Chapter Sixty-Three: The First Transformation
Just a quick note from the author: Hey guys, I've been rather busy these past couple of days and no I haven't forgotten about "Better As A Memory," but since it's getting to an exciting part in this story I wanted to finish this part up first before I get back to it. Enjoy! :D
Hermione noticed that the dragon also had a thick, black, spikey collar around its neck and was tied to a whispering willow tree with a thick silver chain. She could hear the soft whispers of the tree while she continued making eye-contact with him. (She finally was able to identify it as male after she looked down at its privates.) The dragon snorted and smoke exited his nostrils and it continued glaring at her and growling low inside his teeth.
"You're an interesting one." Hermione began. "I've never seen a dragon that looks like you before." She told him and it suddenly stopped growling and glaring at her and perked up its ears as if it was listening with interest to her. "You don't want to hurt me." She suddenly realized. "For if you did, you would have done it already." She told him while she slowly reached out the palm of her hand towards his nose but that's when it winced and roared angrily at her.
"It's alright boy. I'm not going to hurt you I promise." She told him while the whispering willow continued its soft whispers. The dragon looked uncertain for a moment but slowly walked back over to her one step at a time and then touched the palm of her hand with his nose. She smiled warmly at him as she began to gently rub his nose before suddenly Hagrid stepped out of his cabin and they both turned their heads to look over at him.
"Merlin's Beard, I've never seen Spike take to any strangers before." He told her.
"Spike?" Hermione questioned him with uncertainty.
"Well yeah, that's his name. I figured that would be the best option to go with since he has spikes on his collar and tail. He's a Great Black Horntail he is. He was born and bred in captivity to be a fighter, but there doesn't appear to be a bad bone in him so his dragon trainers thought that tying him up like that would make him meaner." He explained.
"That's awful." Hermione began. "I'm surprised that there aren't any laws against it."
"Yeah, so am I." Hagrid began. "I would take him in, but I'm already on thin ice with that whole entire Norbert incident. Not all dragons are vicious monsters ya know. In fact, most of them only act like that because they're frightened of what will happen to them if they don't behave that way." He told her.
"I've got to show Harry and Draco!" Hermione exclaimed before throwing the cloak back over her. She would show Ron as well, but she figured since he was currently angry with Harry that it was probably for the best that she just told him about it later.
"Wait!" Hagrid began while stretching his neck out in front of him. "Hermione wait!" He cried, but it was already too late as she had already made her way back to the castle.
…..
"Alright boys, say hullo to Spike." Hermione began while turning her head to smile over at both of them.
"That's a dragon." Draco said in disbelief as a great sense of wonder and astonishment filled Harry's body while he slowly walked over to him. Spike started to growl again, and Harry quickly backed away, but Hermione stopped him and gently grabbed his hand and then slowly directed it to the dragon's nose.
"It's alright Spike, Harry isn't going to hurt you either." She told him softly. "He loves dragons." She added before the dragon slowly bumped his nose up against Harry's hand as well and Harry smiled while he started to stroke it.
"Good boy." He said when suddenly Draco's gaze was directed to the night sky as a cloud moved out of the way to reveal a bright full moon.
"Umm,.. guys." He began with a nervous gulp. "Has Harry taken his wolfsbane potion?" He questioned him anxiously and as Harry quickly turned his head to see the full moon his heart began to race, and he instantly became petrified. His mouth gaped open, and his teeth started to become jagged.
"Oh no!" Hermione exclaimed while she watched her friend's fingernails grow into claws and his pajamas started falling off of him as he grew taller, and fur sprouted all over his body. His hands and feet extended into paws and finally his glasses fell off while his head started changing and he quickly turned it from side to side. His nose raised into the air towards the moon, and he let out a shrilling and haunting howl before getting down upon all fours and glaring at Draco and Hermione and growling at them.
"Run!" Draco hollered on the top of his lungs before he dashed into Hagrid's hut and slamming the door behind him. Hermione started to run too but that's when she stopped and turned her head to look back over at Spike with her heart pounding inside her chest. "Hermione move!" Draco yelled out at her after he had opened the door once more, but that's when Hermione withdrew her wand and pointed it at Spike's chain.
"What in the world are you doing!?" He shouted at her.
"Something crazy." She replied. "Reducto!" She yelled with a twisted wave of her wand that broke Spike's chains while the werewolf crept closer and closer up behind her. "Go Spike you're free!" She yelled and as Spike suddenly came to this realization himself, he spread his wings and began to run towards the black lake and took flight. However, as he turned around his eyes widened as he spotted that Hermione was in danger and that the werewolf was about to take a swipe at her.
"Hermione!" Draco yelled as she quickly turned away and let out a scream, but that's when Spike nudged her onto his back with his nose and continued flapping his wings faster and faster while he gathered speed. Hermione was now lying forward and gripping his neck tightly with both arms around it. She slowly opened her eyes and spotted that she was flying over the clouds and Hogwarts castle.
Eventually Spike came to a stop and landed out in the front courtyard and knelt down allowing Hermione to dismount. A few moments later she stood in front of him, her eyes locked on him in complete wonder, astonishment, and disbelief. "Thank you, for saving my life." She told him and he closed his eyes and started making a soft purring nose while she gently petted his nose before flying off back into the night.
I'll probably work on "Better As A Memory" at some point tomorrow guys as so far I haven't been experiencing writer's block on it knock on wood lol
