Saphira's personality and temperament never failed to amaze Draco. He watched from a short distance away as Harry talked with her. With a bit of spell work, Harry had enabled himself to hear the dragon language that was buried beneath the growls and rumbles that the dragon let out. He could now understand some of what she said to him. Draco imagined that some of her commentary was likely pretty sassy considering the way she playfully nudged at Harry to knock him over now and again.
At that moment, there were large heavy bandages wrapped over the dragon's eyes. Charlie Weasley had brought over a colleague from Romania that was an expert in the health of dragons. It was determined that Saphira suffered from a combination of glaucoma and an old injury that had damaged her eyes. A combination of spells and potions had been administered in an effort to restore some of her sight. Charlie would return with his associate, Andrei, that evening to remove the bandages.
"If it didn't work, it'll be okay," Harry was saying, stroking over the scales on Saphira's neck. "You do pretty well without your sight."
Saphira made a rumbling sound while Harry listened intently. A sad smile appeared on his face as he looked over at Draco. "She said that she wants to see me," Harry said, his voice wobbling slightly.
"I don't blame her," Draco replied with a grin. "If I need to, I'll describe how handsome you are to her. You'll have to translate of course. I'm sure that won't be awkward," he added with a smirk.
Harry spoke to Saphira again, resulting in the dragon making an odd sort of coughing sound. "I think she's laughing at me," he said, sounding unsure if he should be amused or offended.
There was a clatter as Ron stumbled out the front door suddenly. He ran to the two Alphas, his eyes wide. "There's an attack," he panted. "Death Eaters. They're killing muggles in London."
Harry hissed to Saphira before grabbing Draco's hand and racing back into the house. In a blink they were pulling on robes and checking their supplies. The Betas gathered close while Harry sent a quick Patronus to the wolves at Viktor's place.
Vince used disillusionment charms on each of them before they mounted brooms and took to the air, racing toward London. It wasn't long before they saw billowing black smoke rising into the air. They found a safe place to land before cancelling the charms and rushing toward the sound of screaming.
All around them buildings shuddered and the ground shook with explosions. Some cars had collided in an attempt to avoid places where the road had broken and crumbled. Tonks and Mad-Eye from the Order could be seen helping muggles escape from their damaged vehicles. Dust and smoke in the air made their eyes sting and water as they made their way through the panicked city.
Hermione gasped sharply as a woman shrieked and collapsed to the ground, bleeding heavily from gashes on her torso, arms and legs. Blaise dropped to his knees to try to stop the bleeding while the others blocked spells from reaching them. The attacker, a man called Dolohov, sneered when he saw them.
"It's the little Malfoy," Dolohov growled. "We've been missing you. The Dark Lord has promised us all a turn to play with you if we bring you back." His lips curled back in a sinister smile that made Draco's skin crawl. He raised his wand to cast a curse.
Draco was faster. He threw one hand out, his brow furrowed in concentration. The spell threw Dolohov backward and sent him crashing over he back of a bench. Another wave had the man tightly bound in ropes.
"I think she'll be alright," Blaise muttered, shuddering at the muggle woman's blood spattered clothes. The terrified woman was sent take refuge temporarily in the nearest office building. Another patronus was sent out before they moved on. Another team of wolves would be along to sweep through and transport the wounded away from the area. The Ministry was going to have a time with altering muggle memories to keep the wizarding world a secret.
"They're setting people on fire!" Ron cried out in horror as the rounded a corner.
The screams were horrible. So was the smell. The death eaters had set up a bonfire and were levitating muggles over the flames. There were charred remains around the base of the fire. They could see Bellatrix Lestrange cackling before moving on to find some other means of twisted amusement.
Fury flooded through Harry. He took a few steps closer and lifted his hand, squeezing it tightly into a fist. One of the dark wizards jerked and gasped harshly. Harry made a swatting sort of motion, flinging the wizard aside.
Draco brought both hands up, seizing control of the levitation spell keeping three muggles in the air. He moved them away from the hungry flames and toward Blaise who hastily attempted to heal their burns as well as he could.
Vince and Greg cast swift protection charms too protect muggles while the others immediately moved to disarm the death eaters. Ron was hit by a stray hex that left a deep gash on the shoulder of his right arm. He gasped and grunted in pain, barely keeping a grip on his wand. Greg and Vince were at his side instantly, blocking anything else that came his way.
Viktor, Adrien and Warrington rushed in from the opposite direction followed by four others from Viktor's house. They helped Harry to finish binding the Death eaters present rather quickly.
"Are you alright?" Viktor asked, hurrying to look Ron over. The red head looked pale and a little nauseous as he cradled his injured arm to his chest.
"It'll be fine," Ron replied through clenched teeth.
"We need to get you healed," Adrien insisted, waving away Ron's attempts to protest. "The Order is here and so are many Wolves. The Death Eaters are retreating. I think they did what they came to do," he added bitterly.
"What?" Draco asked warily.
"Create chaos," Adrien snapped impatiently. "We've come across several dead muggles, destroyed buildings and bridges... One of our own died," he added more quietly.
"Who?" Harry asked urgently.
"A friend of mine," Viktor told him, keeping his eyes stubbornly on the asphalt beneath their feet. "We went to school together in Bulgaria. He joined the pack a year ago."
Ron used his good arm to pull Viktor in for a hug. The Bulgarian went willingly, letting out a shaky breath as he gently wrapped his arms around his boyfriend. The others looked on sadly.
"It was that bitch Bellatrix," Warrington muttered to Harry. "Hit Georgi with a killing curse when he tried to save a little boy."
Harry sighed heavily. "I can't say anything to make this better," he murmured, his voice sorrowful. "I'm so sorry. I should have-"
"There is nothing you could haf done," Viktor said, loosening his hold on Ron but not letting go. He turned his head to meet Harry's gaze. "Ve all know the risk."
"Let's go," Blaise said after directing an auror to the injured muggles and the five captured death eaters. "We'll return to headquarters. Our pack knows to return there. We'll get updates and plan our next move."
Viktor's group was looking pretty battered, physically and emotionally. It took very little convincing to get them to apparate to headquarters. When they arrived, Blaise carefully examined everyone and treated their wounds with a bit of help from Hermione. Luckily, none of them had been hurt badly enough to require a trip to St. Mungos.
"You're really good at this," Hermione commented as she checked over their supply of potions and salves.
"Thanks," Blaise replied quietly as he gently healed a cut on Greg's forearm. "I studied healing as much as I could and even got a bit of training with Madam Pomfrey. I wanted to be able to help keep everyone alive. This seemed to be the obvious choice for me."
"You're a great healer," Greg said, his expression impressed as he looked over his mended arm. "We're lucky to have you."
"Thanks Greg," Blaise replied, patting his friend's shoulder gratefully. "Now, anything else bothering you. No dizziness? Nausea? Any pain?"
"I'm great," Greg assured him.
Blaise nodded, letting out a tired sigh as Greg left the room. Now he just needed to wait to see if any other wolves returned to headquarters with wounds in need of care. He hoped that there weren't any more deaths. He hadn't met Georgi, but his heart still ached. The pack suffered together. If nothing else, he mourned for the loss the Viktor and his group felt.
A voice called out from another room, drawing Blaise and Hermione out of their make-shift infirmary. The passed through the hall and the war room before heading up the staircase to the sitting room. They found the twins there along with Lee Jordan, Oliver Wood and Marcus Flint. Hermione hurried into Fred's arms eagerly.
"You're bleeding," Hermione cried out, seeing blood trickling from her boyfriend's ears. He flinched slightly and drew back from her.
"He hit his head pretty hard," George said eyeing his twin worriedly.
"I'll look after him," Blaise said, waving Hermione away. She'd be no help with all her fretting. "Draco, give me a hand?" he asked. Draco nodded his agreement, moving closer to help guide Fred down the stairs.
"What happened?" Harry asked guiding Hermione to sit down so she wouldn't follow Fred.
"We were in London as well," Lee said, rubbing at his eyes tiredly. "We were trying to get some muggles away from a bridge that was collapsing and one of the death eaters cast a spell that knocked Fred right off his feet. He fell back and hit his head on the pavement. It knocked him out but we were able to wake him."
"He vomited once before we made it here," Oliver added. "That can happen sometimes with head injuries," he told Hermione when he saw her look of growing panic.
Ron entered from the kitchen, offering a smile to the newest arrivals. "Haven't seen you lot in ages," he said to Lee, Oliver and Marcus, shaking their hands one by one. He glanced at George with a frown. "Where's George?"
"That is George," Harry corrected. "Fred is downstairs. Possibly concussion."
"That's rotten luck," Ron muttered shaking his head. "Still, it could be worse. Blaise will have him mended pretty quickly. You staying for dinner?" he asked George. "Then you can all get some rest on the beds downstairs."
The idea was rather appealing, so it was agreed upon easily. Fred did indeed have a concussion and had been given a potion to repair the damage done to his brain. Once that was done, he ate a bit of dinner before taking another potion to sleep.
The others ate together, occasionally interrupted when more wolves arrived to check in. By the end of the day, the Pack had no further deaths, but the Order had lost two members. Remus, Sirius and Narcissa stopped by as well, since they were glad for any excuse to see their boys.
Snape arrived at Headquarters shortly after the sun had gone down. He'd wanted to confirm that everyone was alright once he'd heard the extent of the attack in London. The Carrows had been positively gleeful and he'd been force to bear with their sickening delight over such a tragedy until it was safe for him meet with the Alphas. His relief had been very obvious, his shoulders relaxing and the muscles in his face becoming less tight.
The Death Eaters had been restless, eager to cause some destruction and Voldemort had apparently liked the idea of spreading the Order and the Aurors thin. A few Death Eaters had been captured, but most had escaped to return to their wicked master. Lucius had been present, but he'd managed to help a few innocent muggles escape harm while pretending to participate.
Just as Snape was preparing to return to Hogwarts, Charlie and Andrei arrived. Harry was out the door in a flash, anxiously hurrying to Saphira. He hissed softly to her, translating Charlie's explanations while Andrei carefully removed the bandages from the dragon's head. Draco stood off to once side, watching anxiously while the others waited in the house.
The light of the shone down on them, offering enough light for them to see the dragon's eyes. The sclera was still slightly pink, but the irises were now molten gold. Heavy eyelids slid closed before opening again, the pupils abruptly focusing on Harry.
Harry didn't need for Saphira to speak to know that she could see him. The joyful croon she let out said it all. He hugged her neck ecstatically, glancing over his shoulder at the other two men. "She can see," he gasped, his throat tight with emotion. Draco cried out in excitement before dashing inside to tell their friends. Harry could hear their cheering from the yard.
"Thank you so much," Harry said, relaxing into Saphira's side as he turned to face Charlie and Andrei. "This is just amazing."
Andrei nodded. "I think you have a friend for life there," he said, gesturing to the dragon.
"She's truly amazing," Charlie murmured, admiring her delicately folded wings. With a bit of care, Saphira's wings and scales had healed and no longer looked so worn. "She is a beautiful creature."
The dragon rumbled, her gaze shifting to Charlie and Andrei. Harry huffed a quiet, watery laugh. "She says thank you," he said, his voice catching.
The two men bowed to the dragon. "It was an honor to treat such a noble, kind dragon," Andrei said, pausing while Harry translated to Saphira. "Please let me know if she has need of anything. It's nice to know what my patient is saying for once," he chuckled.
"You'd make a great dragon trainer," Charlie said with a smile.
"That's something to consider," Harry laughed, patting Saphira's side. "You're welcome here any time."
They nodded and waved before activating a portkey and disappearing.
Draco came back outside and sat down with his back against Saphira's warm abdomen. Harry joined him and entwined their fingers, tugging Draco a little closer. They rested against the dragon's solid form, listening to the steady sound of Saphira's breathing and the chorus of frogs. Draco dropped his head to Harry's shoulder. "I love you," he said softly.
Harry tipped Draco's head back slightly to press their lips together gently. "I love you too," he responded before kissing Draco a little more firmly.
For long moments, they ignored their surroundings in favor of deepening their kisses and holding one another tightly. Those moments of peaceful stillness were so few as each day filled with planning and training. It was nice to set everything aside and revel in the bond between their souls.
It was that thought that made Harry pull back just a little to look Draco in the eye. "When this war is done, I want to spend the rest of my life with you," he said earnestly.
"Me too Harry," Draco whispered, smiling as Harry tenderly cradled his face with gentle hands.
Harry drew in a long breath, tensing slightly. "So-" Harry bit his lip and swallowed hard. "Draco, will you marry me?"
Draco gasped, eyes wide with shock. "Harry?" he asked shakily. "What-"
"The timing is completely up to you," Harry went on hastily. "We can wait as long as you want. I'll never rush you. But, I did promise to give you my name. So you can have it, whenever you are ready," he said, pulling a small leather pouch from his pocket. He opened it and tipped a ring into his hand. The platinum band was made to look like vines twined together with leaves made of diamonds.
"Oh Merlin," Draco breathed, reaching out with trembling fingers to brush over the engagement ring. He lifted his gaze to Harry, his eyes overflowing. "Of course I'll marry you." He sobbed when Harry shakily pushed the ring onto his finger.
Harry cradled his new fiance to his chest, rubbing soothing circles against his back.
"Why does he weep?"
Harry turned his head to look at Saphira. It was difficult to read a dragon's expression, but Harry assumed that she was concerned. "I asked him to marry me," Harry responded in parseltongue.
"You will be mates?" she rumbled back.
"Yes."
"Good," Saphira responded with a soft growl.
Harry smiled. "We'll be a happy family," he hissed to her, rubbing lightly at her scales to include her in that family.
"Mine," she agreed.
