Chapter Text
Warsaw
May 2017 A.D.
Amidst the crowds of adoring fans, a silver-haired teen couldn’t help but smile.
Egg watched as golden sparks tapered off, singers belting out their final bars, all while his friends stood beside him, silent in amazement. This is why he’d dragged them out of a Hogsmeade weekend to Berlin via Portkey. Thank Merlin that Roxanne had the plane tickets ready for them to get to Warsaw, without a moment to spare. His final bandmate, Ahmed, had teased while helping poor little Scorpius Malfoy & Rose Granger-Weasley through airport security. Now, as the song ended and the crowd erupted, his friends also roared back to life, and he couldn’t help but cheer alongside them. The energy was infectious, and despite not a single drop of firewhisky passing through his lips, he was drunk on the atmosphere of the concert hall.
"I finally get why you're obsessed with this!" shouted Roxanne. Her curly hair blocked his view of the stage as she leaned in to talk, but he doubts he’d have been able to hear her over the crowd otherwise.
"Took you long enough Weasley!" He shouts back.
"Shut it Martell. So who's next?"
"Portugal, I think."
“Oi!” said Ahmed, “Quiet mate, they’re starting again,” a finger held to his lips. The crowd hushed as soft blue lights and mellow violins revealed the next performer, a long-haired man dressed in a black suit.
“ Se um dia alguém…”
The crooner reminded Egg of old Pensieve memories his mum used to show them of his Papa Rhaegar. Lilting and smooth with a broad range that caught everyone’s attention. It was a style that Egg himself would try to emulate when he played guitar. Roxane joked that the only reason their band existed was his voice, but he knows he can’t hold a candle compared to papa. So listening to others here tonight was not just for entertainment, each song was a potential lesson.
“Se o teu…coração~”
A flash of turquoise distracts him for a moment, but when he looks in that direction, it disappears before he can locate it, drowned by the sea of twinkling phone cameras and waving flags. The performer ends and the crowd is cheering again.
“Egg! Where’s the WC?” Scorpius shouts.
“Let’s go find it!” replied Ahmed cheekily.
“Sounds good. Roxie, can you-”
“Take care of my little cousin for 5 minutes? Egg, who do you take me for?”
“I have a name Roxie!”
“I know Rosie!” Though the two were cousins, their similar dark skin and auburn curly hair made them look more like sisters, yet Rose had bushier hair and Roxanne more freckles.
“Alright, we’ll be back before Australia performs,” said Egg.
“You better,” replied Rose, staring directly at Scorpius. As they walk away, Egg and Ahmed nudge the shorter platinum blonde.
“Mate, fancy the flower likes you,” said Ahmed.
“W-what?” sputters Scorpius, blushing.
“Relax, we’re taking the mick out of ya,” says Aegon. As they approach the washroom lines, Egg catches a glimpse of the same flashing turquoise. Before he can turn around, someone grabs him from behind, blocking access to the wand in his back pocket. He struggles for a minute before hearing the tell-tale snap of apparition followed by its same suffocation.
‘S**t! I’m dead’ he thinks, as they pop out in the nocturnal parks of Warsaw, the Arena over to his left. He pushes away from his kidnapper, slamming his heel into their foot. With a hiss, the stranger loosens his grip, enough for Egg to elbow him in the gut, before ducking, grabbing his own wand as he runs straight for the crowds ahead of him.
"Aegon Targaryen of Potter-Martell, you cheeky bastard!"
Wait. He knows that voice. Finally spinning around, he sees his turquoise-haired, auror trainee of a brother, standing there in his maroon robes, clutching his stomach, with a shaky grin on his face. The silver-haired teen walked up and smacked the trickster in the shoulder.
"You bloody git! I thought you were trying to kill me."
"All in a day's work for a marauding older brother."
“Also mum will have your hide for that insult.”
“Doesn’t mean the same thing here,” Teddy retorts, “besides, not before she tans yours.”
“Arse, your right…” says Egg, “Wait, what about-”
“Relax, I texted Roxanne and Ahmed, they know I grabbed you to go get some air.”
“Ok, but Rose and Scor-”
“I’m sure your fifth-year friends can handle some ickle Third-Years for 10 minutes. By the way, how are they still awake?”
“Energy drinks, I s’pose.”
“Oh freyrinū , you never cease to amaze me.”
“English or Common , Ted.”
“Nah, you need the Rhoynar practice more. Besides, you’re always muttering to yourself in Common anyway, might need to check on that.” Egg offers his brother a two-fingered salute.
“Love you too, Egg!” Where he had been smiling moments before, now Egg found it hard to hide the scowl maring his face.
“What are you doing here?”
“Shouldn’t I be asking you that question?” Egg gives no answer. His older brother sighed. “Dad walked in after Lily and Llewyn’s football practice and found your arrow on the clock ‘travelling’.”
“At least he didn’t find it on ‘in Westeros’”, muttered the silver haired teen.
“‘In a foreign country’ is hardly better. He doesn’t know you have a portkey back.”
“Um…” His brother’s brow creased with concern.
“You have a portkey back?”
“We…don’t, actually.”
“Egg!”
“It’s in Germany!” He shouts defensively. Their argument startles some nearby strangers.
“And how were you gonna make it back to Germany?”
“By Plane, I guess,” he shrugs.
“You bought tickets?”
“Yeah to get here.”
“What about return?”
“Return?” The turquoise hair turns Red, then Black, matching the rest of their family. Egg starts to deflate from anger to shame.
“ Ay, what are we going to do with you, Egg?” The blonde is fidgeting with his hands. He pulls out his wand to distract them, though he’d prefer a fencing blade at this moment to give him more leverage.
“Nothing?” he winces.
“Yeah, I don’t think Rhaenys would forgive me for that. Favouritism you see,” says Ted.
“For the last time, I didn’t tell Dad or Mum about her and Duncan Thomas! Besides, she’s driving me crazy these days.”
“Should I tell Lily that she’s your favourite sister then?” Aegon snorts.
“You really wanna get rid of me don’cha? Rhaenys’ll kill me!”
“Relax, the worst she’d do is send little Llewyn after you.”
“So kill me.”
“Targaryens, so dramatic.”
“Lupins, such trolls.” The brothers stare for a moment, before dissolving into laughter, ignoring more passersby giving them strange looks. A warm May breeze fills the night air.
“Alright, well, I’m going to go grab your friends.” Aegon should have expected that shoe to drop, but he’d still been hoping it wouldn’t.
“Already?”
“Ye mate, you all need to get back before the professors find out you portkeyed across the continent.”
“But it’s for an educational experience.”
“In what way exactly?”
“Musical education?” The older teen crosses his arms at Egg’s suggestion.
“I don’t see McGonagall buying that.”
“How about if I tell her it's for my future profession.”
“As what? Professional Bard?”
“Musician, but yes.”
“You’re sure?”
“Well, it's not like King is a serious option right now, is it?” said Egg. Teddy snorts.
“Forgive me King Aegon, First of his Name, King of the Griffins, Badgers, Eagles, & Snakes-”
“Mate, shut up!” he shoved his older brother, but there was little bite to his words. He didn’t want to acknowledge how hearing a Westerosi title, even in parody, filled him with secret pride.
“Still, aren’t there like…magic fields you want to explore?” Aegon groaned as Teddy repeated their mum’s talking points.
“Well yeah, but didn’t Dumbledore once say music was, ‘a magic beyond what we do here?’”
“Are you Dumbledore Potter, or Aegon Potter?” Egg tries to smack Teddy’s head, but the older teen dodges his attack.
“Alright alright, I’ll lay off…If you tell me how you snagged one of dad’s international portkeys to come to Eurovision.” Egg hesitates to tell Teddy, knowing their parents will ultimately hear his confession. He’s torn between wanting to do well by mum and dad, and holding on to some…echo of papa Rhaegar. His brother notices the distress and gives him a hug. It’s unexpected, but welcome.
“Look, Egg…despite the trainee uniform, I’m not gonna hand you off to the aurors just ‘cause you snuck out of Hogsmeade with your friends.”
“Really?”
“To be fair, this is pretty serious. But no, I won’t.”
“Imagine the horror on Dad’s face if it ended up on the front page of the Daily Prophet. Harry Potter’s ‘Draco-Malfoy-clone’ caught breaking international law. Future Dark Lord? ” Teddy laughs at that, before turning his own hair Silver, and eyes violet. The gesture means more than any hug or quip.
“Not to mention that he involved the Malfoy scion and the minister’s kid.”
“Bol***ks, you’re right,” Egg said, slapping his hand to his forehead, running his fingers through his hair.
“Tell you what, freyrīnū. Boy ažūdīrtī [1]. Consider this a one time favour.” Teddy reaches into a pocket, and hands Egg a frisbee.
“This is a portkey that’ll get you to the edge of the Forbidden Forest. Don’t ask me how I got it, or my friend Will for that matter.”
“Wasn’t going to,” said Egg, “but now that you mention it.” His brother’s immediate glare was enough to end that prospect.
“No asking you or Will. Got it.”
“Good, If you take it in the next hour, you should be able to get back before they think it was more serious than a late night stroll gone wrong.”
“But mum and dad will still know.”
“I can’t save you from everything, can I?”
“If you really loved me…”
“Nice try, I taught you that one.”
“Damn. Still worth a try,” said Egg. Teddy gives him one last clap on the shoulder.
“Okay, you stay around here, while I go get the others. Text me if anything changes.”
“Will do, Auror of Potter-Martell .” With a friendly salute and loud crack, Teddy disapparates away. The park is filled with the sounds of crickets chirping, smatterings of ecstatic fans, and the occasional bell of an evening tram, bringing more revelers to the stadium. Egg closed his eyes, as the adrenaline in his veins began to ebb. So, trying to keep awake, he walked lazy circles around a park bench, putting his wand away before he accidentally left it behind. Still, with his mind drifting, the silver-haired teen hummed songs he’d heard that evening. He was so engrossed in his self-appointed task that he failed to stop himself from bumping into an elderly woman, nearly knocking her over. Egg barely catches her, but she hardly makes a sound at the unexpected collision.
“Um…Sheprazham, ma'am,” he apologised, trying to remember the proper way to say it in Polish. The woman had flowers woven in her greying hair, and a far-away look in her eyes. Despite briefly looking at him, she said nothing, as though ignoring his words. ‘Did I accidentally just insult her?’ he wondered.
“ Five spears .” He doesn't know what she means.
“Sorry?”
“Five spears forged by lightning, gleam beneath the noon-day sun. They pierce the veil of night, Twice by charm, and twice by squall ” she croaks, staring at nothing in particular.
“Um, sorry I don't understand, have a good-” He tries to run, but she grabs his arm with inhuman force, eyes rolling into the back of her head.
“Five dragons, near and far, witness the way of Kings; bound together by blood and cause, they heed the wanderer's call.” Egg struggles against her iron grip, confused that he can’t break free. Her touch simultaneously burns and freezes his skin.
“Woe unto Rome, woe unto Indus, woe unto Cathay, and woe unto those who sing the songs of the earth.” His heart races, terrified of her archaic phrases as she leans in.
“Yea, woe for they have broken the binding chains, and lit Vulcan's wrath; unmended, Boreas shall claim them all.
When Dragons and Spears reforge the potter's wheel, then shall the Night King fall."
As he finally breaks free from her grip, he stumbles and bangs his knees against the asphalt. When he looks up, the woman is gone. His trembling breaths take a few minutes to slow before he can pull himself off the ground.
“Stupid drugs,” Egg mutters. He brushes himself off, texts Teddy that he’ll meet them in front of the Arena, and begins walking back. He makes sure he still has the frisbee, but is shaken by the episode.
So shaken that he didn't even notice she'd spoken to him in Common Tongue. For the moment, he was hoping to enjoy at least one more song before Ted took them to face the metaphorical music of Minerva McGonagall.