Fire and Glory

by G.C.Zanetti

Mira is the Princess of the Wizarding World, descended from the first Vandeviere's whom wielded magic, and conquered their Kingdom in fire and glory. Adored for her role in the defeat of the Dark Lord, but under constant threat from her family's enemies, she is kept within the walls of the Palace, until she reaches her eleventh birthday and her education at Hogwarts begins.

3. Chapter II

FIRST MEETING

15th April, 1987

It was a perfectly tranquil morning at Wiltshire Castle. The sun was high and the heat sweltering, making the lure of soaking up the rays all too good to refuse. The massive garden was occupied by most of the staff that morning; Old Winston, the Groundsman, was hard at work by the roses, making sure to stop every few moments to wipe away the sweat upon his brow, and take a large gulp of whatever cold beverage the House Elves had brought for him.

The Elves themselves were either helping Old Winston where they could, or were laid out under the huge oak tree, relishing in the shade it provided. Other members of the household were dotted around, either sunbathing on the grass, or taking a stroll around the grounds after completing their duties for the morning.

And finally, half a dozen of the castle guards had congregated by the Grand Fountain as they stood watch over the two eldest Princes and their Dracanis' whom laid upon the wall, enjoying the cool spray of mist that came with the odd gust of wind that blew.

For once, the guards could enjoy some semblance of peace as the children weren't wreaking havoc somewhere and were nearly all accounted for; Theron and Xander were there with them, the young Prince Lorenzo was inside with their Governess, Miss Ali, and Princess Mira...Well they hadn't seen the Princess in near half an hour, but strangely, for the last ten minutes, they'd heard a near constant rustling from within the bushes, and barely hushed whispers which sounded uncannily like the Princess in question and her Dracanis, Koda.

"OW!" There was one voice: Koda.

"Shush! They'll hear us!" And another: Mira.

"You stood on my paw!"

There was another shush before all fell completely silent, and the guards knew that their brief bout of peace and quiet was about to come to an end. Nothing good ever came from complete silence where the children were involved.

"ARGH!"

The group barely looked up as two figures leapt from the bushes, the first being Princess Mira whom had her arms spread wide, and a twisted expression on her face in some attempt to look frightening. Beside her was Koda, whom was snarling and ready to pounce, looking about as terrifying as a tiny pup could. Once Mira realised that none of them had moved a muscle in response to their sudden appearance, her arms dropped. As did her expression.

"Why aren't you scared?" she complained.

The guards chuckled amongst one another, but it was Mira's personal guard, Dimitri, who spoke first. "It would seem that your stealth requires a bit of fine tuning, Your Highness...I imagine everyone within a mile could hear you coming."

Mira frowned at his teasing, not at all amused by his mockery of her. Dimitri imagined he would've received the greatest scolding the six-year-old could muster, had a loud snort not caught her attention first. When she turned to see who else was making fun of her, she finally spotted her elder Brothers slightly hidden behind the guards, not at all where she'd expected them to be.

"What are you doing here?" demanded Koda, his black, slitted eyes narrowing on the Princes. "You were supposed to be hiding!"

"Well," started Xander, smiling meekly at his Sister, "we were, but-"

Before Xander could finish, Theron's Dracanis, Soren, pounced on Koda and pinned him. "But its grown rather boring these days, Little Brother."

Soren playfully nipped at Koda's ear as he chuckled at the pup's squirming. As the Dracanis of the eldest child and future King, Soren was bigger than most of his siblings, with Aeris, Nesrin, and Lorcan being the only exceptions. He was almost the same height as Mira's three foot, and his black wings were already double that. Mira had always thought that he would be a fearsome sight when fully grown.

In comparison, Koda stood no chance against Soren, or any of his siblings for that matter. He was the smallest of them all, even compared to Juniper who was a year younger. Where Soren was large and already rippling with muscle, Koda was small and scrawny, only just reaching Mira's ankle. The two were polar opposites, but it did nothing to deter the pup from fighting against his Brother with all his might.

"Alright, that's enough!" Theron rolled his eyes at his companion and flicked his nose to get him to release Koda who swiftly returned to Mira and jumped into her arms. She cradled him to her chest before looking up at her Brother, trying and failing to mask the betrayal in her emerald eyes. "I'm sorry...But he is right, you know? It is getting quite boring. We know every single spot in and around the castle. We're not hard to find anymore."

Mira opened her mouth to protest, but found herself falling short. She huffed before slumping down against the wall, something which would've earned her a scolding had it been witnessed by their Governess. She turned away from her Brothers and ran her fingers through Koda's pale fur. She desperately wanted to be furious with them - she was furious - but she couldn't deny that what they'd said was true.

For as long as she could remember, they'd lived at Wiltshire Castle, and had never been permitted to leave. They'd explored every inch of the castle and its grounds and knew it like the back of their hands. They knew of every crack, loose stone, and passageway. They had found every hidden room, seen every corner of the secret garden, and had even been to the turrets at the very top of the castle. Of course it wasn't difficult to figure out where one of them was hiding anymore, but there was nowhere else they were allowed to go.

There was so much outside of the walls, a whole world she'd seen nothing of except in pictures and within the pages of books. None of them had even had a glance of what laid beyond the border. None but Theron and Soren.

The two had started attending Hogwarts the previous year, and had already seen so much. Now in education, Theron was expected to live permanently at the Palace, following tradition, but he'd decided to stay at the Castle until all of them were old enough to live at the Palace together. It was a decision which rustled a few feathers, but their Father had allowed it nonetheless. Now, when he wasn't at school, he was often swept away to attend a meeting or function to shadow under their Father.

When he returned, Theron would tell them of all he saw. He spoke of the sprawling shops and markets which twisted out of sight upon the cobbled stones of Diagon Alley. He told them of the lavish parties where men and women would glide across the polished marble floor in elegant dress robes and glittering gowns. And he told them of the throne; the center of their Kingdom, and the one thing she was so anxious to see. Theron had told her that it exuded an indescribable power, and demanded respect from all those whom gazed upon it. He'd told her that it was as black as night, and swallowed the light out of the room. Then there was the head of the dragon which loomed over, seemingly surveying over all whom stood in its presence. Theron had said that when he stared into the glittering rubies it had for eyes, it was like staring into the soul of a beast. Like looking death itself in the eye.

Theron had already experienced so much. Of course he was bored of hiding around the Castle.

Koda suddenly nudged her hand before licking her palm in his own attempt to cheer her up. Usually it would work, but Mira was too consumed by her thoughts. Would Theron ever play with them again? Would Xander?

The boys in question were shuffling nervously as they watched an assortment of emotions flicker across her face, ranging from sadness and anger to confusion and dread. She was no good at hiding her feelings. When she bit down on her lip and sniffled, they knew it would soon be followed by heart wrenching whimpers. Xander stared at his Sister, horrified, before rushing to her side.

"Shh, come on...You don't need to cry." He wrapped her up in a hug, looking pointedly between her and Theron, the latter of whom was frozen in place. Theron stared at them for a few moments before he approached and knelt before Mira.

"Don't cry, Mi...How about we do something else? Something more fun?" He ducked his head as she turned to look at him and his heart shattered when he saw the tears pooling in her bright eyes.

"Do you- do you want to?" She sniffled.

Theron smiled brilliantly and nodded. "'Course I do! Don't ever doubt it!" He pinched her cheek, earning a hint of a giggle from her as she swatted him away. "How about we play the best game in the world?"

Mira gasped in excitement, sitting straighter as she nodded and wiped away a few stray tears. Theron smirked before gesturing for their Dracanis' to come closer, and they did. Even Tala, who'd kept to herself during the entire exchange, joined them and planted herself right on Mira's lap.

The moment Mira had sniffled, Dimitri had been on edge; The Princess didn't cry often, but when she did, it struck fear into the hearts of the guards, because her elder Brothers did everything they could to cheer her up. Xander, despite being only ten, often took the most gentle route about cheering her up, providing her with hugs and would always read her a book or tell her a story. Theron, on the other hand, would move Heaven and Earth if it meant a single tear would never fall from her eyes again. He would often do the most ridiculous and excessive things just to make her smile. Theron's response to Mira's crying was often more frightening than her actual tears.

The moment the group started whispering, he was ready to stop them right that minute, but before he'd even had the chance to open his mouth, Soren had glanced back at them, mischief twinkling in his blue eyes before the entire group disappeared from sight.

"No..." he whispered, complete and utter dread creeping into his heart.

They were still close, he knew that; Soren would just be using a shield to hide them from sight, another ability the Dracanis' had been blessed with - as if the talking wasn't enough.

"Ah shit..." cursed another guard, knowing exactly what was going to happen.

"Look for them!" Dimitri yelled, rushing away from the fountain, listening intently for any whisper or shuffle that could've come from them.

"HEY!" The sudden shout from Theron immediately caught their attention, and Dimitri was sure a blood vessel must've ruptured in his brain when he saw how far away they all were. The entire group of them were stood at the entrance to the secret garden, on the opposite side of the Grand Fountain.

"No. No. No..."

"CATCH US IF YOU CAN!"

"NO!"

Dimitri and the others immediately leapt into the fountain to cross it, but the children had already disappeared into the garden before they were even halfway across.

Hours. It would take them hours to find them in the maze of flowers and trees and bushes. Dimitri could already feel the migraine coming on.

---

"I told you we should've gone left at the blue statue." Tala shook her head as she sat down, looking between her twin and Mira, both of whom were staring up at the massive weeping willow which was gently blowing in the wind.

"I still think we're in the right place. They said to meet at the big tree!" argued Koda, turning to look at his Sister whom flicked her black tail in irritation.

"They didn't say 'the big tree', they said 'the big oak tree', which this is not!"

"All trees look the same! How were we supposed to know?" Koda huffed and slumped down beside Mira.

"No they don't! There's a big difference between a willow and an oak, which we would've been at if we'd taken a left at the blue statue!"

As the two continued to bicker, Mira tuned them out and glanced at their surroundings. They were well away from the Castle, the turrets of which she could see in the distance. Had they managed to arrive at the oak tree they'd meant to, they would've been far closer, and in far less trouble than they were going to be when they returned.

The thought had her heart pounding in fear. No one would harm her, she knew that, but Miss Ali would yell at her, and could tell her parents. Mira sucked in a shaky breath and fought the urge to go sprinting right back to the Castle and beg for forgiveness. She would do anything so long as her Mother didn't find out.

"Get off!"

Mira was pulled from her thoughts by Koda's yelp, and when she turned, she found him squirming beneath Tala who levelled her with a serious look.

"Mira, we should go back. It's a straight path back through those trees."

The Princess nodded in agreement, knowing they should get back before they were in real trouble. It had started off as fun, but the moment they'd lost sight of her Brothers, and of the true path, she had lost her initial excitement as well.

"No way!" Koda snapped from the ground, managing to shove his Sister off him, and stand up again. "We can't just turn back after we've come all this way!"

"Yes we can, Koda. We've been gone long enough as it is, and I think we've got ourselves in enough trouble without making it worse." Tala argued, already beginning to walk back to the Castle.

Koda ignored her and put himself in Mira's path before she could take a single step. "Think about it...We're at the Castle border. We've never been this far before! If we go a little further, we could see the world a little bit. Imagine what's out there!"

Mira froze in place before meeting Koda's eyes, realising she hadn't thought about that at all. She glanced over her shoulder, surveying their surroundings once more and realised that he was right; They were at the borderline. If she was correct, the willow they were standing under was the one she could see from the third floor windows in the East Wing, and not far from the willow was the huge forest which surrounded the Castle lands. No one could see anything beyond that wood. It was huge and dense, and seemed to go on forever. She'd been told there was a Muggle village a few miles away, but she knew little more.

Perhaps it wouldn't hurt to go just a little further. They would be quick, just taking a brief glance at whatever was there, and then they'd return straight home.

"No...No, no, no! That is a terrible idea! We don't know who or what is out there. We'll be in so much trouble!" Tala stomped her paw, outraged that they were even having this conversation.

Koda rolled his eyes at her before looking back at Mira. "We'll be in trouble anyway. We'd be in trouble even if we'd gone to the other stupid tree. We've never been this far, and I don't think we'll get another chance for a long while...Do you really want to wait another four years?"

Did she? Could she wait another four years? For just a glimpse of what was outside her little world? She didn't think so. She'd been shielded from the outside world all her life and she would continue to be shielded the moment she got back to the Castle, until her Father said otherwise.

She had never understood why it was all necessary, and she'd asked a million times, but got no straight answer. When she'd asked Miss Ali why she couldn't leave, she'd simply told her it was for her protection before swiftly changing the subject. Mira was beginning to think that wasn't quite true. Her Father was the King, and the staff always told her that he was greatly loved by the people, so why would anyone want to hurt his family? Besides, they all had their Dracanis' with them at all times, and they grew to be huge, terrifying creatures. Surely they would scare off anyone who would pose a threat?

When Miss Ali had told her nothing, she tried using cauldron cakes to convince Dimitri to tell her something. He'd promptly stolen a cake from her hands, eaten it, and joked that it was because she couldn't be trusted in the outside world. She'd kept the other cakes and ignored him for four hours.

No one seemed to want to tell her the truth, and it frustrated Mira to no end, as it didn't seem to matter how much she begged and bargained, no one would say a word, and she'd be kept prisoner in the Castle until she went to Hogwarts.

If that was how it was going to be, why shouldn't she explore a little bit?

With her mind set, Mira turned around and marched past the willow, heading straight for the woods. Koda yipped with excitement and caught up with her while Tala followed behind, never failing to tell them that it was a bad idea and how much trouble they'd be in. Normally, such threats would've had her scampering back to the castle, and she almost had, but there was no way she could pass up the chance.

"Cheer up, Sister! It'll be fun." Koda shot her a grin before sprinting after Mira when she picked up her pace as she saw they were close to the trees. The moment they stepped inside, it was like they'd apparated to a different world.

It seemed to get colder and darker, with only a few rays of light managing to break through the covering of trees, which were the biggest she'd ever seen. They stood tall and proud, the pure green leaves creating a perfect emerald hue all around them.

Mira carefully stepped over fallen tree trunks and slippery moss covered stones as she tried to navigate her way through the growth. It was all unlike she'd ever seen before...They had a forest closer to the Castle, it was smaller and well kept, nothing like what she was seeing now. This forest was wild, natural, growing freely. There was no orderly pattern or beautiful arrangement, and yet it was still the most breathtaking place she'd ever seen.

The forest at home was quiet and peaceful but this one seemed alive; Its heartbeat was the sweet chirps of a thousand birds, and its breath was the steady wind which blew through it. Mira had never smiled more as they continued deeper into the wood. It was so exciting! They'd already caught sight of a small herd of deer, seen a few squirrels scurrying around the trees, and they'd even watched a little frog hop its way back to a little stream.

"Ok, we've seen enough now. I think we should go back." Tala glanced around nervously as she spoke before levelling the two with a pleading look.

Mira knew she was right, but she truly didn't want to leave. Not yet anyway. There was so much more for them to explore. How could they leave now?

Koda seemed to have the same idea as he ignored Tala and continued wandering around, sniffing at everything and tracking whatever scent he found.

"Mira...Please?" Tala begged.

The Princess sighed and knelt before the black pup, gently stroking at the white tips of her ears. "It's okay, Tala...We won't be too long. Just try and enjoy yourself?"

Tala only huffed in reply, and Mira thought that was good enough. She stood and turned to look back at Koda who was frozen in place and staring pointedly at something a short distance away.

"What is it?" Mira whispered, trying to see what had caught his attention.

"Niffler." he grumbled, slowly stalking forward to approach the small creature. Mira giggled to herself, knowing exactly how this was going to pan out.

Koda remained completely silent as he stalked closer to the Niffler, careful not to step on any twigs or knock any rocks. The creature was blissfully unaware of the approaching Dracanis until he crouched to pounce. The Niffler went rigid before jumping out of the way as Koda leaped forward, only succeeding in getting a face full of soil.

The Niffler looked over at them all before cocking its head at Koda who was getting up from the ground, his perfect white fur now dusty with soil. His lip curled as he snarled in irritation before charging at the creature which scampered away. Mira laughed gleefully as she began running too, chasing the Niffler which seemed to be enjoying Koda's futile attempts to catch them. Their pursuit led them further into the forest, where they had to leap over huge fallen trunks and duck under the looming branches. Mira had slipped near a dozen times and caught her hair in nearly every branch she passed, but she still pressed on, her laughter echoing around them.

They eventually came to a small ravine and the Niffler scampered along the fallen tree which was their only way across. Koda hurried over, hot on the Niffler's heels, and Tala followed him to ensure he didn't hurt himself doing something stupid. Wanting to continue the chase also, Mira carefully stepped onto the tree and shuffled her feet along it. She had her arms spread wide to keep herself balanced, and didn't dare to look down at the drop, no matter how short it was. By the time she was halfway across, Koda and Tala were already in the distance, with the former barking up at the Niffler which had climbed up into a tree and seemed to be making fun of him.

"Who are you?" A sudden voice came from below, making her jump in fright. She yelped as she lost balance, slipping off the tree and landing right on whoever had frightened her.

Mira groaned from the impact, wincing as the person's elbow was jammed right into her ribs. She tried to stand up before she was suddenly shoved away by them. She squeaked in surprise before pushing herself to her feet, cringing at the burning in her palms and knees that were now raw and bloody. As she shook out her hands to ease the pain, she finally laid eyes on who had startled her, and found that it was a boy who couldn't have been much older than herself. He was a little taller than her, and so incredibly pale. His pointed features were hardened as he glared at her, his grey eyes swirling with anger. His pale white hair, which she imagined was once immaculate, was now ruffled and tainted with dirt and the odd leaf.

"Oh! I'm so sorry!" She approached him, reaching out to retrieve a leaf from his hair, but he flinched away from her before she could.

"How clumsy can you be?" he snapped, brushing down his obviously expensive robes. "I could've broken something!"

"I-I'm sorry." she stuttered, "I misstepped - You frightened me."

"Clearly." The boy scoffed before eyeing her, his nose immediately scrunching up with a clear look of distaste. She was not familiar to him in the slightest, and was an odd sight indeed. Her dark skin was covered in mud and cuts from falling down and being nicked by sharp branches. Her dark hair, despite always being untameable, was completely wild, sticking out in every direction possible, and was entangled with sticks and leaves. And her blue dress, which had once been pristine, was now ripped and filthy. She certainly looked less presentable than she had that morning, looking less like Princess and more like a wild forest child. "Are you a Muggle or something?"

Mira gaped, her jaw dropping as she found herself at a loss for words. "I beg your pardon?" He was quite rude, this boy. Of course she wasn't a Muggle! "What did you say your name was again?"

The look of disgust melted away and was replaced by a wide, proud smirk. "I'm Draco Malfoy."

The boy said it with such arrogance that Mira was sure she was supposed to know who he was, but his name, while unique, rang no bells. She could only look at him blankly.

Draco seemed irritated by her unfamiliarity, but couldn't be too surprised, especially if she was some Muggle girl who'd wandered too far. When she remained silent, he rolled his eyes. "What are you doing on my property, Muggle?"

Mira's eyes flared with irritation. "This isn't your property! And I'm not a Muggle!" she snapped, stamping her foot. "We were just chasing a Niffler."

"A Niffler?" He snorted. "I would've thought a girl like you would be frightened to even step foot in the woods."

Mira recoiled slightly, spluttering in outrage. "I'm not scared! There's not even- there's nothing to be scared of."

Draco's smirk reappeared as he stepped towards her. "Of course there is. Surely you've heard the stories?" Mira remained silent, but was unable to hide her worry. "There's been all sorts of sightings and strange things happen here... People have gone missing, never to be seen again, and they even found someone mauled to death by werewolves and acromantulas."

A terrified gasp left Mira as she stared at Draco in horror. What if there were werewolves and acromantulas there right now? What if that was why she wasn't allowed to come into the forest? Mira's heart was filling with dread with every passing second as she realised they should've listened to Tala after all. And now they were in the middle of the forest, surrounded by terrifying beasts without any clue of how to get home.

Mira was on the brink of a panic attack and almost missed Koda and Tala yelling her name as they jumped down from the fallen tree and weaved themselves around her legs. Tala nuzzled her while Koda glared up at the stranger.

"That's definitely not true." he growled. "We live at the castle and would've heard the werewolves."

Draco's eyes bulged as he stared down at the small creatures, instantly catching sight of the small wings which sprouted from their backs. "A-A Dracanis? No... Only the-" The three of them watched as the boy pieced everything together, his eyes once again falling onto Mira. How hadn't he noticed the striking green of her eyes, or recognised the accent to her voice. "Princess Mirella..."

Koda snorted while Mira smiled politely and nodded, holding out her hand to him. "Yes, I'm Mira."

Draco gaped at her, limply shaking her hand as he tried to wrap his head around what was happening. Below them, Tala and Koda were glancing between their friend and Draco whom was still staring. "Ok...Well, we best be going. Plenty more to see." said Koda, slyly nudging Mira as he began walking away from Draco.

Mira swallowed nervously as she glanced at Koda, unsure of whether she wanted to go at all. She was sure there were no werewolves, but she wasn't certain that Acromantulas weren't out there. Regardless, Koda was showing no signs of stopping, and she knew she'd lose sight of him if she didn't follow. Glancing back at Draco, she smiled. "It was nice meeting you."

She and Tala hurried after Koda, and Draco watched them go, deeply confused by the experience. However, the moment she disappeared from sight seemed to shake him from his shock and he hurried after her. "Wait! What are you doing?" he yelled, rushing through the trees.

Mira paused and turned to look at him, confused. "We're exploring?"

"You- no. You can't!" Tala nodded, wholeheartedly agreeing. Koda, on the other hand, huffed.

"And why is that?" demanded the pale Dracanis.

Draco panted and nodded to their surroundings. "There's creatures in here."

Mira played with her fingers as the familiar wave of fear crashed over her. Koda simply laughed. "Yeah, they're called Nifflers and Deer." Draco opened his mouth to protest, but Koda had already turned his back. "Let's go."

Tala scolded Koda for his rudeness but followed him regardless. Mira watched them before glancing at Draco shyly. "You could come with us if you'd like?" He'd been quite rude to her, but she had just fallen on him, and she was a stranger, so she couldn't really fault him. He didn't seem so bad, really, and she wouldn't have minded some more company. "Unless you're scared?" she joked, laughing nervously.

"I'm not scared!" Her smile dropped the moment he snapped at her and looked away. After that, there was nothing more she could say, so she simply nodded and walked away from him once more.

"Just us?" wondered Tala, glancing up at Mira as she fell in to step with her. Mira only nodded before they heard hurried footsteps approach. Draco Malfoy appeared at her side, grumbling quietly about coming with them. Mira could barely contain her smile.

The four wandered deeper into the forest with Koda hot on the tail of some other poor creature he'd decided to harass. Draco was mostly silent for the walk, eyeing everything cautiously and jumping with fright whenever there was any noise or movement that would come from within the trees. Despite her own fear of what could be there, Mira did find his jumpiness rather amusing.

Soon enough they came across a small clearing. It held the most sunlight they'd seen since stepping foot into the forest, the rays illuminating every dark corner of the area from the wide gap in the trees. On the ground, in amongst the foliage, there were a few rocks littered around, and tufts of pure green grass and an assortment of bright flowers had begun sprouting in random patches.

"Wow." Mira breathed, glancing around the glade in awe before settling down on one of the many stones. She stared up, smiling blissfully at the perfect circle the tops of the trees had created. Around them, birds sang their many beautiful songs, the wind whistled, water trickled along the tiny stream, and whatever animals roamed there rustled leaves as they remained hidden in the shrubbery. It was positively serene.

The serenity of the area didn't last too long as Koda went zooming through it in pursuit of a rabbit. After he disappeared from sight, all they could hear were the cracks and snaps from branches and twigs as the Dracanis charged through the trees, earning squeaks and squawks of fright from every creature he disturbed. The sounds seemed to do nothing for Draco's nerves as he seemed to flinch every two seconds.

Mira's giggle distracted him enough from his worrying to frown at her teasing. He folded his arms, his lips pursing slightly with annoyance before finally speaking to her. "Why is it that you're wandering alone, anyway? I would've thought you'd have guards with you."

Tala scoffed to herself, shooting Mira a look before settling beside her. Mira smiled sheepishly. "Yes, well usually I do...But my Brothers and I decided we wanted to do something fun, and we ran away from our guards, and then we got lost. And we were going to go back, but I've never been this far outside of the Castle and wanted to see what it was like..."

Draco cocked an eyebrow in doubt. "I would've expected you to be able to do whatever you wanted."

Mira laughed at that, a little bitterly she'd admit. She lived a privileged life, there was no denying that, but she truly did see the Castle as more of a prison than a home at times.

"I am very lucky in that respect." she admitted, briefly glancing at Draco before focusing on her hands. "I'm only allowed to go as far as the borderline of the Castle, and until today, I hadn't even been that far. I've never seen outside the Castle; I don't know what's around it, or who lives nearby. All I've known is within the border, and I won't see anything else until I start Hogwarts. So when we managed to get this far, we decided to just look a little more."

"Um, no...You and Koda decided, I had nothing to do with it." Tala reminded her.

Mira gave her head a stroke and smiled. "Yes, Koda and I decided."

Draco was truly surprised by her admittance. He'd expected her to have been to every country she'd desired by then. "So you haven't been anywhere? Not even Diagon Alley?" She shook her head sadly. "I think you'd like it. There's an ice cream parlour, and a confectionary, and a Quidditch shop!"

Mira's eyes widened at his words. Theron had never told her about the ice cream parlour. She sat up straighter and beamed. "Tell me more?"

Draco paused for a moment before nodding. "Well, Florean's - the ice cream parlour - has every flavour you can think of! And every topping! My favourite is apple and raspberry...There's a joke shop too, but I've never been allowed in, but I've seen wet-start fireworks and dungbombs."

Mira scrunched up her nose at that, but continued to listen intently, hanging onto Draco's every word. "There's also an owl emporium, but I went to the menagerie to get mine. He's an Eagle owl and I called him Ulysses. They have all sorts in there. I've seen Puffskeins, and Bats, and Ravens! They've even got Fire Crabs! One nearly burnt my face off once, but I managed to get out the way before it could." Mira's eyes were alight with admiration as Draco told her all he knew.

"They sell loads more like cats and toads, but I bet there's things there they won't show us...Monsters and great beasts, you know? My House Elf says that when he goes to our vault at Gringotts, he hears great, mighty roars!"

Mira gasped and Draco grinned as he tried to make himself seem taller and scarier. "I think some sort of beast escaped from the menagerie and lives down there now, guarding the vaults from thieves. I bet it's ginormous and hairy, with long sharp teeth and blood red eyes!"

Mira squeaked in fear and then it was Draco's turn to laugh at her. She glared at him before shivering as the air suddenly became cold. Goosebumps appeared on her skin as the light and warmth seemed to be stripped from the clearing. Confused, she glanced up at the break in the trees and saw that it was still bright, but there was little sunlight hitting the area.

"Where's this coming from?" questioned Draco. Mira finally glanced at the ground and found she couldn't even see her feet as the forest floor was completely covered in mist.

"Something isn't right." Tala whispered, frowning up at Mira and Draco whom where rubbing their arms to try and return some heat to their limbs.

Tala went to speak once more, but she was silenced by a deep growl coming from within the trees. The three of them froze, staring in the direction of the growl. Their hearts began pounding with fear when a loud snap echoed around them.

"Koda?" Mira called, her voice meek and shaky.

"Koda is that you?" yelled Tala.

There was no reply, until the bushes beside them rustled and they saw Koda slowly backing out of the tree line. They let out a breath of relief until they noticed he was whimpering and staring at something the rest of them couldn't see. Something which had him trembling with fear.

"What is-" Mira's words became caught in her throat as something stepped out of the bushes, and they finally caught sight of what had terrified her companion.

A huge, pale white dog stood before them, its sharp teeth dripping with saliva as it snarled at the group. It appeared to be more of an apparition than an actual dog, as the pale glow of its fur seemed to ripple around it like smoke, but it terrified them nonetheless.

"A Gytrash." whimpered Draco.

No one could say a word as they gradually edged away from the snarling beast, careful not to make any sudden movements as to provoke it. The Gytrash watched them with its ghostly white eyes, its forked tail stiffly sweeping from side to side. They were almost out of the clearing when the beast snapped its jaws and took a step forward, frightening Koda enough to sprint towards Mira and leap into her arms. His sudden movement earned them a sickening bark from the Gytrash before it crouched, ready to pounce.

Without hesitation the four screamed on terror and sprinted out of the clearing. Mira shoved Koda into Draco's arms and swept Tala up from the ground as they ran as fast as they possibly could. They could hear the heavy pounding of the Gytrash's paws as it chased them down, a near constant snarl leaving its throat. With the darkness which had descended on the forest, and pure panic they were in, it was difficult to navigate their way through the wood. They had no idea if they were heading back the way they came, or if they were charging straight into more danger. Behind them, the Gytrash let out a deafening, haunting howl which shook them to the core, and the chilling howls which responded had Mira choking out a sob as they heard more of them join the chase.

"Up that tree!" yelled Koda, pointing his nose towards a tree which stood a short distance away and appeared easy enough to climb.

Mira and Draco ran to it as fast as they could and all but launched themselves onto the branches. The two Dracanis' climbed on their own, getting as high as possible. Behind them was Mira, and then Draco who only just managed to jump up as one of the beasts lunged for him. The two of them clambered up the tree, trying to reach the same height as Koda and Tala whom were gazing down at them and the pack of beasts which had encircled the tree. Mira panted as she climbed a little further, but as she reached to for the next branch, she found her fingertips could only brush against it. She grit her teeth and stood on another branch to push herself higher, but as she did, her foot slipped against the algae and she dropped down, narrowly missing Draco. She screamed as she flailed, her back hitting branch after branch before she managed to lock her arms around one, halting her fall.

Tears spilled from her eyes as she glanced down, seeing the Gytrashes below locking their eyes onto her. Each of them jumped up, snapping at her ankles as she desperately tried to wrap her legs around the branch. They were so close to getting a hold of her that she could feel freezing air as their teeth briefly nipped at the skin of her ankle. She screamed as they kept leaping for her, giving her no chance to try and grab another branch. They were all too far away for her to reach without giving the Gytrashes the opportunity to drag her down from the tree.

Koda leaped down towards her, desperately looking around him to see if he could help in any way and whimpering when he couldn't. Mira's' lip trembled as she stared at Koda, before Draco suddenly appeared at his side and held his hand out. She stared at him, petrified of letting go of the branch. Below her, the Gytrashes snarled constantly, the snapping of their jaws consuming her mind with the thought of what would happen if she fell. She squeezed her eyes closed, sobbing quietly.

"Mira, I won't let you fall...I promise." Mira opened her eyes, blinking away her tears to look at him. His eyes were also filled with fear, but she found herself trusting him nonetheless. She wrapped her legs tightly around the branch before reaching her hand out and gripped his. He used his other hand to keep a tight hold onto another branch as he pulled her up. She managed to use her foot as leverage and push herself higher and out of danger. Together the three of them climbed well out of the Gytrashes reach, joining Tala on one of the higher branches.

Once settled on a sturdy branch, they could finally take a breath. Mira could feel her blood pumping in her ears as she panted, her breath heavy and short as she watched the pack of pale beasts continue to circle the tree, hoping one of them would fall the whole way. When she finally calmed, she looked at Draco, her eyes wide with gratitude and admiration. "Thank you, Draco. For saving me."

The boy continued to pant before a hint of a smile appeared on his lips as he shook his head. "I told you there were things in the trees." he joked.

Mira looked at him in surprise and bit her lip to prevent her giggles until she snorted. She covered her mouth, her shoulders shaking from laughter which only made the others join in also. The four of them just sat there and laughed until they heard a bang in the distance and they instantly sobered from their moment of peace, falling silent once more. Koda and Tala stood to attention, focused on figuring out what was approaching. Mira and Draco watched them closely for any sign that it could be something bad, but when their tails began wagging, they relaxed.

"It's Dimitri and the others!" exclaimed Tala.

"MIRA!"

She immediately gasped when she heard Dimitri's voice, and the four of them immediately began yelling, leading the guards to their position. Below, the Gytrashes diverted their attention to the approaching guards before the space was illuminated with a bright, blinding light. The spell appeared to do the trick as the beasts helped and clambered over one another to get away from the light. The four of them let out a collective sigh of relief to see them gone and were even happier when the guards stepped into view.

"MIRA!"

"Up here!" she called, and the group immediately looked up. Dimitri dropped his head, and the stress visibly left his body as his shoulders dropped, until he looked back up at her. Mira's relief was short lived as she realised how angry he was.

"I told you." whispered Tala before she leapt down the tree to return to ground. The others remained in the tree, not sure if they wanted to face the wrath of Dimitri, and worse, Miss Ali. Unfortunately, they had no choice when Dimitri gestured for them to come down.

The three of them slowly climbed down before being helped out of the tree. Draco was immediately surrounded and eyed suspiciously, whereas Mira was immediately checked for injuries by Dimitri the moment she was within his grasp. His jaw became tenser with every wound he discovered. Her skin was nearly entirely covered in scratches, and her back was almost bright red and bloody from her fall. When he finally saw her raw, bleeding knees and hands, he sighed and glanced up at her. "Are you okay?" She nodded slightly and that was enough for him for the moment. He stood and focused his attention on Draco who seemed to shrink under the intimidating glare of the guards. "And who are you?"

Draco only stared at him with wide eyes, unable to speak. Dimitri's glare darkened. "It's ok!" said Mira, pulling Dimitri's attention from Draco. "He's my friend. He saved me from those awful Gytrashes."

Dimitri frowned down at her before scoffing in disbelief. He turned away from Draco and placed a hand on Mira's shoulder. "Let's get back. I think you've been out long enough."

Mira swallowed nervously but spoke no more as they began the walk back towards the Castle. She, Draco, and the Dracanis' were surrounded by the guards, with Dimitri directly behind them, not letting them out of his sight for a single second. Draco nervously glanced at each of the men that surrounded them; Each of them were huge, burly men whom had expressions as hard as stone and looked to be able to snap him in two without breaking a sweat. Most of them looked like seasoned wizards and fighters, and they all were, even Dimitri.

The guard was far younger than the others, having only finished Hogwarts a few years prior. He had been trained under the Commander of the Guard, Fionn Grant, and had impressed him enough to recommend him for the position as Princess Mira's personal protector. He wasn't as experienced in the field as his fellow guards, but he was just as skilled, and had a talent for handling the children...Most of the time.

"Are you going to be in big trouble?" Draco whispered, concerned.

Mira quickly glanced back at Dimitri and fought a wince at the anger that had yet to dissipate from his face. "Probably," she replied. "Miss Ali will be furious, and I'm sure there'll be some consequences, I just hope they don't tell my parents."

Draco hummed before smirking. "Maybe it would've been kinder if I'd let the Gytrashes eat you."

Mira slapped her hand over her mouth to hide her giggles as Draco grinned. Dimitri cleared his throat, and the two swiftly ended their amusement. They glanced at one another briefly but continued the walk in silence. It was a long trek before they came across a stream which looked vaguely familiar and Draco stopped. "This is my way home."

Mira tried to hide her disappointment that he was leaving, having enjoyed his company for most of their time together. "Oh..." She glanced over her shoulder and saw that the Castle wasn't too far away from there. Then came the idea. "Would you like to come to the Castle some time? I could show you around."

"Mira..." Dimitri said warningly. She sighed and dropped her head, knowing that she had clearly overstepped her mark.

A look of surprise had flickered across Draco's face before he frowned. Draco was silent for a moment before he nodded firmly. "I would like that."

The smile that spread across Mira's face was brighter than any smile he'd seen, and he couldn't help but reciprocate as she squealed in delight. Dimitri repeated her name and she sighed. "I'll send you an owl when you're allowed?"

"No!" he exclaimed, and she looked at him oddly before shrugging.

"Ok...How about I send a House Elf?" she offered.

He nodded. "Yes, send a House Elf. Tell them to speak to Dobby and no one else."

"Dobby... Very well." She beamed once more before throwing her arms around him, squeezing him in a tight embrace. "I'll see you soon."

"Bye!" Koda and Tala waved along with Mira as they watched him step on the stones to cross the stream before disappearing from sight. Once he was gone, Dimitri gently directed her back towards the Castle and easily fell into step with her.

"Do you have any idea how careless you've been?" Mira stared at the ground as Dimitri started to speak. His voice was steady, but his tone cut like a knife. "Hours you've been missing! No one knew where you were, not even your Brothers! Anything could've happened to you."

Shame consumed her as she avoided Dimitri's gaze. It had seemed like such a good idea at the time, and well worth the risk, but it had quickly catapulted into disaster, and now she had disappointed Dimitri. Other than her Father and Miss Ali, he was the one she never wanted to disappoint or anger, but she'd failed in doing so.

"I'm sorry." she whispered, biting down on her trembling lip. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you upset. I just wanted to see what was out there. Please don't hate me!"

"Dimitri," Koda muttered, turning to the guard with his ears pressed flat against his head. "I'm the one who you should blame. I convinced her to go."

Dimitri sighed deeply, pushing his dark hair out of his eyes before placing a hand on Mira's shoulder to stop her. "All of you carry on, we'll be with you soon."

The other guards nodded and continued the walk back to the Castle. Koda looked at Mira worriedly, and when he didn't move, Tala gently nudged him, neither saying a word. Once they were far enough away, Dimitri crouched down to Mira's level and ducked his head to meet her eyes, but she kept them down.

"Mira...Look at me." he said gently, placing his hand atop her own. When her gaze remained locked on the floor, he hardened his tone. "Mirella, look at me now."

Slowly, she raised her head, and her green eyes met his own hazel ones. He immediately softened when he saw the tears welling up and placed a gentle hand on her cheek. "There's no need for that," he spoke, carefully stroking away the tear which trickled down her cheek. "You drive me mad and give me a heart attack almost every day, but I could never hate you. I'm furious with you, but I'm more relieved you're alive."

"I understand that you want to have fun and see a bit more of the world, but there is a reason why you're protected. I'm not at liberty to tell you, but you will understand one day. Your safety is my main priority and you were put at serious risk today." Dimitri gave her a serious look, and the shame came washing over her once again. "Do you have any ideas what those Gytrashes could've done to you?"

Mira pursed her lips a little. "They didn't look that scary to me." she mumbled. That was a complete lie, but she wasn't about to admit that to him.

Dimitri cocked an eyebrow at her words before scoffing. "Oh really? Is that why you were screaming and hiding up a tree?"

Mira went to protest, but found herself falling short on an argument for what felt like the hundredth time that day. Instead, she opted to mutter under her breath and look away once more. Dimitri only chuckled at her, and Mira was secretly glad that he'd at least smiled at her. "There is far more danger in our world, far more than you can even imagine, which is why you can't just go running off. You got lucky today. The outcome could've been far worse."

Mira shivered involuntarily, recalling the freezing teeth of the Gytrashes nipping at her skin every time they nearly got her. It was not something she wished to experience anytime soon, or ever again for that matter.

"I know you want more freedom, but that will come with time and good behaviour. Which means you don't go running off any chance you get." Mira sighed, defeated. It seemed that there was no way around it. "But what about that boy from before? What did you say his name was?"

"Oh! That's Draco. Draco Malfoy. We met when I fell on him, but I didn't do it on purpose, he scared me! And-" Dimitri tuned out the rest of Mira's ramblings and felt like tearing out his hair. Of course it was Malfoy's boy. Out of all the children she could've befriended, it had to be the son of a Death Eater. It certainly explained why he wanted her to send an Elf rather than an owl, he couldn't imagine that Lucius would allow his only son to be friends with his enemy's daughter. That being said, there was no way the King would approve either. He would have to put an end to it, but as he looked at Mira, whose eyes glittered as she talked about her new friend, her first friend, Dimitri wasn't sure he had the heart to rip that away from her.

"Will you let him come over? Please? I promise I won't run away, and you can be with us the whole time! I thought I could show him the secret garden, I think he'd like it there."

No, he didn't have the heart at all. He would have to figure out a way around it, and in the meantime, he could only hope that Mira miraculously forgot about the boy, or would soon come to find him abhorrent. It would certainly make his job easier if she did.

"I'll speak with Aleena about it. I can't make any promises, but I will talk to her." It was all he could offer her at that time, but it seemed to be enough as her smile returned once more and she wrapped her arms around his neck, thanking him over and over. He chuckled and embraced her, lifting her into his arms. As he did, she winced a little and he suddenly remembered her injuries. He shuffled her in his arms, careful to avoid her back as he hurried back up to the Castle.

"But before any of that, I think we need to get your injuries looked at, and I do believe that Aleena wants a little word with you."