Chapter Six

After breakfast they set off once again. They had hiked for about half a day when they happened upon a large clearing. In the middle was an enormous dragon caught in what was obviously a poacher's trap - a three pointed rig that ensnared the creatures head, front legs and tail in such a way that it could barely move. Draco and Luna hid behind a tree at a safe distance to observe the massive beast.

Draco whispered, "What breed is it?"

"He's a Ukranian Ironbelly," Luna replied.

"I thought they were bigger than that."

"He'll be quite a bit larger when he grows up."

"Grows up?" Draco estimated that the beast already weighed at least three tons. "How old is he now?"

"I'd say he's about four months old. Their eyes get a much more vibrant shade of red once they hit maturity."

"Bloody hell! If that's the baby then I hope we don't meet an adult any time soon."

"I hope we do. He's a beauty."

Draco gave her a sidewise glance and wondered at how she managed to view the world so differently than anyone else he had ever known. "How did he not see a giant trap like this in an open field?"

"The poachers glamour them so they are invisible until they are tripped. They leave bait in the center and when the dragon drops in for their meal...snap." They watched the beast for a little while longer then Luna pronounced, "We have to release him."

"We do?"

"Of course."

"Is that safe?"

"I suppose that depends on how you define the word 'safe'."

Draco arched an eyebrow. "How about we start with 'not dying' and work our way from there."

"Oh! If that's your only criteria then yes - we should be relatively safe."

"Relatively safe? How comforting."

"We have to do this, Draco. It's the only humane thing to do."

"Is there any chance of talking you out of this?" Draco took one look at her face and sighed. "That's what I thought." He dropped his pack on the ground and drew his wand. "So I'm guessing the tricky part is finding the best spot on the ropes to aim the severing charms, right?"

Luna wrinkled her nose and bit her lip. "About that...dragon poachers in this part of the world are a particularly nasty lot. They enchant the head and neck ropes so they can't be cut by any means - magical or muggle. The good thing is that means that get lazy with the tail restraints. Those can be severed rather easily. The trick is releasing the front ropes so the dragon can burn that one off himself."

Draco looked confused. "Wait - if the front ropes can't be cut by any means then how do the poachers remove them?"

"They leave the poor creatures to starve to death and then untie the knots manually post mortem."

"Are you telling me that the only way to release this dragon is to climb onto its back and physically untie the front restraints?"

"Yes. Then he can swing around and burn through back rope on his own," said Luna.

"And THIS is what you are proposing we do?"

"Yes."

"And what will stop the creature from annihilating us before, during or after this procedure?" asked Draco.

"I'm sure that once he figures out that we are trying to release him that he will be grateful and not want to hurt us."

Draco couldn't help himself. He blurted out, "Are you insane?"

Luna shrugged. "That seems to be the prevailing theory."

Draco reviewed his options. He wanted nothing more than to walk off and leave her but he was fairly certain that returning with the news that he had allowed a former war hero to be incinerated by a dragon would invalidate his agreement with the ministry. Realizing that he had no other choice he pocketed his wand and growled, "Fine. What do you need me to do?"

"Take off your shoes, climb up the dragon's back and untie the ropes around his neck. Once his head is free he can take care of the rest."

"No. Not a chance. Absolutely not. There was nothing in the agreement that I signed that in any way mentioned risking my life by climbing on top of a angry, wounded dragon."

"All right," said Luna. "Then you can stand in front of him to serve as the distraction while I climb up and release the ropes. I'll try my best not to tickle him on the way up. Dragon snorts can be toasty."

Draco's eyes darted from her to the dragon and back. "You know, now that I have taken a moment to further assess the situation, I believe climbing is probably the more suitable alternative for me."

Luna smiled sweetly. "That's what I thought. Now, as soon as you loosen the ropes, slide down under his wing. It will give you shelter from the flames as he turns."

"What are you going to do?"

"If this goes according to plan he will be looking the other way long enough for me to get to cover."

"And if it doesn't go according to plan?" asked Draco.

"Then I will spare the ministry the cost of a cremation. Now go and let me distract Elliott."

"Elliott?"

"All creatures deserve names, Draco."

"Of course. How silly of me."

"Draco?"

"Yes?"

"Stop talking and climb." Luna stepped out of the tree line and began to address the dragon directly. "Hello there, Elliott. My name is Luna and this is Draco. Don't be afraid. We won't hurt you. We're here to help." She edged closer. "Please don't incinerate the help."

While Luna kept up a steady stream of assurances, Draco circled around and climbed up the creature's back, muttering a string of curse words that would have made an entire legion of Death Eaters blush. He reached the head and began loosening the knots. It took a few tries and he nearly lost his footing more than once but eventually the restraints gave way. As soon as they did, Draco slid down the side of the neck where, as Luna had predicted, the dragon's leathery wings protected him from the fiery blast.

Draco rolled off into some high grass and began looking for Luna. He was beginning to grow concerned when a little blond head popped up a few feet to his right, grinning and waving. He was just about to relax when a huge shadow fell over them. Draco froze in terror as the giant head of the dragon descended upon them. He held his breath as Elliott pressed his enormous snout against first Draco and then Luna, inhaling deeply.

To Draco's amazement instead of cowering in fear Luna reached up and cuddled the massive creature. "There you go, Elliott. Be more careful about free meals in the future, okay?"

The dragon gave a contented huff before flapping his wings and flying away. Luna strolled over to Draco and offered him a hand up.

"See? That worked out just fine," Luna said as she picked up her pack and set off into the forest as if nothing of consequence had occurred.

Draco trailed behind, unable to formulate words. He was at an utter loss as to what to make of this maddening little witch. She was either the bravest person he ever met or the most foolhardy. Either way, now more than ever he was seriously questioning her sanity. It wasn't until later in the day that an unsettling thought occurred to him:

Who would be considered more mentally unbalanced - the madwoman or the person that continued to follow after her?