Never Tickle A Sleeping Dragon Slayer: A Harry Potter Fanfiction
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter: all rights belong to JK Rowling. I do not own any crossover references used in the story: all rights belong to the original creators. I do own any OC spells explained at the end of a chapter.
Plot: Inspired by Fairy Tail: When Harry went into the First Task, facing almost-certain death, he discovers a secret with the power to make him a truly great sorcerer, with a form of magic that is truly unique and as sweet as candy.
Author's Note: So, before anyone says anything – and even after because I know you'll probably complain anyway – let me just say that I promised myself no more new stories for a while, now I'm back and ready to bring the fun. But then, in going through a LOT of scrap notes that I took during Lockdown, I came across this little nugget and, well, oil meet fire.
Also, some of you MIGHT recognise some similarities between an idea I had once upon a time: this is intentional and, at the same time, it's an excuse for some fun, so let's see what sort of fun we can have with this one.
Oh, and as for the obvious crossover reference you'll also recognise, let me stress that this is NOT a crossover; I'm just borrowing a concept from another fandom and putting it in this adventure – don't own said crossover fandom, Fairy Tail, btw; all rights to original creators – so any characters, plots or themes apart from what I use that fans of said fandom might ask are they going to be in this story? The answer's no…not unless I think it can apply to the story as a whole, in some way.
And, on that note, let me end by saying what I always say:
If you don't like it, don't read it.
Dedication: I'd like to dedicate this story to everyone that enjoys my work and continues to support and encourage me to keep going: my recommended reads are Apex, Trickshot and Emerald Dragon by JustBored21, There Be Dragons, Harry by Scioneeris, Dragon Fire by Luboun, The Boy Who Lived, The Brightest Witch And The Boy Who Wasn't by dragonfly117, Harry Potter and the Tribe of Mystics and Harold Peverell and the Order of Snow Leopard by Lord of mystics, Dragon Chronicles 1: Muggle-Raised Champion and Dragon Chronicles 2: Harry Potter, Dragon Whisperer by Stargon1, Harry Is A Dragon, And That's Okay by Saphroneth, Lightning Dragon's Roar by Zero Rewind, On Black Wings by Darkscythe Drake and REWRITE: Dragons speak Parseltongue too, you know by Potterwatcher
Key Pairings: Harmony; Neville/Ginny
Other Pairings: To be determined
Normal Speech
'Thoughts'
'Mind Speech'
/Parseltongue/
/Draconian/
Chapter 1: Kiss of the Dragon
"Three of our Champions have now faced their dragons and, as a result, they will be able to move onto the next task: and now, please join me in welcoming our fourth, and final, Champion…"
As soon as Professor Dumbledore's voice echoed through the arena, his last words seemed to be the cue for jeering, booing and even more cries of cheat, liar, glory-hound and many hopes and dreams of him dying, all of which were aimed at the fourth Triwizard Champion, Harry James Potter.
Dressed in his Champion's Robes, Harry did his best to swallow down his nerves as he emerged from the safety of the tent, moving on slow, sluggish footsteps as he walked into the dragon's pit. Of course, this seemed to be the cue for louder boos and jeers, as well as mocking laughter and more cries and taunts aimed in his direction, many of which seemed to have the same topic about them.
Namely the thought of Harry Potter ending up as nothing more than a bone-filled pile of dragon shit after being roasted alive and devoured – or, as some of the mocking remarks insisted, the devouring without roasting him first – as though he was nothing more than an appetiser for one of the world's most-dangerous breeds of dragon.
As he stepped into full view of the rest of his peers, as well as the guests from Durmstrang and Beauxbatons, however, Harry didn't let any hint of annoyance or intimidation cross his face.
Instead, he looked around the arena's stands, ignoring the sneering faces, negative remarks and hateful expressions of about 66% of the crowd, all of whom came from Hogwarts, namely Puffs, Snakes and even a few Ravens, as he let his eyes wander over them. Of course, Harry also saw his former best friend, Ronald Weasley – a boy Harry had always believed was the brother he never had before the redhead had shown his true colours thanks to this stupid Tournament – watching him with a mixture of smug anticipation and, unless Harry's eyes were fooling him, a hint of fear, given the fact he'd just seen the previous Champions take on their dragons.
Poor Ron nearly fainted at the sight of 'em.
Weirdly, it was Hagrid's words from when he'd accidentally revealed the dragons to Harry before the First Task that crossed Harry's mind; as for the aforementioned half-giant, he seemed to be holding Madame Maxime's arm in a vice-like grip that, were she not giant-blooded herself, Harry had a strong suspicion that her arm would have disintegrated beneath Hagrid's grip.
It was nice to know he still had some friends out there.
And then, as Harry smiled at the thought that crossed his mind, he saw her.
The only real friend – well, student-friend – who'd stood her ground and planted her flag firmly in Team Harry's Camp: Hermione Jean Granger.
Not to his surprise, Harry could already see tears flowing down her cheeks, undoubtedly worried, if not piss-herself-terrified for him after having already watched Krum, Delacour and Diggory take on their dragons. Like Hagrid, she also had her hands wrapped around someone's arm, though, when Harry looked, he was both surprised, as well as relieved, if not thankful, to see it was Fred – or George – whom Hermione was holding onto, the Twin, as well as his brother, sat either side of Hermione like bodyguards defending a VIP, both of them also smiling when they saw Harry look up at them before, silently sharing his emotion with them, Harry nodded once, earning a chorused movement of the same action in return.
Next to George – or Fred – Harry also saw Ginny with her head buried in the shoulder of Neville Longbottom, the usually-shy, timid Gryffindor holding Ginny's head in such a way that, much like Hermione, the redheaded girl couldn't bring herself to watch Harry's trial, especially not if it meant that these naysayers, hypocrites and laughing hyenas were right and he was about to end up a dragon's dinner.
'So, I wonder why Hermione is watching, especially since she must be as terrified,' thought Harry, removing his glasses for only a moment to wipe at his eyes as he looked back to Hermione, who seemed to tighten her grip on Fred – or George's – arm as Harry looked up at her and, like he'd done to the Twins, he smiled before he winked, a part of him wondering if his own apparent confidence would be enough to appease her.
Given how the brunette still didn't look away, Harry hoped he was right.
Or rather, he hoped it right up to the moment that dead silence suddenly filled the arena, accompanied by a burst of heat that suddenly tousled Harry's hair, making the emerald-eyed scion gulp hard as he knew, without needing to guess, why everyone had gone so deathly quiet.
"It's standing right behind me, isn't it?"
Curiously, his remark earned him a laugh from the Twins, as well as a couple of younger Gryffindors – including Ginny, who managed to look up long enough to laugh before she quickly hid against Neville's shoulder again – while, even as he prepared to face the inevitable, he saw Hermione.
Her smile.
Her teary, bright, chocolate-brown eyes.
Her tears!
You'll be okay, Harry…you're a great wizard…you really are…
Her words from their first year filled Harry's head, even as he looked up at Hermione before, returning the smile with as much confidence as he could muster, Harry flicked his wrist, summoning his wand from the holster concealed beneath his robe – a good-luck gift from a certain shaggy dog supporter he knew and loved and was REALLY thankful wasn't there at that moment – before he turned to face the Hungarian Horntail.
As soon as he faced the reptilian monster, however, Harry's eyes widened with a mixture of awe, wonder and no small amount of personal appreciation as he found himself looking not at the great-spiked beast as a whole.
Instead, Harry was a little intimidated, but also in awe of the fact that he was actually staring into the bright, slit-pupiled, golden-yellow-coloured eye of the nesting dragon, her black slit pupil so close to him that Harry could see his own reflection in the darkness.
"Oh…" rasped Harry, his throat drying up with a mixture of dread and speechlessness as he found himself staring into the eye of the dragon, and he didn't dare blink, even as he addressed the creature before him, "Hello, beastie…aren't you beautiful? Oh, look at you, you sexy thing…"
"Is he insane?" asked a random Ravenclaw.
"He put his name in the Goblet and cheated to become a Champion; what do you think?" sneered Zacharias Smith, though, judging by the stammer in his voice, it was clear even this naysayer was more-intimidated than Harry felt, even as he looked into the eye of the dragon.
He knew he should move his wand, use the strategy that he and Hermione had come up with, but, as Harry stared into the dragon's eye, he found himself frozen by awe, wonder and no small amount of respect for the great beast of burden standing in front of him. He could feel her breath brush against his side, teasing the fingers where he held his wand in the process while, at the same time, he could hear the dragon growl as she stared him down, again leaving Harry with the urge to flinch, blink or look away, but, for some unknown reason, he couldn't.
'No,' thought Harry, licking his lips slowly as he mused, 'It…it's not that I can't…it's…it's that I…I don't want to.'
"Come on, you stupid great beast; roast him already. I've got a small fortune riding on Potter's death."
'Arrogance like that can only come from Ferret Boy…and, like normal, no-one's shutting him up,' thought Harry, keeping his eyes on the dragon's one eye, even as he scowled at the annoying voice that filled the silence behind him, which only seemed to be the cue for a lot of other degenerate gamblers – meaning anyone and everyone who had money on him dying – to put their own two Knuts in.
Or rather, they did so until the Horntail lifted her head and, to Harry's amazement, she unleashed a very powerful burst of dragon-fire from her maw, not aimed at Harry, but rather, much like Dumbledore would shoot off loud bangs from his wand, so too did the dragon breathe her fire into the air, silencing the crowds before she lowered her head to Harry once more.
As for Harry, he gulped hard before, in a move that was almost like déjà vu for him, he shrugged ruefully as he told her, "Sorry about them: they don't understand what it's like when you'd rather protect your eggs, watching as people press their ugly faces in on you."
Even as a few people began whispering among themselves, Harry's eyes widened when, just like the last time he'd said something along those lines, the dragon's one eye looked at him for a long moment before, to his shock, she winked at him.
"You…you understand me?" asked Harry, earning a low growl from the dragon before, to his amazement, she nodded her great head once, which was Harry's cue to ask another question. "But how? I mean…am I speaking Parseltongue without knowing it again?"
Here, the dragon shook her head before, to Harry's surprise, she leaned forwards and, to the amazement of the crowd, the dragon puffed at Harry's famed lightning-bolt scar, touching the tip of her snout to Harry's scar in a move that, unless Harry was beyond insane and as demented as a lot of people seemed to get off on thinking he was, actually felt like a kiss from the dragon.
"Uh…" said Harry, watching as the dragon retracted her head before he muttered, "Thank you?"
/You are most welcome, hatchling…/
Suddenly, a deep, but also-soft female voice filled Harry's ears, even as he watched the Horntail move away from him before she turned and, to the disbelief of the crowd, the Horntail picked up the golden egg from her nest before she turned her great head once more, this time depositing the egg right into Harry's hands.
"What?"
"That's impossible."
"He must be using Dark Magic."
"Of course he is, he's a cheat, remember?"
"He might even be using the Imperius!"
"I wouldn't put it past him…remember Moody's lesson? He can throw it off, so why not master using it?"
"Filthy Death Eater."
"Murdering traitorous scum."
"He should be in Azkaban."
"The filthy beast should have eaten him…"
/SILENCE!/
While the crowd was silenced by the roar from the Horntail as she raised her head once more, unleashing a much-more powerful stream of flames from her maw in retaliation to the remarks spoken by the bloodthirsty crowd, only Harry heard the weird female voice speaking over the roar.
/You filthy insects: you should all realise that you are PREY to His greatness. Pathetic walking meat-sticks: I wouldn't even feed my weakest your disgusting flesh for daring to speak out against Him. The only reason I do not incinerate you here and now is because there are those among you whom are dear to Him. But if they were not here…oh…the feast my flame would enjoy!/
While many of the crowd were silenced once again by the Horntail's roar, only Harry found the strength to move towards the Horntail, raising his left hand as he did so – his right hand holding onto his wand and the golden egg – where, as he reached the dragon, he petted her muzzle, earning a soft, curious growl from the dragon as she locked her eyes onto him again.
"Don't…they're not worth it…they never were."
/As you wish,/ growled the dragon, though, as Harry smiled at her and opened his mouth to say something else, he gasped suddenly when the dragon's snout parted once more, before she hiccupped softly, spitting a stray ember at Harry.
Unfortunately, with his mouth open, there was only one way the ember could go.
Straight down his gullet.
And yet, to Harry's amazement, the flame, the ember and the heat of said strange motion didn't even singe his throat; instead, he could literally feel the heat surge through his body as the ember landed in his stomach. When he did so, Harry was just as surprised to feel something new coursing through him, accompanying the heat in such a way that, as he stared up at the Horntail, unable to figure out what had just happened, the only thing Harry could actually do was smile before he did something that surprised even him.
He licked his lips as he whispered, "Mmm…delicious…um…thanks?"
/You need more to regain your full form, my hatchling,/ growled the Horntail, her words once again surprising and confusing Harry, even as she let her gaze flicker to the crowd before returning to him as she told him, /These humans will not allow me to take you to where you need to go, but there is one. He is Dragon's Friend and Carer to many of my eggs: go to him, tell him of the gift I have awoken in you and he will take you to where you may have all you can eat./
Then, to Harry's amazement, the dragon let out a final roar before she spread her wings wide and, to his disbelief, she bowed to him, her snout brushing the ground as her voice resonated in his ears once more.
/The time of the Dragon Slayers is reborn, at last: may the Spirits bless you, hatchling./
While Harry was left speechless by what he'd just seen, he saw a lone figure move from the handlers' enclosure to take the dragon away.
Red hair.
More freckles than skin.
A dragon-fang earring.
Charlie Weasley: judging by how carefully Charlie guided the Horntail back to where the other dragons had been kept, only to return for the eggs, again treating them with care, Harry had to guess he was the one the dragon had spoken of.
'However she had done that,' thought Harry, holding the golden egg tightly in his right hand, even as he walked back to the tent, though not before he spared one last look in the direction of the handlers' enclosure and the spots where the other dragons had been kept.
'But what did she mean giving me all I could eat? I mean, since when do I eat dragon-fire in the first place? And why did it taste so good?'
A mixture of cheers, jeers and mocking, derivative remarks from the rest of the crowd was Harry's only answer, even as he returned to the Champions' Tent, revealing his egg to the other three in the process.
"Merlin's beard!" gasped Madam Pomfrey, earning a faint smile from Harry as she looked him up and down before she laughed softly;
"Another crazy adventure of yours and not a scratch on you? Well, I suppose there's a first time for everything, Potter."
So, the adventure begins and, personally, I agree with Madam Pomfrey: there is a first time for everything, but what comes next?
Who or what are the 'Dragon Slayers' and what could Charlie Weasley help Harry with?
Exactly what did the Horntail mean when she said Harry would have all he could eat?
What will happen when he eats his fill?
Keep Reading to Find Out
Next Chapter: Harry has to deal with some idiots, as well as the fallout from his terrifying, but also-interesting encounter with the Horntail: also, it looks like Harry has a new mystery to solve: ye gods, the mystery of the nightmares, the mystery of the Dark Mark, the mystery of how he's in the Tournament? Where will it end?
Please Read and Review
AN: Portrayal
Voice of the Horntail: Salma Hayek