A/N: A HUGE THANKS TO MK FOR POINTING OUT MY ERROR!!!!!! (which has now been fixed) I was spacing... whups. ^_^
~~~
Chapter Three - We Need a Plan
~~~
It wasn't just a dragon. It was a Norwegian Ridgeback, a particuarly foul-tempered breed of dragon that would not be fun to deal with once it woke up. This one was about average size; being approximately thirty feet long and probabably weighing somewhere in the vicinity of a ton. It must have been hitting the walls as it came in, which caused the booming noises. These dragons weren't native to this part of the world, but there was no time to wonder as to how it got there. They could worry about that after they got it out.
"We'll have to get it out somehow," Rowena said as she and Godric jogged through the school in search of Helga and Salazar. "I mean, we can't just leave a dragon in the Great Hall."
"What I want to know is how it got in there in the first place," Godric said. "I didn't know our doorways were that big."
"This is why the castle needs better ventilation," said Rowena. "If our architects had put in more windows and vents, there would be no need to leave the main doors open to let in a little fresh air, and therefore remove the chance of having a passing dragon stop by and take a nap in our Great Hall."
Godric rolled his eyes. "Really, Rowena, how were Salazar and I supposed to know that a dragon was going to land here, enter through our very large, impressive main doors, go into the Great Hall, and fall asleep? Not even you could have seen that one coming."
Rowena paused, then said, "All right, you've got me on that one, but that's not the point. It's the principle of the thing."
"Whatever you say."
They continued to make their way through the school, quickly catching up to Helga and Salazar, who were looking behind tapestries and suits of armor in the hallway where the Charms classroom was located. Rowena rolled her eyes when she saw them. "And just what are you hoping to accomplish by doing that?"
Helga shrugged.
Godric decided to intervene before it got ugly. "It doesn't really matter what they were doing, because we found the source of the noise," he said.
Salazar and Helga looked impressed. "You did?" Salazar asked. "What is it?"
Godric and Rowena looked at each other. A pleading look slowly started to spread across his face. Rowena snorted and folded her arms across her chest. "Don't get cute with me, Gryffindor," she said. "You brought it up. You can tell them what got past your brilliant architecture."
Salazar arched an eyebrow. "What?"
"Thrsmdrmguminthmmm," Godric mumbled.
It was Salazar and Helga's turn to look at each other. They did, then turned their eyes to Godric and chorused, "What?"
"Articulate," Rowena said, and gently jabbed Godric in the chest with her elbow.
Theresadraguminthgrhll," Godric said.
"Articulate!" Rowena repeated, and jabbed him again, a little harder that time.
"Ouch," he said, and rubbed his rib cage.
"Sorry," she said, and gently ran her knuckles over the region she had struck.
Godric was mildly surprised, and it showed. It wasn't often that she touched him without the intent of inflicting pain.
"Hey, lovebirds, what did you find?" Salazar asked.
"There's a dragon in the Great Hall," Godric said, quickly, but slow enough so that they could hear what he was saying.
Salazar's mouth dropped open, as did Helga's. "There... there's a dragon in the Great Hall?" Salazar asked.
"How did it get in?" Helga asked.
"Through the doors," was Rowena's response. "How else?"
"It could have Apparated," Salazar said thoughtfully.
"Dragons don't Apparate, you boob," said Rowena. "Honestly, Salazar, what's with you today?"
He shrugged. "It's probably the heat."
"What are we going to do about the dragon?" Helga asked.
"Get rid of it, of course," said Rowena. "Do I have to make all the decisions around here?"
"Well, you do, anyway," said Salazar.
Godric shot him a look of warning. Helga held on to Rowena to prevent her from moving into attack position.
Salazar got the hint. "Not that that's bad, of course," he quickly said. "After all, you are the smart one." That wasn't a lie; out of all of them, she had the best ratio of good ideas to not-so-good ideas.
Rowena softened a little bit. "Very well." She thought for a minute, then said, "Right, then, here's what we're going to do..."
~~~
"Now, let me make sure I've got this straight," Salazar said as he and Godric walked toward the Great Hall. "We're going to wake it up, get your parrot to fly around and distract it, and then stun it?"
Godric looked somewhat offended, and so did the large bird with red and gold plumage sitting on his shoulder. "Fawkes isn't a parrot, he's a phoenix."
"Whatever," Salazar said dismissively. "I just don't understand why we're waking it up in the first place if we're just going to put it to sleep again."
"But we AREN'T putting it to sleep again!" Godric argued. "We're stunning it. There's a big difference. That way, it won't wake up again until we're ready."
"Then why don't we just stun it while it's asleep?"
"Because... because it'll take a while to knock it unconscious, and it will be very angry if it's woken up by a Stunning Charm."
Salazar sighed and pulled out his wand. "I think it's going to be angry anyway, but if you say so..."
"This is Rowena's plan, not mine."
"Maybe, but it's your parrot."
"Phoenix."
"Whatever."
They reached the Great Hall, where the dragon was sleeping as soundly as ever. Fawkes hopped off Godric's shoulder and started flying around the room. Godric pulled out his own wand and looked at Salazar. "Helga still has my sword," he remembered. "Blast it all, I was going to get that back when we caught up with you..."
"What are Helga and Rowena doing, anyway?" Salazar asked.
"Making a Shrinking Potion."
"I don't think a Shrinking Potion is so difficult a task that it would require the abilities of the two most powerful witches in the world."
Godric pointed his wand at the dragon and said, "A Shrinking Potion to make a Norwegian Ridgeback the size of a cat is no easy feat."
Salazar decided that he had a point with that one, and turned his attention to the dragon. "So, then..."
"My thoughts exactly," said Godric.
For almost a full minute, they stared at the dragon, wondering what they could do to wake it up. Finally, Salazar walked over to it and poked the end of its tail with his wand. "Hey, dragon," he said, "wake up."
"That doesn't seem to be very effective, Salazar," Godric said as he joined his friend next to the sleeping dragon.
"Well, it's a start," Salazar replied with more than a hint of irritation to his voice. "I don't see you coming up with anything." He looked up at Fawkes. "You could always tell your parrot to crow, I suppose."
"Parrots don't crow; that's roosters, and besides, he's a phoenix," Godric said. "How many times to I have to tell you that?"
Salazar apologized for his bad memory and looked at the dragon again. "Know any charms?"
Godric blinked and shot him a surprised look. "I wrote the Charms textbook, remember?"
"I mean, charms that would prove useful in this situation."
"Oh." He, too, looked at the dragon again. "No, not really."
Salazar mumbled something Godric didn't catch.
"What was that?" Godric asked.
"One would think," Salazar repeated, a little louder and with more articulation, "that of all the charms in the world, there would be one that prove effective in waking a sleeping dragon."
Godric folded his arms across his chest, cocked his head to the side, and said, "Yes, one would think that. Oh, there must be one somewhere..."
He started pacing back and forth, mumbling the names of various charms to himself. Salazar watched him for a few minutes, then grew bored and looked around the room for some inspiration. He spotted a beetle on the floor, transfigured it into a rock, and then threw it at the dragon. It bounced off the giant reptile's tough, armor-like skin, and the dragon didn't so much as stir. Salazar sighed and looked at Fawkes. "Well, parrot?"
"Phoenix!" Godric corrected, then went back to talking to himself.
Salazar slapped himself on the forehead.
"I've got it!" Godric suddenly cried. He stopped pacing and pointed his wand at the dragon. "RICTUSEMPRA!"
"Oh, no," Salazar said, feeling the dread rise from the pit of his stomach. "Not a Tickling Charm. Anything but a Tickling Charm..."
Godric cringed. "Too late."
~~~
Chapter Three - We Need a Plan
~~~
It wasn't just a dragon. It was a Norwegian Ridgeback, a particuarly foul-tempered breed of dragon that would not be fun to deal with once it woke up. This one was about average size; being approximately thirty feet long and probabably weighing somewhere in the vicinity of a ton. It must have been hitting the walls as it came in, which caused the booming noises. These dragons weren't native to this part of the world, but there was no time to wonder as to how it got there. They could worry about that after they got it out.
"We'll have to get it out somehow," Rowena said as she and Godric jogged through the school in search of Helga and Salazar. "I mean, we can't just leave a dragon in the Great Hall."
"What I want to know is how it got in there in the first place," Godric said. "I didn't know our doorways were that big."
"This is why the castle needs better ventilation," said Rowena. "If our architects had put in more windows and vents, there would be no need to leave the main doors open to let in a little fresh air, and therefore remove the chance of having a passing dragon stop by and take a nap in our Great Hall."
Godric rolled his eyes. "Really, Rowena, how were Salazar and I supposed to know that a dragon was going to land here, enter through our very large, impressive main doors, go into the Great Hall, and fall asleep? Not even you could have seen that one coming."
Rowena paused, then said, "All right, you've got me on that one, but that's not the point. It's the principle of the thing."
"Whatever you say."
They continued to make their way through the school, quickly catching up to Helga and Salazar, who were looking behind tapestries and suits of armor in the hallway where the Charms classroom was located. Rowena rolled her eyes when she saw them. "And just what are you hoping to accomplish by doing that?"
Helga shrugged.
Godric decided to intervene before it got ugly. "It doesn't really matter what they were doing, because we found the source of the noise," he said.
Salazar and Helga looked impressed. "You did?" Salazar asked. "What is it?"
Godric and Rowena looked at each other. A pleading look slowly started to spread across his face. Rowena snorted and folded her arms across her chest. "Don't get cute with me, Gryffindor," she said. "You brought it up. You can tell them what got past your brilliant architecture."
Salazar arched an eyebrow. "What?"
"Thrsmdrmguminthmmm," Godric mumbled.
It was Salazar and Helga's turn to look at each other. They did, then turned their eyes to Godric and chorused, "What?"
"Articulate," Rowena said, and gently jabbed Godric in the chest with her elbow.
Theresadraguminthgrhll," Godric said.
"Articulate!" Rowena repeated, and jabbed him again, a little harder that time.
"Ouch," he said, and rubbed his rib cage.
"Sorry," she said, and gently ran her knuckles over the region she had struck.
Godric was mildly surprised, and it showed. It wasn't often that she touched him without the intent of inflicting pain.
"Hey, lovebirds, what did you find?" Salazar asked.
"There's a dragon in the Great Hall," Godric said, quickly, but slow enough so that they could hear what he was saying.
Salazar's mouth dropped open, as did Helga's. "There... there's a dragon in the Great Hall?" Salazar asked.
"How did it get in?" Helga asked.
"Through the doors," was Rowena's response. "How else?"
"It could have Apparated," Salazar said thoughtfully.
"Dragons don't Apparate, you boob," said Rowena. "Honestly, Salazar, what's with you today?"
He shrugged. "It's probably the heat."
"What are we going to do about the dragon?" Helga asked.
"Get rid of it, of course," said Rowena. "Do I have to make all the decisions around here?"
"Well, you do, anyway," said Salazar.
Godric shot him a look of warning. Helga held on to Rowena to prevent her from moving into attack position.
Salazar got the hint. "Not that that's bad, of course," he quickly said. "After all, you are the smart one." That wasn't a lie; out of all of them, she had the best ratio of good ideas to not-so-good ideas.
Rowena softened a little bit. "Very well." She thought for a minute, then said, "Right, then, here's what we're going to do..."
~~~
"Now, let me make sure I've got this straight," Salazar said as he and Godric walked toward the Great Hall. "We're going to wake it up, get your parrot to fly around and distract it, and then stun it?"
Godric looked somewhat offended, and so did the large bird with red and gold plumage sitting on his shoulder. "Fawkes isn't a parrot, he's a phoenix."
"Whatever," Salazar said dismissively. "I just don't understand why we're waking it up in the first place if we're just going to put it to sleep again."
"But we AREN'T putting it to sleep again!" Godric argued. "We're stunning it. There's a big difference. That way, it won't wake up again until we're ready."
"Then why don't we just stun it while it's asleep?"
"Because... because it'll take a while to knock it unconscious, and it will be very angry if it's woken up by a Stunning Charm."
Salazar sighed and pulled out his wand. "I think it's going to be angry anyway, but if you say so..."
"This is Rowena's plan, not mine."
"Maybe, but it's your parrot."
"Phoenix."
"Whatever."
They reached the Great Hall, where the dragon was sleeping as soundly as ever. Fawkes hopped off Godric's shoulder and started flying around the room. Godric pulled out his own wand and looked at Salazar. "Helga still has my sword," he remembered. "Blast it all, I was going to get that back when we caught up with you..."
"What are Helga and Rowena doing, anyway?" Salazar asked.
"Making a Shrinking Potion."
"I don't think a Shrinking Potion is so difficult a task that it would require the abilities of the two most powerful witches in the world."
Godric pointed his wand at the dragon and said, "A Shrinking Potion to make a Norwegian Ridgeback the size of a cat is no easy feat."
Salazar decided that he had a point with that one, and turned his attention to the dragon. "So, then..."
"My thoughts exactly," said Godric.
For almost a full minute, they stared at the dragon, wondering what they could do to wake it up. Finally, Salazar walked over to it and poked the end of its tail with his wand. "Hey, dragon," he said, "wake up."
"That doesn't seem to be very effective, Salazar," Godric said as he joined his friend next to the sleeping dragon.
"Well, it's a start," Salazar replied with more than a hint of irritation to his voice. "I don't see you coming up with anything." He looked up at Fawkes. "You could always tell your parrot to crow, I suppose."
"Parrots don't crow; that's roosters, and besides, he's a phoenix," Godric said. "How many times to I have to tell you that?"
Salazar apologized for his bad memory and looked at the dragon again. "Know any charms?"
Godric blinked and shot him a surprised look. "I wrote the Charms textbook, remember?"
"I mean, charms that would prove useful in this situation."
"Oh." He, too, looked at the dragon again. "No, not really."
Salazar mumbled something Godric didn't catch.
"What was that?" Godric asked.
"One would think," Salazar repeated, a little louder and with more articulation, "that of all the charms in the world, there would be one that prove effective in waking a sleeping dragon."
Godric folded his arms across his chest, cocked his head to the side, and said, "Yes, one would think that. Oh, there must be one somewhere..."
He started pacing back and forth, mumbling the names of various charms to himself. Salazar watched him for a few minutes, then grew bored and looked around the room for some inspiration. He spotted a beetle on the floor, transfigured it into a rock, and then threw it at the dragon. It bounced off the giant reptile's tough, armor-like skin, and the dragon didn't so much as stir. Salazar sighed and looked at Fawkes. "Well, parrot?"
"Phoenix!" Godric corrected, then went back to talking to himself.
Salazar slapped himself on the forehead.
"I've got it!" Godric suddenly cried. He stopped pacing and pointed his wand at the dragon. "RICTUSEMPRA!"
"Oh, no," Salazar said, feeling the dread rise from the pit of his stomach. "Not a Tickling Charm. Anything but a Tickling Charm..."
Godric cringed. "Too late."