Chapter Nine
We grouped up in the Room of Requirement around sunset. I had already left a note inside my spare robes at the end of the bed explaining I didn't hate Cassi, just in case we didn't come back. Sirius, James, and Peter waited with our group, and James confessed to the map existing. Lily, shocked, first yelled at him and then finally admitted it was a grand idea. A little while later, Severus joined us, and the map was hidden again. Lily had been sworn to secrecy; she couldn't talk about the map to anyone who didn't already know about it.
Soon, night had fallen and the clock rang eleven notes into the quiet stars. It was time to go.
"Stay safe," James said, looking primarily at Lily, and then at Remus. "I'm requiring both of you to come back. Hazel, keep an eye on Lily for me."
"Will do."
"And be careful, please," Sirius added. He smiled at me. "Wouldn't want to lose my Charms partner."
But his eyes betrayed his actual concern. I smiled at him. "I'll do my best to come back to you, Sirius."
At that, we headed out. James had shown us a secret passage on the first floor that would take us to the edge of the forest. We found the portrait he had indicated and opened it; I followed the others, stepping in just before Remus did, and we started down in silence. The dark tunnel, lit only by our wands, descended for some time, and then we reached several puddles and areas where water dripped from the ceiling. Then the tunnel began to rise again, steadily steeper, until it reached a door. Remus stepped ahead and pushed it open, offering a hand. The door was at least a foot above the floor of the tunnel. Lily took his hand and stepped out, as did I. Severus ignored the Gryffindor boy, who shrugged and then closed the door. From the outside, it looked to be a section of grass with the head of a bottle poking out of it- the knob.
"Not far now," Remus whispered, leading the way. Lily stepped up as we reached the forest and began leading us through the moonlight-gray tree trunks. I kept my eyes on the forest around us, realizing that in the darkness I was more on edge than normal. My eyes remained wide, as if this would somehow allow me to see more, and I glanced in every direction at least ten times a minute.
"Calm down," Severus whispered, and I nodded.
"This is actually a very good time to be on your guard," Remus countered. "If she would like to look in every direction at once, then she might as well."
I nodded, but my wariness still didn't help us until we were almost upon it.
"Remus!" I hissed, as quiet as possible. The group stopped, looking back at me. They followed my gaze to our right- to the mountain troll not twenty yards away, scratching its leg. Remus grabbed me to him and ducked against a tree; Severus did the same with Lily. Where Remus and I were, we could still see the troll. Remus clutched me tighter than I expected, his arms wrapped around me and his wand in the hand closest to the troll. He didn't meet my eyes.
The troll bellowed and punched a tree, making it fall over loudly, and in response several creatures raced away from it, scattering back toward the edge of the forest. The troll lumbered off after them; we could hear its retreating footsteps. Once it was far enough away, Remus sighed with relief and released me. I rubbed my arm from where he had been squeezing it.
"Was that necessary?" I asked, my voice low.
Remus smiled, embarrassed. "I just- it was my instinct. Maybe because I knew Snape and Lily would watch out for each other, it made more sense to me to grab you."
"I get it. It's kind of endearing; I never pictured you as the hero-type."
He grinned. "I might be, except you don't need a hero."
"Exactly, which is why I'm okay with calling you that."
"Are you two going to gossip all night or can we keep going?" Severus snapped.
"Calm down," Lily told him, and then smiled at us. I could see her nerves still in her face. "That was… Nerve-wracking, to say the least. Shall we?"
"Let's go," I answered. "I'm not over-eager to spend any extra time in here."
We started off again, and now I had a growing fear that behind every trunk some beast lurked, ready to attack. I kept my wand in my hand, ready to attack as soon as necessary. Lily turned to us after nearly twenty minutes of walking; the trees were thinner ahead, and I could see a steep slope after a dip thirty meters off.
"We're almost there," she said. "In that dip."
I took a deep breath, nodding, and Remus said, "Should we send only one person first to go see?"
"That would be best," I said. "I'll go first. Trust me- I can be quiet, and if it's a creature, I'll be best to react to it."
The others nodded, though Lily grabbed my arm. "Are you sure, Hazel?"
"I'm sure."
I stepped forward through the trees, placing my foot nearly sideways and walking in a heel-toe step so that every step was quiet and balanced. It took a bit longer to reach the dip than if I had walked normally, but I would rather reach it without the creature expecting me.
I peeked over the rise. A large crater had left a gaping dip in the ground, curving inward. Snarling brambles lined the slope thickly, some trampled. In the middle of the crater was a nest of sorts, a large bed of pelts and hides and moss and such.
In the center of the nest was a very large pearl-colored egg.
Across the clearing, on the opposite side of the dip, was a dragon.
I recognized the species- Ukranian Ironbelly. She was a huge white beast, spikes rippling along her spine; but what was she doing this far north? I realized something then- the way she was laying, the stillness… She was dead. Her egg lie abandoned. Her wings had faded of color, her wide flank lie without the motion of breathing, her eyes were open but unseeing. A stab of pity and grief struck me unexpectedly.
Before I could let it blossom, though, a distinct crack brought my eyes back to the next- the egg was hatching.
