Chapter Ten The Dragon

Harry woke and wasn't sure where he was at. It was almost dark, light enough to see but dark enough he had to strain his eyes. He took a cursory inventory and realized he felt slightly better and knew Snape must have given him the potion just after he passed out. He was now laying on his back and staring up into a startling deep midnight blue sky. The stars were so brilliant he momentarily felt like he was falling towards them. He heard a noise of someone in pain and rolled his head to the side. Snape was on his knees not feet away and Sooki was beside him. Other elves were standing there and one of them had and extremely sharp knife at Snape's throat.

Not much has changed, Harry thought, except we actually may die this time. He sat up gingerly and looked at the two men. The blade was actually beginning it's trail across Snape's neck and specks of blood were dripping down into the white shirt collar. Snape was frowning slightly and staring at Harry.

"Stop! What are you doing?" Harry gasped reaching out as if he could stop the journey of the blade. The elf holding the knife looked up and barely shook his head before bending it to the task once again.

Harry felt a hand on his own head and glanced up to see his own personal elf standing over him. It looks like I'm next, he thought.

And then, from the darkness of the trail Harry heard a voice. It was childlike and familiar. The words were foreign and Harry knew it was an elf. But the person who stepped into the circle was not an elf, it was Ron. He continued to speak as he neared them. Just behind him was Lupin and Moses, both dropping to their knees immediately and baring their necks.

Oh, I wouldn't do that, Harry thought immediately. Sheep to the slaughter, was his second thought. Ron continued to talk and Harry heard Ramond's voice coming out of the scruffy-bearded mouth of his friend. What little he could see, Harry could tell that Ron was acting as a channel. His face was blank and his eyes staring.

Moses was closest to Harry and whispered a translation of the words Ron was saying, "He says to them that if they kill us they lose the chance to regain their land from the wizards. That we are here to kill the Dark wizard and free their island from his tyranny. Their rights to this land will be restored. If they don't heed his warning they are not abiding by their own laws."

.Harry listened in fascination and wonder. Somehow the child, Ramond had traveled with them. Now he wondered how much influence a small half-elf, half-human child would have on the situation. Harry felt the coldness of his own personal knife close to his throat. It would take but one movement on his part and the sharp blade would slice through his neck

The elves seemed to know who the person was that was talking to them; no one approached Ron. He walked slowly into the circle and waved a hand. The grove was illuminated by a warm light emanating from thin air.

Harry could see the two inch cut crossing Snape's neck. He was stolidly staring into space.

Moses continued to mumble, "This man you hold and this kin of ours, both are my father's. Would you kill them?"

One of the elves stepped forward from the shadows. Harry was surprised to see it was a woman.

"You have been lost to us these years, Heart of our Hearts," she said. "Come back to your people and we will let your true father live. The others must die, particularly this one. He is the one who took you from us." She pulled Snape's head back roughly and looked down at him.

Harry could now tell the difference between male and female elves. The female elf was wearing body armor, taller and stronger. She looked almost human in appearance but still had the waspish face and long pointed ears. She definitely looked deadlier, he considered.

"No," Ron raised his hand. "Would you kill the one I love and have it break my heart?" he asked. Ron turned and looked at Harry. "He is but a companion to this one." Ron pointed to Harry. "He comes to kill Demon, the devil of man, the one they call Voldemort."

All of the elves turned to stare at Harry. The female spoke again, "Let him kill the evil one. We will kill the rest of these humans. It is our way. It will rid of us of this unnatural filth that inhabits our island."

The elf holding the knife to Snape's neck bent down once more and Harry could feel the edge of the knife piercing his own neck. "No, don't!" he shouted. "I need their help. I cannot kill Voldemort without them." A hand held his head back and he looked up to see the elf above him raise the knife.

"It is against our laws to kill the younglings," the childlike voice said. "Turn him free and the others and I will return to thee."

Snape reacted and grabbed the hand holding the knife to his throat. He was lightening quick. The elf was on the ground but Snape was not as quick as the female. He was laying face down spread-eagled and several elves were pointing arrows at him. The child's voice once again emanated from Ron who now stood at the head of the man. "You knew there would come a time when I would return to my people, father. Lay still and do not let them have a cause to hurt you. I will always know of your love and you will always be at my side."

Harry was held for a moment longer and then the hand released him. He was in time to see Snape cover his head with his hands in defeat. You are losing another son, he thought to himself and was overwhelmed by sadness.

The elves disappeared into the dark without a sound leaving them all still on their knees. Ron stood in a stupor looking out towards the forest and then gradually came to himself. He was surprised to find himself the object of everyone's attention except for Snape.

"What, what am I doing here? he asked. He stared down at the man at his feet and backed up quickly.

Moses was the first to speak out, "We must be on our way." He helped Lupin to his feet and took Ron by the arm. "It is a short distance to the boats. We need to get to the castle before Paschal and Harry, so we will go now."

"But…but," Ron's voice trailed back from the darkness as Moses ushered them down the trail.

Harry got to his feet slowly, knowing he was losing strength. He walked over to Snape who was now face-down on the ground. Sooki stood beside him.

Harry saw the look of resignation and great sorrow written in the figure of the man. He knew Snape had given up. Harry closed his eyes and began to envision every time he could think of when Snape had stood in his classroom and the man had cruelly badgered and humiliated him. The scenes came easily. Harry opened his eyes stared down and said viciously, "Get up!" He reached for his wand for the first time, pointing it at the still-kneeling man.

Sooki stepped back, his eyes wide, "We do not allow wizards to use their wands here. Put it away before the others' sense it and come back."

Harry stood his ground towering over the still man. "So be it. If they come back and kill us then that's what will happen. That's what you want anyway isn't it Snape!" he growled. He waited and Snape didn't move. "I'll ask you the same question you asked me. Do you hate him enough? Do you want to kill him?" Harry hesitated and waited until the head slowly came up. "Because if you don't then he's won. He's taken everything from us."

Harry was sweating again and barely staying on his feet. "I know what happened back then," he whispered, "because I was in your mind, too." Harry stopped. "Do you hate him enough to help me kill him?" he finished a moment later. "Then get up!"

Snape rolled over and lay limply, looking up. Harry saw the grief twisting the man's face; saw the raw emotion and felt his own heart stir. He clenched his jaw and pointed the wand at Snape and then felt ridiculous. "What are you worried about," he said quietly. "We're both going to die and we'll never see our friends or family again anyway. You knew it when we started out. Now, I know it." He waited and then added, "If we are going to try then I need your help. I can't do this alone." He put the wand away and reached out his hand.

Snape looked at it and for a moment Harry thought he would ignore it the way he had ignored Lupin's apology. Instead, Snape reached up and took it and stood.

""I guess we have a dragon to wake," he said.

….

As they made the arduous climb back up the ravine to the cave, Harry found that some aberrant circuit in his brain kicked in and he found himself talking-no-chatting as they walked.

"You know Professor, I received a letter from Professor McGonagal and she sent my OWLS along with the list of new books I'd be needing this year," Harry said and wiped sweat from his face with his sleeve. "Funny to think about it really. Here we are about to start Hogwarts again only a day or two from now. Chances are Dumbledore won't have his Potion's Master anymore." He stopped and laughed and then bent over and retched into the bushes.

It was dark and the moon had not yet sailed over the cone to illuminate their path. Snape stopped in front of him, spun on his heel and grabbed Harry by the front of his cloak and pulled him along, like a tugboat.

"Oh, don't take me wrong," Harry continued, unabated by his aching head and body and the fact he had just vomited for the third time. "Even if the ban on playing Quidditch was lifted, Griffindor would still be missing a Seeker and Keeper. But that's alright really. Well, it's not all right," he countered himself, "I think Ron would have made a decent Keeper. I suppose though, Professor I won't be able to show you that I really can do okay in Potion's. I don't know why it's important right now. I guess I've always tried to impress on you that I wasn't stupid."

They came around the bend and entered the cave and Harry was being half-dragged, half-carried by Snape. They stopped and the man shook him like a child and said tiredly, "Will you shut up Potter!"

Sooki stepped up and touched Harry's forehead and spoke something to Snape.

"Yes, I know he is fevered," Snape answered. "He's demented because of the poison."

Harry heard the word and broke out laughing, and said weakly, "You think I'm a Dementor. Oh no, no, no! On the contrary, they are nasty things those. Look, I can show you how to rid yourself of them." He pulled out his wand and was about to perform the Patronus Charm. Snape grabbed the wand from his hand. His own wand was glaring out light for them to see where they were going.

"You know that old saying, 'Let Sleeping Dogs Lie'?" Harry continued unmindful of the fact he had been relieved of his wand. "Well maybe you don't know since it's a muggle cliche. What it really should say is, 'Let Sleeping Dragons Lie', don't you think. Silly thing to wake a dragon, really."

Almost drunk with his delirium Harry was ushered towards the back of the cave where the atmosphere became more pungent with the smell of the animal nested there. "Ooh, it stinks in here! I think we should go out where the air is clean," he said and turned around to retrace his steps. Snape was behind him now and spun him back around.

"Go that way Potter," the voice said.

"Quit shoving now," Harry grumbled pulling at his cloak. "You know Professor, it's gotten harder and harder to put up with you over the years. I've tried to be nice, I really have. Hermione has always been very kind about it, championing you and all... and I just couldn't see it..." Harry stopped and felt the man behind run into him. he tried to turn and talk at the same time, "I've become a bit bitter about how unfair you can be…."

"Potter, if you do not keep walking I will have to knock you out," Snape said. "However, I prefer you walk on your on two feet."

Harry glanced down as they entered the inner sanctuary of the nest. It was a craggy cave with an opening at the top like a gigantic well. At the bottom were peaked piles of something that suddenly glimmered in the light. Harry leaned over to look closer and felt the hand grab him and pull him back from the precipice.

"Potter!" Snape growled. He had just pulled him back from stepping over a very steep cliff. He pushed him down a path spiraling downward. The way down was less sheer and rocky than from the outside of the cave and Harry was more easily guided along the path.

"Did you see that?" Harry asked, still trying to look over the side. "Why there's piles of gold down there and I think I saw something really big and shiny laying on it all."

"That's the dragon, Potter," Snape mumbled.

Harry's vision was blurry and he wiped at his glasses as if they were the problem instead of his eyes. He turned and looked at Snape who was almost even with him in height on the narrow walkway.

"Dragon, you say!" he gasped. "Oh, I don't think we should be going down there! They're awfully dangerous you know. I had to get an egg from one once. It was a ugly thing it was." He rubbed at his nose and looked around, "What is that stench?!"

He sobered considerably when they walked across the rocky floor of the cavern and stood in front of a gigantic dragon. It's scales were metallic green and bronze and rustled when he breathed. Harry looked up, and up and up until he saw the horned head.

He was backing up when the now familiar hand pushed him forward. The elf had already begun to climb up the mountain of gold coins and other objects.

"What's he doing!" Harry squealed. Snape came around to his side and held onto his sleeve while Harry yanked feebly at his hand in an attempt to get him off.

"Mr. Potter," Snape began and looked at him with a worried face. He reached over to grab his chin and stare into his eyes.

"Whatchoo doin' Snape?" Harry stammered. "Get off!" He pushed the hand away and found it once again clamped firmly on his jaw. Another hand came up and held his nose. In a second, he was coughing and hacking as a liquid was poured down his throat.

Harry found himself once again bent over and retching onto a solid gold dinner plate. He looked at it and studied his skewed reflection and thought, My goodness but that's a strange thing to be laying here. He slowly began to regain his senses and heard the elf up ahead of them mumbling something in his language.

He glanced up and saw Snape looking at him. "You know Professor I am having the strangest dream. Did I spill my potion or something in class? I think it may have been a hallucinogen if you know what that is. I could swear we are in a cave and there's an elf there talking to a dragon."

"It is not a dream, Potter," Snape grabbed him by the arm and wrangled him around to face the dragon. "Pay attention. This could be dangerous."

"Oh, YEAH," Harry said in awe, throwing his head back to see the eye-green eyes of the monster turn to look at them.

…..

Harry was fully cognizant and alert when he straddled the back of the dragon just behind Snape. The elf was on the ground speaking to the beast as if talking to a baby. The words were foreign and unintelligible but Harry heard a musical cadence in the tone.

"Professor," Harry grabbed hold of the other man's shirt. "I don't think this is a good idea at all. How are you going to guide him?"

Snape glanced over his shoulder and said,, "He is an intelligent animal, Potter. Sooki will tell him what we want. Our job is to hold on."

Harry looked into Snape's face and nodded solemnly. "I can do that," he said, although he was shaking so violently that he vibrated. And then he thought, perhaps it's the dragon's breathing that's causing this motion.

The flight up and out of the cave was like nothing Harry had ever experienced and he thought himself to be a very experienced flier. The fact the dragon smelled, and growled and roared and snorted fire was a small thing. Riding on its' back was not anywhere close to what it felt like riding Buckbeak. The wings were a hundred times bigger and the muscles arched in the spiny back each time the wings were lifted. The neck was long like a snake and it allowed the head to swing around to stare at them with cat-like yellow-green eyes.

Harry gritted his teeth and tried to keep himself positioned in the middle of one of the hard metal scales that he was sitting on. He had a moment of giddy wonder when he realized Snape was actually holding on to a set of makeshift reins and was shouting commands to it.

They rose vertically into the night sky. The sounds were almost deafening within the confines of the cave.

"Isn't Sooki coming?" Harry shouted and grabbed Snape's cloak.

"No," Snape yelled back and looked down. "No elf will set foot on Azkaban while humans are there."

They were up and out into the night air. The moon was just rising over the rim of the cone and Snape pulled back with both arms and swung the dragon in a wide circle before heading to the white castle in the middle of the lake. It was only going to take them a few minutes if the dragon flew directly across the short distance and if Snape could hold him,

but it seemed the animal had not been awake for sometime and he took it into his mind to stretch his wings.