Chapter 28

See Muggle Studies does Come in Handy

Ron grumbled as he and Harry entered their room. "Have you noticed it?"

"What?" Harry asked.

"How she is around him?"

"She's tutoring him."

"No, it's more than that."

Harry shook his confused head.

"Every time they're together and we enter the room they jump."

"We startled them."

Ron ignored that comment, "and what were they actually reading, what did she shove into her bag?"

"Ron, I didn't notice anything, maybe you just need some sleep."

Ron sighed; if Harry didn't see it then maybe there really wasn't anything there. "You're probably right."

Isabel sat out on the lawn as the moon rose. Now after everything that had happened she actually did not ever want to return home to Roswell. After graduation and they had to flee she constantly hoped for a chance to return home to her parents, but now she did not. At the same time also didn't want to return to Antar. She couldn't image how killing Kavar will change her fate with her home planet, but no matter what she did not want to return there. Even if it meant that she would have to align herself with the dark wizard and his robed and masked flunkeys.

Ava watched as the moon rose above the land making everything glow. The house, her fiancé and the dragon he was trying to heal. The dragon was refusing the healing that she desperately needed. Her foot had been broken, when she was trying to escape poachers that had snuck on to the reserve where she and Charley and a few other wizards lived amongst the dragons.

"Ava, I need help!" Charley called out as the dragon roared annoyed.

Ava grabbed her lantern and ran over. "What's wrong?"

"I've tried every calming spell, but she's too strong, Ava…"

"No."

"Last resort, I promise." He pleaded.

"You know how I feel about my powers."

"And I wouldn't ask if I didn't absolutely need it."

She sighed, set the lantern down and approached the dragon. She slowed her breathing and heartbeat to show the creature that she was calm. She centered herself mentally and pooled her power. She reached for the dragon's lowered head as the dragon glared at Charley daring him to move. The dragon felt Ava touch her face and turned to Ava. As Ava met the dragon's eyes she nodded her head at Charley and then mind warped the dragon. Ava saw the dragon's family; she pulled the image toward her and projected it to the creature. It began to calm down and Charley was able to heal its foot. As Ava held the image she saw that the dragon had been protecting her family from the poachers and that she now feared for them, since she was not with them.

"Ava," Charley's voice sounded so far away.

"Step back," Ava mouthed to him.

As she felt him move away she carefully let the dragon go. The dragon blinked and looked down at Ava with somber eyes.

"Go," Ava told her.

The dragon nuzzled her nose against Ava's face and then took off into the night sky.

"How are you?"

"Calmer, but I want what she has?"

Charley was confused, "wings?"

"No," she laughed, "a family."

He pulled her into a hug and kissed her forehead. "First marriage, then we'll work on that. If we do it out of order my mom will kill you."

"You're the guy."

"Yes, but you're the mysterious woman; my mum raised me with values."

Ava slapped him playfully, "not very nice, insulting your future wife."

"Not you, just your lineage."

"Yeah, well, my lineage brought me here to you, so I wouldn't complain too much."

He froze.

"What?"

"They would never call you back, would they?"

"No, I'm not the important one."

"But you are her duplicate right; wouldn't you make a decent replacement?"

Ava could hear the concern in his voice. "It doesn't matter, I'm not leaving you." She replied as she hugged him tighter.

"Good," he replied.

Suddenly there was a loud roar and flames burst straight up out of the forest into the sky. As the flames died down, their dragon flew out with two smaller ones following her.

"Bloody Poachers!" Charley cursed. Ava called both of their brooms to them and they hopped on. Ava and Charley rushed off toward their dragon. As they drew closer Charley spotted deatheaters on brooms rising above the trees toward them. As a wand was waved in their direction, Ava yelled. The power from the curse bounced off of Ava's power shield and hit the deatheater who had sent it. He was covered in a plume of green smoke and fell off his broom. A deatheater ignored the fleeing dragon and instead headed for Ava. She remained in her place, so she could conserve her energy and protect Charley. The deatheater stopped before her and spoke, his voice was obviously changed to hide his identity.

"Who are you? You are no witch, where are you from?"

Ava smirked and pointed up.

The deatheater looked up as the dragon snorted a ball of fire down at him. The deatheater started to flee as his robes caught fire.

"I'm from the place you can't reach by broom or wand," she yelled after him. She looked around to see Charley surrounded, she hated to do this but felt that she must.

Lucius had been sent to collect a dragon for a spell his master wanted to perform, but at this point he would rather be stuck with Nicolas and Lonnie. He and four others had had Weasely cornered, when suddenly a burst of light exploded before their eyes and they were all blinded. All of them remained still and waited for the light to dim, it had taken over ten minutes. As it finally faded away Lucius felt an odd slimy feeling, he glanced around to find him and his fellow deatheaters stuck in a swamp. He glanced around and realized that they had all been transported to another country in a muggle filled area no less.

"Where did you send them?" Charley asked as Ava put out the large bonfire she had used with some altered floo powder to transport the deatheaters away.

Ava smiled; after she had mind warped them, she had created a fire and transported all of the deatheaters to a place not connected to the Floo Network, but one that Ava knew well enough. "A swamp in Baton Rouge," I stumbled upon it when we were headed to Roswell a few years ago.

"Why there?"

Lucius stood up and began to search for his broom. Around him the other deatheaters were slowly awakening. Suddenly one of the deatheaters let out an ear piercing shriek.

"What…" But Lucius was cut off, when he heard an odd hiss behind him. He slowly turned to a long mouth opened displaying long rows of sharp white teeth. He recalled the strange animal from the Muggle Studies books of his youth. He stepped back and tried desperately to imagine where these creatures were from. Suddenly as he caught sight of another waddling toward him he remembered. They were called alligators and they were largely found in the southeastern United States around Florida. The States, that evil woman had sent him, Lucius Malfoy to the States. He started to scream in outrage, but was quickly silenced by another hiss.

"Hey, where's Blondie?" Nicolas asked entering the dark wizard's study.

Voldemort was bent over a large caldron mixing together various ingredients. "I sent him to get me something."

Nicolas sniffed the odor coming from the caldron. "All out of eye of newt?"

"Fresh dragon scales," the wizard replied.

"Fresh, huh, like from a live dragon?"

"Exactly."

Nicolas did not seem impressed, but Voldemort did not seem to care anyway.

"So I know what muggles do for Christmas, what are you guys planning? A feast, some booze, mayhem?"

"Why would you like to be part of the mayhem?"

"Well, we, Lonnie and I that is, are getting a bit bored. Ever since the bugs were severed we really haven't had much to do." Nicolas watched as the wizard's eyes brightened and he could see a smile growing underneath the dark hood. "And with her royal highness returning to the school o' brats, we were just wondering what you consider normal behavior around here."

"So you would like a pet?"

"Like a dog?" Nicolas was confused.

"I don't think he means a puppy." Lonnie spoke as she entered from where she had been hiding in the hallway. "At least not the type of puppy you're thinking of."

The wizard smiled at her; as much as Lucius told him to be wary of them the wizard did so enjoy their company. They reminded him of himself when he was young. Thinking of Malfoy made the dark wizard wonder what was taking him so long. It should not be taking this long. As though his thoughts were read aloud noise echoed from outside. All three rushed to the window to see Malfoy and the other deatheaters minus two standing on the front lawn covered in muck. Before Voldemort could bellow his anger, Nicolas and Lonnie were outside yelling at Lucius. Voldemort smiled, yes, he would keep those two around.

"What the hell happened to you?" Nicolas asked exiting the house and headed toward Malfoy.

"None of your business," he replied sorely as he tried to get around them.

"You're not going in there with that crap all over." Lonnie ordered.

"I'll do what I please; you are the guests, not I."

"Are you so sure about that?" Lonnie challenged. "We've been talking to your master, he thinks otherwise."

Lucius was not buying it. "Get out of my way with your rubbish."

Nicolas stepped aside, but as Lucius passed him he spoke. "I don't see a dragon or a bag of scales looks like you failed."

"Game over," Lonnie added.

"Well, why don't you two go catch a dragon?"

"Cause it's your job." Lonnie replied.

Isabel watched the chaos on the lawn below. Soon she would be out of here and returning to Hogwarts. She both dreaded it and couldn't wait. How was everyone going to react to her? What would Max think? God, what would Kyle think?

So inspiration finally crashed in, next week after finals I'll get cranking on more. Please Review!