Disclaimer: see chapter 1
Chapter 6: Strange Actions
Fira didn't appear again until breakfast the next day. She entered the Great Hall with Draco Malfoy, who looked about as worried as Fira looked. Harry noticed that she had her bottle of brandy and her half- goblet of chicken blood, but she looked much, much paler than she should. Malfoy, too, was paler than he already was, if that was possible. Fira took her seat beside Harry. "Where have you been?" Harry asked her. "Nowhere special," Fira answered dully, glancing over at Malfoy who returned her worried look. "You…seem to be having a silent, invisible conversation with a fellow dragon," Harry said. "Sorry," Fira said, pouring some brandy into her goblet and stirring. Then she drank the contents of the goblet. Some of it dribbled down the side of her chin. She wiped it off after setting the goblet down on the table. "Fira, are you okay?" Harry said, feeling around her neck. "You look paler than usual. Are you sick?" "NO, I'M NOT!" Fira lashed out, making Harry draw back his hand hastily. "Sorry, Harry," Fira said, leaning her elbow on the table and her head on the hand attached to that elbow, rubbing her forehead as if she had a terrible headache. "I just feel a bit tired and sordid…I didn't mean to shout at you…" "Maybe you should eat something," Harry said, taking a plate of rolls and handing it to Fira. "I'm not hungry," she said. "Thanks anyway." "Fira, you've got to eat something," Harry said, putting aside the rolls. "You just might get sick if you don't." "I'm telling you, Harry," Fira said, "I'm fine. I appreciate your concern, but I'm fine. Just a little sleepy…and tired…" "Where've you been all night?" Harry said. But whatever the answer was, Harry never knew as the morning's owl post came around. Harry didn't see Hedwig, which only meant that she had no mail for him, but he did see Crossbow, Fira's dragon-hawk. Crossbow dropped a small piece of paper onto Fira's empty plate. For a while, Fira just stared at it. Then she picked it up and read it. "Who's that from?" Harry said, trying to not sound nosey. "Can't tell you," Fira said. "I'm off to see Dumbledore. I won't be back until before dinner. See you later." She said all this monotonously. She stood up from the table. Harry noticed that Malfoy did so as well. Both Fira and Malfoy headed for the teachers' High Table, intent on speaking with Dumbledore. After speaking with McGonagall and Snape, Dumbledore took out two pieces of parchment and handed them to Fira and Malfoy. "Something's up with Fira again," Harry said to Hermione and Ron who already knew about Fira's secret. "God, how many secrets is that girl harboring?" Ron said, taking a big bite out of a roll. "Who knows," Hermione said. Harry watched silently as Fira and Malfoy made their way out of the Great Hall.
Once outside the Great Hall, Fira rolled up her left sleeve. A dark tattoo glowered fiercely up at her. "It's worse than before," she said to Malfoy who was watching her. "He's desperate, isn't he? How come he's calling us all the time nowadays?" "I don't know," Malfoy answered, "but I do know this. Don't question his actions, Black. You don't want to get on the bad side of him. You're already his favorite-" "We're BOTH his favorites," Fira corrected. "Whatever," Malfoy said, "But I thought you knew better than to question his judgment, Black. It's a good thing he can't hear us from too far. He'd have put you under the Cruciatus Curse if he heard you." Fira rolled her sleeve back down again and nodded. "I just really don't want to have to do this," she said quietly to herself. Unfortunately, Malfoy heard her. He looked at her as they walked at a quick pace, her head down as if her boots fascinated her. "Don't worry, Black," he said. "You'll come to your senses soon. Give it a few weeks." They walked the rest of the way to Heaven Knows Where in silence.
Chapter 6: Strange Actions
Fira didn't appear again until breakfast the next day. She entered the Great Hall with Draco Malfoy, who looked about as worried as Fira looked. Harry noticed that she had her bottle of brandy and her half- goblet of chicken blood, but she looked much, much paler than she should. Malfoy, too, was paler than he already was, if that was possible. Fira took her seat beside Harry. "Where have you been?" Harry asked her. "Nowhere special," Fira answered dully, glancing over at Malfoy who returned her worried look. "You…seem to be having a silent, invisible conversation with a fellow dragon," Harry said. "Sorry," Fira said, pouring some brandy into her goblet and stirring. Then she drank the contents of the goblet. Some of it dribbled down the side of her chin. She wiped it off after setting the goblet down on the table. "Fira, are you okay?" Harry said, feeling around her neck. "You look paler than usual. Are you sick?" "NO, I'M NOT!" Fira lashed out, making Harry draw back his hand hastily. "Sorry, Harry," Fira said, leaning her elbow on the table and her head on the hand attached to that elbow, rubbing her forehead as if she had a terrible headache. "I just feel a bit tired and sordid…I didn't mean to shout at you…" "Maybe you should eat something," Harry said, taking a plate of rolls and handing it to Fira. "I'm not hungry," she said. "Thanks anyway." "Fira, you've got to eat something," Harry said, putting aside the rolls. "You just might get sick if you don't." "I'm telling you, Harry," Fira said, "I'm fine. I appreciate your concern, but I'm fine. Just a little sleepy…and tired…" "Where've you been all night?" Harry said. But whatever the answer was, Harry never knew as the morning's owl post came around. Harry didn't see Hedwig, which only meant that she had no mail for him, but he did see Crossbow, Fira's dragon-hawk. Crossbow dropped a small piece of paper onto Fira's empty plate. For a while, Fira just stared at it. Then she picked it up and read it. "Who's that from?" Harry said, trying to not sound nosey. "Can't tell you," Fira said. "I'm off to see Dumbledore. I won't be back until before dinner. See you later." She said all this monotonously. She stood up from the table. Harry noticed that Malfoy did so as well. Both Fira and Malfoy headed for the teachers' High Table, intent on speaking with Dumbledore. After speaking with McGonagall and Snape, Dumbledore took out two pieces of parchment and handed them to Fira and Malfoy. "Something's up with Fira again," Harry said to Hermione and Ron who already knew about Fira's secret. "God, how many secrets is that girl harboring?" Ron said, taking a big bite out of a roll. "Who knows," Hermione said. Harry watched silently as Fira and Malfoy made their way out of the Great Hall.
Once outside the Great Hall, Fira rolled up her left sleeve. A dark tattoo glowered fiercely up at her. "It's worse than before," she said to Malfoy who was watching her. "He's desperate, isn't he? How come he's calling us all the time nowadays?" "I don't know," Malfoy answered, "but I do know this. Don't question his actions, Black. You don't want to get on the bad side of him. You're already his favorite-" "We're BOTH his favorites," Fira corrected. "Whatever," Malfoy said, "But I thought you knew better than to question his judgment, Black. It's a good thing he can't hear us from too far. He'd have put you under the Cruciatus Curse if he heard you." Fira rolled her sleeve back down again and nodded. "I just really don't want to have to do this," she said quietly to herself. Unfortunately, Malfoy heard her. He looked at her as they walked at a quick pace, her head down as if her boots fascinated her. "Don't worry, Black," he said. "You'll come to your senses soon. Give it a few weeks." They walked the rest of the way to Heaven Knows Where in silence.