Ginny

"Did you hear, Hagrid gave his whole class a free last period. And get this, Cielie was in it," Neville says as he reaches for the potatoes. I turn to him, taking the gravy from Luna as I do.

"Why does it matter that Cielie was in it?" I ask Neville. I'd been hearing rumors about something going on with 'the golden trio' and the 'Diggory girl' as I had passed through the hall to Lunch. And was rather curious as to what was going on, especially since neither Luna nor myself had seen Cielie since Breakfast.

"They're saying class was canceled because of her, some people say she was holding an egg of sorts. Although I'm not sure if I believe that part," Neville answers earnestly.

"I wonder where Cielie is now? Some kids said they saw her walking back up to the castle, but no one has seen her since," Dean tells me from across the table. I nod, but am only really half listening now. An egg, if that part is true, must have come from somewhere, and I think I know where. Cielie had been left a box, one from her mother, one that she couldn't open. But maybe, maybe she had gotten open, and maybe the egg had been inside.

I turn to Luna, who meets my eyes and gives a small nod. Clearly, we've had the same thought. "Where could she be?" Luna says, just as another thought springs into my head. If Cielie went to Hagrid, and then had to go up to the castle, well chances are that she needs a healer. Hagrid is a great teacher and all, but when he gets excited things normally don't end well. I shudder as I remember the blast-ended skrewts. That was a disaster if I ever saw one, but it does make me think that the hospital wing is the best bet as to where Cielie is.

I tell Luna as much, and she agrees. The two of us quickly excuse ourselves from the table and head up the stairs.

"Oi, Red-head!" a voice shouts from higher up on the staircase. I turn my head to see Malfoy walking towards us. I roll my eyes and try to walk past him. As I expected it doesn't work and Malfoy grabs my shoulder.

"Weasley, I'm talking to you. Where's your friend, Cecilia?"

"Two things: One, my name is Ginny, not Weasley or 'red-head'. Two, why do you care?" I snap at him. Luna grins and Malfoy just looks stunned. Then he just brushes past me. His annoyance obvious in the way he huffs and mutters, "Doesn't matter anyway."

Luna and I high-five and continue up to the hospital wing. "Serves him right, that arrogant ass," I say, in my anger I forget to watch for missing steps and end up sinking up to the knee in the staircase. "Just my day," I grumble as Luna pulls me up, she tries to stifle a giggle, but to no avail. At first, I am annoyed, but sighing I laugh at my own mistake. We make it to the hospital wing with no other mishaps, something which I am grateful for, and walk in.

Cielie is sitting on a bed in the back. Her hand is being bandaged by Madam Pomfrey and her back is to us. As we come closer, Madam Pomfrey turns, she gives a small sigh of relief when she realizes it's only Luna and I. I wonder if she has had another visitor come to see Cielie, a less pleasant one perhaps. Luna skips over to Cielie and sits down next to her on the bed. I follow her and gasp.

Burns cover her hands, blisters have formed, and the skin, angry and bright red, is peeling slightly. I stare, I don't even try to hide my shock as Cielie looks up at me. She only laughs though, and for a moment I wonder if she's lost it and gone mad. I share a look with Luna, about to draw Madam Pomfrey aside and voice my concerns, when Cielie pipes up.

"The burns aren't as bad as they look, Ginny. And they don't even hurt, thanks to Madam Pomfrey's potion. You don't need to look at me like I'm a dragon burn victim." She suddenly starts snickering, and Madam Pomfrey joins in. This time I question both of their sanities. She starts up again, explaining.

"Actually, I guess you can look at me like a dragon burn victim, because that's where I got the burns from. The dragon was in the box, the one from my mother that wouldn't open," Cielie tells us, as she does so she pulls something out of her robe pocket and holds it out to us. Luna's eyes widen and she gives a small squeal. I just stare, this seems like something out of a crazy fever induced dream. I pinch myself, just to check if it isn't just that, a dream.

Of course, it isn't a dream. This is only confirmed when Luna scoops up the dragon and strokes its scales, offering it to me. I shake my head and take a small step back, this day has really taken a turn, whether it's for the best or not. I look at Luna holding the dragon, then at Cielie, who's hands have been bandaged, and then I look at Madam Pomfrey, who seems uncharacteristically cool with all of this. What a strange day this has been, and unfortunately, it's not over yet.

Cielie

The look on Luna's face when I pull the small, warm bundle of dragon out of my robes is enough to light up the drab snowy sky. Ginny, on the other hand, looks shocked and more than a little nervous. I can understand her nervousness. I suppose I would be to if I saw a dragon next to a victim of its burns. If the dragon hadn't come out of my mother's box I would have been scared too. I don't know what it is exactly that makes me so okay with the idea of a dragon, although I reckon it has to do with the fact that my mother had something to do with it. I'm sure that she meant for me to receive it. The idea that my father had no idea what was in it and that it was just pure chance that brought it into my hands is just too painful, so I go with the first one.

Madam Pomfrey finishes applying the cream to my hands and moves on to the bandages. My hands tingle slightly as pressure is applied, but as I told Ginny, the healing potion I took helps keep the pain to a minimum. I watch her meticulous work, fascinated by the care and precision that she uses, even when doing something as trivial as wrapping a bandage. She could have used magic, but she chose not to, something that few witches or wizards in her place would have done. It makes me wonder as to why, perhaps it seems less detached and is meant to calm the patient, or maybe it is just her personal preference. Either way, I find it a sweet gesture and make sure to thank her as she finishes tying off the end of the dressing.

Looking back at my friends I see Luna tickling the dragon's small scaly stomach and Ginny watching. A bit of her nervousness washing away as she sees the dragon snuggle against Luna's chest and she even gives a small smile.

"What do you think?" I ask Luna. She gives me a grin.

"She's beautiful. Even more than a crumple-horned snorkack," Luna says ecstatically. Ginny rolls her eyes and we both share a giggle.

"Luna, you know your dad probably just made them up. Even the famous zoologist and explorer Newt Scamander hasn't seen one. If he hasn't, I bet they don't exist," Ginny tells Luna, slightly exasperated.

"No, I'm sure they exist. My father has a horn in his office. I'll show it to you during the holidays, Ginny," Luna responds. I laugh as Ginny pulls a face in defeat. The three of us sit on the hospital bed and continue to chatter away about what's gone on in the past few days and our plans for the upcoming break for the holidays. Madam Pomfrey pipes in every now and then as she bustles around the wing. At one point, she conjures three hot chocolates out of the air and we sip on it as a soft snow falls outside. The dragon is back in my arms and feels warm nestled in my robes, this moment is perfect. The only thing that could make it more so would be Cedric, but I'll just have to make do with what I have.

Hey, TigerMoon here

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Reviews would be appreciated. Hope you guys enjoy the chapter! :)