey any easier. But, he was finally on a plain enough surface to catch his breath. He transfigured a stone into a cup and conjured some water in the cup using the Aguamenti charm. Harry leaned on a solid boulder nearby and began draining the cup of water to quench his thirst.
Dismissing the cup, Harry leaned back and rested his head on the boulder. It was quite a long trek and he needed a moment of rest for his muscles. The strain on his body was far more than he imagined it'd be especially since he never took a moment of rest along the way.
After resting for two minutes Harry continued the journey until finally, he came across a giant crystalline structure that somewhat resembled a cave. The light from the sun passed through the crystals ending up projecting a rainbow in the sky. The crystal, however, was dark blue akin to sapphire stone. It was quite a visual treat to behold. It looked as if the hill was crowned with a giant sapphire crystal.
Of course, the crystal was not a sapphire nor was it a giant cave. From what he understood the ice dragons can breathe ice out of their mouth similar to a fire dragon breathing out fire. However, ice dragons and fire dragons are very different despite the terms would have you believe one is a creature of ice while the other is a creature of fire. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Unlike the fire dragons, the race of ice dragons does not fit into the conventional ecosystem. They do not consume other creatures for sustenance. Instead, they lived on water, plant life and most importantly magic. The ice dragons have the unique ability to take magic from their surroundings and infuse it into the ice they breathe out. This results in the formation of a unique crystalline material that was right before Harry's eyes.
Placing his left hand against the crystal he made sure the power ring was properly making contact with the surface. As he tentatively made his magic connect with the crystal via the power ring, he was immediately faced with a mental intrusion. He wouldn't have even noticed the mental intrusion if he was not expecting something like this. Fortunately, he was forewarned by the ice dragon and therefore he let the probe run its course.
"Well, hello there. I'm just fulfilling the last wish of a senile old dragon." Harry whispered against the crystal.
However, the crystal didn't let up scanning his mind. It took a full three minutes before the crystal let up on the invasive scanning of his mind. The crustal surface took on a silver hue before collapsing in on itself leaving shards of pearl-white crystals on the ground. He used the power ring to cast a mild detection charm. The magic resonating from the crystals was too overwhelming to get a good read.
But, he needn't have bothered.
The crystal shards on the ground glowed as a sizeable dragon egg rose from beneath the soil. It was dark blue with scales similar to the ones he saw on the ice dragon. If what the ice dragon said was true, these scales were the building blocks of the White Walkers.
'The last ice dragon of this world huh.' Harry thought, eyeing the blue egg.
Without wasting more time, Harry conjured a bag using the elder wand and secured the egg. With a flick of his wand he also made the crystals fly into the bag. He didn't want them lying around uselessly when he could find a use for them. They were old crystals infused with centuries of magical power. He could definitely find some use for the magic-infused ingots.
After placing a Feather-Light charm on the bag Harry secured it on his back. Harry took a deep breath after looking down the steep hill. He'd have to retrace his steps and reach the Ice dragon and Twerlton.
"Here I come." Harry muttered as he started the journey.
The journey down the hill should have been a quick affair but it was stalled many times along the way as he collected some more samples from the plant life. Any significant magically resonating plant life was collected and preserved in his bag. He had to add expansion charms to fit everything into the small bag. So, it took him more than an hour to reach his destination where the colossal dragon was waiting patiently as was Twerlton.
"Here it is. Safe as you left it many centuries ago." said Harry, showing the egg safely tucked inside his backpack to the dragon.
"I see. See that the egg is safe from the Dark One's hands."
"I will." Harry nodded, closing the bag. "Although, I don't understand why you kept the egg inside the crystal and warded the place against yourself."
"The Dark One is a wily enemy child. I learned to not underestimate its twisted plots. If the righteous is to triumph sacrifices are necessary. The wound on my body compromised me and from that moment on I was marked for death. I could not take any risks when the future of the ice dragon race was involved." said the dragon, looking longingly at the bag.
"The great dragon speaks true Harrion Stark. Look at what has happened to me. The great dragon tried to help me and release me from the curse. Instead, the Dark One used the opportunity to spread its poisonous power into me. It was only by the great dragon's grace that I have yet to lose my mind to the Dark One." said Twerlton.
That at least Harry could ascertain to be true. The first thing he had found out from the dragon was the source of the malefic shroud of darkness hanging around Twerlton and those flying inferius-like creatures. The little backstory of Twerlton getting taken over by the dark power from the wound of the dragon was quite the tale. More than anything, that little story confirmed his worst fears. The Dark One or the Dark Entity that resides beyond the Wall was none other than Balor.
Celts thought of Balor as the harbinger of doom or even the God of Death. They were not far off except for the little-known fact that Balor was not always considered the God of Death at the height of Celtic dominance over the British Isles. Before that, he was the king of Fey. There was even an old song in the wizarding world about the fallen king of Fey who tried to unite the Fey kingdoms into one. It was one dark tale about greed and lust for power that brought even the all-powerful Fey low. He only knew about it because Daphne used to sing the song for their children.
There was one more reason to confirm the identity of the Dark One. In his search for clues to the dark past of Deathly Hallows, he came across many fanciful tales. One such tale spoke of Balor as the God of Death who was stripped of his power by three powerful wizards. It was said that Balor was stripped of his invisible skin, a portion of his soul and his powerful eye to make the Cloak of invisibility, the Resurrection Stone and the Deathstick. He had dismissed the story as another fairytale in the past but now things have changed.
Unfortunately, it was not for the better. The Fey race was bad business. Everyone in the wizarding world knew that. If the Fey hadn't self-destructed then who knows what would have happened? The world would not have lasted as long as it did.
"I think it is now time for me to pass on. But before that I shall ease your troubles young Stark." said the dragon, looking at the line of trees on the other end of the clearing.
There amongst the line of trees, Harry saw shining silver in the darkness. The silver light grew ever close and finally revealed itself to be a sizeable Unicorn herd.
"I pray that you protect them. They'll take you to a place that you should visit on the island."
"What place is that?" Harry frowned at the dragon.
"A tomb of a friend who valued freedom above all else. You'll find something of value in the place. Trust me." said the dragon.
"Can't I persuade you to try another way? I can try to pull the dark power out of you." Harry offered, not wanting to see the old dragon die. "This island will be without its protector."
"My time has come to an end. Death, young Stark, is the final rest. It is something that I covet." said the dragon, its eyes bright as the stars in the night sky. "As for a protector for these islands…I needn't worry anymore. I am leaving it in capable hands."
Harry nodded. He got the feeling that arguing with the dragon was a wasted effort. Besides, he'd be a hypocrite to stand in the way of the ice dragon when he had committed suicide after everything he loved was lost.
Harry turned to Twerlton who moved close to the dragon. Before Harry could persuade the guy in joining the dragon Twerlton spoke.
"A life without feeling pain, anger, love or any of the emotions is not a life. I have died long ago Harrion Stark. Now, let me have peace."
"It was an honour to know you both." Harry dipped his head realising there was nothing he could do to dissuade them from this decision.
Brandishing the Deathstick Harry poured magic into the spell to make the most powerful fire spell in existence.
"Fiendfyre."
The hellish flames rushed towards Twerlton with a jab of the Deathstick. The black shroud around Twerlton tried to fight off the flames but the flames of Fiendfyre spell were not so easily denied. The dark shroud melted away and Twerlton was consumed in a storm of fury unleashed by the dark spell.
Harry looked at the ice dragon who nodded.
Taking a deep breath Harry exerted his will over the hellish flames. He could feel the unstable hunger radiating off the spell. He flicked his wand towards the dragon, more specifically at the blackened wound near its heart. The hellish flame was once again met by a dark veil but it ploughed on eating away everything in its path spurred on by its all-consuming hunger.
"It was not magic that brought you to this world child. It was destiny. Three turns shall open the doors of death, young Stark. Call forth your ancestor, the one they call the First King. His true name you already know for he is the youngest of the three."
With that last message, the dragon fell silent as the Fiendfyre curse consumed the dragon from within. Even after consuming the dragon entirely, the Fiendfyre curse was hungry for more. It took Harry a better part of the next two minutes to dismiss the spell. When it was finally done there was nothing left of the ice dragon's remains.
"Just like you wished." Harry whispered.
The ice dragon braved the Fiendfyre without uttering a sound. That showed quite a strong will from the dragon. Feeling a bit tired, Harry sat down on the ground watching the last embers die down. To ensure there was no room for a forest fire he used the Aguamenti charm to snuff out at last embers. After that, Harry felt like he was ready for a long sleep.
Suddenly, he felt himself being picked up from the ground by the bag on his shoulder. With a gasp, he realized he was being lifted by a Unicorn. He was promptly dumped on top of another Unicorn. Harry struggled to get a proper hold of his new mount as the Unicorn herd began to move south. Sometimes, he really hated being in the body of a child.
"Right. The tomb." Harry sighed, lying face down against the silver mane of the Unicorn he was riding.