2 PM to 11 PM shifts at Walmart are brutal... especially when you work in the Toy department.
All the stories of Smaug really didn't do him justice, was Bilbo's first thought upon seeing the great beast in truth. Still, by the skin of his teeth he manages to earn the interest of the dragon long enough not to end up with his feet kicking down the dragon's gullet.
"Tell me, Barrel-Rider, Riddlemaker... for what reason did you come? I smell upon you the deep earth, the scent of growing things and the simple pleasures of the common folk. Surely there is no treasure these pathetic dwarves could offer you to bring you so far from home..." said Smaug in a seductive whisper that spoke of dark things and fiery promise.
"Everyone needs a home," said Bilbo finally. "And I came to help them reclaim the one you stole from them."
Smaug laughed, a deep rich sound that made Bilbo frown for a moment. There was something strangely off about the sound of it.
He expected it to be deep and almost masculine like the bellows of a great forge. Instead there was a lyrical quality that made him think of deep musical instruments.
"Is that what you think I did, little thief? I merely seized upon the invitation the greedy dwarf king so kindly laid out. They should be grateful...the rest of my kin would have happily hunted them down, rather than let them escape with their lives upon taking their hoard," laughed Smaug cruelly.
"Why did you take their home?" demanded Bilbo. It seemed quite rude to him and he couldn't imagine sleeping upon gold to be comfortable.
Smaug blinked, his fiery breath so terrifying and close to Bilbo he could practically smell the brimstone.
"I would think it obvious, thief. I expected my kin to rise up to the challenge I set forth as my mate," said Smaug. He looked quite irritable. "The limited hoard I had before was only attracting the lesser males to me... if I wanted someone worthy I would have to put in the effort as well."
"That makes some sense, I guess," admitted Bilbo, before he caught onto one word that had him sputter in shock. "What do you mean 'lesser males'? How can two men of the same species produce children?!"
Smaug looked openly offended by that.
"A female dragon can be every bit as greedy and dangerous as a male one," Smaug said irate. "I am Fire! I am Death!"
Bilbo was quick to vacate the upper hall, leaving an irritated dragon behind.
"Well?" demanded Thorin. "What did you learn?"
"Smaug is indeed impressive and terrifying... he is also a she," said Bilbo dully.
It took a moment for that to sink in, before there was a round of sputtering.
"A female?" said Gloin in disbelief.
"According to Smaug, the entire reason she took over Erebor was to attract a more impressive mate. She claims your grandfather's greed simply acted as an invitation for her kind to show up and she was simply the first and that you should be grateful she merely took the place over rather than hunt everyone down," said Bilbo.
The indignant sputters that got was almost comical in a way.
Bilbo was rather tired of this quest, and could only hope things would settle down soon. He missed home.
Some time later...
It was on his third trip he noticed something odd. He recalled the irate expression of the Master when Bilbo brought up the fact he was missing half of a particular piece of silver book ends.
He held up what appeared to be the other half with a baffled expression.
"Are you interested in one of my more recent acquisitions, thief?" said Smaug amused.
"HOW? Wouldn't the humans notice a great dragon in their midst robbing their lord?!"
Smaug huffed in dark amusement.
"Human see only what they wish to see, nothing more. A few bits of flabby flesh and they practically open the doors for you without a second thought...all because of some dangly bit between their legs."
Bilbo had to stare at the great beast in disbelief.
"You make it sound like you can change form."
Smaug chuckled.
"For one of such prowess as myself, it's a simple matter. I am a great beast of fire and death... did you really think such easy magic would be beyond me?" Smaug replied.
"I don't believe you," challenged Bilbo.
Smaug huffed.
"Do you really doubt my skills, thief?" said the dragon.
"As a matter of fact, yes," said Bilbo.
There was the sound of quite a bit of gold moving about as something seemed to be filling the room. Bilbo watched in amazement as Smaug's wings began to wrap about itself, while it's great tail curled around her body. Once it was enveloped in a leathery cocoon, it began to shrink...until it was roughly the size of an adult human.
Bilbo stared for several seconds before he had to shout "Put some clothes on, you idiot!"
He was raised a proper hobbit, and that meant he had a sense of propriety when it came to seeing females without a stitch on.
Smaug raised a single elegant eyebrow amused. Her hair was as red as her scales, and her eyes were a deep verdant green that reminded him of the rolling hills of the Shire. Her skin was a healthy tan, though there was a bruise just above her heart. She was fairly tall, for a female, but there was the deadly lithe grace of a fighter in her figure. She had a rather full figure meant for bearing children and a bust that would attract a second glance or even a third by the human men. Bilbo had to avert his eyes rather quickly before his gaze wandered too far down. As an unmarried man and a gentleman, his curiosity to how natural her red hair was curtailed rather brutally.
He could see why she wanted a worthy mate, if that was her human appearance. She was the first dragon he had ever met, but if her human disguise was that appealing he could only imagine what the 'lesser' dragons looked like.
"Does my lack of furs bother you, thief?" said Smaug amused. Her voice was lyrical and he wondered what it would sound like if she sang.
"As a matter of fact, it does!" he shouted.
Smaug chuckled darkly, not bothered in the least by her lack of clothing or the fact she was walking around completely starkers.
Bilbo could only idly note how hot her breath was against his skin...even as a human, she radiated enough heat to be mistaken for a furnace.
Bilbo was almost disappointed when he left, hearing Smaug's dark chuckles follow him back.
When Smaug was struck by the black arrow in her chest, her last thought was...
A pity the thief wasn't born a dragon...he might have proven a worthy mate.
Bilbo had inadvertently done what no one else had in her many years. He had caught the dragon's interest enough that she could ignore his faults long enough to potentially consider mating with him. A pity their species were incompatible...he might have been worth keeping alive, if only for the amusement he had provided. He was an endlessly fascinating creature.
Many years down the road, when Bilbo passed into the Undying Lands, he found himself growing quite bored. It didn't take long for him to reminscence about the dragon Smaug and how she was the only female who had ever held his interest.
Sadly the dragon was gone and that was the end of that. Or so he thought.
Galadriel however knew differently.
"Your dragon still lives. If you truly desire to see them again, there is a way. However there is no telling if you would be allowed entry again," said the woman cryptically, smiling as she always did.
"How?" asked Bilbo, his memory immediately going to how Smaug died.
Later, when he had Bag End back in order and the place to himself, he had wept for her death. He was quite likely the only soul who would.
And so Bilbo found himself turning back into an infant, to be reborn in roughly the same time and place as that frustrating dragon. There was no guarantee he would find her again, but at least there was a chance.
Frodo didn't need to be told. He knew how fond his uncle was of the great beast, as he sometimes spoke of Smaug with a strange sort of wistfulness. He could only wish Bilbo luck and hope that he would see the old hobbit again.
When Aster Potter was first introduced to the potential of changing shape into animals, she had been hooked. The Ravenclaw dove into every book and scrap of parchment on the subject, until she was more knowledgeable about the process than the teacher herself was.
The only issue was that everything stated she couldn't try her first transformation until she was at least fifteen.
Impossible just meant 'possible' in her dictionary, and her adventures had only reaffirmed belief in that fact.
She scrambled to grab her broom, not for the first time cursing the fact that she had to rely on a flimsy stick to fly. The dreams she had of possessing great wings and a breath that could melt stone simply made her disdain for the item worse.
Sure, a broom was considerably more manueverable, but it couldn't compare to being a true master of air and sky.
The stick clattered down the sloped roofs of the school, and she scrambled to grab it before her once chance of escape, much less living through this farce!
"NO!"
The broom slipped past the rim and began the long fall to the ground. She had doubts if it would remain intact, considering it looked like it was falling at terminal velocity.
Without thinking about it, she allowed herself to slide off the roof and tried to grab it midair. She had done insane things before, but nothing as terrifying as this!
Her hands reached, but could not grab the broom. It was too light and she was far too heavy.
The ground was growing terrifyingly close. She had only seconds before she made impact and her almost certain death came.
At least it would be quick.
Oh who was she kidding, she wanted to live! She wanted to set ablaze the entire contingent of fools who had forced her into this mockery of a competition for their own egos! She wanted to make that senile old goat pay for thirteen years of hell by placing her with those creatures that he claimed were her kin!
Verdant eyes sprang open, and she reached inward to where her core was. She had studied how to become an animagus since the day she found out it was possible.
Who was she kidding, she had nothing left to lose.
She yanked on her core, allowing the transformation magic to fill her body and soul.
A deep fire filled her belly and for a split second she feared she had gotten it wrong.
Then she realized her descent began to slow as great leathery wings colored a deep fire red the same as her hair sprang forth and wrapped around her body. A long, vicious tail curled around her and turned the entire thing into a strange sort of cocoon.
The transformation was entirely instinctive, and to be honest she had long since quit caring about the rules of wizards anyway.
To hell with them all, she would be free!
In the stadium
When the horntail got loose and began to fly after the youngest champion, the spectators were concerned but just 'knew' she would survive. After all, she was Aster Potter.
Needless too say everyone was shocked when the horntail flew back and started guarding it's nest in fear. It looked terrified, for a beast.
No one expected what appeared next.
The first they heard was a noise like a hurricane coming down from the North. The pines that lead to the mountains creaked and cracked in the hot, dry wind. A deep, instinctual fear began to rise inside the hearts of every witch and wizard present. It was a fear of ancient times, one that was so old it ran soul deep.
Then, it came. A deep, thundering roar not unlike a wave of sound. The horntail and every other dragon shivered, and surrounded their clutch in fear.
The sun which had been shining was blotted out, leaving the stadium and the surrounding area in shadow.
Great red wings filled the air, followed by a massive body made of scales and muscle. Talons sharper than any blade were attached to muscles that could rip it's paltry 'cousins' to shreds without a second thought. Eyes sharper than any bird of prey gazed upon them with a malevolence that said volumes of it's opinion towards humans. A long sinewy tail flowed like a rudder, with sharp spikes that pooled down from the neck all the way down to the tail. The wings were bigger than the dragons down below and were able to send the wizards flat on the ground with a single beat.
This wasn't some paltry beast that could be tamed by the spells of modern magic. This was a greater dragon, the likes of which had not been seen since the age of Olde Magicks, when wizards would perform great deeds and did not have to skulk about in fear of their less gifted bretheren. When the idea of hiding from those without magic would have never occurred to them.
This was a true dragon.
A deep, dark chuckle filled the air. It was sinister and terrified.
"So...this is what wizards have been reduced to..." it said with a sinister tone.
The mere fact it was intelligent enough to speak in the first place was absolutely terrifying for the wizards. The creature barely noticed the way the horntail was trying to protect it's clutch. It's chuckle was full of derision.
"Pathetic beast. Do you really think I care one wit about your eggs? I have no use for creatures who have lost their dignity and now cater to the whims of mere humans," the dragon said scathingly.
Dumbledore cautiously stepped forth. If the beast could speak, then perhaps it could be reasoned with.
"Great one, I humbly ask what is your purpose here?" he said loud and clear, wisely forgoing magic to make his voice heard.
"My purpose? You of all people should know my purpose for being here, Dumbledore," said the dragon, practically spitting out his name with such fury and rage that it made the old wizard stepped back. "It was you who brought me to this miserable school. It was you who insisted that I must come to this farce that you allowed to happen. It was you who failed to protect your charges."
With each word, the people in the surrounding area trembled with fear. It was clear that Dumbledore had done something to earn the ire of the creature.
The dragon stalked in a lazy manner, keeping it's eyes on Dumbledore and generally scaring the hell out of everyone there simply with it's presence.
"Your arrogance and complacency have returned to haunt you, wizard. Now you shall reap what your own stupidity has sown."
"May I ask what it is that I have done to earn your wrath?" he asked. He managed to hide his own terror, barely. This was not something he could easily defeat, even with the Elder Wand. It came from an age before the Hallows were created and he was merely human after all.
"Come now, Dumbledore. Surely you of all people should recognize your own protoge. After all, you allowed this farce to happen," purred the dragon. "Did you really think a witch could survive against a dragon while falling to their death, untrained and alone? That she would not reach out for the one thing that would allow her to have her revenge?"
Fear of a different sort filled Dumbledore's heart at those words.
"What have you done to Miss Potter?"
The dragon chuckled coldly, sinister and without even the slightest hint of empathy for the humans.
"Why Dumbledore... you did it to her yourself. Had you bothered to protect her, she might still be alive. I am merely evening the scales," said the dragon.
The implications that Aster Potter was dead, and that in her last act alive she had summoned the beast began to filter through the minds of everyone present. Those that knew her grieved and cursed Dumbledore and the Ministry for making her participate. Thoughts of revenge began to fill them, small for now but only needing time to fester and grow.
They would never forgive, and they would never forget.
"Now, little wizard, I am taking your precious castle," sneered the dragon.
That got Dumbledore to act, as he pulled out his wand.
It was the signal for the slaughter as the dragon turned him and several others who hadn't bothered to get away already into ash. The dark laughter that filled the air sent the wizards and witches screaming, as the reign of the great beast over the castle had begun.
The dragon laughed coldly.
"My teeth are swords! My claws are spears! My wings are a hurricane! I am fire! I am DEATH!"