A/N: Sorry this took so long.  I promise to try to have the next chapter out faster.  Until then… hold your breath.  ^_^

Chapter Four - We Need a Better Plan

            The spell hit the dragon.  Its eyes flew open, and it let out an angry roar.  Then, it rolled over onto its back, uttering a series of softer roars that could only be called laughter.  Flames spurted from its mouth and nostrils, and its sharp claws and long tail narrowly missed hitting them as it rolled back and forth.  Godric and Salazar could see only one option: retreat.

            "Good job, Godric," Salazar said when he, Godric, and Fawkes were safely outside the Great Hall.  "It was bad enough when it was just a sleeping dragon.  Now there's a ticklish dragon in there, and it's going to be furious once that charm wears off!"

            "Well, it seemed like a good idea at the time," said Godric.

            The dragon roared.  Apparently, the charm had worn off already.

            Salazar glanced over his shoulder and said, "What do you propose we do now?"

            Godric shrugged.  "Go find Rowena and Helga and tell them what happened?"

            "Gryffindor, has it ever occurred to you that the right thing might not always be the best thing?"

            Godric blinked.  "What?"

            Salazar groaned.  "Never mind."

            Fawkes chirped.

            "Come again?" Godric asked.

            Fawkes produced a chirp identical to the one before.

            Godric spent a few minutes processing the information, then said, "You know, that's a good idea.  I think we'll do that."

            Salazar looked at him.  "You speak parrot?" he asked.

            "Phoenix," Godric corrected.

            "My apologies; phoenix, of course.  Anyway, you speak phoenix?"

            "Some.  I'm not fluent, though."

            "That's interesting.  I never knew you could speak phoenix."

            "Well, you can speak snake," said Godric.  "That's pretty interesting, too."

            "Parseltongue," Salazar said, pleased at being the one to make a correction this time.

            "Excuse me, Parseltongue," said Godric.  "Now then... uh, where were we?"

            The dragon roared again and slammed itself against the door of the Great Hall.  The entire castle shook with the force of the impact, and Godric and Salazar fell to the floor.  The only reason the door remained attached to the wall was because it was charmed.

            "So, what was your parrot's idea?" Salazar asked, getting to his feet.

            "My parrot didn't have an idea," said Godric.  "My phoenix, however, suggested that we should skip trying to Stun the dragon and go right to the shrinking part."

            "That's the phoenix's brilliant idea?" said Salazar.

            "Parrot – I mean, d'oh, now you've got me doing it!"

            Salazar thought for a minute, then said, "But that would require telling Rowena and Helga that we failed to stun the dragon."

            "True, but they might forgive us."  Godric shrugged.  "Someday."

            "Well, Helga, maybe, but I wouldn't get your hopes up about Rowena."

            Godric looked at Salazar out of the corner of his eye and said, "What do you have against her, anyway?"

            "Nothing," Salazar replied.  "I'm teasing you, Godric.  Teasing you because I find it so ironic that you fancy her."

            "I do not fancy Rowena," Godric said firmly.  "I don't even like her."

            Salazar chuckled.  "I know you better than that, Gryffindor.  It was love at first fight."

            "You're being ridiculous."

            Another roar and crash shook the castle.

            "We'll continue this later," said Salazar.  "Right now, we've got to do something about that dragon."

            "I'll get Rowena and Helga," Godric offered.

            "Don't bother.  They're right here."

            Sure enough, right after Salazar's words left his mouth, Rowena and Helga came around the corner.  Rowena was holding a cauldron, and Helga had Godric's sword.  "What's going on?" Rowena asked.  "Haven't you stunned the dragon?"

            "No," said Godric, "but we did wake it up!"

            "Are we supposed to be proud of you for that?"

            "You can if you want," said Salazar.

            Rowena glared at him and lifted up her cauldron.  "Give me three good reasons why I should save this for the dragon instead of throwing it at you, Salazar."

            "How about I give you one and get back to you on the other two?" he replied.  "We've got a plan, and it involves the use of that potion."

            "We have a plan?" Godric whispered.

            "I'm making this up as I go along," Salazar whispered back.  "Don't quote me on that."  His voice returned to its normal volume.  "Our friend the dragon was, unfortunately, the victim of a Tickling Charm, and consequently, he is not too happy."

            "A Tickling Charm?" Rowena repeated.  "Of all the foolish, thoughtless… couldn't you think of any other way to wake it up?"

            Godric shook his head.  "No."

            "I should have guessed that brilliant idea would have been yours," Rowena snapped.  "Didn't anyone ever tell you to never tickle a sleeping dragon?"

            "Never tickle a sleeping dragon…" Helga repeated thoughtfully.  Then, she gasped and snapped her fingers.  "That's it!  Never tickle a sleeping dragon!  Wouldn't that make a great motto?"

            "Latin," Salazar said, mostly to himself, then began pacing back and forth while tapping his forehead.  "Latin, Latin, Latin, Latin, Latin, Latin, Latin, Latin, Latin, Latin, Latin, Latin… DRACO DORMIENS NUNQUAM TITILLANDUS!"

            "Well, I guess that takes care of the motto," said Godric.

            "Yes," said Rowena, "but we have yet to take care of the dragon."

            "Oh, yes, the dragon…"

            Rowena looked at Salazar.  "What were you saying about a plan?"

            "Oh, yes, a plan!" said Salazar.  "Well, just now, a little parrot – phoenix – swooped down and told me-"

            "A little phoenix swooped down and told you?" Rowena asked incredulously.

            "Well, actually, the not-so-little phoenix swooped down and told Godric, who then proceeded to tell me, that perhaps we should go right to shrinking the dragon instead of attempting to stun it."

            Helga and Rowena looked at each other.  Helga shrugged and said, "Why not?  It's the only plan we've got."

            Another bang and crash shook the castle.

            "Mind if I liberate this?" Salazar asked, reaching for Rowena's cauldron.

            "Actually, I do mind," Rowena answered, stepping away.  "I don't trust you."

            Salazar grinned at her.  "Nor should you, but you really have no choice, now do you?"

            Rowena glared at him for a few moments, then surrendered the cauldron.

            "Thank you," Salazar said.  "Now, then, let's get in there and throw this on the dragon."

            "How do we open the doors without letting it out?" Helga asked.

            Her question was never answered.  The charm could hold on no longer: the doors burst open, and the huge dragon let out a ferocious roar.  Fire shot out from its mouth, and they had to drop to the floor to avoid being hit.  "Oh, no!" Salazar exclaimed.

            "What?" Helga asked.

            "The Shrinking Potion!" he said.

            Salazar accidentally dropped the cauldron when they fell, and its contents had spilled out over a rug on the floor, which was now the size of grasshopper and getting smaller.

            "Look out!" Rowena shrieked.

            The four of them rolled to the sides just before the dragon's foot came crashing down on the spot where they had just been; Godric and Rowena to the left, and Helga and Salazar to the right.  "What do we do?" Helga cried.

            "Run!" Godric shouted back, scrambling to his feet.  "Regroup in the dungeons!  Helga, my sword!"

            Helga tossed Godric his sword and started to get to her feet, but her sudden movement had caught the dragon's attention.  A jet of fire came streaming from its mouth at her, but she managed to jump aside just in time.  She landed on the floor near the top of the staircase.  The momentum from her leap caused her to roll, and she tumbled down the staircase like a boulder rolling down the side of a mountain.  She finally reached the bottom and did not move.

            Rowena gasped.  "Oh no…"

            The dragon roared again.  Godric raised his sword into attack position.  "You two, get down there!" he said.  "I'll take care of the dragon!"

            "Not alone, you're not!" Rowena said, pulling out her wand.  She glanced at Salazar.  "Go!"

            Salazar did not protest and Apparated to the base of the stairs in hopes of reviving the unconscious Helga.

            "You don't have to do this, Rowena," Godric said.

            "Neither do you," she replied.

            He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye.  "You've got a plan, don't you?"

            "Of course."  She pointed her wand at the dragon and shouted, "CONJUNCTIVITUS!!!"

            Her spell hit the dragon in the eyes.  It roared in surprise and lifted its head up, banging it against the ceiling.  It was still for a few seconds, then closed its eyes and slumped to the floor, unconscious.

            "Wow, Rowena," Godric said, sheathing his sword.  "You did it."

            She sighed and put her wand away.  "Well, I did something."

            "Now what?" he asked.

            "Now we have to get it out of here."

            "How are we supposed to do that?"

            Rowena shrugged.  "Good question."

            "Could we make another shrinking potion?" he asked.

            She shook her head.  "No; we're out of wormwood."

            "That's not good."

            "No, it's not."

            "Godric!  Rowena!" Salazar shouted frantically from the base of the staircase.  "She's not breathing!"