Ok Folks I don't own anything...okay I do, but not these characters, they belong to Rowling, I'm just the puppeteer.
Chapter 38: Lions and Serpents and Dragons, Oh My.
**********************Hogwarts, Slytherin Dungeons************************
April 21, 2006
3:22 am.
Surrounded by drawn and silenced emerald curtains, Draco Malfoy tossed and turned, his night far from peaceful. Sweat drenched the front of a light-gray t-shirt he had worn to bed, as dark, shadowy figures flitted in and out of his memories. Like Harry, Draco had seen enough for nightmares a plenty, but unlike him, no loving arms were there to drag him back from the abyss, no friends that would give up their lives just to give him that extra second, were there to shake him awake.
He had tried, at times when these moods would strike him, to have a "friend" stay with him, but to no avail. Pansy might stay for a shag, but that was about it, and Crabbe and Goyle, were useless in almost every way. Fortunately for him, unlike Harry, these dreams were not there always, just beneath the surface, waiting to erupt with the faces of friends and loved ones taken by the darkness, they only arose when he was truly lost.
**************************Malfoy Manor********************************
February 12, 1994 (Twelve years ago)
A young, small boy with disheveled, light blond hair fell to the floor, his check burning. He looked up at a cruel man, a man with his features and coloring another twenty years hence. The man sneered down at the child then calmly walked over to a desk and sat down behind it, propping his polished Dragon hide boots on it. Noticing a slight scuff, "DOBBY" He screamed, and with a muffled pop, a young, scrawny house elf with huge green eyes appeared. "Clean that spot off my boots, elf...with your tongue."
"Yes master." Dobby bowed subserviently and started to lick the already shiny boots clean. After a moment Lucius looked down at the elf, then over at Draco, the young boy still cowering on the floor, then back at the house-elf. Without warning, the elder Malfoy kicked the elf across the room. As Dobby hit the wall, he bowed, taking that as a dismissal, he vanished with a POP.
As Dobby vanished, an older man came in the room. The man had some of the features of the other two but almost as many differences, his hair was white instead of the pale blond of the other two, and his build was much stockier. The pale gray eyes were the same however, as they looked down at Draco. "Leave Draco." Draco nodded, then over at Lucius who dismissed him with a wave. Draco left quickly, and as soon as the room closed, he ran to the room next door where a low grate, meant to circulate air afforded him a view of his father and grandfather in the next room.
"Why did you strike the child, Lucius? Malfoys do not strike their own kin, not in my house." Maximilian Malfoy snarled as he stood over his son. Lucius dropped his boots from the desk and rose to his feet. Leaning foreword, he rested his hands on the desktop.
"I dare because he is my son...he was playing with muggles, out in the woods beyond the house. Creatures lower than that house-elf." Lucius motioned towards the door, "the child is weak, father," the word a sneer, "if we are not careful, he will fall to the side of that old-fool."
"Instead of what, son?" the elder shot back, the sneer identical, "following your fallen master?" The elder Malfoy crossed his arms and glared at him. "For a thousand years, the Malfoy family has been strong, we have danced in the dark, but we never kissed the hem of its robes. We are conniving, yes, lethal when provoked, definitely, but we hold our honor sacred, our ancestors stood with Merlin and Arthur at Camelot, we spied for them, we assassinated for them, but we did not turn to Morgana's cause even when she offered us the world. Yes, we keep our bloodline clean, we do not associate with those who choose to breed beneath themselves, but we do not serve the darkness as its lackey, in that at least our honor has been untainted...until now."
"You talk of these things, father...of loyalty, of honor, but what are these in the face of power?" Lucius came around the desk, his hands clasped behind his back. He stopped with a hand on his father's shoulder, "nothing." Lucius answered himself, as a black dagger shot from behind his back into his father's chest. Maximilian collapsed to the floor, looking shocked up at his son. Lucius sneered down at him, "Good bye father, I go to meet with others...my master will rise again." With a soft crack, Lucius Malfoy vanished. Almost instantly Draco came running back into the room, looking down at his grandfather in horror.
Maximilian looked up at him, and in the last gasps of breath he whispered, "I am sorry grandson, I should have treated you better...remember this betrayal when you choose your path..." A cough, blood boiling from his lips, "an old enemy told me once, our life is based on our choices..." Eyelids drooped and with a last sigh, the scion of the Malfoy clan died.
****************************Draco's Room*****************************
Present.
Draco snapped awake, panting. Peeling off his shirt, he wiped his face with it before flinging it away to lie in a sodden wad in the far corner of the room. Sitting up, leaning forward on his knees, "yes grandfather, it is always about choices." The words were a mere breath of a whisper, but they almost seemed to echo off the bed hangings nonetheless.
************************Hogwarts, Room of Requirement*********************
6:15 am
"No powers, Harry" Ron grimaced a bit as he saluted with his sword, and dropped into a ready stance across from Harry. Other than the pair of them, the room was empty, Hermione had had a late night of revisions and tutoring some first year DADA students the night before so she had chosen to work out this afternoon, or at least that is what Harry had translated her mumbled, "bloodyhellyougoidunnawanttoleavemealonedamnitharry" as when he had tried to get her up this morning and the rest of the sextet had voiced similar concerns.
Harry rolled his eyes, and slightly rotated the Gryffindor Sword, the lethally keen edge splitting the light from the torches, and flicking a bit of the light into Ron's eyes. "You worry too much, mate." Harry grinned at him; "Protego Duelus" a brief light lit the room as the dueling wards snapped into place.
Ron nodded a bow, and then struck at Harry's head. With a turn of a wrist Harry blocked the shot and the pair started circling slowly. "That's rich, bro, you harassing me about worrying." Ron snapped down his blade, blocking in seconde. He responded in reposte, stabbing towards Harry's shoulder, Harry did not block, but flipped to his left, back and away from Ron. "Bloody show off." He snarled, but he was grinning as he did so.
"This coming from the guy who messes up his hair to look like he just got off the pitch" Harry laughed a bit as he twirled the sword with a quick wrist movement. Without a pause, Harry bounded forward and snapped a cut at his head; Ron blocked, then snapped his blade down to catch the one at his leg, then stopped suddenly as Harry's blade quivered at his throat, on the third strike.
"Checkmate Ron." Harry grinned and stepped back. Ron shook his head, and laughed. Ron flipped his sword onto the mat, and winced a bit at a strain in his shoulder.
"Ok you got me, but as you brought up the subject of conceding, Harry..." Ron shot back as he regarded Harry with an odd look. He rotated his shoulder, causing it to pop loudly.
"Yes?" Harry replied with a touch of foreboding. He glanced away from Ron, only to find his oldest friend still staring at him, a small smile on his lips. Behind Ron, the room shifted, the practice dummies sliding into the floor, the mats fading into a soft carpet.
"When are you going to make my sister an honest woman?" Ron looked expectantly at Harry, and Harry sighed.
"I think Neville might have a problem with that, Ron." Harry responded, in a forlorn attempt to stall the question.
"You bloody well know what I mean Harry." Ron chuckled though as he sat on a suddenly appeared chair and took a drink from an also just appeared glass of water. "I know quite well that you have the ring, I seem to remember having to fight a horde of Dementors to get it." Ron looked out one of the fake windows on the brightening morning and shook his head with exasperatedly. "No offence, but I just went to Hogsmeade and bought Luna's, only the Boy-Who-Lived would have to fight off a host of demons to get his future wife's engagement ring."
"Funny Ron." Harry growled, then as he looked at Ron, their eyes met, and both guffawed at the same time, Ron almost dropping his water glass as he suddenly held his side in joyous pain.
"I don't know Ron, why do you have money on it?" Harry replied, with laughter still permeating his voice as he sat down on the couch that had appeared across from his best friend. He took a long gulp of water as Ron replied.
"No, actually not. I learned my lesson with the last pool, but just to make sure...the Shrieking Shack wasn't..." Ron asked, not quite daring to look at Harry.
"No" Harry said slowly, then catching Ron's gaze again, they both shared another laugh. "Lost out on that one, huh?" Harry picked up the Gryffindor sword from the floor, and played with the hilt absently.
"Yeah Dumbledore had you guys down for her birthday..." Ron replied with a shrug and a twinkle.
"Ok," Harry ran a hand through his hair, stalling for time, then looked back at Ron. "You know, I just decided two things...first, that I really don't want to know how you all decided who won that bet, and second, Merlin help me, what date did you have?"
"Oh I had more faith in you two, I fully expected to catch you two going at it at Grimmauld Place." Ron smiled, and quickly raised his hands to catch the playful punch Harry directed at him. His attack blunted Harry sat back on the couch with a sigh, and a calculating look in his eye.
"Oh you mean like you and Luna?" Harry shot back, a jet eyebrow cocked.
"Bloody hell Harry, you just had to remind me about Ginny walking in, that was just wrong." Ron's ears turned puce at the memory, and he couldn't quite meet Harry's gaze.
"Oh and you walking in on Mione and I at the shack wasn't?"
"Point taken, but now that you have hindered my efforts at intelligence gathering, when Harry?"
"I don't know, when it feels right I guess." Harry shrugged and got up to pace, he didn't looked back at Ron as he continued, "the thing is Ron, if I were sure that we would survive then I would have already married her, school or no, we actually could as Head Students, its buried in the bylaws." Harry picked up the sheath for his sword and stowed it firmly. "As it is, I don't know if we will, and anyway, sometimes I think we already are married." Ron opened his mouth to object, but stopped at a wave, "Ron you know, that I don't mean it to take advantage of her, its just that, it really seems that we are sometimes. I never told you this; actually Mione is the only one who knows, but that night after Dumbledore inducted us all, I sorta, almost, already asked her. Or rather I promised to ask her, to put it more properly, I guess. I just have never sealed it with the ring, I just want to make it formal and it scares the Merlin-loving shit out of me. We may die facing Voldemort tomorrow, but..." Harry rambled,
"Excuse me Harry" Ron interrupted, "but you keep saying we, not I, you used to say I when you talked about dieing"
"Oh you mean the other reason, Ron, Hermione and I already have pledged to live or die together, I mean I didn't want her too, but you know her."
Ron nodded knowingly, as his mind ran through almost seven years of memories of Hermione's adamantine-like will, especially when it pertained to Harry. "Yeah...so when again?" He insisted.
"Sometime soon, probably after NEWTs, I'd hate to hear for the next hundred years how I cost her a point on her Transfiguration NEWT because she was distracted by thoughts of a engagement." Harry replied matter-of-factly, and Ron nodded sagely in return.
******************************DADA #1*********************************
9:00am
The object of Harry's quandary sat next to him. And if Hermione's chair was entirely too close for polite society and if neither of the Head Students were actually watching the Professor, no one said a thing. Ron was sitting on Hermione's other side, rolling his eyes for an instant as he glanced over at them, then back at Dumbledore. Dumbledore was up at the front of the class, working with a pair of Hufflepuffs on demonstrating the sleeping spell. Ron winced as the Hufflepuffs both managed to put each other to sleep at the same time and collapsed to the floor with identical thumps. The thumps finally caused the duo to look forward suddenly. Ron grinned at Seamus at the next table as the pair finally started paying attention for the first time today.
"Enervate" Dumbledore cast the incantation and turned to the class as a whole, "Class, I would like a three foot essay on the sleeping charm and the differences and similarities between it and other charms with a similar overall effect such as the stunning hex. Due, shall we say next week?" Groans erupted as students pulled quills and notebooks to jot down the assignment.
Dumbledore smiled at them and stood at the Professor's desk. "As I am sure you have already heard, NEWTs are once again upon us. I am certain that Professors McGonagall, Snape, Flitwick and others have impressed on you the need for you to do your best on these tests and I am sure that you will all perform admirably. Defense Against the Dark Arts is a different subject in these perilous times however, and due to the times, the Ministry as seen fit to slightly change the format for the final testing in this class."
He looked out over the students, they hung on his words, "Normally the test would have been similar to the test was in your OWL year, however, this year, the practical will not involve merely casting spells, this year will involve having to defend yourself, and a partner against adversaries in a duel. And since the protocol has changed, the Ministry has decided to let your DADA professor, namely me, choose your partners for the task. You should take the time between now and your tests in three weeks to work with your partner to hone your skills."
Harry glanced over at Ron, then at Hermione, wondering who his partner would be. Ron returned the slightest shrugs, and Hermione whispered in her thoughts, you don't think he'd...
I don't know...he has gotten wacky ideas before.
At the front of the class, Dumbledore waved his wand in the air, and a parchment appeared. "Here are the pairings, and to make things interesting, I have decided to pair up the teams boy, girl where possible" another groan answered him, "uh hem...Patil, Pavarti, Weasley..." Ron looked over at Pavarti and she nodded, accepting easily. They were both Order members after all and even had been on missions together.
Harry heard Seamus and Lavender and Dean and Padma, and Neville and Hannah get paired as well as he glanced over at Hermione, Think the Ministry might be a tad shocked when its testers all get beat?
The Slytherins are still there to loose, though they might break out into Dark Magic if pressed. A tiny grin flitted across her face as Dumbledore said with the tiniest of winks, "Potter, Granger." Hermione looked down at her notes to hide a sudden chuckle.
Does this mean we have to study together, EWWW. Harry replied. Hermione reached over and punched him in the thigh. OWW.
Serves you right...at least I don't have to worry about what you will do in a fight, she observed as Malfoy was paired with Susan Bones, whom did not look too happy at the revelation. Poor Susan. I'm almost surprised that Dumbledore didn't pair one or both of us with the Slytherins to prove a point. Hermione's right eyebrow crooked to emphasize her point.
Harry gave a tiny, incremental headshake in response, Nah; granddad doesn't want the battle to start until later. One of the Slytherins might try something and try to pretend it was an accident if it were one of us. Susan's a pureblood, even though they know she's an enemy, they won't try anything against her, if it were one of us...
Yeah, Hermione sighed as she jotted down the pairings that Dumbledore had just finished reading and transferred to the board with a wave of his wand. A shaft of the early morning sunlight wandered over her paper as she wrote, writing down almost thirty pairs. Dumbledore took the rest of the class reviewing common teamwork tactics and spells and finally let them go after reminding them that magic was still prohibited in the corridors, so any practice should be undertaken outdoors. Of course the various members of the Order of the Phoenix, almost all of whom were already blooded, by at least the Battle of Hogsmeade last year if not other, additional actions, skirmishes or recons over the last year, already had the Room of Requirement to practice in. Finally the bell rang and with a grand wave Dumbledore dismissed them.
"Mr. Potter, Miss Granger, a word." Dumbledore shouted quickly before they could leave. With a shrug Harry waved to Ron, who waved back and headed to see if he could catch Luna between classes. The heavy door to the classroom boomed closed after him, as Harry leaned against the edge of a desk. Dumbledore gave them a tiny grin, "I hope that you do not mind that I paired the two of you with each other, I know that it is such a burden."
"You have no idea," Harry replied and blocked the swipe at his head absently; he had been expecting it. "Seriously thank you, Grandfather." Hermione nodded immediately and forcefully.
"Actually while it does me make me happy to have you together there is another reason, I couldn't frankly take the chance of not pairing you together. And no I was not going to pair either of you with any of the Slytherins, before you ask. I fear that my somewhat heavy handedness at appointing the pair of you as adjunct professors for DADA has caused distress with some of the hidebound members of the Magical Education division. Most of the students will be facing only two others in a mock duel. However I have been informed that you will face possibly several wizards, and very possibly Aurors. And you can't use your greater powers to beat them either, at least not overtly, nor any of your other, uh hem, talents that are unknown to the Ministry."
Harry rolled his eyes at that pronouncement but he understood the logic. "If that's all?" Dumbledore nodded and the pair headed for the hallway.
As the door closed once again, Dumbledore looked over to his right, "well Alastor?"
With a quiet chuckle, Mad-Eye took of the invisibility cloak and shrugged, "Quite frankly, I feel sorry for most of those testers Albus. Blimey, unless they are all Aurors, most of those kids will embarrass the testers. Kind of funny actually now at I think about it. Makes me kind of chuffed actually for them."
***********************Main Corridor, outside of the Great Hall****************
Harry, Hermione and Ron turned the corner into the main hall, heading to the main stairs. With a slight tug on her hand, Harry pulled Hermione back slightly. His eyes flicked over to hers, you knew Moody was there right?
Yeah, thank Merlin, I thought I was experiencing visions, I could see this outline next to Dumbledore, I thought for a second I needed glasses.
With a slightly exasperated sigh, Ron turned back to them, "Come on you two, you can plan your next make out session when we aren't going to lunch."
Harry shook his head and stepped aside, as Hermione turned to Ron, "Ronald Bilius, unlike you we aren't ruled by our hormones, or our stomachs." She snapped as Harry carefully leaned back against the wall, out of the line of fire.
It's been a bit, since they went at it. Harry thought tolerantly, I wonder if I conjured some popcorn...Hermione turned and glared at him, so he just raised his hands in a placating gesture, and motioned towards Ron.
Ron laughed slightly, "I seem to remember walking in on someone at the Shrieking Shack,"
"Oh...Honestly...Ronald..." But Hermione's retort was cut short as a crash, and sounds of harsh laughter came from further down the hall. The argument was immediately dropped as the trio turned and ran to the entryway. Entering at the bottom of the marble stairs, several Slytherins could be seen clustered around someone. The person stood, his back to the trio, but they instantly saw that the target had Gryffindor robes on.
Pansy, Crabbe, Goyle and Nott had the person cornered, and with her high-pitched voice, Pansy let them know whom they were picking on. "What's wrong muggle? Can't take it here? Why don't you and your mudblood mother go back home?" Dudley snarled and swung at Crabbe but missed as the large Slytherin danced back out of range. "Tarantallegra" Pansy laughed shrilly as Dudley's legs danced out of control. "No wand eh, muggle?"
"I'll take this one." Ron sighed and walked over to the Slytherins. Walking up behind them, "Finite." Instantly Dudley stopped dancing, and immediately collapsed to the ground. The four Slytherins spun with their wands out, each pointing at Ron.
"Go away Weasley, this isn't a concern of yours, he isn't really a Gryffindor anyway." Nott snarled. Around the sudden confrontation a crowd had started to gather, Hufflepuffs, Ravenclaws, a few more Slytherins, but as of yet no Gryffindors. Harry and Hermione sidled over to the edge of the crowd, silently casting anti-glamour charms over themselves to make sure no one looked at them. They stopped, secure under the same type of spell that hid Hogwarts from Muggle eyes, but on a much smaller scale, and waited.
Ron snorted slightly, but looked directly into Nott's eyes. Crossing his arms "Looks like he's wearing the colors. Go on Dudley." He said to Dudley as he got up. Ron looked around at the four, absently tapping his wand on his left bicep. He caught a flicker of movement out of the corner of his eye, "I really wouldn't." Crabbe stopped reaching for his wand abruptly. But this was only a signal for Pansy, she started to raise a wand, "ego accelero" Ron muttered and MOVED, spinning around the four he spun to the side, he flicked his wand and the floor beneath the four turned to ice. Laughter erupted from the crowd as the four fell to their bums, their feet flying up in the air.
The confrontation turned serious as Pansy jerked her wand towards Ron, "STUPEFY" Ron flicked his wand sideways, a shield snapping into place causing the spell to whine as it was deflected upwards, knocking a divot out of the ceiling.
"EXPELLIARMUS" Ron snapped in return, knocking Pansy's wand into the crowd.
"EXPELLIARMUS" Harry and Hermione both cried at the same time, knocking Nott and Goyle's wands into the crowd as well. "Don't even think about it Crabbe." Hermione snapped as she and Harry dropped their disguise charms and pointed their wands at the four. "That will be fifty points from Slytherin, Pansy, for using magic in the halls, and ten each from the rest of you for picking on those less capable than yourselves." She finished looking at Nott, Crabbe and Goyle, though that might not be true actually, Dudley might really have more talent than Crabbe or Goyle. The thought snapped over to Harry and he nodded incrementally.
True. "Now get our of here, and if you're lucky no one accidentally stepped on your wands." Harry continued her thought. As Pansy opened her mouth to respond, steps came thundering up, and slightly out of breath, Snape slid to a stop.
"What is going on here?" Snape snapped looking over the four Slytherins, and the now equal number of Gryffindors. Severus Snape was in an odd predicament, in days gone past; he would have instantly punished Potter, however now he did not know what to do. Should he side with Potter and his friends, despite his continued feud with Harry, or should he side with the members of his own house, whom despite their public faces in school, and their outward lack of change toward him, were probably all Death Eaters in waiting? Should he side with those who he hated and hated him in return, but who had risked their lives to save him, or those whose parents had helped torture him, whose master had killed his sister and the woman he had once counted as a friend, possibly his only friend? And as his mind finally framed the question in that manner, his decision was made. Pansy started to open her mouth, but Snape silenced her with a wave. "Be quiet Miss Parkinson, I would like to hear from the Head Students if you please." Pansy's eyes snapped wide, as Severus faced Harry, "Mr. Potter what happened here? And the rest of you move along" He shouted to the room as a whole.
Snape's question held a trace of his old sneer, but not much as usual, so in return Harry answered him as respectfully as he could manage, as the crowd carefully edged away from the Slytherin House Head. "Sir, Miss Granger, Mr. Weasley and I heard the commotion from down the hall, and we came to investigate. Mr. Weasley confronted Miss Parkinson and Misters Crabbe, Goyle and Nott as he is a prefect, while we moved around to the side just in case. They were teasing Mr. Dursley and had used the dancing legs jinx on him. Mr. Weasley removed the jinx, and in the course of his duties was fired on by Miss Parkinson. He disarmed her, and Miss Granger and I disarmed Mr. Nott and Mr. Goyle. We took house points from Miss Parkinson and the others for use of magic in the halls and teasing another less capable student. Sir." To Harry's slight and the Slytherins' great surprise, Snape just nodded.
He spun to his house members, "Is this true?"
"No sir..." Pansy began, but was stopped almost immediately by Snape.
"Miss Parkinson I am an accomplished Leglimens; please. I can tell you are lying. As a punishment the four of you will each serve two weeks detention on top of the house points your actions have cost our house." Seven jaws dropped at once, but he ignored them, "Now leave, I will see you this evening for detention." He paused, "No not you Potter, Weasley, Miss Granger, a private word."
Amazed, the trio followed Snape into an abandoned classroom. With a flick of his wand the door sealed and silenced itself. Snape did not look at any of them as he started to speak. "Potter...I may never like you, or you Granger, or even you Weasley, however I will tell you this. I am ready to drop this feud between us if you are." He looked at Harry, "I was you mother's friend before I burned that bridge, but I mourned when Voldemort killed her. I never liked your father, or your godfather, Potter and I will not apologize for how I interacted with them...but you are not they. I will rejoice when you kill the Dark Lord."
"Why...sir?" Harry asked, a shocked tone in his voice.
"Because...Harry, you are more like your mother than your father, looks aside. She would have been the one stopping the teasing." Snape canceled the silencing charms and swept out of the rooms in a flourish of robes, leaving in his wake a slightly flabbergasted triplet.
**************************Hagrid's Cabin************************
"hat's it class, 'emeber to turn in your essays on Chimeras 'nd their useages." Hagrid waved them away and stumped off towards the far side of the castle. Hermione glanced at Harry and nodded towards Hagrid. He was limping as he walked off, towards a blank stretch of the hill under the base of the north wing of the castle.
"Come on Harry, Ron." Hermione whispered, and took off, trailing the half giant. Running to catch up to his long strides, she pulled even with him, "Hagrid...wait."
"What, 'ermione, I er, have something to do...top secret, um Order stuff." Hagrid complained as he stopped and looked around warily.
"Hagrid, why are you limping, is it still the attack at The Three Broomsticks?" Harry asked, as he caught up with them. Ron was not with him, he must have gone somewhere else; or rather he knew where Hagrid was going. Ron took off.
Chicken, Hermione replied as she turned to Harry. He nodded, and together they walked through the side of the hill, instantly they passed into a large, stone walled chamber. Hagrid followed them, muttering.
"You all shouldn't be here, he may be likeable in the open, but he..." Hagrid started to complain, but was interrupted by the thunder of huge legs pounding from within the chamber. A cloud of steam filled the end of the chamber, and an instant later, the cloud of steam was parted by a huge, triangular head topped by a pair of ice blue eyes the size of Hagrid's head. A thunderous, odd echoing roar echoed through the chamber.
Harry sighed and spun on his heel. With a breath, his eyes lit, "NORBERT, SIT" Harry snapped, Norbert let out a small whimper and dropped, the thump of his sudden seat, causing all three of them to shake.
"Blimey...I wish he'd listen to me that 'ell," Hagrid muttered.
"Now Hagrid, Honestly, are you ok?" Hermione whispered.
"Now, you 'wo don't go worrying about me, you have enough to be getting on 'ith." Hagrid replied as he checked Norbert's water supply, a large, magically fed bowl the size of a hot tub.
Hermione glanced at Harry and walked over to him, leaning back against him, she sighed softly, "Hagrid...its just that, Voldemort was after me," Harry said quietly, Hermione elbowed him, "Ok us, Hagrid, whatever..."
"I'll be 'ine 'arry, I get worse on my job." Hagrid shot back, as he flicked a huge lever, a large side of beef dropped from a hatch above the Dragon. Norbert grabbed the beef, and swallowed it whole. Hagrid patted Norbert's nose; sated for now, he drifted off to sleep. Hagrid turned to them and waved them to the mouth of the hidden cave, "'ll be ok, old Norbert and I will be there, when we are needed."
******************************Hogwarts*******************************
May 12, 2006
10:15 pm
A shining white wolf strode paw to paw with a ginger haired tiger. The stars shown bright, their brilliance sparkling off the pristine coat of the lupine, the March winds had given way to a temperate and benign April and a temperate and gentle May. The days and nights had become the calm before the storm that almost every heart in the castle dreaded in one way or another. As they passed behind Hagrid's cabin, a light was on, spilling the yellow glow of oil lamps onto the yard. Carefully skirting the poll of light, the tiger nudged his much smaller companion, with his large, furry head in a curiously gentle and affectionate motion.
Ice blue eyes tuned to meet slightly darker ones in the eyes of the great cat. She twitched her ears as they escaped deep into the shadows of the lawn. With a breath the wolf SHIFTED, the white furry form flowing into a slim woman, in jeans and black, long sleeved top that let a thin patch of skin show as she stretched her arms over her head, smirking slightly as the tiger's eyes seemed fastened slightly south of her face. She smiled and petted the tiger; who let out a tiger sized purr as she scratched his back. Around her neck, she wore a curious necklace; it appeared to be made of small black beads, each decorated with a crimson and gold crown.
Leaning forward, she kissed the top of the tiger's head. He purred louder for a moment, and then with a sudden SHIFT, the tiger flowed into a tall, ginger haired man, his cornflower blue eyes smiling down at her. With the flick of a just drawn wand, a blanket appeared on the grass. Talking her hand, Ron sat down, facing the lake; she sat down with him, between his legs, leaning back against his back. "Thanks luv." Ron muttered as he wrapped his arms around her. Absently he trailed his fingers up and down her arms.
"Hmm?" Luna replied distractedly, as she moved closer to him, lost in the trail of his fingers.
Ron shrugged, "Hermione was driving me spare, kept nagging me about NEWTs" He leaned forward and kissed Luna neck softly, it was her turn to purr. "I mean how Harry puts up with it..." He smirked as he played with a long lock of blond hair. "I guess he's distracted by her other attributes...OWW." Ron rubbed his ribs.
"Oh, was that your ribs?" Luna asked sweetly. She gazed around the grounds, "Oh, did I tell you that daddy wants us to go on an expedition for wyverns, he's thinking of raising them." She smiled absently, "he's wanting to start a racing league for them."
Racing minor Dragons? Who the bloody hell is going to jockey them, heliopaths? Ron gave her an odd look, before he shrugged it off, it wasn't most oddball idea he had heard from her or her father. "Ok, love I'll talk to the twins about sponsoring a wyvern." Luna turned and smiled at him, as she gave him a kiss on the cheek, how am I going to get them to sponsor a creature that eats people? Wait this is Fred and George I'm talking about, they'd love it. "I'm just tired of studying, can't she see that?" He sighed, "We are getting out of here in a month or so..." Ron rambled he was cut off suddenly as Luna sat up and gasped. "What's wrong, Hun?" Ron whispered as he watched her staring down at the grass fixedly.
"Ronald...what are you going to do, when I'm still here next year and you're off in London or wherever. I'm scared that you will..." Luna's rant was quickly ended as Ron spun her in his lap and crashed his lips to hers.
"I don't care Luna...we'll come up with something." He grinned, his teeth shining in the moonlight, "an intelligent Ravenclaw like yourself."
Luna huffed, but her lips quirked in a half smile as she glanced down and tucked a strand of hair behind an ear. "I'm a Gryffindor now, Ronald."
"That would only be because you are braver than you are smart," Ron replied softly as his hand came up and cradled her cheek, he whispered under his breath, "and I thought that was scary when it only applied to Hermione."
"Heard that...wolf animagus remember?" Luna chuckled; then with a sea change of expression, she looked directly into his eyes, her breathing quickening. "Can we have sex now?" Ron laughed as he nodded, and with a soft squeal she knocked him backwards onto the blanket.