Kill the spare…

Thump, thump, thump

I can touch...you...now…

Thump, thump, thump

Take my body back, Harry…

Thump, thump, thump

The first thing Harry thought of was why someone was, what sounded like, continually slamming their trunk lid closed, over and over again. It was horribly irritating and made him want to throttle the git responsible, which led to his second thought: everything was so heavy. His arms felt like lead, his head like a cinder block. It took a great deal of effort, but he managed to shift the sheets covering him away and tried to lift his head.

"Well it's about time," Ron said somewhere to his left. Harry could hear the shuffling of papers, but even with his eyes open the world remained a blur.

"Here, let me help you," Hermione followed. Harry felt something slip over his nose, and the faces of his friends quickly came into focus. They both looked relieved as they all sat in Harry and Ron's dormitory, the light coming in through the window showing it was at least past noon.

"Um, thank you, Hermione, but why are we in our room?" he asked, his head still aching noticeably.

She and Ron shared a worried look with each other before she turned back to Harry. "Please, Harry, try and think back. What do you remember?"

He really wasn't in the mood for a mental exercise, but Harry obliged her regardless. Of course, he could remember the nightmare, but before that? It had felt like the weekend, and they had just left the Great Hall from lunch for…Quidditch practice? Though that hadn't lasted long, what with the dragons and all…

"The Quidditch match!" he shouted in remembrance. What had been a friendly indulgence of the green dragon's idea of "punishment" had become a spectacle for the entire school, and a fine spectacle it was. Both teams were superb, especially considering that the dragons had clearly never set foot on a Quidditch pitch before, and it had been close. Though they were slightly ahead, it was still within either side winning by a Snitch when their Seeker, the yellow dragon, had flown into a dive. The chase ensued and before he knew it they were soaring nearly vertical and far beyond where Harry had ever dared to fly before. They were practically flying against each other's stomachs, desperately trying to cover the last inches between them and their golden prize, when the yellow dragon had gotten his last surge in strength and snatched it out of the sky.

It had been incredibly close, and the last minute defeat crushed Harry. They had both paused in the air and he had looked ruefully at the yellow dragon that had outpaced him, only to find him gasping for breath.

"You…can really fly," the dragon had complimented him, giving him a smile before reeling in startled surprise, the Bludger just passing him by. "Talk about thunder from…HARRY!"

After that, nothing. He turned back to reality, his two friends waiting expectantly. "We were chasing the Snitch and the dragon had just caught it. We were resting when a Bludger nearly took his head off, and then…that's it."

Ron grimaced before informing him, "Well, turns out there were two Bludgers."

Suddenly the pounding headache and constant thumping made a lot more sense. Harry dropped his head in his hands with a groan of disappointment. "I didn't even see it coming…" he mumbled to himself. "How long was I out?"

"Oh, only through the night. It's Sunday, and you just missed lunch," Hermione answered. "We've been doing homework, keeping an eye on you until you came around."

"What, I wasn't good enough for Madam Pomfrey?" Harry joked, reaching for a glass of water resting on his nightstand. Hermione and Ron both suddenly looked very uncomfortable, not exactly what Harry had been shooting for. "I'm only joking guys, it's not that serious and I already feel loads better."

Hermione shook her head gently, her hair bouncing slightly. "It's not that, it's…it's Fred," she answered, her eyes lingering on the entrance to their dorm.

Harry sat up straight at that, shocked by the unwelcome news. "But Fred was reffing, what happened? Was it a rogue Bludger, a…a faulty broom?"

"You've got it wrong, Harry. Not Fred Weasley, Fred the dragon, he was their Seeker," Ron clarified with an understanding smile.

"The dragon? But he was fine last I remember, the Bludger missed…" Harry thought hard to think of anything else happening that would put a dragon in the Hospital Wing.

Hermione placed a hand on his knee reassuringly. "Don't blame yourself, Harry, it wasn't your fault. The Bludger knocked you out cold…"

"Like a sack of potatoes," Ron interjected.

"…and you fell of your broom. Fred managed to get to you and throw you to their captain, but he couldn't stop himself in time and he…"

"I get it," Harry interrupted. He didn't need the details of the accident to know the dragon had been seriously injured because of him. What he did need was to find Fred and make sure he was alright. He threw his covers off and got to his feet, chasing off a sudden wave of dizziness and finding his wardrobe.

"And just where do you think you're going?" Hermione questioned him sternly.

"The Hospital Wing, where do you think?" He slipped a pair of clean black robes over his pajamas, found his socks and shoes, and stuffed his wand into his pocket haphazardly. It was the best he could manage to clean up in a hurry, so it would have to do. "You coming?" he asked them both.

Hermione looked like she was on the verge of arguing, but a quick begging look from Ron and her own desire to see the dragon for herself stopped her short. They both fell into step beside Harry, still wary of his injured state as they left Gryffindor Tower and headed down the steps.

"You guys haven't seen him since yesterday? Do you know if he's okay?" Harry asked them as they made their way through the stone corridors, a few of the passing students whispering at his unusual ensemble.

"The dragons and professors immediately took him off of the field after it happened, it was over rather quickly. Flitwick and McGonagall sent everyone off of the pitch and no one's been allowed inside the ward since, except for the dragons. They wouldn't even let you recover inside, though Madam Pomfrey wasn't too concerned about your condition," Hermione answered in a rush.

"But as far as we know, he's fine. He just had the stuffing beat outta him is all," Ron added. Harry wasn't convinced, however. He knew how high they had been. A fall like that would beat much more out of you than your stuffing.

They were approaching the corridor to the Hospital Wing now, the entrance lying around the next corner. Just as Hermione had predicted, the doors appeared to be barred shut and not a soul was in sight. They all slowed their pace to a crawl, however, as they neared and clearly heard what sounded like a heated argument coming from inside the ward itself. A loud, powerful voice that Harry vaguely recognized boomed from just behind the doors, making them all freeze in place.

"if the wizarding community learns about us it will be just like before. If they learn about our secret, it will be the end of the Dragons of Draco Isle…"


The two toy balls were slowly moving in a circle above Jake's outstretched hand, bobbing gently as he willed them to continue. He sat in the Hospital Wing with the other dragons, all once again covered in their grey cloaks. In the center of them was an enlarged bed covered in a complex contraption of ropes and pulleys that slung itself over the still body of the Australian Dragon. He laid on his belly, his neck fit through an elongated brace, an arm and a leg trapped at his sides in casts and held in slings just off of the bed, and both wings bound with gauze going every which way, hanging in place by the system of suspension wiring. If the whole setup wasn't significantly easing Nerk's suffering, Jake would have thought it a very funny sight and mocked him relentlessly.

As it was, Jake was exhausted. He'd barely slept since the accident, both out of worry for his friend and because of the memories from yesterday that refused to grant him peace enough for sleep. Though he was the first to Fred's side after his fall, the others had swiftly been upon them. Dominic expressed no emotion, only barking orders and orchestrating Nerk's transfer up to the school. Jake and Haley had to hold back the Gryffindor team, who were desperately trying to get closer and help, even though there was nothing they could do for the dragon, while Sun and Lao Shi performed what immediate treatment they could. Somehow, Nerk had managed to maintain his dragon form despite the pain he must have been enduring, a feat that not many dragons could claim to have accomplished. Professor Dumbledore had soon arrived, freezing Nerk's body in place so that he could be levitated up to the school with the procession of dragons in tow behind him. It had actually been very difficult, as Dumbledore's spells refused to have any effect on the dragon until his wand was literally jammed against his scaly chest.

It was one of the longest walks of Jake's life. They had made it to the hospital and the Dragon Masters quickly prepared Nerk's accommodations. The next few hours were filled with rapid commands and furiously working hands, Jake and Haley waiting outside and blocking any students that tried to interfere. Most of them had been nothing more than nosey passer-by trying to catch a glimpse of the curiosities; others, however, were truly concerned for Nerk's well-being after seeing his selfless heroism to save the Potter boy.

The hardest had been when Johnson, Bell, Spinnet, Granger, and the Weasleys had come to check on him. Jake and Haley couldn't give them any news about Nerk, let alone let them into the ward. They were both still so deep in shock that neither could speak a word, responding only with stares and head movements. Johnson seemed desperate to see him, so Jake had decided to try and change the subject.

"How's Potter?" he choked in a thick voice.

Johnson was taken aback a little, as though the question was irrelevant. "He's fine, sleeping in his bed like a baby," she dismissed with a wave. Jake nodded at that and resumed his stoic post.

The Gryffindor team realized that they would get nowhere and soon left. The night had been quiet after that and the two students were soon called back into the ward by their masters. Nerk had been slung up in his strange assembly and Dumbledore and Madam Pomfrey left the room to the Dragons for their desired privacy. Jake couldn't help but cringe every time he looked at Nerk's form, despite his master's reassurances.

"We have given him the necessary salves and draughts. Both wings had several breaks. His left arm was broken, as well as his left leg and a couple of the ribs on his left side. His neck was twisted in a few places, and there were occasional tears and cuts throughout his body." Lao Shi listed, never having looked so completely defeated, while Dominic was simply sitting next to Nerk, staring intently at his seemingly peaceful student.

"Is he going to be alright, Grandpa?" Haley asked, making no attempt to hide her concern.

Lao Shi dipped his head before replying, "Yes, he will be fine. In fact, with the bone regrowth poultices from Madam Pomfrey, he should be able to leave the ward by Monday, though the recovery will be very difficult for him." He looked to Sun, who was mumbling a sort of lullaby while running her hands over the yellow dragon's hide. "Sun is keeping him in a deep sleep to alleviate some of the pain. Now, we can only wait."

So they had waited. Nothing had changed by morning, and they all refused to leave until Nerk finally awoke. Some of the house elves had been kind enough to bring them a plate or two of food for their missed meals, though they remained largely untouched. The day had passed uneventfully, and here they were, still standing vigil over their fallen brother. The only thing that was almost as bad as seeing his broken friend was the thought of how great everything had been going before Potter lost his broom. Everyone in the school had actually been cheering and applauding the Dragons of Draco Isle instead of cowering away from them. They had been so close to finally being accepted, treated like they weren't monsters, so close.

"Jake," Lao Shi said. The red dragon opened his eyes to see the two balls were making a steady hum, spinning feverishly in a blur over his hand. They instantly froze at Jake's stare and fell to the floor, rolling away under neighboring cots. Jake stood to retrieve them when the doors to the infirmary began to gently creak open.

Jake quickly approached the entrance, intent on throwing out whoever was gutsy enough to intrude on them, but stopped short when the dapper man stepped into the room.

"Stout?" Jake asked confused.

"A little birdy told me," he began, closing the door behind him and stepping forward to stand in front of Jake with a finger pointed at him, "that you lot couldn't make it a week without causing trouble."

Jake almost threw back a heated reply before Stout brushed passed him and approached the dragons sitting around Nerk's bed. "How is he?"

Lao Shi relayed all that had transpired and Nerk's resulting condition to Stout, who thought for a moment on what he had learned. He rubbed the back of his head, his face an unreadable slate.

"Well," he drug out the word with a sigh, "at least Fred is alright. I suppose that's all we can ask for."

"Does he look alright to you?" Dominic snarled at the man, suddenly resembling the beast most of the students feared them to be. "He was in so much pain that we had trouble just knocking him out. He was coughing up so much blood that he could barely breathe." Dominic was on his feet, his chest heaving with furious, rattled breathing. He turned back to his student, the rage in his eyes fading to remorse. "This boy is a lot of things, Stout, but alright is not one of them…"

Still, Stout's expression remained unfaltering. He simply watched the green dragon before him shake uncontrollably with emotions that had until now remained bottled up, listening patiently as Dominic lamented, "How can someone so careless ever believe themself to be a Dragon Master?"

"This is not your fault, Dominic," Lao Shi immediately responded. "If anyone holds responsibility for this, it is me. My actions, after all, were what knocked the young Gryffindor off of his broom. I put them both in danger for the sake of a childish game." Now it was Lao Shi's turn to bow in shame beside Dominic, resting his hand on the grieving dragon's shoulder.

"Look, yo, I know that we've been doing everything possible to make sure we didn't let the wizards know about our little secret, but we all know Nerk would heal faster in his human form. His wings wouldn't be a problem, and he wouldn't be in nearly as much pain," Jake pointed out to the English Dragon, who had been the one to impose the stringent rules on them in the first place.

"Above all else," Stout answered slowly with a menacing tone Jake never imagined the man capable of, "our hosts must never come to know about our true forms."

It wasn't what Jake had wanted to hear. "Then you'd rather Nerk sit here being tortured? We can bar the doors! We'll block the windows, stand guard outside…"

"ENOUGH," Stout commanded, quieting Jake and plunging the room into utter silence. "This is no game, American Dragon, this is the fate of our entire race. The danger may not be as obvious as when we dealt the Huntsclan, but the wizarding community is the single greatest threat to our kind imaginable. Has it not occurred to you that there may be a VERY good reason that we have remained so distant for centuries?"

Jake gave no answer, realizing he'd simply accepted the fact, never considering it before. "I thought not," Stout said. "Wizards long ago feared us for our command of Old Magic and our many abilities that help us remain hidden when we wish. We only ever acted as guardians of magical creatures, as we still do, but they lusted after our seats of authority. They knew our secret, Jake, and used that knowledge to strike at us in horrific ways, to annihilate almost every dragon in the world." He looked Jake dead in the eye, allowing the message to sink in. The other dragons seemed just as interested and surprised at this story, all except for Lao Shi.

"It has taken us generations to try and reach our former strength, for them to forget all that they knew about us, and only now are we on the precipice of recovery. We can either learn from history, Jake, or be doomed to repeat it." His eyes finally began to soften, almost pleading with the red dragon at this point. "I can promise you that if the wizarding community learns about us it will be just like before. If they learn about our secret, it will be the end of the Dragons of Draco Isle, of everyone you love and care about. We trusted them once before, Jake, and we paid a terrible price. Don't make the same mistake."

The American Dragon had nothing to say to that. Had they really been brought to the point of extinction by witches and wizards? By men like Dumbledore? By the people his new friends would one day become?

"You all sure do like to yabber…"

Everyone swiftly turned to Fred's slurred complaint. "Don't try to move anything, Fred," Sun cooed, again running her claws along the length of his body to soothe him.

"Couldn't if I wanted to," he answered, tilting his head to lay it on its side.

"How are ya feeling, kid?" Dominic asked gently, fear just barely trickling into his otherwise professional front.

Fred chuckled sofly, "Oh, just spiffy," before he began coughing again, thankfully not nearly as badly as the previous night. "Though I wouldn't mind a drink," he added woozily.

Haley had a glass of water to his muzzle in seconds, which he drank eagerly. They were all beyond relieved to see him awake and speaking normally, despite Pomfrey's and Dumbledore's promises that he hadn't sustained significant head trauma. Naturally, the first things he asked for were water, food, and for someone to scratch a spot on his shoulder that had been itching for ages. Stout was back to his jovial self, swooning over Nerk's recovery and complimenting him on his heroic actions, the attention making Nerk want to shy away into some dark corner.

"I still question the wisdom of engaging the young wizards in a Quidditch match," Stout said doubtfully, giving them all a look of deep concern before allowing a sly grin to bleed into his expression, "but I'll be damned if it didn't speed this whole process along quite nicely. Honestly, you can't plan these things…"

"Believe me, diving into a nice, hard pile of dirt wasn't exactly the goal," Fred huffed.

"It's not just that, it's…well, I think you'll all see what I mean soon enough," Stout teased as though dangling a juicy piece of gossip in front of them. A bell sounded in the distance and Lao Shi turned to look out the window at the ever darkening sky.

"Jake, it will be time for dinner soon," his grandfather informed him. "Go to the Great Hall and alert the headmaster that Fred is awake and feeling well, he'll appreciate the good news."

Jake gave an obedient nod and headed for the infirmary doors. Now that Nerk's health wasn't occupying his every waking thought, his exhaustion and biting hunger were catching up with him. He was thinking of grabbing some food for the others on his way back as he opened the door and stepped out into the hallway where a group of three Gryffindors were huddled into a circle and whispering. They all jumped at his appearance and looked at him with mixed expressions of surprise and uncertainty like they'd just been caught peeking through his living room window.

Hermione immediately greeted him with a forced smile. "Oh! Hi, Jake…"


The sound of shuffling feet and claws clicking against stone floors came from within, followed by urgent conversation that was too low for Harry, Ron, or Hermione to make out clearly. They each looked to each other, confusion at what they had just heard passing between them.

"What was that all about?" Harry asked them, hoping at least Hermione may have some inkling of the meaning behind the dragons' strange conversation.

"I don't know…" Hermione answered reluctantly, "but it sounds like they're afraid of witches and wizards for some reason."

"If they learn about us it'll be just like before? What happened before?" Harry wondered aloud.

"Well he said it, didn't he?" Hermione answered. "He said it will be the end of the Dragons of Draco Isle, but I've never heard about a conflict between them and wizards…"

"And that rubbish about not making the same mistake," Ron added, "I reckon they know something we don't."

"It must have to do with whatever secret they kept going on about, and who was it that was talking anyway? I know I've heard that voice before…" Hermione struggled, desperately trying to recall details long lost in the depths of her memories. They stood in their huddle for a while, unsure of what to do next, when Harry recalled why they had come in the first place.

"I'm going to knock and see if Fred's awake yet," Harry told them.

"You're barking mad if you think they'll let you in, Harry," Ron countered in disbelief.

Hermione implored him, "We should give them time, Harry, they're probably still shaken up about…"

The doors to the Hospital Wing creaked open and Jake stepped out into the hallway, his gray cloak tight around him and his eyes taking in the group before him. They all looked up in panic, thinking the red dragon knew what they had heard.

"Oh! Hi, Jake…" Hermione jumped in, acting as innocent as possible.

To her delight, Jake seemed much more relaxed than yesterday. "What's up Hermione? Ron?" he turned and saw Harry, his eyes squinting ever so slightly, whether in disdain or concern Hermione wasn't sure. "Still seeing stars, Harry?"

"Just a headache, but otherwise I'm fine," he said, looking at the crack in the doors behind the dragon. "How's Fred, can we see him?"

A small grin lit up Jake's scaled face. "He actually just woke up. I was on my way to tell Dumbledore the good news, but I don't think it would be a very good idea to…" he started saying slowly, trying his best to deter them from visiting when the Head of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures that had introduced the dragons a week before stepped out of the Hospital Wing as well.

"Who are you talking to, Jake?" the man asked, approaching the group.

The red dragon looked down at the well-dressed official, answering, "Oh, just a few students. This is Hermione Granger, and Harry Potter and Ron Weasley here are on the Gryffindor Quidditch team that we…" Jake's voice trailed off at the thought, suddenly wanting to change the subject.

Mr. Stout seemed to notice and put on his warmest smile. "Well, it's a pleasure to meet all of you! I'm guessing you were here to see Fred?" The three of them nodded, confirming his suspicions. "Yes, well, as I'm sure you're aware he has been severely injured and desperately needs his rest." They were all disappointed, but unsurprised, by Mr. Stout's answer, having known how unlikely it was that they'd be allowed into the ward.

"However…" Mr. Stout continued, glancing back at the doors behind him, "he's just woken up and appears to be in good spirits. No doubt seeing some familiar faces would help boost his morale…" he said happily before going back and ducking his head through the door, alerting the dragons that they had a few visitors before turning back to them. "You may stay for a little while before dinner, but we'd appreciate it if you didn't tell anyone that you visited personally. You know, crowds of people interfering with the healing process and all that," he reminded them before beckoning for Jake to follow him down the hallway.

The three Gryffindors eagerly walked through the Hospital Wing doors, Hermione covering her mouth with her hands, muffling her gasp of terror at seeing the overbearing contraption surrounding Fred. The dragons all sat around the yellow dragon's bed, their light discussion put on hold as they turned to welcome the students delicately walking toward them.

"Bloody hell," Ron whispered, his eyes following the pulleys and ropes strung up before him. "I knew it was bad, but…"

"What, this?" Fred answered, nodding at his stabilizing rig. "Nah, it looks a lot worse than it really is. I take it Lao Shi's Bludger didn't take too much out of ya?" he asked looking at Harry, who still hadn't managed to shake his pained expression at Fred's condition.

Harry automatically rubbed his right temple where a gentle throbbing still pounded, shaking his head with a smile. "It would have been a lot worse if you hadn't, well…" Harry struggled, suddenly uncomfortable with everyone watching. He was still ashamed from his fall, and he was never good at emotional expression to begin with, but he managed to choke out, "Thank you, Fred, really. You saved my life."

The yellow dragon flicked his free hand dismissively, "Don't mention it, mate, you would've done the same for me. Besides, Gryffindor can't get their rematch if they don't have their Seeker, now can they?"

Harry and Ron both beamed at the thought, earning an annoyed "Boys" from Hermione and Haley, both looking at the other in amusement.

"I still can't believe it, you all seriously never played Quidditch before?" Ron asked, stupefied by their outstanding performance.

"No, and we don't intend to again," Lao Shi answered solemnly, Dominic nodding his head in agreement. "It was callous and reckless of us to endanger you all in such a way," he apologized, facing Harry before bowing low in subservience. "Please, forgive us Mr. Potter."

Harry was legitimately astonished by the blue dragon's response. "There's nothing to forgive," he answered with joy, much to Lao Shi's confusion. "That was the most exciting game of Quidditch I've played in ages, and you all were fantastic! Getting banged up is a part of the game," his eyes quickly darting to Fred's bed again before correcting, "even if it's not the most enjoyable part. I've spent plenty of nights in here."

Lao Shi didn't seem to accept the consolations, Sun taking his momentary silence to remind them, "Dinner's probably already started in the Great Hall, you won't want to miss the entire meal." The trio understood their dismissal and gave Fred their last parting wishes of a quick recovery before making their way through the corridors. They were all thankful that he would be well again soon, and quickly informed the Weasley twins, Johnson, Bell, and Spinnet of that fact at dinner, which greatly helped to soothe Johnson's nerves. Harry could tell she hadn't had much sleep after their match either, her braids coming undone and her robes sagging from her shoulders.

"Still," Hermione began as they ate alone, "I'm worried about what we heard Mr. Stout say. What secret are they trying to hide, and why does he know about it? What if there are others in the Ministry in on it, too?" She shot a quick glance at Umbridge at the head table.

"Honestly, Hermione, I've got too much homework to do tonight to even think about it," Ron answered, shivers of terror suddenly rocking Harry's spine. He'd been knocked out and hadn't done any of his work. His forehead collided with the table in exasperation, doing little to help his still aching head.

It was going to be another long night.


As always, if you have any opinions or advice (positive or negative), PLEASE review and comment! Any feedback is great feedback, and it lets me know you at least cared enough to respond! This is my first fanfic, so I'll take what I can get.