Wow.. I got started on this chapter right away, because it the response from chapter one. Already I have over 60 hits on it! I'm flabbergasted, delighted and completely petrified, all at the same time! You guys blow me away every single time I put anything new up here. I really have no idea what to say, except thank you all so very much. None of this would be possible without your love, and guidance.
And now, enough with the mush, onto the story! I don't own Glee, Dalton or a Dragon, except in my own mind!
Dwight's arm was getting sore, carrying Norbert on his arm for so long, but he was definitely happy to have the little beast. He had been trying for a couple of days to figure out how to get Kurt to let him "borrow" the minute dragon. He had finally come up with the most direct approach: just to ask him.
It hadn't been as hard as he'd thought. Kurt had pushed the lizard into his arms, almost as soon as he'd walked through the door. Dwight wasn't sure why, but he figured Kurt just needed a break. Most parents needed a rest sometimes.
Normally, he would have yelled something about the supernatural the first time he'd seen Norbert, but honestly, he'd always been a little excited to see rare things. And to have something so utterly unique that he could interact with, made him exceedingly happy.
He didn't even want to exorcise the little beast, even though he thought it might be part demon.
It hadn't acted demonish, though, even if it did eat raw meat. And the fact that it was growing rapidly didn't give him the fear that it probably should have. It was harmless, and Kurt was teaching it manners. It already knew how to ask nicely for a treat, and it washed itself constantly, thanks to Kurt's grooming habits. Like father, like son, Dwight thought wryly.
Norbert looked around at the halls of Windsor, where he was being taken. Dwight followed the corridor, looking around furtively, to avoid any lingering teachers or teacher's aides. As he passed a small alcove, he heard a soft sniffling, and paused in his headlong dash.
There, in the depression in the wall, sat a kid. He looked to be new to Windsor, tiny, barely old enough to go to Dalton. He had his legs pulled up to his chest, with his arms wrapped around his knees and his face buried in his arms. Dwight looked around, trying to find someone, anyone who would be able to take care of this kid.
Not seeing anyone, he let out a breath, sighed softly, and wandered closer to he kid. The closer he got, the more worried he became, as the kid looked much younger than himself, and wasn't wearing a Dalton uniform. Dwight started to suspect sorcery, but Norbert took away his element of surprise.
Giving a soft chirp, he fluttered out of Dwight's arms, and perched himself on a bench next to the sobbing boy.
"Oh!" The boy looked up at the sound, his hand jumping to his throat as he took in the sight of the tiny dragon looking up at him, and the dark-haired boy looking down. He hiccuped, his eyes filling with tears again, as he scooted back from the little creature.
"I'm s-sorry," he stuttered softly. "I didn't think anyone was around." Dwight took the opportunity to really look at the boy, and decided he was even younger than he had first assumed. He knelt close to the bench, slowly pulling Norbert back into his arms, but the little dragon wouldn't co-operate. It continued looking at the boy, and crawled forward slowly, eventually climbing into the boy's lap, and snuggling him gently.
"Oh, my," The boy murmured softly, his huge brown eyes looking down and taking in the softness of the warm creature in his lap. Kurt always made sure Norbert had moisturised skin, there were no rough or patchy bits.
"What's your name?" Dwight was convinced this was just a boy, not some evil being that was there to kill everyone, because to his knowledge, dragons didn't associate with demons or other evil beasts.
"James," The other boy replied, his voice so soft Dwight barely heard it. "I'm new…"
"I could tell," Dwight spoke softly, to avoid startling the little lizard, who had now snuggled right up to James' chest and was attempting to fall asleep. "How old are you, if you don't mind me asking?" Dwight was certain it was very young.
"I'm eight," James replied, his voice low with wonder, his eyes raised to take in the boy beside him. "I just transferred here from a school in Vancouver, Canada. It was a school for gifted people, like me." His eyes once again began filling with tears, and he sobbed a bit more while he told his story.
"I'm classified as a genius," James continued. "My parents think that the more schools they put me in to advance my skills, the better. But I hate leaving all my friends behind. I just got finished making those friends, and now I have to start all over again? It's not fair!" Dwight placed an arm around the boy, as Norbert woke up, and climbed up James' shirt. He butted his tiny head against James' chin, offering as much comfort and support as he could, being a lizard.
"I think he likes you," Dwight smiled, softly stroking the skin on he little lizard's neck, earning him a soft keening from the tiny creature. Its eyes focussed their icy blue stare at the small boy he was perched on, capturing his gaze as hypnotically as if he were a cobra.
Dwight inhaled sharply, his internal paranormal detectors going off while watching the boy interact with the dragon. He looked back and forth between the two, but it was as though they were communicating without ever saying a word.
Just before Dwight started to become uncomfortable, James blinked, let out a soft sigh, and turned his warm brown eyes on the other boy.
"I think you're right," James replied, and it took a minute for Dwight to realise he was answering the statement Dwight had made a few minutes previously. It was as though the boy never noticed the slight passage of time, so focussed he had been on Norbert.
The lizard turned to look at Dwight, and his mind opened suddenly. It was as though there were pictures in his head, ones that hadn't been there before. Was this how Norbert communicated? Dwight shook his head. The pictures were clear enough, but he couldn't help wondering why he was shown pictures of Han in his "Bat Cave". Then it all made sense to him.
"Norbert, you're a genius!" Dwight grabbed the boy, who was still wrapped around the lizard, and pulled him to his feet. "Come on!" And he yanked the young boy down the hallway and up the stairs as fast as he could go.
When they finally made it to Han's room, Dwight announced himself and his friend, who stood there puffing from his flight up nearly three sets of stairs. The door opened, and Dwight pulled James inside quickly, disregarding the mist that floated out from the bottom of the open door.
"Han, this is…" Dwight began.
"James Kehoe," Han finished, materialising from the mists, wandering forward to clasp the hand of the tiny boy beside Dwight. James shivered, as he clearly wasn't prepared for such a cold environment, and the shiver was echoed by Norbert.
"Here, let me take him," Dwight murmured, allowing the little lizard to clamber inside his overcoat, resting itself as close to his warm skin as it could get.
Han pulled his hand away, appraising the young boy.
"You've got quite some talent, James," He offered, sending out a smile to put the younger boy at ease. "Not as much as me, yet, but that will come with time, I think," He looked over his new friend, and nodded speculatively.
"Yes, with a bit of training, you could be great. I can see it now. Dwight, you can go. I think James and I have much to talk about." Dismissed, as always when it came to Han, Dwight took his leave, looking over his shoulder at Han and James, already deeply involved in a discussion about security hacks and codes for the military.
Shaking his head, Dwight wandered back out to where the air was warmer, and allowed Norbert to clamber up onto his shoulder.
"Thanks, little dude," He muttered to the miniature dragon, and was rewarded with a soft chirp and a gentle nip to the ear. It was now time for him to do what he'd planned earlier, and take the little beast up to the bell tower.
Dwight made his way to the bell tower, the not-so tiny beast clinging to his arm as he prepared to make the ascent to the upper floors.
"Mr. Houston, just what do you think you're doing?" A sharp voice called out, and Dwight instinctively cringed. He turned his entire body around, trying to hide Norbert from view as he deliberately looked in the direction of the woman now facing him.
"I'm… I'm not doing anything, Mrs. Abernathy," Dwight lied, his face red and his feet shuffling.
"What is that you have, young man?" Mrs. Abernathy looked at Dwight, her sharp eyes narrowing as she took in the fluttering behind his back. "Is that a bird, Mr Houston? You know pets are forbidden in this school, with the one exception of Pavarotti, of course," she amended. "Let me see it," She held her hand out, waiting impatiently.
Dwight groaned softly, sweat breaking out over his body as he tried desperately to think of a way to avoid handing over a top-secret, no-one-is-supposed-to-know, real life DRAGON! He gulped once or twice, and Mrs Abernathy began tapping her foot in irritation.
Seeing no other way out, Dwight pulled Norbert out from behind his back, his hands shaking as he slowly brought him into view of the librarian.
Mrs Abernathy shrieked, her piercing voice echoing up and down the hallway as her hands flailed all over the place, sending panic through both Dwight and Norbert.
"Stop it, Mrs A, you're scaring him!" Dwight yelled, his panic nearly overwhelming him, as he windmilled back, trying to keep Mrs Abernathy from accidentally smacking Norbert from his arms.
Norbert was screeching loudly, his wings opening and closing as he attempted to keep his balance on Dwight's arm, his little lizard tongue hissing at the librarian, who screamed again and thrust herself backward into a wall.
"Don't you come near me with that thing, you evil child!" She screamed again, and then her entire countenance changed, with her dissolving into tears before crumpling to the floor. She held her hands up over her head protectively, as though fearing that any second she would be attacked by a vicious, woman-eating lizard. The tears streamed down her cheeks as she sobbed brokenly, her whole body trembling in fear of what would happen to her, now that she had officially lost her mind.
Dwight managed to calm the little beast somewhat, and now felt really bad about scaring the librarian. Perching Norbert safely on his shoulders, he leaned over towards Mrs Abernathy, trying to lay a gentle, comforting hand on her shoulder.
She shook his hand off, her broken sobs becoming louder as she realised that he was closer to her, with that, that thing on his back. Her trembling increased, and her whimpers came out louder and sounding more terrified with every breath she took.
As Dwight slowly calmed her down, her breathing levelled out, and she began to send brief, frightened glances towards the tiny dragon, now clinging to Dwight's back and staring at her in curiosity.
"Am I really going insane?" She wondered aloud, her heart hammering in her chest as she watched Dwight coax the little beast from his back onto his arm.
"No," He murmured, his eyes becoming soft as he looked at the dragon. "This is Norbert," He introduced, and the woman on the floor before him hiccuped slightly with hysteria.
"Hello, Norbert," She greeted hysterically, her eyes round, her limbs trembling, her face aged a good ten years. Norbert shuffled his wings nervously, and Mrs Abernathy let out a small gasp, getting ready to shriek again if it came near her.
"It's okay, Mrs A, he won't hurt you, I swear," Dwight tried to use his most calming voice, doing his utmost best to soothe and calm both lizard and librarian.
"Easy for you to say, Mr Houston," Mrs Abernathy choked a little, and stared at the lizard in Dwight's arms. "What, exactly, is he, I'd like to know?" She asked, as she slowly began to rise from her uncomfortable place on the floor.
"According to Drew and Satoru, he's a dragon," Dwight supplied, one hand reaching out to try and help Mrs Abernathy up. She promptly smacked it away, leaning against the wall for support.
"So, I'm not crazy," She whispered, half to herself, and half to him.
"You're as sane as I am," Dwight replied, and at this she gave him a glance that clearly indicated that if looks could kill, he'd be six feet under.
"Be that as it may, Mr Houston, this is a very serious matter. Not only do you have a pet here, it is of the variety that has never been seen before," Mrs Abernathy fell back on her librarian role to help her cope with things, and this happened to be one of those times. "As such, it will have to be taken to a shelter or otherwise properly disposed of!"
"NO!" Dwight yelled, once again startling the creature on his back, and Mrs Abernathy stepped back at the vehemence in Dwight's voice. "This creature is bonded with Kurt, Mrs A," Dwight continued in a slightly less exasperated manner, but all sense of decorum had flown out the window.
"If you remove him from the school, or worse, have him killed, Kurt will be the one to suffer, and through him, we all will! Kurt is the lifeblood of this school now; without him, we wouldn't be half of who we are now! He's raised Norbert for the past two weeks, and no one's found out about him until tonight. Well, the Windsors know, but none of the teachers, or the other houses! Please, Mrs A, won't you give him a chance? He deserves to be here, he's as much of an outcast as the rest of us are!" Dwight finished his little speech with a soft sob, mentally going over anything else he could include to get her to change her mind.
Mrs Abernathy just stared at the little being, her mouth slightly open in what Dwight believed was shock, and after a few moments, she sighed softly. Blinking back tears, she whispered gently, and Dwight had to strain o hear what she said:
"All right. I won't tell. But if he attacks anyone, or anything, including Mr Tamerlane's pet duck, I will not hesitate to inform the authorities of his hiding here. I want it completely understood that I will have no part of anything to do with that… that beast!" Her eyes rolled in her head, and she placed her fingertips to the bridge of her nose, as though afraid a migraine was coming.
"Completely understood, Mrs. Abernathy. I promise you won't ever have to see him again!" Dwight turned, and quickly made his way to the stairs.
"Mr Houston?" Mrs Abernathy's voice called him back, and he turned, looking carefully at her.
"Yes?" He asked politely.
"You will not bring that, dragon, up to the bell tower. Is that understood?" Dwight's entire frame slumped, as he realised he would not be able to complete his mission that evening. "And you will not bring him back here, either. He doesn't need to be subjected to your level of insanity. Bring him back to Mr Hummel. He deals with these things better than you do."
The groan that escaped his lips was simply out before he could stop it, and he clapped his hand over his mouth guiltily. Mrs Abernathy simply raised a weary eyebrow at him in query.
"Yes, Mrs A. I promise." He slumped off down the hallway, back towards the dormitory, Norbert in hand.
Hehehe, I love Dwight. Always trying to get into places he shouldn't be. Next up? I think the Tweedles would like some one on one time, and perhaps a bit of fun with Wes and David.
Please review! You know you all make my day when the reviews come in! Good, bad whatever, I love to hear from you all! XD