21Italics symbolise another language, usually elvish though it will be stated, being spoken in an English dominant setting
Serene raised Scatha as best she could. She made sure he knew all about how dragons lived, but she also had him go to the elven city in the forest at the base of the mountain in an attempt for him to gain friends that weren't just dragons and for the elves to teach him a about the humans and other magical creatures.
Scatha grew up with two homes; he would sometimes spend weeks at time with his elven friends in the forest of Enstra, exploring the seemingly endless trees and creating trouble. More than once he and his friends had been dragged back to the Elven city by the heard of angry centaurs that lived in the forest.
Scatha could fly as soon as he could walk and when he wasn't with his friends or mother he was soaring around with his dragon friends. By the age of 10 he could speak Dragon, Elvish, Snake and the human language of English. Every night he would come home, greet his mother and talk to the black stone egg all about his days adventures. It warmed Serene's heart to see that her adopted kit loved her unborn one despite it being nothing more than a stone egg.
New moons were always hard on the young human; it was the night his magic peaked. Around that time he always stayed with his mother as there was a high chance of him losing control and she acted as his anchor to the real world. The nights became hard on his fifth birthday but as he grew older it became easier for him to control the rush of magick flowing through him.
"C'mon Scatha, you don't wanna get caught do you?"
Scatha was running with his friends who, like always, were slightly further ahead, but he still had a grin on his face. Behind him he could hear the sounds of the centaurs crashing through the trees behind them. It was common for the centaurs to be at the receiving end of the younglings' jokes. There were four in the group of friends; Kari, a young elven girl with long, bright red hair held out of her face with a series of complex braids, her brother Kai, whose equally long red hair was also held back with a series of braids, though less complicated than his sister, a young minsren boy (A forest race with a city closer to the center of the forest), Ari, who had short, messy brown hair and completely green eyes and finally Scatha, the only human born of the group despite his dragon heart. They ran for a while until they hit the edge of the forest. Many times they had been warned about crossing out of the protective borders of Enstra and venturing near the human village, but they could not help it, they had natural curiosity. They four crept back into the trees slightly and continued along the edge of the forest until the human village came into sight. They stood hidden in the trees for a few moments just taking in the small village. They were shocked by the lights running through the city; the elven and minsren cities where both lit by magic and it was widely believed that the human village was not magical in any way. The closest house was a good 200 hundred metres away from the forest edge and just as they were about to creep forward they heard a voice behind them.
"You are well aware that you are not allowed near that village."
The four children turned around to face the leader of the forest centaurs, Rymirk.
"W-we weren't gonna go near it," Ari stammered out.
"Yeah, we just wanted a look," Kari backed up.
Rymirk raised a single eyebrow and crossed his arms over his chest. "It does not matter, I was one like you once, and was tempted to venture out of the forest, surely your teachers taught you the dangers that lie outside our home. I will have to take you back to Ichael."
They all groaned, Ichael was their extremely strict teacher, he taught all of the elflings as well as few minsren children and Scatha.
As soon as Rymirk had walked the four into the elven city they were met with the displeased stare of their teacher. "What have they done this time, Rymirk?" he asked calmly.
"They laid a few traps near the herd, but that is not what had me worried, I caught them at the border about to pass through."
The calm look on Ichael's face and the annoyed sigh told the trouble makers all they needed to know about how much trouble they were in. "Thank you for bringing them back Rymirk, I will handle it from here." Ichael turned, gesturing for the children to follow.
"Firstly, you missed your lessons this morning, which I can brush past for now, but it will not pass without punishment. Right now I will address where Rymirk found you. Have we not warned you time and again about leaving the protective boundaries of the forest? It is not safe to leave our forest; nama and namarik alike do not respect us or our forest. You especially should not leave, Scatha. One step outside our borders and the namarik will find you, do you really want that? Unlike Enstra, the Dragon Mountains do not have protections against trespassers, they can hide you from the namarik, but that is all. If they find the dragons it will be disastrous. So I need you to tell me honestly, did you step outside of the forest?"
Scatha looked down, he had forgotten about the enchantments protecting the forest in all the excitement.
Ichael sighed. "This complicates things; it is too dangerous for you to go back to the dragons, above all we must protect them, there are too few left in the wild as it is. I will send a message to your mother and someone to retrieve your things; you will stay here until we know it is safe for you to return."
Scatha felt tears fall down his face; he had never wanted to leave his mother.
Ichael looked at the child, and hugged him close. For all his maturity and intelligence, he was still only a child of eleven with friends' decades older. "It will be all right little one, we will sort this out. Be aware though, you may have to leave the forest for a while in order for this clear itself up."
Scatha buried his face into his teacher's chest, for the first time feeling his age and remembering that he was a lot younger than those around him.
Scatha was restricted to staying in the elven city until another answer was found. His only access to his mother was through the asteri, shadow beings. He missed his mother and dragon friends; though he understood why he was not aloud near them, the danger was too great. Namarik could be ruthless towards the dragons; some they would kill, but mostly just take into their care. The dragons lived peacefully in the mountains and never disturbed the human village. Enstra was safe, most humans who came through quickly became lost and would either die of starvation or thirst or be killed by one of the many dangerous creatures in the forest.
He had been there for two weeks when the letter came, delivered by an owl of all things. The front of the letter read:
Mr H. Potter
Guest Rooms
Elven City
Enstra
Scatha stared at it confused for a second, a thousand questions running through his mind. How did it know his location? How it gotten through the barriers? Who the hell was H. Potter? Before opening it, Scatha made his way to Ichael's quarters to talk to him about it.
Ichael looked over the letter with his sharp elven eyes. "There does not seem to be anything wrong with it or anything to make it harmful and I can only assume that H. Potter was your name before being adopted by Serene. I believe it is fine for you to open it."
Scatha took back the letter and opened it carefully, reading out loud what the letter said.
"Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore (Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards).
Dear Mr. Potter, We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.
Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31.
Yours sincerely,
Minerva McGonagall
Deputy Headmistress,"
Once Scatha finished he looked up at his teacher waiting for an answer.
"I believe that there is only one choice when it comes to this matter. We cannot hide you forever and now that they have your signal they may be able to track you. It is a pity that young Luna is a year younger than you," Ichael looked at his students sad face, it was clear that he did not want to leave the safety of his home. Ichael knelt down so that he was at the eye level of the young human. "Scatha, I understand that you do not want to go, but there is no other choice, it may even be good for you, you will have a chance to make friends of your own age and race. Kari, Kai and Ari are all well and good, but you know that they are a lot older than you and will live for thousands of years longer. I will go with you to collect the things you need, I was there once in my youth and it will give me a chance to visit my sister's mate and their daughter," Ichael pulled Scatha into another hug. "Everything will work itself out. Now first thing you need to do is write a letter to this school informing them of your name change, I will sign it with my name as well and act as your guardian for your duration at this school. After this year, you should be able to go back to Serene. I know it pains you being away from her."
McGonagall was reading through all of this year's acceptance letters and preparing for each muggle born visit when one caught her eye. It was in elegant black cursive, much neater than many of her seventh graders, it was simple and to the point.
Dear Professor McGonagall,
I am happy to attend your school of magic, though I must inform you that I no longer go by the name H. Potter, in fact I am not certain as to wait the H stands for. After I was found and adopted by Ichael I was given the name Scatha Lithos and it would greatly appreciated if you where to use that name instead of the other.
Signed,
Scatha Lithos
Legal Guardian: Ichael Lithos
McGonagall was shocked; she had thought that Harry Potter was dead; having died the night Voldemort was killed. She hurried from her office to the headmaster.
"Albus," she said upon arrival. "It would seem that Harry Potter is alive." She showed him the letter which Dumbledore quickly read.
"So it would seem. We shall have to make the changes to the list; we wouldn't want him to feel that we would not honour his wish. Though I wonder where he could have been that his guardian has not started saying about how he is the father of harry Potter." He said once he finished reading.
"He must not have known that the boy was young Harry," McGonagall replied.
Scatha spent a week preparing for his trip to the nama world; his entire life had been spent in the forest and surrounding mountains, it felt strange to be leaving. The hardest part was trying to explain to his friends that they couldn't come with him; despite being much older in years, they were almost younger mentally, which made things harder. Scatha was sure to send the asteri to his mother before his departure.
Scatha met with Ichael at the gates to the city, his friends trailing behind him. "I will be sure to send messages to you often. Be sure to look after mother for me, I know that she gets lonely in her cave with no one but my unborn sibling to keep her company." He hugged each of his friends in turn before turning to his teacher.
"You remember what I taught you about glamours?" he asked.
Scatha nodded. "I remember everything you teach me."
Ichael smiled. "Now would be a good time to raise one over your wings, I have been to Diagon Alley and my ears alone drew attention, I cannot begin to think what would happen if they saw your wings."
Scatha nodded before channelling his magic into a shield over his wings, hiding them from view.
Ichael nodded. "Good we are reading to go then." Ichael grabbed Scatha's arm before casting a complex transportation spell, slower than the namarik apparition, but a lot more pleasant.
They arrived in an abandoned alley in London just next to an old pub with the name The Leaky Cauldron. Scatha followed Ichael into the slightly run down pub and had to resist the urge to cover his nose at the intense smell, which was somehow worse than the stench outside in the city. Having come from a forest of fresh, clean air, the smell was overpowering, especially to his dragon senses.
"Come, Scatha, we have much to do and I would like to be back in Enstra as soon as possible." Ichael said in Elvish, looking around with slight disgust on his face.
Scatha nodded and followed his teacher to a back alley where they were faced with a brick wall and no other way out. Ichael laid his hand gently on the bricks and Scatha watched amazed as they all moved apart creating a doorway into another place. He looked around in wonder at all the things around him. The metal boxes he had seen people in on the way to the pub where amazing, but the magic he felt in the air was breathtaking. Many things would be considered a waste of magic to the elves who valued your skill with a weapon just as much as your skill with magic. Of course many elves where unable to use magic and relied on their fighting with bows and swords and other elves held extreme skill in magic, but very little talent with other weapons. Most healers only had a basic idea of weaponry, but their skills with magic were almost the strongest. Healers are the most respected amongst the elves and even amongst the minsren as they are the people that can hold back death.
"Scatha, close your mouth, it is unsightly, you are dragon born and raised as well as elf raised, you should have more self respect and be able to stop yourself gaping like a fish."
Scatha nodded, "Of course, Lord Ichael. It is just that there is so much here to see; there is nothing like this back in Enstra."
Ichael almost scoffed, "Of course not, we value our magic and use it for what is needed, not trivial things that have no real use. Now come, we will start by getting money from the bank and then buying your clothes; your current clothes will not do and I believe this school of yours will have very strict guidelines
on what is appropriate to wear."
Scatha looked down on what he was wearing. It was very simple, just a simple pair of slightly baggy three quarter length pants with a half robe tied along the side coloured a deep purple. He didn't wear shirts often as they constricted his wings too much and it was a pain having to put holes through all his clothes in order for them to fit comfortably. He then looked over at his teacher. Ichael walked with the pride of any high born elf, his blonde hair was long and braided to stay of his eyes and his tunic and breeches were of a high quality, though they were different to the robed people around them, it was clear that Scatha was getting the most looks due the exposure of his chest, lightly toned from his elven training.
It wasn't long before they reached the bank and had their money transferred and only minutes after that that they were at the clothes store and ordering his robes and uniform. It took a while for the uniform to be properly fitted due to his wings and trying to keep them hidden from the seamstress. Ichael made polite conversation with parents of another boy getting fitted.
"Are you attending Hogwarts too?" The boy beside him asked. He had short straight red hair and hazel eyes with hints of green running through them.
"Yes, I am," Scatha replied politely. "My name is Scatha Dr- Lithos."
"Adrian Potter," the boy replied. "Are you here with your parents as well?"
Scatha frowned and looked over at his teacher who was talking with what must be the boy-Adrian's, parents. "No, I do not know who my real parents are, L- Ichael found me when I was a child and took care of me. He is my guardian."
Adrian looked at Scatha with slight sadness. "Wow, I can't imagine not knowing my parents. Though the man you're with, Ichael I think you said. He seems kinda strange; I've never seen ears pointed like that before."
Before Scatha could answer the seamstress growled out that she was finished and that he could go. Scatha politely nodded to the woman and paid her before walking over to his guardian and informing him that he was finished.
They spent the day buying the various things on Scatha's list, though he refused to buy dragon hide gloves insisting that the man at the counter get him whatever was similar enough to pass at Hogwarts. After almost an hour of discussion over the fact that nothing was stronger than dragon scales Scatha informed the man that he would just order gloves from somewhere else and fully intended to have Ichael pass the message onto the elvish crafters for them to make him a pair of gloves when the man showed him a pair of Wyvern hide gloves; Scatha was not fond of these either, but preferred them over dragon hide.
Once outside the store, Scatha started complaining in elvish. "It's totally barbaric; I cannot believe that they treat these old creatures in such a way, as if they feel nothing. Are they incapable of using materials that will not harm others?"
"Enough, Scatha, just accept it, you can do nothing. You only have to be here for a few months and Rymirk has informed me that he has a cousin that lives near this school, so there is a large forest nearby. You will be fine, trust in yourself." Ichael replied and Scatha quietened his mutterings.
The pair dropped all Scatha's things off at their rooms in The Leaky Cauldron before venturing out to by the final item on the list; a wand. Of course, Scatha was insistent that he didn't need one, but Ichael was equally insistent that he needed to blend in. Of course, Scatha crumbled and soon found himself aimlessly waving wands around. As the pile before him grew bigger, so did his scowl. Finally, a wand reacted to him, letting off dark black and purple sparks.
"Ahh, of course, black oak and fang of a night dragon," The wandmaker said. "Fitting for one such as yourself. You are destined for great things, young dragon, and don't glare at it as if it will bite you."
Scatha had indeed been glaring at the wand as if it had done him some huge wrong and had missed the wandmaker mention his dragon status.
As Scatha turned and left, Ichael turned back to the man. "I do not know how it is you know who he is, but if you tell anyone, you will not live much longer. It is a secret guarded by all those who live in and around the forest of Enstra," he growled, before exiting the shop after his young ward.
Scatha woke early the next day, it was the day he was set to board his train for hogwarts. Emotions clashed inside him as he realised that he would not see his friends or teacher for many months.
Please don't use the name Enstra for a land without asking me, I plan on using it in a book I am writing
Think of Enstra kinda like a cross between Mirkwood and the Forbidden Forest