Chapter 22 – Coming Together by Fire

Something tickles my neck as I begin to come out of my sleep. I shut my eyes tight with a groan, feeling the light of a new day of murder blinding me. I must have rolled off of Harry during the night because now my left arm is numb from using it as a pillow for probably most of the night. When I stretch my right hand out to look for him, I grab nothing but rock. I groan softly, too lazy to get up and look for him so I just lay here.

Although, I still can't ignore the feeling of someone breathing over me. "Harry, stop, it's too early for this." I groan tiredly as I shift over to my other side. He won't stop, but now I'm hearing a light rumble of growling. Like a lion purring from the back of its throat.

"What?" I hear him groan sleepily from nearby, "I'm not even near you, go back to sleep." I get an unpleased jump in my stomach. Wait… this isn't Harry. Now, I smell smoke, like a fire.

Whoa, wait. Smoke?!

My eyes shoot open, and shift around frantically to find the wildfire. But there is no fire, not even a spark of flame around. I swallow hard, trying to keep myself calm. It feels like something – or someone – is staring me in the face, but I'm too afraid to look. Taking a deep, silent breath, I dig my nails into the rock beneath me and turn my head in the direction the smell of smoke was coming from, even though I can't brace myself enough for what I might find, but I'll have to look eventually. Suddenly I feel my heart in my throat and my stomach turn to water. My eyes grow wide when I find out what has actually been panting over me this whole time.

In front of me is a dragon. Not me, I mean an actual dragon. And its gold, evil eyes are looking right at me as if it can see right through me, searching for something nonexistent. Its skin is a ghostly white causing its scales to shine in the morning sun light. It has two long horns atop its head and two small ones at the tip of its nose, like tiny daggers. Smoke is emanating from its nostrils and sides of its mouth as it starts to snarl, showing long, sharp teeth, even longer and sharper than the mutts'. I'm completely frozen staring up at this thing, afraid to make any sudden movements.

It's not attacking yet, but just standing here looking at me as if waiting for me to make the first move. I slowly sit up in a sitting position, using my hands as an anchor behind my back to prop me up. I don't take my eyes off this monster, not wanting to know what it'll do to me if I break contact.

"H-Harry…." I say nervously. Quickly my eyes shift to my left. He's still sleeping besides me with his back towards me. "Harry, wake up…"

"Why?" He groans.

The dragon inches closer stretching its lips out into a wider, fiercer snarl, lolling back its forked tongue in rage. I carefully pull back my head up as it moves. It's so close that the smell of the smoke is making my eyes water.

"We… We got a huge problem… literally…" I whisper, trying not to move my mouth as much.

"What kind of problem?" He asks, turning over slightly. The dragon snaps it head to Harry as he moves, and the loud growl of this reptile makes him jump.

His green eyes shoot open in the same shock mine did.

"WHOA, SHI -"

His words are drowned out when the dragon outstretches its folded wings, lifts up its white head and lets out an ear piercing roar. This thing's roar is so loud and defining that my first instinct is to grunt in pain and grip my head in agony, feeling like my brain might pop in my skull.

"We need to go! Now!" I try to yell over dragon's roar.

I look at Harry and he nods, quickly grabbing his backpack and spear. I follow his lead and grab my stuff and just when we're about to run for whatever little life we have left, the dragon brings its head down and looks right at me, catching my gaze. It feels like its gold eyes are made of fire and they're trying to burn my body to ashes.

It opens its jaws wider and for a second everything else becomes silent. "Malfoy. Run." My heart almost stops. I could have sworn this dragon just said my name, but its mouth wasn't moving in a speaking motion.

"What…?" I say to it, my voice coming out in a whisper. Finally reality snaps back and I feel Harry tug my arm.

"What do you mean, what?! We gotta go!"

The dragon pulls its massive white head back and opens its jaws wide. I feel fear strike threw me when I see a small ball of fire form in its throat as more black smoke steams from its nostrils.

"DRACO, COME ON!" He pulls my arm hard enough for me to get my legs working.

As soon as my feet leave the rock, I hear the hiss of fire emanating from the dragon's mouth just behind us. Looking over my shoulder quickly I see the arena becoming engulfed in flames. The dragon's gone, but I can hear its roar echoing somewhere in the distance. It probably took off in the sky somewhere.

I turn my head back in front of me trying to keep up with Harry and forgetting that voice I heard.

"Where's the dragon!?" Harry tries to yell over the roar of the flames.

"I don't know, just keep running!"

The fire is catching up until it's surrounding us from all angels. The black smoke is becoming overpowering and getting caught up in my lungs and throat, even blocking my vision.

Behind me, I hear a loud cracking sound, like wood slowly being snapped in two. Spinning around, my eyes immediately go to the nearest flaming tree. It's coming down on us, forcing Harry and I to jump out of its way so it doesn't crush us and/or burn us to death.

I cough and try to shake the ash and blur from my eyes to look for Harry. "HARRY!?" I call for him. I look up to see him on the other side of this fallen, flaming tree that's burning to death in front of me. There's no way to get to him since the flames are growing even taller, completely dividing us from each other.

"Harry!" I yell, blinking the soot out of my eyes, hoping he can hear me.

"I'm okay!" I hear him yell back. I can kind of see him through the growing flames and it doesn't look injured.

"JUST GO! I'LL LOOK FOR YOU LATER!"

"No…" I won't leave him. I'd rather burn to death than get separated from him again.

"DRACO, GO, NOW!" I see his green eyes shoot up to the sky and now I can tell exactly why he's telling me to run. I hear the dragon's roar getting closer and look up to see it swooping back down into the fiery, hell like arena.

I skid a bit as I try to run. I can hardly breathe, or even see anything. My breathing is coming out raspy and coughing will only shorten my breath.

I don't turn around, but I can tell the dragon's gaining fast. It sounds like its pushing over trees like pillars just to make room for itself to even navigate its large body around the place.

Maybe I can try to confuse it – throw it off course somehow.

Trying to dodge these flames isn't easy either – just when you think you have a clear path more fire grows and blocks you from running elsewhere. But maybe I can use that as a diversion.

I keep running straight, feeling the rumble of the dragon, rocking the area like an earthquake. Its claw grazes my neck, but it doesn't feel like it scratched me. Even still, I know it's very close.

Keep going straight, don't stop. Don't pay attention to what's around you, just run!

I know there are flames at every angle and a massive dragon trying to kill me on my tail, but the path ahead is clear right now. I force my legs to move faster even though the smoke is making me suffocate, like I'm trapped under sand. But I have either a really brave or really stupid idea that just might work. So I keep running.

Finally, my path gets blocked by flames – which was what I was hoping to happen – and I skid in the dirt to turn to my right which is somewhat clear of fire, but just clear enough to get through unharmed. The dragon bellows in pain, sliding right into the flames ahead when it tries to copy me and turn at random, only its weight is too heavy to gravitate on an angle.

Suddenly I hear the cannon over the crackling of fire and stop by instinct, my eyes wide and my heart hammering. "HARRY!" I scream; my voice barely audible because of the smoke in my lungs. No, it can't be him. He's survived a fire before… He can do it again… Right? But now, who will catch me if I'm about to fall into it this time?

"No, Harry, please. Don't leave me yet." I say under my breath.

I can hear the dragon again and spin around and see it walking up to me slowly, anger in its eyes after the trick I pulled on it. Although, it's completely unharmed by the flames it just slid into. I can't go anywhere this time. I try, but there's a giant fire breathing reptile standing above me, plus I'm surrounded by smoke and flames. I'm in my own little corner of Hell right now.

I stagger is panic, and try to back up, but not much. The dragon inches closer until its front legs are by either side of my body. It's standing above me, just looking down at me. I take a step back only to trip over my own foot, stumbling out of panic, and land on my back into the ash flooded ground.

Looking up at this monster in terror, I'm frozen by fear, either thinking this thing will tear my body in two with its own mouth, or getting burnt to death. Neither one of those deaths seem like a good way to go.

Now this thing only looks angrier and opens its mouth, a small ball of fire forming in its throat again. I yell hoarsely and shut my eyes, turning my head away, and pulling my arm in front of my face, "STOP, DON'T KILL ME!"

Shockingly, the arena sounds quiet. I must be dead… but I'm not burning... or having my internal organs being ripped out. Slowly, I pull my arm down from my face and open my eyes. The flames around me are dying down on their own, like the Game Keepers are controlling it – they probably are.

Then I look up at the dragon. It's still there, standing above me, but its mouth is shut and it has a sort of look about it that almost makes it look like its smiling. Smoke is still flaring from its nostrils but not nearly as much as it was ten minutes ago. Slowly, and cautiously I get to my feet. The dragon moves its head, hunching its long white neck so it can face me at eye level.

Something starts to relax inside of me and I can't stop staring at this creature above me. It's not trying to kill me, so that's good, though still a bit suspicious. But there's something about its domineer and face that reminds me of Sasha. Nervously, I reach a hand out to its double horned, white nose and watch as it presses its snout to my palm. I flinch slightly, but remain still.

"You said my name before…" I say to it. "Didn't you?"

It nods as it pulls its head away from my hand.

Then it steps back and I see its tail form into a cloud of black smoke that soon evaporates into the air. It's not only the dragons' tail, though. Soon half its body becomes consumed in black smoke. It's just like the very first mutt that Harry killed.

It's still smiling at me with a look of confidence on its face. It's like it's trying to give me hope. Still, all I can think of is Sasha when I look at this dragon. I don't know why, just for some reason I can.

The dragon eventually evaporates in the air completely, like nothing ever happened. The arena is destroyed. A lot of knocked down, burnt, and broken trees. This only gives more space to this hell hole making it easy for Goyle to find me.

Then I remember Harry and snap my back straight at the thought.

Just when I'm about to yell his name in panic I hear a voice that makes me gasp. "You can talk to dragons?"

I spin around to see Harry limping over to me from behind a black smoked stained tree. He's covered in soot and smoke… I probably am too judging by the sleeves of my jacket.

I feel my heart lurch, suddenly and grip my right arm. Good… It's still there… Not my arm, I mean what's under my sleeve is still there…

"Harry!" I breathe in relief, a smile snaking on my lips as I run into his arms. "You're alive! I heard the cannon…"

"So did I and then I ran to find you!" he says, embracing me tightly. "I was so worried, Draco."

He buries his face into my neck, and for a minute, I feel like we'll never let go of each other. That is until I think of the dragon again and remember what Harry said when he found me just now. I pull away to look at him in his green eyes. "What did you just say about the dragon a few moments ago?" I ask hoarsely, still feeling the smoke in my throat.

"…You were talking to it…" He says in an obvious sort of tone. I'm guessing he was watching behind the tree most of the time.

"Well, yeah. I did say something to it."

"But it wasn't English, Draco." Wasn't English? What's he think that I know other languages? "At least, I didn't understand you." He adds.

"How could you not have understood me? I can't speak anything else."

"Well, you know how I can talk to snakes?"

I nod "Maybe you can talk to dragons!"

I look at him blankly. "But… all I said to it was-"

"That you heard it say your name."

"Yes… so-"

"You understood the dragon, and the dragon understood you. Believe me, I was just as confused when Ron told me I spoke Parseltongue second year." Suddenly his face goes straight at the mention of Ron. I quickly try to change the subject. "Okay, so, if I can talk to dragons-"

"And you can."

"Right. I can talk to dragons… So… Does this have a name? Like, all languages have names, right? Is there a name for this?"

Harry's eyes shift downward unknowingly and he shrugs, "I dunno. I've never knew or even heard of other wizards that can talk to dragons. You might make the history books on this one, Draco."

I try not to laugh, still thinking the idea of "Dragon language". It seems impossible. I'm nothing special, so why would I have a special quality, like this?

"Very funny, Potter. But what did it even sound like?" I say.

"It was kind weird. Like you were speaking gibberish but your voice was hard and raspy. Is it okay to say I found it kind of sexy?"

I smirk at the devious look on his face, "As long as it's okay for me to say I find speaking Parseltongue sexy."

He half-laughs, "Fair enough! So now what? The arena is destroyed. What do we do now?"

I open my mouth to speak, when suddenly the arena gets dark – dark enough for Ron's picture to appear along with the faint sound of the anthem. I look up at his picture in sympathy, and then look at Harry. He looks broken, but I know he knew this would happen.

Now, that just leaves Harry, Goyle… and me…

I look at Harry boldly, even though I'm terrified, a bit of anger on my face. Not at him – all that anger inside of me is directed towards Goyle – all of it.

"We end this."

AN: So I kind of hinted that this was going to happen. You didn't think I would just give Draco a big name and be done with it did you? I had to make it more intresting XD.

Anyway, I'm sorry for taking so long to update and also for killing off Ron. LAWL! Midterms are over for me, so now I can write.

So, three more Tibutes left. Who do you think is going to win? Harry, Draco or Goyle? You can guess but I'm the only one who actually knows ;D. Brace yourselves people, the ending might shock you. ENJOY