AN: In this chapter, dialogue in italics are parseltongue.
Travel north towards the mountain
Leaving the castle of the Wicked Witch of the West behind, the group set out to make their way north. The road that left the castle didn't last very long and soon they were walking along an old worn dirt path. The path continued along the hillside as it winded through the forest. After the initial descent from the mountain top where the castle was located they then had more of winding path that went up and down along a steep hillside. There was a rather steep drop to their left, but they were not concerned as the path was more than wide enough for three or four people to walk abreast.
As they were rounding a bend, they noticed a slight breeze coming from the North, and then they all stopped.
"What is that horrid smell?" wondered Tracey as she tried not to cough?
"I have no idea," replied Draco, "but it smells worse than anything that oaf Hagrid ever had as deal with in his stupid classes."
"Smells even worse than the troll that we encountered in the bathroom back in first year," added Hermione.
All of the teens were trying to cover their noses when Harry who had been in the lead stopped short. "I think we ought to be careful, it may be the smell of some foul creature."
The others all quieted down as they made their way around a bend to the right. Their view of the path up ahead had been obscured until they cleared a large boulder on their right. The path in front of them was heading up a slight hill when they saw about fifty meters away two large giants standing in an area on the path that was a little wider than where they were hiding behind the boulder.
The group of six all hid behind the boulder as Daphne whispered, "Damn they're ugly," and after taking a breath she added, "and they're huge, too."
"Do you think they saw us?" asked Tracey who pressed herself tight up against Neville.
"I doubt it," commented Draco, "they seemed to be preoccupied with something."
"So, how do you suppose we're going to manage to get past those things?" wondered Harry.
"You seem to have appointed yourself as leader," replied Draco, "and you're the Gryffindor who is always running head first into everything, so I figured you would come up with a plan."
"We could have Harry and Neville attack them with stunners," added Tracey.
The other five just stared at her. Hermione shook her head as she explained that giants were even more magic resistant than trolls, and trolls were fairly resistant to magic as it was.
Neville then spoke up, "As I recall, giants are not necessarily the smartest species of magical creatures out there."
He waited for acknowledgement from Hermione, who indicated that they were considered to be perhaps smarter than your average troll, but that it was generally accepted that they were not known for being philosophers or in any way academically inclined.
Neville smiled as he shared with them his idea. He then told them all to say hidden, and had Harry cast a disillusionment charm on him. Neville then stepped out from behind the boulder and picked up a small rock. He waited for a moment when the giants were looking away from each other and he threw the rock at one of the giants, hitting him in the back of his neck.
"What was that for?" demanded the first giant as he angrily turned back to face the other one.
"What was what?" replied the second giant.
"You hit me for no reason!" exclaimed the first giant.
"Did not!" argued the second giant.
The two growled slightly at each other and looked around. Then the first giant stated glumly, "Well, there is no one else around here, it must have been you."
The two looked around the hillside and did not see anyone or anything else and continued to mumble. The first one started scratching his sides and looked away from where Neville was standing. Neville grabbed a second rock and this time he threw it at the second giant, hitting him in the back of the head.
The second giant turned around and slapped the first giant on the side of his head.
"Hey! What was that for?" demanded the first giant.
"That's for hitting me!" explained the second giant.
"I didn't do that," defended the first giant. "You're a fool."
The second giant waved his arm near the first one, threatening to hit him again.
The two giants looked up and down the path, and the first commented, "There is nothing else around here, and you're just being a fool."
The second growled back, "You're just hungry and lazy, and you're lucky I haven't hurt you more."
The first giant kicked the second one in the leg, which caused him to step back. "Now stop your foolishness," demanded the first giant.
Neville waited for things to settle down and then he threw another rock, hitting the first giant on the leg. This caused the giant to turn around and kick the second giant once more. This now angered the second giant even more and he threw a punch at the first one. The two then roared at each other and started to fight, knocking each other over. As they continued to fight and kick and punch they rolled over each other and down the path towards where the six wizards and witches were hiding. The giants crashed into the boulder which they were hiding behind. Causing the large rock to crack.
Tracey was about to scream, but Neville, who had rejoined the others, quickly put his hand over her mouth.
The first giant managed to clamber back onto his feet. He then went to kick at the other one while he was down, but he did not expect the giant to lunge at him from a crouching position. As the two giants yelled and punched and kicked they toppled over once more, however their momentum took them over the edge of the path and they began to roll down the steep hillside, crashing into trees below.
Draco walked to the edge of the path and watched the two large creatures continue to fall and battle each other. "I can hardly believe that actually worked," he said in dismay.
The others had joined him and stared down the hill as the giants continued to fight each other once they stopped their fall, over 200 meters down the hillside. Hermione was the next one to speak up, "That was quite ingenious Neville. Whatever made you think of that?"
Neville blushed slightly at the complements and the attention he was receiving at this point, "I just figured they weren't so bright and it is fairly well known they have bad tempers, so I hoped to get them to act out and fight each other. I wasn't sure what would come of their little skirmish, but I don't think we could have hoped for a better result."
Harry looked down the hill once more and then back at the others in their group, "That's one more obstacle out of the way. Let's get moving and try and find that beacon."
Tracey smiled and gave Neville a kiss on the cheek, "Once again, my hero, and now you've even saved me from giants."
Draco scoffed in disgust at the scene in front of him. "I thought you had more self respect than that Davis."
Tracey now took Neville by the hand as they began to follow Harry. "You're just jealous that you don't have someone willing to risk their life for you, Malfoy."
At Hogwarts
It was a very tired Jennings and crew that were finishing putting pieces back together on the control panel on the Virtual Magical Reality Device. Saresh wiped some sweat off of his brow and took a step back.
"So, no more attempts at sending something or someone into the Magiworld environment," he stated.
Jennings nodded in agreement. "Now, let's get the monitors started up again."
Alistor Moody had been observing the progress that was being made. Once it was clear that the repairs were nearly done, he left the room to report back to Dumbledore and the rest of the faculty. The other professors were present in the headmaster's office when he arrived.
"Welcome, Alistor," greeted Dumbledore, "I hope that you have good news for us."
"Aye, that I do," he said as he took a seat that he conjured to the left of Albus' desk. "The monitoring system should be running now, and we may have an update on the condition of the students shortly."
"It's about time," sneered Snape.
Albus smiled and his eyes resumed their usual twinkle. "Well, perhaps we should adjourn this faculty meeting and go down to visit our colleagues working with the magi-tech device and see what they have to share."
"Perhaps we should limit how many actually go into the room," commented Filius, "so as to decrease the chance of any further damage being done."
Pomona chimed in, "Perhaps just Minerva and Severus should go, as it is their students, after all, who are stuck in that machine."
"Very well," said Snape as he stood up and brushed off his robes, "we shall go find out what information those doddering American fools have for us now."
Minerva glared at the potions professor, "They are neither doddering nor are they fools, Severus. Please be sure to treat our guests with the respect that they so rightly deserve. We don't need to give any outsiders the impression that we are anything less than hospitable and honourable."
Snape sneered as he turned to leave, his robes billowing behind him, "Have it your way and we will continue to coddle them in their incompetence. As bad as first year Gryffindors in a potions class, they are."
A few minutes later, Professors McGonagall and Snape had arrived back at the MagiTech room with Mad-Eye Moody joining them.
"How are we doing, Mr. Jennings?" asked Minerva.
Jennings turned and greeted the trio with a smile. "Ah, welcome, welcome, it's good to see you all. Finally we have the monitors working and we have our first set of data. The most important bit of good news I have for you is that they are all alive and doing well from what we have been able to determine. It also appears that the group of them have all managed to meet up and are together, and they seem to be proceeding towards the goal."
Minerva breathed a sigh of relief, "Oh, that is good to hear."
Snape simply sneered at the man, "It is about time that you have something useful for us. Now, what are you doing to help them leave the chamber and return to us?"
Jennings was clearly taken aback by Snape's attitude. "Professor, I'm sure that we have explained this more than once before. There is nothing we can do to help them leave the scenario. The six students must make their own way to the exit beacon."
Snape was not put off by the response, "Yet you claim to have some control over the environment that these students have been placed in, and you state that there is nothing that you can do. Do you not have control over the obstacles that they will be facing, without wands, I might add?"
Jennings bristled at the question. "The program does affect what obstacles they may encounter," agreed the senior manager of the program, "however, those obstacles have already been added to the program matrix. Just like sending them wands was not effective, changing what obstacles are present in the matrix is not something that we can do safely."
Minerva was equally disturbed by this response, "But you explained that you had control over this program, isn't that what you called it? A computer program? Then why can't you change the program?"
Jennings was about to reply when his aide, Saresh, stepped away from the console he was working on. "That is an understandable question," said the young man as he removed his glasses, "however the problem is that the computer program is already in play and when we lost the original interface we lost some of the ability to manipulate the program. The other problem which still affects the entire situation is the students' lack of wands being tuned to the program. This also severely limits what we can do to help them and what we can do to affect the obstacles that they will face."
Snape was frustrated with the responses and turned to leave, huffing loudly as he did so and his robes once again billowing behind him as he stormed out of the room. Right after he left, Professor Flitwick stepped into the room. "Minerva, perhaps you could join us in the Great Hall as we will be meeting with the Group 2 and 3 students as they have questions about what is happening and if they will be participating in the program."
"Very well, Filius," replied Minerva, "I will join you there shortly." Then she turned back to Jennings, "Thank you for your update. If there is any further news you have perhaps you can let myself or the headmaster there any specific details you can share with me at this time that might be helpful for us to know?"
Jennings smiled as he gave her a little more of an update. "Yes, of course. The students are on the East side of the island, but they are making steady progress northwards. They still need to cross to the West side to where the exit beacon is located, but hopefully they will be able to reach that spot within the next twelve to twenty-four hours."
On the island
Laving the area where they encountered the giants behind them the group continued over the next hill. As they prepared to make their descent, they had a view of the area before them. The hill sloped down to a flat forested area, however they could easily see that some of the terrain was more of a grassland. In the distance, perhaps less than six miles away, they could see a large solitary hill rising in the northwest.
Neville pointe at the large hill, "Do you suppose that is our destination, the beacon?"
The others all looked at the sight and started to agree.
"If we could only be so lucky," commented Draco.
Tracey made an unpleasant face, "We seem so close, but who knows what might be waiting for us between here and there."
Hermione spoke up next, "I'm sure something will get in our way as we cover the plains in front of us. We were warned that we would have to face many obstacles."
"At least it seems the end is finally in sight," added Harry. "That in and of itself is a relief."
The others agreed with him on that comment. The group then started off once again, following the trail down towards the flatlands in front of them. With the small mountain that they presumed was the location of the beacon now visible in the distance, they quickened their pace. The mood was one of hope and excitement, and the difficulties which they had overcome started to seem like distant memories as the mountain started to loom larger and the trees on the flatlands grew in height.
Harry was leading the way, with Daphne keeping pace just off to his side. Draco and Hermione were following then, with Neville and Tracey taking up the rear of their group.
"Stay alert," called out Neville, "we still need to be on guard in case something else comes to interfere with this journey."
"I'm not worried," said Tracey softly so that only Neville could hear, "as long as I'm near you."
Neville looked away and rolled his eyes, unsure of how much more of this he could take. He enjoyed her company, and he enjoyed the snogging, but he was beginning to wonder just how much she was really coming to depend upon him. He then turned back and smiled at her, and noted her grinning back at him.
Within twenty minutes they found themselves walking briskly along the path that was now evened out, with the hills behind them and the mountain looming in front of them. Their conversation quickly turned to discussing what they were looking forward to doing once they made it out of the Virtual Magical Island.
"I know I'm taking a long warm bath," stated Daphne. "I'm really looking forward to being able to rest."
Tracey agreed with her, "I second that idea. That sounds glorious."
Neville then asked Harry what he planned to do once they made it out of the Magiworld environment.
"I think I'm heading to the kitchens to get something good to eat," he explained. "Who knows what time it will be there when we get out, and if it's not right around the time of one of the scheduled meals at the Great Hall, I don't intend to wait. I'm sure we can find a few eager house elves who would get us something to eat."
Hermione frowned at Harry's comments. "Don't you go abusing those poor creatures," she cried out.
Draco shook his head, "Would you just give it up about those house elves and their rights, Granger. House elves live to serve. They won't survive if they're not working for wizards and witches. Their magic is dependent on their being bonded to someone. They feed off of the magic of their master or mistress. So stop acting like they're slaves, because they aren't."
Hermione stopped walking and stared at Draco, "I'm sure you're just saying that to make yourselves feel better."
Daphne sighed as she entered the conversation, "Actually, Granger, he's telling you the truth. With all of the studying you do, I would have thought that you have researched house elves more thoroughly before you started your little campaign."
Hermione's cheeks flushed. "But that just doesn't make any sense," she protested.
Tracey rebutted her comments, "Does anything else in our world make sense when you compare it to the muggle world you grew up in? It's attitudes that muggle borns have like yours that irritate that old families so much. You make assumptions about the magical world, and judge it and even condemn it based on muggle standards. Don't forget, it was the muggles who used to have witch hunts and try to burn people like you and me at the stake."
Hermione walked on silently, dragging her feet a little as she contemplated what she had been told.
Harry slowed his pace slightly so he ended up walking next to her and gave her a quick hug. "It's going to be all right," he said encouragingly, "just take the time to learn about some of these things before you start your next crusade, and I'm sure that you will have one."
As he was saying this he noted a shadow pass over head. Looking up into the sky he saw a large flying creature gliding towards their group. Harry recognised what it was from a science book when he was in primary school. It had leathery appearing wings, a sharp pointed face, a long thin tail, and no feathers. He also noted that it had it's talons on it's legs extended as it was heading towards Daphne.
Harry raced towards her and tackled her to the ground, just before the flying reptile would have grabbed her. Daphne did not even notice the creature coming, nor did she see Harry running towards her from behind.
As the two rolled over on the ground she found herself on her back, with Harry laying on top of her as she noted the large creature flying away. Her eyes opened wide and she looked up at Harry, realising that he had just saved her from being grabbed by the giant creature. On instinct, she kissed him quickly on the lips.
Harry sputtered in response, surprised by her reaction as he was anticipating her yelling at him for knocking her down. "What was that for?" he asked simply.
"Just a quick thanks, for saving me from that thing," she said with a slight smile. Then she pushed him off of her.
A second pterodactyl was gliding towards the group and Draco saw this one approach. He pulled out the cutlass from where it was strapped to his side and threw it at the flying reptile. The cutlass tore through the creature's wing. It gave a loud piercing cry as it tumbled towards the trees out of control of it's ability to fly.
The first pterodactyl had looped around and was soaring through the air and heading back towards the teens. Neville noticed how damaging the thin wing crippled the other creature rather effectively so he pulled out his wand and cast a freezing spell at the large reptiles's wings. Again there was the sound of screeching pain from this pterodactyl, and it also tumbled into a nearby tree.
The large beast fell into the tree, causing it to fall over, being uprooted by the massive weight of the reptile. The tree however started to fall into the road, directly to where Hermione was standing and watching in awe.
Afternoon, Great Hall
Minerva McGonagall and Robert Jennings were seated at the head of the large table. All of the students from both Groups 2 and 3 had gathered and were eager to hear news of what was happening within the MagiWorld environment and to learn of the fate of their classmates.
"I am sure that you all may have plenty of questions about the MagiWorld and the current situation," began Professor McGonagall, "and that is why I have asked Mr. Jennings to join us so as to hopefully answer whatever questions you may have."
Mr. Jennings smiled at the gathered students. "I will be honest with you, as you all saw that things started off not exactly as planned. Since the six students entered the MagiWorld matrix, however, things have been going more smoothly. We did attempt to send them wands to use, and that lead to an overload on the monitoring systems, as well as unfortunately a destruction of the wands we attempted to send into the virtual magical reality. Be that as it may, the news I have to share with you is that all of your friends are doing well and making steady progress to the exit. Our monitoring system is now functioning and the students are on the northeast side of the island, as they make their way towards the exit beacon on the northwest side. It is possible that they may reach their destination within hours, possibly as long as ten or twelve hours."
Ron Weasley couldn't hold back his thoughts, "They're not all our friends, but at least they will all be out soon."
Jennings raised an eyebrow at the comments and McGonagall glared at the redheaded student, which was enough to silence him from making any further statements.
"Do we know if they are safe? Are they really okay?" wondered Susan Bones out loud. "How are they managing without their wands?"
McGonagall deferred to Jennings with a glance.
Jennings cleared his throat before he responded, "From the data we can gather, all of their vital signs are stable. It does not appear that anyone has suffered any serious injuries. We have been able to detect occasional magical outbursts, but overall, from what we have been able to gather, they are making steady progress and they are all together in a group at this time."
Ernie MacMillan raised his hand to ask another question, "So, from what you are telling us, those six are doing okay. But how can we be sure that things will go properly if and when we enter the simulation?"
Minerva paled at the question, as she was unsure how to reassure any of the students after the events surrounding the entire project had played out in such a difficult manner. Jennings, though, was quick to respond. "As I have stated previously, we have used this simulator many times, including this scenario of the Magical Island. As long as the witch or wizard's wand is calibrated prior to their entering the MagiWorld environment, then everything should go smoothly. The casting of spells in and around the room where the MagiWorld simulator is located is clearly a dangerous proposition, and we will make sure that no such repeat occurrences will present themselves prior to any future use of the simulator."
Both Crabbe and Goyle scrunched their faces as they tried to understand what Mr. Jennings was explaining to them. Blaise Zabini noted their reactions and he spoke up to explain, "He means that as long as you two idiots don't go casting any crazy spells around the machine, everything should work just fine."
Crabbe sneered at Zabini for his comment, but Blaise just ignored his fellow Slytherin.
Jennings then added more of an explanation about the simulation after he noted the young wizard try and mollify the other students. "Now, to be clear for all of you, when we are finished reviewing the data from the machine once these students are safely returned to us, we will be making some changes in the program. As this scenario, easily takes several days to complete, just as it is currently doing for your friends, we will be changing the matrix program for future groups that may enter the simulator."
As he was making this pronouncement, his assistant, Saresh, joined them in the Great Hall. "In fact, our lead programmer, Saresh, is here to explain the new module to you in more detail."
The students all nodded to Saresh as he sat down next to Mr. Jennings. "Yes, the MagiIsland program will need to be reviewed before we implement it again in such a situation," he began. "There are too many options and possible dangerous encounters that could occur if things went pear shaped for the individuals interacting directly with the matrix. Therefor, we plan to install another simulation scenario, one that we think may well provide entertainment as well as educational opportunities, but that would be less dangerous and require less of a time commitment to complete the scenario. This new scenario is also one that we have used extensively in training our Aurors back in the States. Instead of investigating the island, the new protocol would send the participants to a large castle which they would then need to explore. This would have less area to cover, more safeguards will be in place, and thus there will be less of a chance for any unexpected outcomes."
Megan Jones raised her hand to ask a question, "What do you mean by having more safeguards in place? Is the current scenario too dangerous?"
Jennings winced at the question, but Saresh jumped in with his answer. "We want to make sure that the students entering the MagiWorld environment will do so ONLY if they have their wands on their person and that wand has already been calibrated to the device. This will help prevent a recurrence of the current situation."
Justin Finch-Fetchley then spoke up. "It seems that the major problems that Potter, Malfoy and the others are having is finding the exit beacon. How will the castle be any different? Will the exit beacon be hidden within the castle?"
Saresh smiled as he prepared to answer the question. "That is quite a good question, and I am happy to share with you that the exit beacon will be located right next to the area where you will enter the simulation. That would allow you to exit immediately, if you so desired; or to trace your progress back to where you started and then easily make your return to the real world."
Hannah Abbot then asked a question, raising her hand to get the attention of either Jennings or McGonagall. "Do we have to participate at this time? What if we choose not to enter the virtual magical reality simulation?"
McGonagall smiled sadly at the Hufflepuff student, "No one will be forced or coerced into participation in this activity, of that you can be sure."
On the plains of the Virtual Magical Island
The tree that the pterodactyl had crashed into was falling directly towards where Hermione had been standing. She had been surprised by the chain reaction of events and watched dumbfounded as the tree was falling towards her. Neville had been watching the large reptile cars to the ground and was not paying attention to where the tree was falling.
Hermione screamed out loud. Draco spun around as he saw the tree falling and felt helpless.
Harry had just been pushed off of Daphne and rolled over to see what was happening between the screech of the flying reptile, the crash into the trees and then Hermione's scream. Harry managed to pull the cutlass from his side and once again used it as a wand, casting a shelf charm towards his best friend.
Neville and Draco ran to the tree that had collapsed, fearing the worst for Hermione, however they were both surprised and relieved when they found her lying under the tree under a magical bubble. Neville pulled out his wand and blasted the tree that was now lying on top of the shield that Harry was casting. Once the tree fell to pieces on either side of the shield, Harry dropped the cutlass, having been unable to hold the spell any longer.
Draco managed to help Hermione up from amongst the rubble of the wooden shards that remained of the tree after Neville had hit it with all of his magical strength.
"What the hell were those things?" asked Daphne as she pulled herself up to her feet and it was clear that Hermione was safe and uninjured.
"Were they related to dragons?" asked a bewildered Tracey.
"No, they weren't dragons," commented Harry as he dusted himself off, "they are flying dinosaurs, called pterodactyls."
Hermione took a deep breath to calm herself, "Actually, they aren't dinosaurs. The term dinosaur refers to a type of reptile that walked on the ground. Also, pterodactyls were much smaller, only about 3 feet across. These must have been pterodons, which could have a wingspan from 6 to 18 feet or more. They are thought to be carnivorous, and are often mistakenly called pterodactyls."
Draco put his hand to his face before he looked up at Hermione. "Really, Granger, I don't think we all needed a lecture about the history of those creatures right about now."
Hermione glared at him, "I was just making sure that you all knew the distinctions between the type of extinct flying reptiles that used to exist. And they are incorrectly referred to as dinosaurs or pterodactyls."
Harry walked up to her and gave her hug. "It's okay, we're all just glad that you're okay. Don't worry about the lecture right now, we just need to get on our way and try to avoid any more of these ancient creatures."
Tracey look at the two of them as she stated, "So those weren't magical creatures at all? Well, they sure were ugly."
"Either way," added Neville, "the noise of their crashing and their screeching may attract something else. We really should get on our way towards the beacon."
"Longbottom makes sense," agreed Draco, "let's get moving."
The set off along the path, with Tracey and Daphne both looking up to the sky regularly to be sure that they wouldn't be surprised by anything such as a pterodon or a rok other flying beast again. The mountain was rising more steeply in front of them and the trees along the path had now given way to small bushes. As they made their way closer to the base of the mountain, they could see that the trail was heading up towards a small plateau part way up the side of the hill.
As they got closer it became clear that there was something situated near the top of the path. A large red creature seemed to be lying down on the hillside. The closer they made their way up the trail, they could make out more details of the large red creature. They were able to see small puffs of smoke coming from one end, while at the other end what appeared to be a tail seemed to lazily flip back and forth.
"Is that what I think it is?" asked a worried Tracey.
"If you're thinking that is a dragon, then I would say you're right," replied Harry.
"But I've never heard of a dragon that looks like that," commented Daphne.
"Red dragon, such as the Chinese Fireball," added Neville, "are usually thinner, not quite so thick around the middle."
"Well, it sure is a hell of lot larger than the Hungarian Horntail I had to face a couple of years ago," agreed Harry, "so it is clearly much larger than a Chinese Fireball."
Daphne edged closer to Harry as she stared at the large dragon, "Either way, I have still never heard of such a large dragon. It looks more like a Welsh Green, but it is was to big and the wrong colour."
"Its even bigger than a Ukrainian Ironbelly," declared Tracey.
"Smaug," stated Hermione quietly.
"No, that's not smog," said Neville, not taking his eyes off of the creature, "that is smoke or steam coming from its nose."
"No, the dragon," explained Hermione, "it reminds of a fictional dragon from a muggle book, that also happens to have wizards and other fantastic creatures. Smaug was the name of a large red dragon that lived under a mountain and terrorised an entire village and hoarded a massive amount of gold and treasures under a mountain."
Harry turned and stared at Hermione. "No, not that Smaug," he declared. "This dragon isn't living under a mountain."
Hermione, like the others, continued to stare at the large creature. "No, but I don't see any hobbits around here either."
"Whatever it is, or whatever muggle fantasy this comes from," said Neville, "I still don't see how were going to get past it."
"You don't have a broom, so you can't outfly this dragon," commented Daphne.
"And you sure are't going to be able to fight it with a cutlass posing as a wand," added Draco.
Harry was pacing back and forth as he stared at the dragon, wondering what they might be able to do. The others just watched him walk back and forth as Harry focused on the large red dragon.
After several minutes, Tracey spoke up. "I don't think using any of the hexes that the there champions used on their dragons would do any good."
"Didn't Diggory conjure a dog for his dragon to chase, to distract it?" wondered Neville.
"That he did," replied Tracey, "but that didn't end so well for him, as I recall. His dragon decided to go after him anyway."
Harry stopped pacing and stared at the dragon intently, and then he sighed heavily. "We don't have many alternatives, so I guess it's up to me to try something."
Hermione looked at him askance and then she stated, "Harry, don't do anything foolish. I know how you act when you get that look in your eye."
Harry started to walk up towards the dragon, and cast a disillusionment charm on himself as he spoke softly to the others. "Once the dragon is distracted, make a go for it towards the beacon. Try to make sure it doesn't see you."
Daphne put her hand to her mouth as she gasped, watching Harry head away towards the dragon and then he disappeared from view. The others stayed hidden behind some bushes as they kept their eyes on the dragon. Even though they could not see where he was, they anticipated that something might happen soon.
"Why don't we all just disillusion ourselves and walk right past it?" asked Tracey.
A moment later, one eye of the supposedly sleeping dragon opened up and began looking over the hillside.
"This is why," commented Hermione dryly.
"I know you're there," spoke the dragon in a deep voice. "I can smell you. You smell tasty."
Harry stopped where he was, about twenty yards from the dragon's snout. Then he spoke in parseltongue, and the other students could barely make out a hissing sound.
"Well met, dragon friend," stated Harry. "I do not seek to do any harm, I am merely trying to walk past."
The dragon flicked its tail lazily about while its one open eye surveyed the hillside, looking for the one who spoke. "You speak in the ancient tongue, little one," commented the dragon. "But you try to make your way past me by stealth, what are you hiding? Are you a thief?"
"I am by no means a thief, dragon friend," replied Harry, continuing to speak in parseltongue. "But I know this ancient language, and I simply desire to get past where you lay. I did not wish to disturb one such as yourself."
"So speaks the one who is hiding from me and will not show themselves," added the dragon as it lifted its large snout and started to sniff the air. "I can find you by your foul smell, your invisibility will not save you from my wrath."
"Then I shall reveal myself, as a sign of my good faith," Harry spoke. All the while the conversation he was having with the dragon continued to sound as hissing to the students observing from their hiding place.
Suddenly Harry became visible in front of the dragon, as he ended his disillusionment charm. The dragon snorted and a cloud of acrid smoke came from its nostrils. "You are but a mere tidbit, a scrawny thing," said the dragon as it narrowed its eye on him.
"I would think that you would not find me to be a very tasty or challenging meal," stated Harry. "You obviously could defeat me with either a swipe of your leg, a flick of your tail, or a puff of your searing breath. What could a simple person as myself possibly do to protect myself or to even harm one as magnificent as you?"
The dragon turned its head slightly to focus its other eye on Harry. "What do you know of dragons, little one?" asked the beast warily.
"I have encountered dragons before," Harry replied, standing still in front of the red behemoth. "And obviously I have lived to tell the tale. However, none of the dragons I have yet to meet were as large or as magnificent as you."
The dragon snorted another dark cloud of smoke, and Harry even noted a little flame come out of the dragon's nostrils this time. "How could one as insignificant as you possibly encounter a dragon, and live?"
"I must admit that I was lucky, in that I was able to outfly the dragon I met," admitted Harry. "However, I am sure that even if I could fly now, I would not be able to outfly or outmanoeuvre one such as yourself."
"You speak in riddles, for a person such as yourself cannot fly," scoffed the dragon.
Harry didn't want to tell the highly intelligent animal that he was a wizard, and he didn't know if the dragon would know about brooms, but since he had already used magic to make himself invisible, he realised that the dragon must have already suspected something strange was going on. "I used to be able to fly, when I had a special broom," he admitted. "But as I said, even if I could fly, I am sure that I would be no match for you."
"So you have said already, little one," stated the dragon. "Perhaps I should eat you, just to end this conversation. I grow weary of your company."
"But as I said, dragon friend," continued Harry, "surely one such as me would not be able to fill your stomach. If you are truly hungry, then perhaps there is something more that could tempt one such as yourself. Something, say a little more challenging than a single person standing in front of you."
The dragon turned its head from side to side quickly, thinking it may have heard something moving through the brush near him on the hillside. Not sensing anything further, the dragon turned its face to stare at Harry, glaring at him with both eyes. "What could you possibly have to offer me, that I would ever find tempting or even challenging?"
"Earlier I encountered several unusual creatures," stated Harry. "Large monkeys, and these monkeys had the ability to fly. There is a castle on a mountain south of here where the flying monkeys live. They would probable hide from one such as yourself if you were to go to their castle, but I am sure that you could capture them all."
"What are these things, these flying monkeys which you speak of? How do I know they would be tasty? You smell bad, and unappetising," argued the dragon. "Do you eat these flying monkeys? Perhaps that is why you smell so bad yourself."
Harry took a step back as the dragon lifted its head once more. "No, I would never eat a flying monkey. They are much to large for me to try and eat. And I still would have no way of catching one. I am sure that one as great as you would have no problem with catching any number of those flying creatures."
"Do you presume to question my ability to hunt?" demanded the dragon.
"Oh no, your gloriousness," called out Harry. "One such as yourself could probably even make a new home for themselves at the castle on the hill."
"So says you, little one," said the dragon, still letting smoke swirl out of its nostrils. "But you are not one to be trusted, as you were sneaking up on me, hiding yourself, and now telling me stories of a castle."
"The castle is there, to the South," continued Harry in parseltongue, "but the ones who are there must think they have nothing to fear from a dragon such as yourself. They barely even guard the towers. And the flying monkeys can be easily found, and I am sure they would prove to be tastier than someone as scrawny as me."
The dragon pushed itself up with its front legs and towered over Harry. It stared down at him, eventually turning its massive head sideways to focus on him with one large yellow eye. "You don't seem to be afraid of me, little one, why is that? You know I could swallow you or just burn you with a breath."
"That is why I have nothing to fear," replied Harry. "You could do either one of those things, and there is nothing I could do to stop you. And it would happen so quickly, I could not possibly avoid your actions. So what is the point of showing fear?"
The dragon lifted up its head and breathed a large spout of flame into the air. It then looked back at Harry with black smoke once again billowing from its nostrils, "I like you little one. You know your place, and still you do not fear me."
"It is because I can respect your power and your skill," complemented Harry. "Next to you, I am nothing. Next to you, those who run the castle to the South are nothing."
"You try to flatter me, little one," stated the dragon, "but for what purpose? Perhaps there is something more sinister at this castle of which you speak. Perhaps you are trying to deceive me, to trick me into going there."
"To trick a dragon? Of what possible benefit could that be to me? I know that if you were to feel I tricked you, then you would come looking for me," explained Harry. "Where could I possibly hide from one as powerful as you?"
"Too true, little one," said the dragon with another snort of black smoke. "Perhaps I will go investigate this castle, and then I will return to find you if it is not as you say. You will be easy to find as I can smell you, I know your scent."
For once in his life, Harry appreciated his sweaty odor after all that he had been doing as that helped identify him to the dragon, and he hoped that his friends had used some sort of magic to mask their presence from the dragon. "Of course you will find me, for where else could I go? It is not as though I have any means to leave this island."
A rumbling sound came from deep within the dragon's belly, which Harry quickly realised was the dragon laughing at him. "You are entertaining, little one. It will be a shame when I return if I need to eat you, just to teach you a lesson. However, I will go investigate this castle, and these flying monkey things. I shall return shortly, of that you can be sure."
"I look forward to our speaking again," replied Harry with a smile.
The dragon extended its wings and then with a sudden flap it rose high into the air. The rush of wind from the dragon's flying knocked Harry backwards. He turned and watched the dragon fly away and then he ran up the hill to the exit beacon. When he arrived there, Neville cancelled the disillusionment charm on himself and the others.
"What the hell was all that about?" asked Neville.
"Just simply speaking to a dragon in parseltongue," explained Harry.
"What did you tell him?" asked an amazed Hermione as the dragon disappeared into the sky to the South.
"I flattered him, and told him about the castle to the South where the flying monkeys are," stated Harry with a grin. "And I may have indicated that the flying monkeys were tastier to eat than me. Oh, and I added that the owners of the castle defied him by making such a castle and not even protecting it properly."
"You baited him into action based on his ego?" questioned Tracey.
Harry smiled back, "Yeah, that was essentially what I tied to do."
Daphne shook her head as she stared at him. "You could probably sell an old and broken broom to a quidditch star if you wanted to, if you could get an ancient dragon to fly off like that."
"Perhaps," said Harry as he ran his hand through his messy hair. "Now that seems to be the exit beacon, why don't we leave this place before the big guy returns? I really would rather not be eaten or fried."
AN: Another chapter done. The next two are outlined and will continue to be worked on.
