Chapter Two:
Waking the Drageni
It had been a month since Hagrid brought the young woman back to Hogwarts. For a few days, Dumbledore took her to St. Mungo's and kept her very well protected. After they patched her up as much as possible, he carefully brought her back to Hogwarts. The entire time, the young woman remained unconscious.
Once they arrived back at Hogwarts, Madam Pomfrey watched over the girl in the hospital wing. There wasn't much for the nurse to do other than keep an eye out. Even the healers at St. Mungo noted her rapid self healing. They came to the conclusion that she was in a healing sleep of some sort.
Over the weeks of waiting, several members of the staff that remained at the castle during break came to pay a visit, out of curiosity. Much like Hagrid, the other professors agreed that there was some inhuman quality to the girl. Only Dumbledore seemed to have some inkling as to what the girl was.
"In due time, I will tell you." He said, quietly whenever someone asked, "For now, we will watch over her and wait."
At around the fifth of July, she showed signs of waking. Madam Pomfrey told Professor Dumbledore immediately, who in turned made an appearance in the ward. He took a seat beside the bed, waiting patiently for her to finally wake.
Her eyes fluttered wildly for a moment, then shot open. The girl's eyes focused on the ceiling for a moment. Her eyes were darker than night with speckles of stars within. However, after closing them and reopening, they appeared a soft, chocolate brown.
She looked around the room, confused. Slowly, she tried to sit up.
"I believe you shouldn't do that. Madam Pomfrey will be rather upset if you do." Dumbledore said with a soothing voice.
The girl jumped, darting her eyes to him. She raised a brow, backing up ever so slowly in the narrow bed. Dumbledore raised his hands, giving her a gesture to calm down and that it was safe. It took a moment and another slightly frantic look around before she decided she was safe. Even then, her guard stayed up somewhat.
"Welcome to Hogwarts." He kept his voice as gentle and soft as he could to make her feel a little more comfortable. "My name is Albus Dumbledore. I'm the head master here."
Her eyes went wide in recognition. Dumbledore smiled at this.
"I see that you've heard of me." He said with a small chuckle.
The girl nodded once, letting her guard fall just a little. She swallowed hard a few times as she stared at him with confusion. He knew what question haunted her eyes.
"You were found in the Misty woods inside a crashed carriage about a month ago."
Her look turned thoughtful for a moment as though trying to remember. Suddenly, she gasped sadly and placed her hand over her eyes. The girl made a soft whimpering sound. Dumbledore reached out to her, resting a hand on her shoulder. He gave her shoulder a squeeze.
Deciding that this conversation might be too traumatic at the moment, he changed tactics. He and the staff needed to know more about this woman.
"What is your name?"
She let out a shaky sigh, then pulled her hand from her eyes to look at him. There were no tears, just sadness that seemed to move deep in the depths of her soul.
"I'm Tyla. Tyla Knight."
Her voice was warm and oddly melodic. She spoke with an American accent which caught him by surprise.
"You're American?" he asked to make sure.
"Yeah." She answered, nodding too. "I was here on my marriage pilgrimage . . . " her look turned frantic again, "Was anyone with me when I was found?"
He shook his head. "I'm afraid not."
She whimpered again, closing her eyes tightly. Her hands balled up into tight and shaking fists while her breathing became ragged. Her nostrils flared for a moment as she snorted loudly once. For a second, she shook under the headmaster's hand, then calmed down ever so slightly.
"Sorry . . . " she muttered
"Nothing to apologize for. You're the calmest of your kind I have ever seen."
Her eyes opened and turned to him with shock. Her soft brown lips parted in surprise.
"You know what I am?" she questioned him with wide eyes.
He simply smiled slightly with a nod, though the smile was almost lost under his long beard. Tyla could tell from his eyes. They twinkled at her.
"Wow, um, I'm impressed. So much for my kind's adaptability. Either that, or you're really good." She said in a sad tone
"Well, I'm not headmaster without just cause." His voice had a hint of playfulness to it, "You are not the first of the Drageni that I've come across in my life time."
He pulled his hand away and stood up. Dumbledore moved to the end of the table where a tea pot and two porcelain cups waiting.
"Can I offer you a cup of tea?"
Tyla forced a small smile. It was the most she could manage at the moment.
"Yeah, thanks."
Dumbledore fixed the two cups, then floated one to Tyla whose hand held out to grab it. Once it got a little closer, she grabbed it. Slowly she brought the drink to her lips, sipping. Her eyes closed as she savored the warm fluid, rolling it across her tongue.
"Good isn't it?" he asked.
"Yes . . . " she said, turning her eyes back to him as he moved back to his seat
The pair sat in silence for a moment as they sipped their tea. Tyla thought back to the night of the attack. The memory sent a cold shiver down her spine. What became of her mate she wondered? Perhaps, Dumbledore had answers. She figured she'd tell him what she recalled.
"We were on our pilgrimage to the old village beyond the mountain. The horses were acting odd. Ren, my mate . . . well, soon to be mate . . . stepped out of the carriage to check. When he couldn't figure out anything wrong, he started to come back in when there was a bright flash of light, then the sensation of falling. I didn't have any time to do anything, but scream."
Dumbledore listened intently to the story. When the girl finished, he sighed heavily.
"Drageni blood is very valuable to those who understand and can wield its magic. If someone had known about your marriage . . . "
"And now, Ren is missing . . . "
"The entire area has been searched. No one else was found."
Tyla frowned. The Drageni thought the days of witches and wizards hunting them down for their blood was over. Then she remembered the war of wizards happening now. The Drageni were carefully staying out of it. Most of them now lived with the muggles around the world, hiding. Obviously, someone wanted otherwise. Someone was out for blood . . .
"I have to go look for him." She said, trying to get out of the bed
Just then, Mrs. Pomfrey walked in, holding up a hand in warning.
"You will do no such thing! Lie down in that bed and rest."
Tyla snarled at the nurse who was unfazed by the patient. Instead, Madam Pomfrey came to the bed and pushed the girl back. Though Tyla was stronger and knew it, she allowed the nurse to move her. Anyone who had the guts to order around her kind had a lot of character.
"When Madam Pomfrey releases you, then you will be free to leave. However, at the moment, I believe that you would be safer here at Hogwarts."
Tyla sighed. She knew she was safe here. There had been plenty of stories about it in the past. Hogwarts is one of the safest places in their world. Still, she had to find her mate before . . . He could be anywhere by now. She couldn't help feeling defeated at the moment.
"I'll stay for a while. If I find out anything, though . . . "
Dumbledore nodded. "I understand." He said as he stood up. "I'll have a room prepared for you."
Once he was gone, Tyla closed her eyes tightly again. She could feel her scales pricking to be free and her teeth trying to elongate in her mouth. All the emotions running through her made it hard to keep it all under wraps, but somehow she managed it.
She wanted answers. She wanted revenge. Someone took Ren and tried to kill her. She'd find the person who did this if it was the last thing she did.
A few of the staff members had been waiting for Dumbledore outside the doors of the hospital wing, all staring at him with curiosity. He raised his eyebrows at them. Their curiosity turned to exasperation.
"Well?" Mrs. McGonagall said with frustration
"Well, what?" Dumbledore responded casually
"Are you going to tell us or not?"
"Her name is Tyla. She's Drageni."
A few gasps and wide-eyed stares later, he raised his hands to the small crowd of Hogwarts professors.
"As you might have guessed, she was attacked. I'm fairly sure her mate has been taken."
The group looked from one to the other. Everyone thought the same thing, but only McGonagall piped up.
"Albus, do you think that . . . ?" she said, her voice trailing off at the end.
"I think it is very possible that Voldemort had something to do with this. Very few wizards know how to use the blood of the Drageni. Even less are powerful enough to work with it. Unfortunately, I have very little doubt that Voldemort knows, and we know he's strong enough that he can."
This was a dark realization for all of them. A knowledgeable wizard could cause a great deal damage with spells and potions created through the use of that potent and powerful kind of blood. Voldemort would be unstoppable with that kind of fire power behind him.
Professor Flitwick looked up at Dumbledore with a hint of fear.
"Is the girl staying here then? It's much too dangerous to let her leave if someone is out for Drageni blood."
"She has already agreed." Dumbledore was still very calm and comforting with his speech as he answered
There was a moment of quiet reflection. McGonagall was next to speak.
"What will we do with her? We can't hide the poor girl indefinitely."
Sprout joined in on the conversation.
"She's much too old looking to be a student. No one would believe she's seventeen or eighteen."
By the look in Professor Dumbledore's eyes, they could all tell he had a plan in mind. They all watched him apprehensively. They trusted their head master with their lives, but sometimes he cooked up the most "interesting" plans. He smiled, which they all returned nervously.