Dusk comes early in Scotland during January, and Hermione was starting to worry. Ron had been out since morning, as he had for the last three days, trying to find their missing lake. Perhaps she was asking too much of him? After all, he had a job to do as well. She decided she would discuss it with him tonight. If he got back. Where was he? She looked out of the back door again. As the sun set, the temperature was starting to drop rapidly.

Then she saw him, a speck approaching from the south west. He quickly grew as he homed in on her. As he landed his broomstick, he stumbled slightly and she rushed forward to help. She could tell he was desperately cold and tired.

Just a few minutes later, he was sat in the kitchen in front of the range, eating thick warming soup that she had been cooking all day. His head drooped with weariness.

'Ron, perhaps we should give up the search. It's not fair on you'

'Sorry 'Miney, I should have told you, but I was sooo cold. I've found it, the lake. I'm sure it's the same one. We can apparate over there tomorrow, then use the broomstick to start searching. Harry was right, it isn't actually that far away.'

'Oh, Ron. Thank you! Thank you!' She threw her arms round his neck to kiss him. 'The beaded bag we used last year is already packed. It'll be just like old times!'

'Hopefully not. I'd like a few less people trying to kill us, if that's alright with you'

-o0o-

It was definately the right place, they landed on the same piece of shore they had reached after their escape from Gringotts. In the distance, they could see the mountain the dragon had disappeared over. Ron took his broomstick out of the bag.

'OK, ready to fly?'

'You know I'm not, Ron. I hate broomsticks, but I suppose there's no other way, is there?'

Hermione had never seen the fun in flying, and Ron being very good on a broom didn't help. He went much faster and higher than she would have liked. However, after a few minutes she hadn't fallen off, so opened her eyes. The view was startling. A light dusting of snow covered the heather clad mountain side, throwing dips and gullies in to clear relief. She could see deer, sheep and even a few highland cattle huddling for shelter wherever they could find it.

'You know, I think it could have stayed around here', Ron shouted back to her over the wind, 'it's got plenty of food around, and water. There's some cliffs over that way, let's take a closer look'.

As they moved in towards the cliffs they could, indeed, see the dark patches of caves cut in to the slopes. Then Hermione let out a yell.

'Down there! Look Ron, bones, I can see some bones.'

Sure enough, as they came in lower, Ron could see deer and cattle bones at the bottom of a steep scree slope. Not many, it was true, he counted maybe six skulls, but too many to be random, surely? Was that enough to mean the dragon was still here? How much did it eat? He didn't know. Perhaps it had stayed for a while, then moved on. He brought the broom in to land on a level patch of ground with a decent view. He didn't want to get ambushed.

Once the tent was up, they started looking round the area, seeing if they could find any other evidence for the dragon still being in the area. It was difficult work. The ground was steep and broken, with numerous gullies and ravines making progress slow. They often slipped on pieces of frost shattered rock that crumbled away as they trod on them and their hands were soon grazed and cut, leaving small traces of blood behind.

They returned to the tent that evening, welcoming the bluebell light they had used before, which made the interior cosily snug, despite the chill outside. Hermione had cast protective charms around them, which she thought would be good enough to at least warn them of an approaching dragon, if not actually keep it out.

The next day they continued the search. The bones they had seen could have fallen down the scree from any number of points, so they decided to eliminate each possibility. Ron still wasn't that interested in finding anything, but it was good to spend some time away from work, just him and Hermione enjoying each other's company.

On the third day, they were making there way around a small peak on the side of the mountain above the scree when Hermione found a gully running up in to the rocks. At the end, they could see a deer skeleton that had been scattered around.

'It's worth checking out, Ron. We can see if the bones are fresh or not.'

'I'm not sure 'Miney. Remember what Charlie said, this has only got one way in.'

'We won't be long, and we've been in this area for a while. I'm sure if it was close, we'd have seen it.'

They moved up the ravine to check out the bones. They still looked fairly white, not fresh but certainly not years old and some had clear gouges on them.

'Well, I don't know' said Hermione, 'they might be, but I'm not sure'

'Shut up' said Ron.

'I beg your pardon?'

'Hermione, shut up now'

'Ronald, what's got in to you? I'm just trying to mmph'

Ron had put his hand over her mouth. 'I told you to shut up. Now, I'm going to turn you round, very slowly. Do not make a noise'.

She felt herself being turned, still wondering why he had gagged her, and thinking how dead he was going to be when he let her go. She looked up, and felt her knees buckle. It was only Ron's free arm around her waist that kept her upright.

They had found the dragon.

Correction. The dragon had found them. It was currently blocking the entrance, its nose pointed towards them