In the end, they leave it up to the children to decide. “Would you like to go to school?” Newt looks down at the eager, thoughtful faces turned to him.

“You do not have to,” Hermann puts in, “We can call in tutors and have you taught here.”

“But Mako, Raleigh and Chuck all go to the school, and you’d be int he same year,” Newt continues, giving Hermann a sharp look. “So- think about it.”

They get a chorus of nods, and the children curl up and burrow into their hoard.

“Just because you had a shit time-” Newt growls to Hermann.

“And just because you enjoyed school doesn’t mean they will.” Hermann growls. “Besides, didn’t you tell me you had no friends?”

That stings. “I met other- nonhumans.” Newt snaps back, “I wouldn’t otherwise, that was pretty important.”

Hermann huffs, but seems inclined to let it go. The children have been keeping them up. “And you’ll get more rest if they’re tired out at school,” Newt adds.

“They will decide.” Hermann says finally, “At least they won’t be alone.”

“And Mako will look after them.”

Hermann sighs, and rests his head on the hoard, closing his eyes. Newt pads up beside him, and nuzzles him. “It’s okay. We’ll be there if anyone gives them trouble.”

“There’s only so much we can do.” Hermann murmurs.

Newt covers him with a wing, and Hermann pulls in a little closer. “We can go the tutoring route if it goes wrong.”

Hermann is still for a moment, then nods, very slightly.

Yith!dad au

1- The Yith was a bit annoyed by having to take care of Hermann at first, but then Hermann proved himself helpful, and after talking with Monica he’s taken human child-raising customs as a research point.

2- Only Monica knows Lars is a Yith, everyone else thinks Lars is just a human with an interest in unknowable mysteries.

3- The real Lars has been locked up in a tower for the last few months after repeatedly assaulting other Yiths.

4- The Yith has been trying to be more ‘touchy’ with Hermann, it being apparently important for parents to hug children and express such physical affection. It’s debatable which of them felt more awkward and uncomfortable.

5- The Yith has another reason for having Hermannn make friends with the Deep Ones.  He hopes they will take him in and make him one of them, because they live forever, and so do Yiths, and the thought of Hermann growing old and dying is becoming more unbearable by the day.

—————————————-

Dragon King!AU (Dragon Hermann)

1- Although Hermann does tell them about the abuse he suffered in the south, he finds it hard to explain that the worst of it wasn’t the pain, but how it felt to be treated, day after day, month after month, years after year, like some utterly worthless animal.

2- Bastian had cared for Hermann to begin with, but as he grew up the prejudices of his world told, and he joined int he abuse to get approval from Lars and Karla.

3- Hermann was threatened with marriage to the north sicne he was very young. It was the only thing which kept him going.

4- Hermann still has nightmares about it, sometimes. He wakes up shivering, but Newt is there, and the fire in his belly, the strengthening wings on his back, and the bad dreams get a little further away every time.

5- Yarila had three eggs once. She was forced to leave one behind in her flight, and another was shot on her way out. Brelin’s egg was cracked too, but she was old enough to be able to survive.

——————————-

Hobbit!AU

1- Hermann has a lair several miles away, in a cluster of mountains. He doesn’t spend much time there at first, but over time, he starts bringing Newt there, and then they started to alternate.

2- Tendo still tries to keep contact with Newt, but it does disturb him that Newt is able to be friends with- well, Hermann. There’s too much bad blood still there.

3- Hermann doesn’t actually know he has the Hearthstone in his chest. He never knew he had a weak spot int he first place. No dragons ever do, it takes trusting someone else to know about it.

4- Newt started getting his tattoos before he really started suffering from his OCD, when it started kickking in, he used it almost as therapy.

No problem! Usually just go on my page and click the ‘ask’ button, I’ve changed some of the colours so maybe it’ll work now.

“Here,” Newt hops down beside Hermann, “I got you a surprise.”

Hermann lifts his long narrow head from their nest of blankets, blinks lazy eyes at him, “Do tell,” he rumbles.

Newt slips down next to him, strokes a hand over his back. The fines scales are smooth under his hands, his hand skates over the impossibly complicated structure of muscles and tendons anchoring his wings and shoulders.

Hermann sighs, and rests his head in Newt’s lap.

“So I looked in at the shop- they’ve had some trade from the south, and I put in a bit of the money we made for clearing out that snow and-” Newt pulls out a tangle of strange chain that makes Hermann perk up.

He looks into Hermann’s eyes carefully as he hands him the tangle of chain, watching for any tension of panic like last time. There’s a flicker of- something, but he blinks, and it’s gone. He spreads the masses of fine chains between his hands, those long, delicate, claw-tipped hands. Newt swallows.

Hermann looks up, and smiles. He knows what he is thinking. He forms a loop in the chain, and hooks it behind Newt’s neck, pulling him down.

Newt closes his eyes, kisses him.

It’s never quite normal, their mouths are not quite the right shape to fit together, there’s always a bite of tooth and scale, Newt’s lips slipping wetly over Hermann’s hot, dry ones.

But it’s bright, sweet and fierce, tastes of smoke and flame. Newt sinks down beside him, feels the chains slip down around him, tying them together. Hermann’s claws slip hungrily across his belly, Newt’s feet slide in between his legs, feels the lash of Hermann’s tail as he settles down beside him.

Hermann opens his wings, fans his crest and feels it ripple down his neck and tail as the fine membranes open to the air.

The chill mountain air beats against him, buoys him. Newt is already aloft, circling and banking against the crosswinds. He looks down at Hermann in concern.

He closes his eyes, and jumps. The wind strikes him in the chest and pushes him up, he cups his wings around the wind, his tail flicks down in what is half memory and mostly instinct and- oh.

He soars.

Newt is a surprised blur below him as he spirals and circles up, the mountains flare up around him- no longer towering over but now- part of him, as he is part of the sky, the landscape. Below him, he can see the river winding down through the uplands, the dramatic plume of the waterfall- even the tiny brown square of the hunting lodge.

He looks up, the sun cuts through the last trailing mists of the morning, stains the clouds and the snow caps gold. The horizon dips away, opens, widens. The sky endless blue above him, inviting.

He can leave.

For the first time in his life, he is really, truely free.

Hermann circles slowly once more, eyeing the distant edges of the world. He could go North, to the ice-floes and the crackling lights that dance in the sky. He can go East, to the unbroken line of impassable mountains- impassable by land, of course- and find out what lies in those mysterious lands beyond. He could go West, over the sea to the Dawnlands, where the rainbow sailed ships fly across the sea to every land in the known world.

He could even go South. Fly over that accurses land without touching it, and beyond it to Mictlan and the Plainhomes.

He could go anywhere.

Anywhere in the world.

Newt looks up as she fans down to land beside the lodge. The sheer relief in his eyes is heartbreaking. “You came back.”

Hermann smiles. His wings ache, his whole body is raw with the exertion. “Of course.”

Newt wakes up feeling oddly chilly; he rolls over to find Hermann under the sheets and cuddle up and- he’s cold. His still, and cold, and unmoving under the sheets.

Newt isn’t really too sure what happened after that- quite a lot of screaming, and the world kinda blurred out with the hideous awful that’s just swallowed his world, but when it finally starts filtering back in, Hermann is holding him firmly to his chest, his whole body rigid.

“…Hermann…” Newt says in a tiny voice.

“Thank the gods.” Hermann grits out. “I can’t hang on much longer.”

Newt looks up, face damp with tears and frozen in horror. “What’s happening?”

“No time-” Hermann rears up and stumbles towards the door. He’s wavering, stumbling over his own feet, claws scrabbling and tearing at the door to get out.

Newt manages to get the handle and Hermann staggers out, turning his eyes blindly and- his scales are pale, almost orange, his eyes dim. “Hermann-”

“Not yet!” His voice is stiff, furious. He crawls up on all fours, to the top of the hill, looks around, and sighs. “I’m sorry for anything that falls in.” And suddenly explodes into full size.

His tail catches Newt across the belly and sends him into a small strand of trees. Newt untangles himself and hurries over where Hermann has sunk to the ground and moans softly.

“Are you okay?” Newt rushes over. “You’re not dying, please please don’t be-”

“I am not dying.” Hermann opens an exhausted eye. “I am, however, suffering what you might call a cold.”

“Oh.” Newt almost sags with relief. “You were so cold, I thought-” he breaks off, swallows.

Hermann sighs, and tucks Newt in against his head. “I am sorry for scaring you. My fire has just- gone down a little. It will be back soon, but until then.” he pulls a face, “And I have very little magical control.”

“Can I get you anything?” Newt says eagerly. “My uncle swore by honey and lemon drinks, I could try and scale one up.”

Hermann opens one eye, “And how many hive and bushels will you need for that?”

“We can try.”  Newt says firmly. “People like you, they can give up a few preserves and honey.”

Hermann looks at him, then sighs. “I feel so awful I’m quite willing to try-” he stops, shivers, then his rears his head up in a staggering sneeze.

“You might need to kill them.” Newt rests his head on his side.

Hermann smiles. ‘That will not be a problem.”

Newt looks at him; he’s not quite smiling, but Hermann can feel his doubt. “I hate them, all of them.”

“Even the one who saved you?”

“Bastian.” Hermann breathes the boy’s name. His soft little hands, finding him among the smashed wreckage of his brothers and sisters, his mother’s headless body. “Him most of all.”

Newt stills, then sighs. “They were all bad?”

Hermann nods. “It wasn’t the pain.” Newt looks at him. “Well, it was not the worst. It was being a- a beast. A pet. They would have treated me well enough, if I had been a dog.” He sighs. “I cannot explain it. It is- the worst thing, to be treated like that, day after day, month after month.”

The cold sinks in on him, even through the heat of Newt’s body. He draws in a breath, lets the fire build in his belly, and lets loose a short blast of flame towards the open door. The lodge stirs at the sudden light.

He has his fire again. For the first time in a decade. If he sees Bastian again, wailing and red-faced to his father about whatever Hermann had done. The cold eyes, cold face, cold blade of Karla. Deitrich’s impassive gaze, dismissing him to already dead, beneath him, worthless.

And Lars.

He grits his teeth, and they feels sharp now. His claws, slowly sharpening as the blunt grows out and the edges sharpen on the castle stones. His flame. Just his wings now, and they grow stronger and stronger by the day.

Maybe it’s bravado. Maybe Newt’s right to doubt when too many humans had sent him in a panic only a few weeks ago. But he can fight now, he won’t cower again, press his belly to the ground and whimper under the whip. Never. Never.

“If you want, I can have some Kelflames invited to the castle when we return.”

“Who are they?” Hermann turns to look at him.

“Mountain dragons, they hollow out mountains with their fire- I can have them train you, if you like.”

“I don’t think I can burn that hot.” Hermann smiles.

“They don’t have it normally. Usually, their flame is as hot as a Mountling’s. But they’ve found ways to strength their fire, so if you want-”

Dragon!Hermann AU

The sound of rushing water is at once new and comforting. His ears prick and he shivers in the slightly damp chill of the morning. He opens his eyes, and the light is faint and grey, misty as being inside a cloud.

The memory rises; the same grey mist hanging over the marsh; the chill of the early morning and the comforting press of the eggs and mother’s bulk against him.

Hermann draws a deep breath, but tastes fresh spray and willows instead of the mustiness of the marsh and the faint hint of rotting wood. He sits up and Newt murmurs in his sleep, turns against him and snuffles.

He’s soft and warm, and it’s an effort to pull away and step out to fan his wings refreshingly in the mist. His leg aches at it stretches, but the coolness soothes it, and stiffness in his overtaxed wing muscles.

Outside, the world is indistinct, fading to distant suggestions of shape and form in the cloud. The bridge is gone, and there is no one here but him and Newt, and- as the woodsmoke starts from the kitchens at the rear of the lodge- the other dragons. It’s the first time he’s been alone with no one but other dragons for- years.

His wings drop, he settles on the decking and closes his eyes, basking in the spray and the impossible feeling of being safe.

“Prince Hermann?” And for once, he doesn’t flinch, only looking up. It’s Bralin.

“How are you?” He smiles and curls his tail invitingly.

Bralin hesitates, “Mother says the cooks are making honeycakes;”

“Are they ready now?”

Bralin shrugs, and flutters over to sit beside him. “Are you okay? Mother said you hurt your leg.”

Hermann shifts, it twinges angrily. “I will be better. And soon, I will fly.”

“Is the king being nice to you?”

Hermann smiles, looks back to where Newt is snuffling in his sleep. “Yes.”

“Good.” She straightens, preens her back with her horns, “Mother said if he didn’t, you could come with us and we would find somewhere new.”

Hermann stops, and for a moment, can only look at her, wreathed in mist turning slowly to gold as the sun filtered through the tree line. He opens his mouth, and closes it, his throat tight. “Thank you.” His managed huskily, then; “Thank you.” He can’t think of anything else to say.

“But you’re happy?” Bralin looks up at him, intently.

Hermann looks against at Newt. “Yes.”

They carry Hermann into the sickroom, beside the baths; the heat is heavy here, the steam swirling around them;

“Here;” the doctor motions, and a stone slam is quickly scorched clean, and Hermann laid down on it; he moans softly, but only closes his eyes;

“What can I do?” Newt feels like he’s been asking this over and over forever, but the doctor only shrugs, as always;

“Stay with him, keep him calm, check the wound and if it smells bad, call me;”

Newt nods furiously, so hard that when he stops, the doctor has already gone;

He groans, and slides down beside Hermann, he wants to press his face against his side, or touch his shoulder, or twine tails but-

Hermann, crawling away from him, eyes desperate for him to go away, leave him forever;

He wants to help, he has no idea what to do;

“Newt;” Hermann whispers, 

Newt jerks up. wings trembling; “Hermann-”

“Please- don’t let them take my leg;”

Newt hesitates, “It could kill you;”

Hermann murmurs something, Newt doesn’t know what he says, he couldn’t hear, he must have gone deaf because he can’t have said I want to die he can’t he can’t he can’t-

“Your wings are fine;” Newt says instead, swallowing back the awful urge to be sick, “You- if you want to leave, you can still fly;”

Hermann tenses his wings flexes them tentatively, “I cannot fly;”

“You can, you’re getting better and better at it;” Newt takes a risk, and gently touches his nose to Hermann’s neck, he doesn’t pull away; “Where do you want to go? If- If you don’t want to be here, you can go anywhere;” he swallows the lump in his throat;

Hermann takes a deep sigh, groans as he jars his leg; “You need me here;”

Newt pauses, “You can go somewhere not too far away, if you don’t like the castle;”

Hermann is silent for a moment, then, “Can we- go somewhere without humans-”

We; Newt’s heart leaps; “Absolutely- there’s this lovely little cave I know in the mountains, by a river; I can have it readied for us, and when you feel better we can go with Kodachi and maybe one or two others- dragons,” he quickly reassures Hermann, “Would- would you like that-”

Hermann sighs, shifts and settles and seems- calmer, more peaceful; “Is it quiet there, just us, and blue sky and-” he trails off weakly, whimpers in pain;