Chapter 9
Draconic Tales
Harry woke abruptly, and stared blankly ahead of him. For a moment, his mind was empty, then everything from yesterday came back to him. He sighed, knowing that he was in for a load of reading, once Hermione bought the books he wanted. He slowly realized that something seemed different; but upon looking around, he saw nothing out of place. Harry shook his head and chalked it up as his imagination. He rolled over, intending to get some more sleep, but spotted what the difference was. Hermione lay next to him, curled up and sleeping. At first, Harry was touched by this simple sight. But confusion returned. Bewildered, Harry hesitated, then reached out to tap Hermione's shoulder. She slept on. He nudged her again, harder, and this time Hermione stirred, opening her eyes. She saw Harry and instantly sat bolt upright. An arm darted to her sleeve, before whipping through the air. "Flippendo!" she yelled, and with the bang from her wand, an astonished Harry was hurled across the room, where he slid to the floor.
Hermione was beside him in seconds, crying.
"I'm so sorry, Harry, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to, I thought I was in danger…" she sobbed, and at this point, Harry wanted very badly to tell her he was okay. But not only would his voice not work, he wasn't sure of his health yet himself. He experimented, shifting his arms and legs slightly. They were sore, but they worked. His voice refused to cooperate, so he used the mind-link between them to communicate that he was all right.
Calm down, I'm okay…just give me a second, he thought. After gathering himself, he slowly climbed to his feet, growing more confident as he encountered no difficulties.
"What…what were you doing in my bed?" he asked, studying a distraught Hermione's face.
"I'm not sure," she mumbled, and sniffed. "I mean, I don't think…I thought…wasn't it a dream?...not much of a sleep walker…"
Harry watched her thinking aloud, bemused, before saying, "You could try a complete sentence. I'm not getting any sense out of you."
Hermione sighed, then said, "I had this dream, where I got out of bed, came to your room, crawled into your bed, and…" she blushed furiously, before adding quickly, "and there it ended." The blush remained, and Harry guessed that there was more to the dream, but figured it was private.
"And you don't sleepwalk?" he asked, and she shook her head. "Not since I was four years old."
Harry wondered at that, but his still-extended mind detected someone approaching. He sensed the person to be Ron, and knew that Ron must not know what happened here.
He grabbed Hermione by the arm, and Disapparated, reappearing in her room.
She looked around, then walked to her bed and sat down, but her demeanor suggested to Harry that she wasn't about to sleep. "Er—I think I'll go back to my room. Or the kitchen. Chances are I won't be getting any more sleep." She nodded, and he started to turn, but she said, Oh—and take these." She took some books from her night table and handed them to Harry. He frowned at their weight, but said nothing. You should probably stay here for a while before coming down, to make it look more natural," he said, and she simply opened another book and began reading. He turned on his heel, enduring a second of crushing blackness before emerging in the kitchen. He pulled a chair out and sat down, examining the books he held. Dragon books. He sighed at the inevitability of the situation, and opened the book on top. He discovered that it was a book on dragon fairytales, and was partway through one story when Ron walked in.
"So she got to you too, did she?" he asked, nodding at the book Harry was reading. Ron held up his own pile of books. "So much for a pleasant day today," said Ron, sitting down. He looked around. "Say, is there any breakfast?"
Harry blinked. He had forgotten. "Kreature?" he said, and with a crack, the ugly elf appeared. What is Master Harry wanting, sir?" he asked, bowing.
"Don't bow," Harry said automatically, then asked, "How about some breakfast?"
"Right away, sir!" the elf croaked, and vanished with another crack.
Ron glanced irritably at the books he had brought with them, and said, "Y'know, I really don't want to start my day off this way. Maybe some Quidditch practice…" He was interrupted by a taping at the window, and as he went o open it, Hermione entered the kitchen, yawning. She scanned the table and said, "No paper yet?" Harry shook his head, but then a tawny owl glided in through the window. It landed lightly on the table and dropped the paper it carried n its beak. It waited patiently while Hermione dug for a Knut, then tucked it into the pouch on the owl's leg. It took off, disappearing through the window. Ron stood there with a piece of parchment, reading.
"Well, they turned me down for the Flying course," he sighed, "but they're willing to have me in Broom Regulations."
"That's great, Ron," Harry responded, while Hermione said absently, "Wonderful."
Ron stared at her. "What's got your attention now?" he demanded.
"Oh, there's been a few more dragon attacks," she answered. "Luckily, no one has died. Although there have been some injuries, and several very close calls."
"Will it never end?" Ron asked, raising his eyes to the ceiling as though asking the gods.
"Do dragons ever stop?" Harry asked in return. Ron shot him a look of dread and said, "Let's hope so."
"And speaking of dragons," Hermione said loudly, "we have some stories to read."
"Right," was Ron's answer. "And thanks so much for having the presence of mind to deliver a third of your payload to me. I am so touched."
"We all need to pull our weight," Hermione said sternly. "And there's no use balking at it," she added, seeing Ron opening his mouth. He shut his mouth and sat down, just as Kreature appeared with their breakfast.
"A lovely day we have ahead," Ron grumbled, and Harry snorted. Hermione, however, simply remained silent.
All three bowed their heads and began reading.
***
Several days and many books later…
"Hey, you two, listen to this," Hermione said for what seemed like the twentieth time.
"Would you quit asking us to listen to you telling stories?!" Ron exclaimed. All the extra reading was clearly wearing on him.
"You need to hear this one—" Hermione insisted, but Ron interrupted, It's just another story, Hermione. You're way too enthusiastic about this."
"What do you expect?" asked Harry, looking up from the story he was reading. Ron glared at him, evidently resenting his input.
This story is different," snapped Hermione. It doesn't have the generic fairytale ending to it. It sounds like a riddle or a clue…"
Harry and Ron stared at her, hooked in spite of themselves. "Well?" Ron finally demanded, and Hermione allowed a small smile as she turned to the story she had just finished. "It's a fairly short one," she commented, then silenced Ron with a look. "No interrupting," she added. Then she began to read.
A long time ago, in a land where beasts were clever and mages were many, four adventurers roamed the lands, keeping peace wherever they went. One day, they happened upon a rugged dragon, and after some hesitation, they approached it. When it spotted them, it spoke. 'Travelers, I have foreseen your arrival here,' it said. 'Why are you in such a sorry condition?' asked the adventurers, and the dragon answered, 'A battle with the king of evil dragons has left me wounded, weary and weak. But it is a small price to pay, as my foe has been driven off. This allows me time to make the magic needed to protect the land from the wrath of those vile beasts.' One of the adventurers, a man, was grim. 'These dragons seem to be a danger to our people. Something must be done. Dragon, is there anything we can do to aid your precautions?' 'Why stop at simply assisting this dragon?' said a second wizard. 'Why not seize control of all of them? We have no guarantee that any spell cast now will hold as long as we would like it to, and it would be less complicated.' 'Because that would be, in short, enslaving the dragons' said another wizard. 'Merely controlling them would escalate into putting them to uses that please us. Man simply isn't strong enough to resist the temptation.' This wizard addressed the dragon. 'What do you suggest?' The dragon responded 'Give me an item from all of you'. Upon collecting four objects, it did made the things glow, before returning them to their owners. These items are now enchanted to enhance the strengths and powers within each of you, that you need to fend off the other dragons. And only while all four are united can you open the way to dominion.'
Hermione looked up. "That's where it ends," she said quietly, and Harry and Ron just stared at her dumbly. Suddenly, Harry spoke.
"That does sound like a clue." He paused, before adding, "That ending makes it sound like the combined talismans will unlock a fifth power."
Hermione nodded. "That's exactly what I was thinking. She glanced at Ron. "That's why I wanted you to listen." Ron scowled silently at her.
It would be great to know what this fifth power is," he said, and Hermione smiled ruefully. "That," she declared, "is our next objective."
Ron blinked at her. "Huh?"
"We have to identify the power," Harry said, and Hermione said, "Exactly."
Ron frowned. Well, I can wait for a bit. I'm in no hurry to investigate this new mystery. Besides, I need to practice my Keeper skills."
"Oh, that's right!" exclaimed Hermione. "Tryouts are just around the corner, aren't they?"
"And I need to be fully prepared," Ron said nervously, heading for the stairs.
Harry sighed and stared after Ron. "Just one more thing to worry about," he murmured to himself.
"I would say not to fuss, but Ron still has some confidence issues," said Hermione softly, "and that nags at me too. I don't have to be a Quidditch fan to appreciate the difficulty of performing before a large crowd."
"The sad part is, he can do it," complained Harry. "The potential is there, he just needs to drag it out and fluff it up."
"There's only so much you can do, Harry," Hermione said in a soothing tone of voice.
"Mostly, it's just Ron. He has to help himself before others can help him." She paused, then added, "Maybe, if he wants the position badly enough, He'll slip past all his self-restraints."
Harry sighed again. "We'll see…"
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Another chapter done. If any of you are confused as to the purpose of chapter 8, it was written (or typed) for two reasons: first, it was tying up some loose ends. He won't be spending any time in class now. Also, it was a nudge, trying to steer harry towards a hugely significant matter that needed solving. And this chapter…it should be pretty clear what was going on, and the direction it will be taking. But first…some Quidditch. Tryouts are next chapter. Yay! Keep reading, and someone please review! I want to know what people think so far. Thanks.
