DISCLAIMER: Harry Potter and all other characters and locations belong to J. K. Rowling.
Chapter Eleven - A Library of Dragons
Draco narrowed his eyes and stared into the surrounding darkness. His breath hitched in his throat as a low rumble crept from the shadows, the soft sound vibrating the floor beneath him. Sprawled across his lap in an unconscious heap, Harry stirred and moaned softly. The dark-haired wizard's wand lay forgotten on the floor, the faint sphere of light it cast throwing shifting shapes onto the walls. A pair of shimmering orbs snapped into existence beyond the faint glow, gleaming ethereally.
Gritting his teeth, Draco struggled to wiggle from under Harry's weight, eyes locked on the amber globes hovering just within the cover of darkness. "Move, Potter." He hissed softly, fingers buried deep within the red and gold silk of the Gryffindor's Quidditch uniform. He rolled his eyes as the other wizard shifted and rubbed his nose on the green shirt he wore.
Grimacing, the blond began to consider his chances of surviving should he offer the Gryffindor up as a sacrifice. The decision was taken from him as a small black horn breached the light, followed by the sleek golden muzzle of the small Sandtongue.
"Potter, I suggest you get up." Draco snarled, shaking the other wizard forcefully as he found himself under the stare of the little dragon. His hands clutched convulsively on the jersey he held, fingers pressing ruthlessly into hidden flesh.
With a squirm and a groan, Harry came awake. Upon opening his emerald eyes, he found himself under the angered gaze of Draco Malfoy, who seemed to be caught between pushing him away and holding him closer. A deep growl had him freezing and turning his head slowly. "Sandtongue." He whispered, blinking slowly as the dragon dipped its muzzle and hissed. Spittle flew from between dagger like fangs, stinging and burning its way through flesh and cloth.
With a startled oath, Draco shoved Harry off his lap and raised a hand to rub the burning spot on his cheek. His sudden movement had the gold dragon grumbling and lashing its tail, amber eyes following the quick swipe of his pale fingers. "It burns." He murmured in amazement, surprise colouring his words. The heels of his boots slipped on the floor as he tried to push himself backwards while using Harry as an unknowing shield.
"Don't move." Harry ordered quietly, one hand clamping around Draco's thigh to keep him from scuttling backwards. The Sandtongue raised its hooked muzzle and growled, lips curling back to flash teeth swimming in poisonous saliva. Both wizards cringed as a drop of drool slid down a long fang, landing with a soft plop on the toe of the blond's boot.
Opening his mouth on a groan of dismay, Draco found his exclamation muffled by a callused palm. Icy eyes narrowed sharply, temper rising as rough fingernails bit into his cheeks. In a lightening quick movement, he reached up and jerked Harry's hand from his face. "Don't touch me!" He shrieked angrily, cringing as the words ricocheted off the corridor walls.
Harry's entire body tensed as Draco's words faded away, replaced by complete silence. His muscles were just beginning to loosen when the Sandtongue threw back its angular head and roared. Black tipped wings unfurled in an explosion of movement, the soft snap and rustle filling the hall. Pupils dilated and narrowed in a mixture of fear and anger, the small dragon's body shaking with restrained energy. "Be quiet." His soft whisper fell into the lull, drawing the golden eyes to his own shining emeralds.
The dragon's head tipped slowly to the left and her nostrils quivered. Wings scraped along the walls as they were stretched to their limits, closing seconds later in a liquid movement. Fangs vanished smoothly behind gleaming gums, amber eyes focused on Harry. She slid forward silently, neck arched as she sniffled loudly. The tip of her nose bumped the sole of Harry's boot, causing both dragon and wizard to jump.
"What's it doing?" Draco spat into Harry's ear, his fingers clenching in the cloth of the other wizard's jersey. Glaring around the mop of black hair obscuring his vision, he tensed as the dragon crept further up their bodies. "Get it off." He whispered, attempting to pry the Gryffindor's fingers from his thigh.
The Sandtongue swivelled its head and eyed the hands fighting for possession of Draco's thigh. With a deep sigh, the dragon folded her forelegs and settled her head atop Harry's knee. Grumbling softly, she wiggled into a more comfortable position before closing her eyes and stilling.
"Is it sleeping? It can't sleep there!" Draco growled unhappily, glaring at the pony-sized dragon attempting to sleep in Harry's lap. His voice caused the animal's tail to swing out in a slow arc, halting with a thud against the far wall. A creak filled the silence of hall, turning the heads of both wizards.
The warded doors that had landed them in this predicament stood open and inviting, shadows creeping forth. Frowning, Harry extended a hand and took a deep breath before settling his fingers upon the horned muzzle resting in his lap. Under his touch, the dragon hummed and shifted slightly. "Can you reach my wand?" He asked softly, ignoring Draco's grumble of distaste. After several uncomfortable minutes of squirming and swearing, a wand appeared before his eyes.
"It's mine," Draco warned. The grip he had on the wood was telling, there was no way the blond was giving his wand over to his nemesis without first knowing the reason.
Rolling his eyes, Harry made a grab for the wand and came up empty handed. "Unless you want to sit like this for the rest of the night, I suggest you give me the wand." He hissed in exasperation, grabbing the wand when it reappeared in his line of vision. Concentrating, he whispered a spell he had been taught in first year, watching as the golden dragon was lifted from his lap and then set back down on the floor several feet away. As soon as the Sandtongue was curled on the floor, the wand was snatched from his hand and he was shoved away from Draco.
"Don't touch me again, Scarhead." Draco mumbled, standing quickly and running a shaking hand over his muddied pants. He stilled as the gold dragon rumbled in her sleep, rolling over and tucking her head under the edge of a limp wing.
Snorting, Harry scooped up his glowing wand and sneered at Draco. "I'll try and restrain myself." He muttered under his breath, tip toeing toward the doors. He took a quick breath and readied himself before pushing the nearest door open wider. With a drawn out groan, the wood swung inward until the shining handle was consumed by the darkness. The light cast by his wand did nothing to chase the shadows away, the darkness seeming to press closer with every step he took into the room.
Pointing his wand at Harry's back, Draco considered every spell he knew before grimacing and looking down at the slumbering Sandtongue. Perhaps it was best to let sleeping dragons lie. Poking the tip of his wand just past the first door, he whispered Lumos. Candles leapt to life along the walls, flames flickering and growing taller with every step he took into the room. The darkness that had filled the room vanished quickly, replaced by the warmth and crackling of dozens of candles.
"It's a library." Harry exclaimed softly, his voice booming in the vastness of the room. Books filled every available space. They were crammed into the tall shelves and scattered across desks, small piles teetered dangerously next to chairs and piles long since toppled lay spread over the floor.
"Great observational skills, Potter." Draco muttered, the heels of his boots clicking on the dark wooded floor. He paused beside a long table and ran his fingers over the book lying open on the pale wood, dust and dirt clinging to the invading digits. Rubbing his hand on the thigh of his pants, he grimaced and strolled onward. His eyes ghosted over spines and colourful cover pages, eyebrow hitching higher with every title. "They're all on dragons."
"Mage Dragons." Murmured Harry, plopping down into the chair behind the large desk sitting adjacent to the hearth. Dust rose with a noticeable puff, immediately making him cough and sneeze. Wiping his nose on the sleeve of his jersey, he hauled the nearest book into his lap and flipped it open. The page was full of neat script, tiny letters curving their way from left to right.
"Someone had a bit of an obsession." Draco drawled, swiping dust away from the small plaque attached to the bottom of a still portrait. His eyes narrowed as he looked at the dark haired witch glowering up at him. "What do you know, she's related to you." He muttered snidely, shooting an unseen glare in the direction of the raven-haired wizard. Shaking his head, he walked along one of the shelves, his fingers tracing patterns through the dust resting on the wood.
Harry slammed the book he was reading closed and set it gently atop the desk. His fingers immediately fell to the handle of the drawer closest to him, jerking on the protesting metal. He frowned as a niggling thought rose up in the back of his mind, stilling his tugging hands. "How was I able to open the front door but not the door into this room?" He questioned loudly, gaze searching for Draco's wandering form.
The blond appeared as if summoned, nudging a swaying pile of books back into some semblance of straightness before gliding toward the library doors. Running a hand over the wood of the door, Draco shot a perturbed glare at Harry before knocking on the frame. "These doors don't go with the house." He said simply, turning back around and disappearing between two shelves.
"How do you know?" Harry questioned, as far as he was concerned the doors matched every other door they had run past. Rising, he stalked toward the portal and examined the frame himself.
"My family has several different properties, Potter. I can tell the difference between wooden doors just by slamming them." Draco called from his spot among the books, rolling his blue eyes at Harry's grunt of disbelief. Smirking, he yanked a slim blue book from between two taller ones and opened it idly. A torn piece of parchment slipped from between its pages, floating gently to the floor and disappearing under one of the shelves. Dropping to his knees, Draco bit his lip before sliding a hand tentatively into the darkness and patting around. He halted as his fingers brushed something small and metallic.
"Sure, Malfoy, whatever you say." Harry hollered with a roll of his eyes, the scrape of talons on wood had him freezing before quickly peeking around the door he had been examining. He sighed in relief when the Sandtongue merely shifted positions and snored loudly. Closing the door softly, he walked in the direction Draco had disappeared.
Curling a lip at Harry's bellow, Draco drew his hand from the shadowed recesses of the shelf and peered at the ring resting in his palm. Crafted of gold, it bore a swirling design similar to the shape of a dragon in flight. A small emerald glittered in place of its eye. Shaking his head, he turned it slightly and stared at the inside. A worn engraving had since faded with time and use, the faint curves of the letters barely readable. "R, D, B, M?" Draco guessed, jumping as a shadow fell over him.
"What did you find?" Harry asked in interest, shooting Malfoy a dark look when the ring vanished into a pocket of the blond's pants.
"Mind your own business," the blond growled, rising and brushing Harry aside as he turned and jammed the book back on the nearest shelf. His hand fell to rest against the pocket he'd just slipped the ring into, absently playing with the piece of jewelry through the cloth.
Harry rubbed his shoulder and shook his head while glaring at the Slytherin's back. "I'm going to look around somewhere else." He muttered, waiting quietly for some response from the other wizard. When no answer seemed to be coming, he spun around and stormed from the room, glowing wand held before him to ward away the shadows still hanging in the long halls.
Draco made a face at the door that had been slammed behind the raven-haired wizard. Reaching up, he ran a hand over the silver chain swinging around his throat. Playing with the Dragon's Maw, he considered adding the ring to the chain but decided it would probably just bring more questions. Sighing, he ran his wand through his fingers before turning and heading in the direction the Gryffindor had wandered off in.
XxXxX
Hogwarts was full of soft hissing, the sounds of many voices competing with each other while still remaining quiet. Moving from their offices to the teacher's lounge, the professors spared little time to speak with the members of their houses. Which is why nothing was said about the four students facing off just down from the Great Hall.
They met half way. Standing in the center of one of the school's main halls, Hermione and Blaise exchanged considering looks before cautiously walking forward. Ron and Pansy glowered at each other from over the shoulders of their friends, both stroking their wands in silent warning.
"Zabini," Hermione greeted, shifting nervously on the spot.
"Granger," Blaise responded, giving a quick nod of acknowledgment when Ron scuffed at the floor with the toe of his boot.
"I believe we should talk about what just happened." Hermione said in a rush, her cheeks flooding with colour when Pansy snorted.
Blaise shot his girlfriend a threatening look before nodding to Hermione. "I agree completely." He muttered, chewing on his bottom lip while attempting to think of a place to speak without being overheard.
"Perhaps the Great Hall? No one will be in there right now." The Gryffindor witch offered, tipping her head to indicate the doors standing open down the hall. She glanced at Ron and raised an eyebrow, accepting the hand he slid into hers as he watched the Slytherins thoughtfully.
"That will do, Granger." Pansy mumbled with a toss of her blonde locks, she settled her hand on Blaise's lower arm and dragged him in the direction of the Great Hall.
The Great Hall was completely devoid of all life. Tables and benches sat empty, the dark wood gleaming under the light cast by the floating candles. Their boots rang on the floor as they quietly marched down opposite sides of the Ravenclaw table, pausing halfway and seating themselves. The Gryffindors and Slytherins stared at each for a moment, trying to figure out where to start without launching into a finger pointing argument.
"I assume Malfoy has the Dragon's Maw?" Hermione asked, fingers splayed upon the table as she regarded the pair across from her.
Blaise nodded slowly, brow drawn down as he tried to figure out exactly how much the Gryffindors knew about the flute. He twitched his cloak into his lap and tipped his head as he stared at Ron. "How much do you know?" He asked finally, ignoring the finger Pansy jammed into his side.
"The Dragon's Maw was last held by Raveana Draconis. It gives its holder the power to summon the Mage Dragons. I know when the flute disappeared, what I want to know is how Malfoy ended up with it." Hermione said softly, darting a quick look in the direction of the doors. Beyond the gaping portal, ghosts and teachers would float by, ignorant of the students holding a meeting within.
"His father brought it back from the one of their older estates. Draco took it from a room in the Manor, he said the witch in the painting wanted him to have it. That's all we really know about the flute." Blaise explained, following the Gryffindor witch's gaze. He smiled when Professor Snape stomped past the doors, his loud voice echoing around the Great Hall as he listed the reasons his godson's disappearance should be blamed on Potter.
"Raveana Draconis was a Potter. She was originally engaged to Reginald Malfoy but the agreement fell through due to her beliefs on the dragons. She disappeared several years later, as did the dragons and the flute. We believe Reginald killed her and took the flute." Hermione stated, one of her hands disappearing under the table and wrapping itself around Ron's sweat dampened digits.
"It's possible, but why would Lucius bring it out now?" Blaise muttered, raising a finger and rubbing his temple in thought. Shaking his head, he glared at the wood under his other hand, fingers tapping softly. "For generations the Malfoys have been playing the flute. It makes no sense."
"Yes it does," Pansy broke in, hands splayed across the table. "They've been practicing."
"Why do they want to call the remaining Mages back? I mean, their whole goal was to completely obliterate the species. Why spend centuries training just to call something you can't even control back?" Ron mumbled, rubbing his thumb in small circles on the back of Hermione's hand.
Blaise and Hermione shared a look full of sudden understanding. "Those dragon's aren't only worth money, the power they possess is astronomical." Blaise whispered, running a hand through his dark hair.
Hermione nodded in agreement, clutching desperately at Ron's hand. "They think they have someone who can control the dragons. But who? Surely not Malfoy?" She said softly, shivering suddenly.
Pansy and Blaise exchanged a quick look before turning back to face the two Gryffindors. "You-Know-Who speaks parseltongue, as does Potter. An attempt to control the dragons using the snake language was never recorded." Blaise murmured, leaning further over the table and lowering his voice.
"Miss Granger, Mister Weasley, the pair of you should be up in Gryffindor Tower. It's almost curfew." Professor McGonagall called from between the doors of the Great Hall. Her hands were folded across her abdomen as she looked back and forth between the pairs. "You two should also be heading to your Common Room."
Under the watchful gaze of their Head of House, Ron and Hermione shot one last amazed look at the Slytherins before exiting the Great Hall. If You-Know-Who could control the Mage Dragons, every possible thing that could go bad would probably happen. The light wouldn't be able to stand against the unknown magical skills of a clan of Mage Dragons. Holding hands tightly, the two pairs stumbled their way back to their houses, unable to shake off the stunned stupor that had fallen upon them.
A/N: Thank you to everyone who took the time to read and review!
Draco is my King – I don't think Draco will be teaching Harry how to play merely because it takes years to play the flute as good as he would need to be able to in order to get the dragons to actually pay attention. Just Harry being a relation of Raveana and teamed with Draco, holder of the Dragon's Maw will have to be good enough.
PleiadesWolfe - Knowing Lucius, something terribly evil.
IvySnowe – lol, the alert system is starting to get on my nerves too.
kasmo – The journal is currently held by Blaise and Pansy. The last scene with the portraits and Lucius was basically him receiving a letter from the Dark Lord telling him to bring the flute. And perhaps there was a little flirtation between Reginald Malfoy and Raveana Draconis/Potter.
Beth Weasley – I always have roster space, especially when the image people give me of their dragons allows me to place them exactly where I need them when I need them. Do feel free to send me your drawing but I must warn you, your dragon will not appear for several more chapters as I have a particular scene in plan (A name would be lovely as well) thank you.
NinjaoftheDarkness – The female's name is perfect, however one of Ember Ice's dragons is named Silverhawk, which may create a bit of confusion. I'll off you the choice of changing the name or allowing me to play around with it, maybe something latin that's close to Silver? Or Silvester?
Ember Ice – lol, I'm glad I've helped you find a bit of your muse and once again thank you for the use of your dragons.
wizli – yep, a letter from the Dark Lord. This can only mean everything is going to get a tad bit more exciting, right? And Raveana and Reginald, perhaps I just can't stand the thought of such a terrible end coming to the ill-fated romance of a pair that never stood a chance.