Chapter 32

Finding the Dragon

When Fred arrived at the flat, Charlie was already there with the portkey and they were waiting on him. Hermione had already been there to deliver the ancient book that she had somehow convinced the library to let her borrow, but she wasn't traveling with them. Percy was going in her stead, in case they needed more information from the book or any like documents they happened across. Nigel was going along as well. Fact of the matter was, even if the bloke was completely useless Fred and George wouldn't have been able to leave him behind. He was likely to go mad, just waiting around for something to happen, not allowed to see his dying sister. But Nigel also worked for the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, and was a very strong wizard, so there was no doubt he would be of use on this trip.

"Ready?" George asked, making eye contact with his twin. Fred had only just told him his plans regarding Sarah that morning before he left. He had tried to talk Fred out of it, but it was to no avail, in the end George simply accepted that his motives were pure and hoped Sarah would see it that way when she woke. Fred gave a simple nod.

"Ready."

"Alright, on my count then. Three..." Charlie said, as he drew a cloth covered item from a sack, just a simple, old, tattered hat. "Two..." The men each grabbed onto the arm of the one beside them, and prepared to be transported. "One." Charlie clutched the hat in his hand, and suddenly all five of them were sucked out of the air. They were spat back out in Charlie's humble quarters in Romania.

"Merlin, I detest those things." Percy mumbled as they all regained their footing and overcame the nausea.

"It'll pass, baby brother." Charlie clapped his shoulder with a good-natured, but teasing smile.

"Yeah, no worries Perce. We didn't invite you for your strong constitution." Fred added with a chuckle.

"Right, so where to first?" George asked impatiently, though no one could blame him for it.

"Well from what Hermione told me, we have two options. Peruvian Vipertooth venom, or Hungarian Horntail scales. And while there are some Vipertooths in the bounds of the sanctuary, after some discussion, I think we decided that the scales are the best route." Charlie answered, as he tugs the translated book out and begins thumbing through the pages.

"There are no Horntails lurking about?" Fred asked.

"Yeah, what about the one you brought to the Triwizard Tournament?" George was anxious to get moving, the sooner the better.

"Horntails are too dangerous and unpredictable to contain here for any extended amount of time. Lucky for us though, Mr. Leonte left a somewhat accurate map of the nest he retrieved the scales from. And I'm somewhat familiar with the area." Charlie gestured to the book in his hands.

"Hold on a second, we're going to Hungary?" Nigel asked a bit incredulously.

"If there are Vipertooths here, why don't we just use the venom? Seems the quickest way." George put in.

"Well there are several reasons really... One being, extracting deadly venom from an angry dragon's mouth is not exactly on my bucket list. Though another, of more importance I'm sure you'll find, is that if this book happens to be wrong, and the venom is not a cure, it will kill Isabel in moments. The scales, as far as we know, shouldn't have any worsening effects on her health, even if the journey is a bit more treacherous." No one needed any more convincing after that, and they all agreed scales were the way to go. Though Percy then began to inquire just how treacherous Charlie meant.

"What? Only a question. I like to be prepared." Percy then said defensively upon receiving a glare from George. Charlie simply led the four of them from his little hut of a home and across the sanctuary's grounds, answering Percy's inquiries with only one word.

"Very."

"Fire-breathing dragon?" Fred grinned, in a determined way that hid any fear.

"Check."

"Rugged terrain?"

"Check."

"Likelihood of survival?"

"Slim."

"Well what're we waiting for, then?" Fred and George went back and forth humorously, though they were only half-joking, marching on behind Charlie like they were headed to war.

"You two prats never change." Charlie chuckled softly at his two younger brothers, coming to a stop.

"So, how're we getting to this beast?" Nigel questioned.

"Apparation?"

"Broom?"

"Dragon ride?"

"Nope, Bessy." Charlie answered with a small grin at their confused looks.

"What's a 'Bessy'?" Percy asked curiously. Charlie grinned and turned to a large tarp-covered object behind him.

"This-" He gave the tarp a hard yank and then released it, letting it pool on the ground. "-is Bessy." Charlie tapped the hood of a large, square muggle vehicle, that had 'Jeep' branded into its backside, affectionately.

"We're driving there?" Fred asked incredulously.

"How long will that take?" George wasn't typically opposed to new muggle-related things, but he couldn't imagine that this contraption went very fast. Apparation seemed like a far better option.

"Calm down, mate. If it weren't our best option we wouldn't be doing it." Charlie told him calmly before actually answering his question. "We're actually just a hop, skip, and a jump from the Romanian-Hungarian border here. Our destination is the Northern Hungarian Mountains, which is about a two hour drive, possibly less. I've never been up in those mountains, and the parts of Hungary I have been to would actually put us further away. So apparation is out. As far as brooms go, there are five of us and the Hungarian people are very superstitious. So the likelihood of being spotted and either exposing magic or being killed for practicing witchcraft is pretty high. Besides, old Bess will get us there nearly as fast as any Nimbus." Charlie explained as he checked the back to make sure his supplies were all there. "Alright, hop in boys."

"Roadtrip!" Fred and George yelled simultaneously and then scrambled for the passenger seat, pushing each other out of the way, then mentally decided on a truce.

"I'm driving!" George said, starting for the other side of the car.

"I got shotgun!" Fred grabbed the door handle.

"Oi! I am driving. Nigel, you get shotgun." Charlie gave Fred and George both a shove towards the backdoor of the car.

"Not fair." Fred grumbled.

"You're gonna stick us in the back with Percy?"

"Don't do this to us, Charlie." The twins looked horrified at the notion.

"Are they always like this?" Nigel asked, leaning closer to Percy, who simply rolled his eyes.

"They revert to children in stressful situations." Percy muttered and climbed in the backseat.

"Hey!"

"We resent that!"

"Yeah, you can't revert to a child if you never stopped being one." The twins laughed and piled in behind Percy. Charlie laughed and looked at Nigel, gesturing to the front seat as he hopped into the driver's.

"Hop in mate, it's gonna be one hell of a trip."

Between Fred and George's seemingly endless antics, and some rather annoyed outbursts from Percy, the boys hashed out the plan from there on out. It was simple really: Find the dragon, ambush it with a stunning spell from every angle, get the scales, and get the heck out of Hungary. They could only pray that it would be that easy. There was a border check that they had to get past, but Charlie had all the proper papers and they got on without a hitch. The Hungarian countryside was hilly and covered in thick woods, barren of any greenery from the dead winter. Ice clung to every limb and branch, giving the leafless trees a glassy look. Lucky for them though, the roads were clear. As the roads turned from well-traveled to barren, Charlie grinned at his passengers.

"Hold on to your knickers, girls." He tugged a lever on the dash, causing the panel to open, revealing a large, red switch. If ever there was a moment worthy of being captured on film, it was the moment immediately following Charlie flicking said switch. Charlie's face was one of pure mischief, Fred and George's of glee, Nigel's of curiosity followed quickly by surprise, and Percy's was just straight terror. Bessy's engine revved loudly and all five of her passengers were flattened against their seats. They felt as though they were reaching speeds that broke the sound barrier. Perhaps it wasn't actually that fast, but definitely faster than the manufacturer ever intended. The metal beast rattled and shook, it was a feat only managed by magic that the whole thing didn't fall apart. After several minutes of adjusting to the new speed, Fred whooped and patted Percy, who was looking quite green, on the shoulder.

"This is ruddy brilliant!"

"How'd you manage this, mate?" George asked, calling over the roaring sound of the world flying by.

"Let's just say dragons aren't my only interest." Charlie called back, still grinning. Nigel was looking less surprised and more entertained by the second.

"You have to show me how to do this to my motorcycle!" He exclaimed. They rattled on down the road for several more minutes, but finally came to a place where he had to shut the turbo off. The road was starting to wind and they began to incline. There were on the foothills of the mountain range. Soon they would have to leave Bessy altogether, but Charlie was navigating her as close as possible to their destination. They drove along the sides of several smaller mountains into the heart of the range; on what the boys weren't entirely convinced was an actual road. Bessy forged her own path on and on. Signs along the road began warning of rock falls and the end of any feasible road. They came to where the narrow, teetering road narrowed further into treacherous looking footpaths, which wound up into the base of the tallest mountain in the range. Tall evergreen pines spread all over the foothills, unaffected by the winter but dusted with snow. The rocky peak of the mountain stretched much higher than the trees would grow and the summit of the stone monster was shrouded in the clouds above.

"Well mates, end of the road. We hoof it from here." Charlie said, climbing out of the driver seat. The other four followed suit. "We should be able to apparate back here and make a quick and quiet escape. If all goes well, the dragon will never even know we were here." Charlie led their small troop up the footpath climbing up and winding around the wooded base. He held the book in his hands, keeping a lookout for the landmarks mentioned in the small, ancient journal and only stopping when they came to a three-way split in the path.

"Which way, mate?" George asked, stopping just beside him, the others gathering around as well.

"I'm not sure." Charlie murmured, tilting the book this way and that as he thumbed over pages.

"Thought there was a map in there?" Fred questioned, peeking over his shoulder.

"Not a literal map, just clues of where it is. I don't think there were quite so many paths a thousand years ago. In fact, I think Leonte forged the path on his own." Charlie answered distractedly, dropping his pack. "We'll rest a moment here while I figure out which direction to go. Fred, George, get a fire going. We'll have a quick meal as well." They had already been hiking the rugged terrain for a good two hours and it was going on midday, so no one argued. The day was a cold one, especially with the climbing altitude, so the fire and warm food helped lift their spirits.

"Oh, this man was brilliant!" Charlie suddenly exclaimed.

"What did you find?" George asked, already starting to pack up so they could keep going.

"Leonte knew a lot about dragons and healing both, he also had seen the devastation of the Dragon Fever. He knew that the ways to cure it were not commonplace items, nor was there any easy way to obtain them. He dedicated his entire career, his entire life, to wiping it out and finding more ways to cure it. He traveled this path many times, with many brave wizards and witches on the same quest we're on right now. And do you know what he realized?" Charlie was on the move as he spoke, examining the mouth of every path. He had the other four men's undivided attention. "He realized that one day he wouldn't be around to guide those in need of a cure to the nest." A burst of magic spouted suddenly from Charlie's wand, aimed at a gnarled knob in the trunk of a very large pine, whose branches didn't start until far above their heads. A loud whizzing sound crackled through the air like raw electricity and a bright, white light split the ground of the middle path in half for as far as their eyes could follow it.

"Smart thinking, Charlie." Percy commented, as George was already starting down the identified path.

"Let's get a move on!" He called back to the others who were just finishing up their packing.

Suddenly a loud, thundering boom shook the entire earth, trees included. Pine needles rained down and the few birds who stuck around for the winter took to the skies. The boys froze in their tracks.

"Perce, please tell me that was your stomach." Fred mumbled, neck craned up and trying to see what was coming. Another booming shake, followed by another. It was getting closer.

"Run!" Charlie yelled and they all took off pell mell, following the lit path. The booms were getting closer with every one and they were also getting close together and more intense, causing them to stumble as they ran. A tree not a hundred meters behind them splintered and snapped, falling to the earth with a crushing thud. Finally all five of them broke from the tree line, but they weren't out of the woods yet. It was a giant, standing head and shoulders above the tallest of trees, still stumbling on in their direction.

"Don't suppose this one's as friendly as Hagrid..." George muttered and then the giant spotted them. It gave a loud, earsplitting war cry before barreling right for them. "Yeah, didn't think so."

"Spread out! There'll be no running from this monster. If we're to get the scales, we'll have to take beasty here down first." Nigel declared with determination in his eyes. They did as he said, backing up and spreading out as the giant came bounding closer with every moment.

"George!" Fred yelled, but the warning came too late. The giant's huge hand emerged from the trees without warning and lifted George right off the ground.

"Sectumsempra!" Blood spilled from the giant's hand and it gave a great, angry howl, but it also released George. He fell the twenty feet to the ground and landed on his side with a thud and a deep grunt of pain. No one had the chance to go to his aid though, because the giant was already recovered from the pain and twice as angry.

"The fallen pine!" Fred called out, and then others knew immediately what to do. An entire tree was a lot for one wizard to move with any accuracy, but it was a pinch for four strong wizards. The hundred foot wooden behemoth soared through the air at their beckoning, and just as the giant was about to crush George with its boulder of a foot, they clubbed the creature over its head with the tree. It staggered on its feet, stumbling backwards towards the trees. They clubbed it once more and this time it collapsed, like a small mountain buckling from its knees and landing with an earth-shaking, tree-snapping thud. Once the ground had stilled and they had determined that the giant was down for good, all four of them rushed to George's side, but no one was there faster than Fred.

George was huddled on his side and Fred rolled him onto his back, earning a pained groan. "Bloody hell... you're alright..." Fred sighed, simply relieved to see his twin breathing.

"Never been-" George cried out in pain as he tried to sit up. "-better..."

"Hold still, mate. Lemme look." Nigel said, kneeling at George's other side. The Irishman examined his left arm and side, which was what he had landed on, but even though he was smeared with blood, George had no open wounds. "Well, the blood belongs to the giant, but it looks like your shoulder is dislocated and you have several cracked ribs."

"Fantastic... Help me up." George winced and clenched his teeth together as he attempted to move, but instead of getting help, both Fred and Nigel held him down.

"Whoa there, Georgie, we gotta get you patched up first." Fred told him.

"Don't suppose you have a first aid kit?" Nigel asked Charlie, who started digging around in his sack.

"Since when are you- ah- ow- a healing... expert?" George asked, breathing shallowly to avoid the sharp, stabbing pain in his ribs.

"Believe me, I'm not, but I had to splint and patch up Isabel plenty of times before taking her to Mungo's when she was younger." Nigel answered as Charlie handed him a small leather bag with medical supplies in it. Nigel looked around in it, but didn't find anything of use.

"What're you looking for?" Charlie asked.

"A sling of sorts." Nigel answered. Charlie grabbed another bag and pulled out a blanket, grabbing his knife and cutting it to shreads.

"Why'd you-" George accidentally took a deep breath and winced. "Why'd you have to take Bell... in so much...?"

"You know how she is. Not nearly concerned enough for her own personal safety. It was even worse when she was younger." Nigel answered with a good amount of brotherly affection on his face. What he was about to do to George was going to hurt, so it was good that he found a distraction. "Dad used to call her his 'wee daredevil'." As soon as George started to chuckle, Nigel yanked hard on his arm, snapping his shoulder back into socket. It was everything George could do not to curse, but he couldn't hold in the pained yell.

"What did you do that for?!" Fred growled.

"I had to set it. They say it hurts less if you're not anticipating it." Nigel said as Charlie handed him the sling.

"It's a good thing... I wasn't expecting it.. then..." George muttered breathlessly, wincing again as Nigel slid the sling into place as gently as possible.

"Alright... unfortunately there isn't much to do for your ribs until we can get you to a healer." Nigel told him as he and Fred carefully helped George to his feet.

"I'm alright." George grunted and shrugged out of their hold. "Let's go."

"Are you sure, George? Maybe you should hang back... take it easy." Charlie suggested with concern.

"Not ruddy likely, let's go. Time's a ticking." George insisted, taking a few steps towards the lit path which cut to the left and straight up a jagged ridge, which appeared impossible to climb from that angle. Once the four realized he wasn't going to stop, they grabbed their packs and quickly followed. If they couldn't talk some sense into his thick skull, then they would just have to protect it instead. The closer they got to the jagged ridge, the more daunting and impossible it appeared, it wasn't until they were right up next to it that they could finally make out the small steps carved into the stone.

"No one would find these unless they were looking for them." Nigel observed, eyes following the steps up to the top of the ridge.

"So even if someone happened to get all the way out here, they're not likely to just stumble into the dragon's keep." Percy traced one of the stones, testing his weight on it. "Seems sturdy."

"Good thing you found the guide, mate. Even if we would have figured out the right path, I'm not sure we would've spotted these." Fred added.

"Welp, we have a dragon waiting for us, mates. 'Sgo." George said, climbing onto the first step with some effort and a sharp pain to his ribcage.

"And just how do you expect to get all the way up there?" Charlie asked incredulously. "You're being ridiculous, mate, just let us take care of it before you wind up getting yourself killed."

"I am not staying behind." George set his jaw stubbornly.

"Fine." Charlie set his just as stubbornly. "But then we do this my way, or you'll find yourself petrified here until we're finished." George reluctantly agreed to his brother's urging. "Alright, here's what we're gonna do…"

Several minutes later, with the use of several thick branches, a blanket, some rope, and a touch of magic, the boys had rigged together a rather study stretcher.

"This is ridiculous, I'm not a cripple." George muttered as he was strapped into gurney, half a mind to climb out of it.

"This will stop you from hurting yourself more, stop arguing and relax." Nigel told him, and then stood to his feet, neck craned up. "You blokes ready?!" He yelled. Percy and Fred had climbed to the top of the ridge as Nigel and Charlie put together the stretcher so they could levitate George safely to the top.

"Ready!" They both called back.

"Hang on, George, and don't struggle." Charlie told him as he hovered into the air, climbing higher and higher at a steady pace. Once George had safely reached the top, Nigel and Charlie started up the stairs. The climb was a little unsettling, the steps being very steep and not all that sturdy, but it wasn't very long and they met the others at the top within ten minutes. George was already out of the stretcher and there was some squabble going on between him and Fred.

"You were supposed to pack the brooms."

"I told you to!"

"Oi, what's going on?" Charlie asked as he pulled himself to his feet. Fred and George didn't stop glaring at each other long enough to answer, so Percy did. He first made a grand gesture to the path in front of them. The peak of the ridge they stood on was several dozen meters from the side of the mountain, and the only thing that connected the two ledges was a very rickety rope bridge that was missing more than half of its slats.

"George can't apparate across with his injuries, and someone-" Percy gave a look to both of the twins. "Forgot the brooms."

"Get your knickers out of a knot, girls, looks like we'll just have to cross it." Charile said, already stepping onto the bridge with caution. "Just tread lightly. We oughta be fine." The others followed suit, and soon they were all on the bridge, making slow steady progress to the other side. George brought up the rear of the single-file line, as his movements were slower than the rest and he didn't want to hold them up. The old wood creaked as the rope bridge sagged and swayed under their weight, causing them to halt from time to time, and then tried to hurry on to the other side. Just as Charlie's feet hit solid ground, Fred's foot hit a rotten slat which snapped under pressure, causing him to stumble forward with a surprised yell and nearly fall through the gaping hole. George's reaction was instantaneous, reaching out and snatching the pack on Fred's shoulders with his strong arm, which was enough for Fred to find his footing once again.

"Merlin that was close..." Fred breathed. Silent agreement answered as the four left on the bridge refocused on getting off as quickly as possible. The bridge creaked once again and gave an awful shutter, before the terrifying sound of a rope snapping echoed against the mountainside. Percy lept to solid ground just in time for the bridge to give way with Nigel, Fred, and George still on it. The break happened somewhere near the opposite side of the bridge, causing the entire structure to buckle and swing into the steep mountainside, men and all. They each clung to whatever rope or board they grabbed first in order to avoid plummeting to unseen depths, but George only had one usable arm and it was challenging task just to hold himself to the bridge. The fall wasn't terribly far, given how close they had been to the mountain-side, however, it ended with a slam into solid rock. The abrupt crash only added a few bumps and bruises to George's list of injuries, but even so it rattled his battered ribcage something awful, causing his grip to slip.

"George! Hang on!" Fred called, climbing down a slat and reaching as far as he could. "Grab my hand!"

"Fred- I can't.." There was no way he could let go long enough to grab Fred's hand and not fall. Seeing no other option, and with a look of renewed determination on his face, George lifted his injured arm from the sling. Every inch he raised his arm was more excruciating than the last, like there was crushed glass in his joint, but finally he got it high enough for Fred to grab onto, just in time for his hold with his right arm to give out completely. With a yell of great pain and effort, George pulled himself up enough with his left arm to grab onto Fred with his right. And then, not a moment too soon, all three of them were weightless. The pressure was off of his shoulder, though the pain didn't ebb right away, and they were being levitated up onto the ledge. Fred and Nigel landed on their feet, as did George, but he fell to his knees just after, cradling his left shoulder.

"Impeccable timing mates..." He forced out through clenched teeth, taking a few minutes to recover there on the ground.

"Merlin... All right, George?" Percy asked.

"I will be when we get those scales." George answered, pushing himself back onto his feet.

"George..." Fred started, beginning to agree with Charlie, that maybe George should stay behind. But George could hear it in his voice and cut him off.

"I'm going forward, end of discussion." There was no swaying him, the other four could see that, so again they kept on. Turning away from the ledge, they found that they were actually standing in the mouth of a large cave. The light path they had been following stopped abruptly there, staring into the pitch black hole.

"This is it mates. Stay close and watch for my signal." They each gave a nod of understanding and agreement, and slowly they started into the cave. Charlie didn't want to risk lighting his wand, but eventually their eyes adjusted from the bright winter sun to the stark contrast of inside the mountain. The air became more stifling hot and thick with every step, and soon they could make out an odd red glow ahead. Charlie motioned for them to spread out and they continued on. Finally, the tunnel they had been following opened up into a vaulting cavern and right in the center, a huge, reptilian beast sat on its haunches, its vast wings wrapped around its great black body. George's heart quickened in his chest, every movement seemed to happen in slow motion as they approached and got into position around the creature, who by some small miracle, seemed to be asleep. It didn't take long for them to realize that the heat wasn't just coming from the dragon though. The cavern seemed much larger than the solid stone floor they stood on, this was due to the fact that the floor ended in a small cliff some distance beyond the dragon where lava flowed like a river at the bottom. Charlie was waiting for the best moment possible to give the signal, knowing that they only had one chance to do this right, but his caution would cost them.

A large, jet black raven fluttered down from its unseen perch above. It lived in a nook high in the mountain's rock that allowed it to go freely in and out, and it had watched the strangers' approach with its keen eyes. The dragon and the raven had formed an unlikely kinship, as the dragon provided protection and allowed the raven to take shelter in its nest, while the raven could keep a watchful eye for any suspicious happenings while the dragon slept. The bird very purposefully landed on top of the horntail's head and gave a loud, echoing caw.

All five men stopped in their tracks, hearts in their throats and barely daring to breathe, each one hoping beyond hope that it hadn't woke the dragon. Fred let out a deep breath that he hadn't realized he had been holding, and then, all of the sudden, the monster's yellow eyes snapped open.