The Junior And The Prefect.
Chapter Eight: There's DRAGONS?!
Hermione wasn't at dinner, probably still in the Hospital Wing getting her teeth fixed, and Ron is still pissed with me… at least I have a letter from Sirius.
I approach the barn owl on my bed and take the letter from it's leg.
Harry –
I can't say everything I would like to in a letter, it's too risky in case the owl is intercepted – we need to talk, face to face. Can you ensure that you are alone by the fire in Gryffindor Tower at one o'clock in the morning on the 22nd November?
I know better than anyone that you can look after yourself, and while you're around Dumbledore and Moody I don't think anyone will be able to hurt you. However, someone seems to be having a good try. Entering you in that Tournament would have been risky, especially right under Dumbledore's nose.
Be on the watch, Harry. I still want to hear about anything unusual. Let me know about the 22nd November as quickly as you can.
Sirius.
I send my reply back to Sirius, saying that the time and date chosen is alright.
o~O~o~O~o~O~o
I sit with Hermione for breakfast at the Gryffindor table the following morning, her teeth are better, even fitted nicely, thanks to Madame Pomfrey. Hermione is frowning at the Daily Prophet.
'Harry… take a look at this.'
I take the Prophet from her and glare at it.
'What is this? I never said any of that! I still cry at night… they're watching over me!' I throw the paper, knocking over my pumpkin juice in the process.
'It also says that we're in love and we're both top students at Hogwarts.'
'Brilliant!' I say sarcastically, folding my arms. The Slytherins are going to have a field day.
o~O~o~O~o~O~o
'Hey – Harry!'
'Yeah, that's right,' I shout, turning around. 'I've just been crying my eyes out over my dead mum, and I'm just off to do a bit more…' my face heats up, seeing who it is.
'No – it was just – you dropped your quill.'
Of course, the person I finally lose my temper at had to be Cho Chang…
'Oh – right – sorry,' I take the quill from her, blushing more.
'Er… good luck for Tuesday, I really hope you do well.' She turns and leaves, making me feel even more like a complete idiot.
o~O~o~O~o~O~o
The trip to Hogsmeade was nice, under the Invisibility Cloak, no one knew I was there, therefore, didn't bother me with Support Cedric Diggory badges or taunts from the Daily Prophet.
Hagrid asked me to meet him tonight at his cabin at midnight, which means I have to be quick since I also have to meet with Sirius at one o'clock. I don't know how still, but the time will come shortly.
At eleven thirty I pull my Invisibility Cloak over my head and wait beside the Common Room door for Hermione to open it from the outside; as she walks past I whisper 'Thanks'.
o~O~o~O~o~O~o
I knock on Hagrid's cabin door and it swings open.
'You there, Harry?' whispers Hagrid.
'Yeah,' I slip into the cabin and remove my Cloak and stare up at Hagrid.
He had combed his hair and left a few of the broken teeth of the comb in his hair; he also sported an artichoke, flower, thing in the buttonhole of his cloak.
'Got summat ter show yeh.'
'What are you showing me?' I hope it's not anything like, the Skrewt's have laid eggs or something horrible along those lines.
'Come with me, keep quiet an' keep yerself covered with that Cloak. We won' take Fang, he won' like it…' I frown.
'Listen, Hagrid, I can't stay long… I've got to be back up at the castle for one o'clock –'
Hagrid didn't seem to hear me, because he opened the cabin door and left into the night. I follow him out the door, closing it behind me, and wrapping my Cloak around myself.
My frown increases, when I see Hagrid knock on the Beauxbatons carriage. Why would he want to show me Madame Maxime? I can see her whenever I like… she's not hard to miss.
'Hagrid, what –?'
'Shhh!' Madame Maxime opens the door, she's wearing a large silk shawl around her shoulders.
'Ah, 'Agrid… it is time?' she smiles wonderfully.
'Bong-sewer,' said Hagrid, holding out his arm and she links it with her own.
We start towards the paddock where Madame Maxime's winged horses stood grazing, with me running behind them to keep up with their long strides.
'Wair is it you are taking me, 'Agrid?'
'Yeh'll enjoy this. Worth seein' trust me. On'y – don' go tellin' anyone I showed yeh, right? Yeh're not s'posed ter know,' he smiled up at her.
'Of course not,' Madame Maxime fluttered her eyelashes.
I check my watch, if Hagrid doesn't get to what we're supposed to enjoy soon, I'll have to leave.
I turn away, just about to leave, but there's an ear-splitting roar. I run up beside Hagrid through a clump of trees to see fires and a group of at least thirty wizards running around and shouting.
My mouth drops.
DRAGONS?! Hagrid brought me here to show me dragons?!
There's four of them! They're huge! There's a grey blue one with long, pointed horns; a smooth green one; a red one with an odd mane of gold spikes framing it's face and an enormous black one, which looks more like a charred over-grown lizard than a dragon.
Seven or eight wizards to each dragon, trying to control them; I watch the black one, it being the closest. It's large, yellow cat-like eyes bulging in either fear or rage, screeching horribly.
'Keep back there, Hagrid!' yelled a wizard pulling on it's chain. 'They can shoot fire at a range of twenty feet, you know! I've seen this Horntail do forty!'
'Isn't it beautiful?' whispered Hagrid.
'It's no good! Stunning Spells on the count of three!'
'Stupefy!' they all shouted in unison.
The dragons teeter dangerously on their hind legs before crashing to the forest floor, making the treetops shake furiously.
The wizards lowered the wands to magic pegs deep in the ground to keep the dragons in place.
'Wan' a closer look?' Hagrid pulled Madame Maxime closer.
The wizard who shouted earlier walked forward, it's Charlie Weasley.
'All right, Hagrid?' he eyed Madame Maxime, not looking impressed by her presence. 'They should be okay now – we put them out with a Sleeping Drought on the way here, thought it might be better for them to wake up in the dark and quiet – but, like you saw, they weren't happy, not happy at all –'
'What breeds you got here, Charlie?' Hagrid gazed admirably at the black one.
'This is a Hungarian Horntail, there's a Common Welsh Green, over there, the smaller one; a Swedish Short-Snout, that blue grey – and a Chinese Fireball, that's the red.' I watch them all, mouth open; please don't tell me this is the first task!
Madame Maxime took a detour, examining the dragons closer.
'I didn't know you were bringing her, Hagrid. The champions aren't supposed to know what's coming. She's bound to tell her student, isn't she?'
'Jus' thought she'd like ter see 'em,' Hagrid shrugged, Charlie shook his head.
'Really romantic date, Hagrid.'
'Four… so, it's one fer each o' the champions is it? What've they gotta do – fight 'em?'
'Just get past them, I think. We'll be on hand if it gets nasty, extinguishing spells at the ready. They wanted nesting mothers, I don't know why… but I tell you this, I don't envy the one who gets the Horntail. Vicious thing. It's back end's as dangerous as it's front, look,' he wasn't wrong; large, bronze-coloured spikes protruded along it's tail.
I decide it's time to leave; it's already a quarter to one; but as I race back through the trees I bump into someone, landing on my side I clutch the Cloak around me tight, to ensure that I'm still hidden.
'Ouch! Who's there?' it was Kakaroff… so Krum, Fleur and myself know what's coming… the only one out of the loop is Cedric… I'll have to corner him somewhere to let him know; but first Sirius.
A/N
Hey! Alrighty! I'd like to get a few more reviews on this please, so I would like to get at least one review (my friend's say that I should ask for five, but I'd be happy getting a review for each chapter to come), before I type up chapter nine!
Please? 'cause I'm liking this a lot! I'm on such a roll! Alrighty, catch you guys later!
Mister Jackkkk. ^_^
