A/N: There are many questions I always ask when I write a story. Is this too much? Am I keeping to the plot? Does anyone really care? Including me? But I did have a serious question. What do you call a group of dragons?
Pride would be nice, as in a pride of lions. Both are kings of the beasts in their own worlds. And others have used it. Herd could be used, as in a herd of elephants. Both are large animals. This has also been used, at least once, but I forget the book. In the end, I decided that they should be described according to the animal they most resemble. The lizard. And they are lizards, with mega pituitary problems. That is why, at one point, I will be referring to a lounge of dragons. (Why couldn't they be more like rooks? It would be great to say a Parliament of Dragons.) If any reader knows, please tell me if there is, in fact, a proper term.
Chapter 13: The Detour
It was Saturday. It had gone half past noon. Draco Malfoy walked into the Great Hall, he was dirty and tired but he was too hungry to sleep. Too much had happened. It would take him a while to go to sleep anyway. He spied Hermione, sitting back to back with Justin. At least they would have been had either of them been sitting properly. They were turned around so they could face each other, reaching back only to grab some food. It was Justin who saw him first and waved him over.
He sat down, also facing the wrong way, and leaned back against the table for support. Justin handed him a glass of pumpkin juice which he promptly drank. When he finished, Hermione handed him a plate holding two roast beef sandwiches and some crisps. He took a bite and swallowed before he even said anything. He first question was to ask what he missed.
Hermione said that Angelina had told them everything. Justin told him that Cedric did the same, but he probably wasn't as nice about it. Diggory was not very happy about the turn of events.
"Everyone hates me?"
Hermione laughed. "Why? For doing what most of us would have loved to do? The adults are furious, but even some of the Ravenclaws were complimenting you."
Justin was grinning as well. "Cedric admitted it was a clever plan. He's only upset because you chose him as the mark."
"Luck of the draw," Draco admitted. "He was the first one I saw going to put his name in." He paused. "No one's angry?"
"Not once they found out you're going to a new school."
"Cor." He had forgotten about that. Not that he thought Dumbledore was serious at the time. But Justin was still explaining. Dumbledore had appeared at breakfast and confirmed that Draco was a legitimate champion as he was representing a fourth school. The Salem Witches Institute had agreed to accept him as a student.
"But they're a witches school, a girl's school."
Hermione was shaking. Draco looked at her and realized she was trying not to laugh. Not that anyone else cared. Almost all the students around them were listening in, and they were laughing already. Draco sighed. No wonder no one was mad at him. He had become a joke.
"Hey! I'll be the only boy. It'll be great."
It was Lavender Brown who interrupted them. "I'm sure you'll look great in your new school uniform. I hear they're bringing you one." A Hufflepuff girl called out, "Will you model it for us?"
Draco sighed. He consoled himself by eating the rest of the food on his plate.
As he ate the last crisp, Justin asked him the question: How did it go? In the Hebrides? At the dragon preserve?
"It was fun."
At that point, a girl, a first year Slytherin, came running into the Great Hall screaming about danger. She screamed all the way to the teachers table.
"Oh yeah, I brought one back with me."
"I've never seen the Minister so furious," Angelina said once the man had left. "Congratulations."
"At least he left in a good mood," Draco noted.
"So, what's your new school like?"
Ludo Bagman coughed politely. He then began to tell the champions what they could expect. The tasks were designed to be dangerous, but precautions were already underway. The tasks themselves would only be revealed at the proper time. In view of the new circumstances, they would now be hard-pressed to complete the arrangements for the first task. Not that any of the champions had to worry. In essence, Bagman told them nothing except that the first task would be on November 24.
The four champions were then left to introduce themselves to each other. The teachers retired to the far end of the room, while Professor McGonagall escorted Cedric Diggory back to the main hall. Sirius Black excused himself, saying he would be outside if needed.
Fleur Delacour introduced herself. She admitted she was amazed when Angelina warned her that Draco would be coming. She also admitted she should be upset but she likes the idea of a fourth school. Although she would have preferred it if Draco had been older, more experienced. Draco didn't care. She looked beautiful and she could talk to him all she wanted as long as he could look at her. Then she smiled and asked him to repeat the last thing she had said. Draco admitted he had no idea.
"Zey are zo childish at zis age," she told Angelina.
Then it was Krum's turn to say something. He asked to correct his previous statement about taking risks when there was a need. It was clear that Draco just liked to take risks.
Draco himself was surprised. As furious as Dumbledore and Crouch were, as angry as McGonagall and the two foreigners looked, the other three champions were welcoming him. But he had to ask Angelina why she wasn't upset. His entry hurt her more than anything else.
"Fred."
"Whot?"
"Are you daft? Fred Weasley. Between him and George, all I heard for a month and a half was how they were going to enter their names. I laughed the hardest when they failed. Then they tell me, before the first name was announced that you'd found a way. When they called my name, the last thing I said was to give you my condolences. He whispered back to warn the others there would be a fourth champion."
"Uh, yeah."
It helped that Fleur and Viktor admitted they didn't understand either. Angelina told them it was simple. Draco outpranked the biggest pranksters in the school. That had to be worth something.
"May I ask a question?" Professor Dumbledore was standing close by. "Was it common knowledge that Draco had succeeded in his plan, at least that he thought he had?"
Everyone looked at Draco.
"Well, I told Justin and Hermione. And Fred and George. And Sirius Black, but that was only to get him angry."
"No one else?"
"Not that I had succeeded. I told Hagrid I had a plan that would work. And Uncle, er, Professor Snape. And Professor Lestrange. And . . . most of Gryffindor."
Dumbledore nodded his head politely. "I must pay more attention to the rumours from now on."
After a few more minutes, they exited the room and everyone returned to their seats. Most of the students were still there. The food was gone but there were still pitchers of juice. Albus Dumbledore asked everyone to fill a glass for a final toast.
"To the Tri-wizard Tournament. May the best champion win."
Draco drank his toast. He was thinking that the best champion wasn't going to win. It was going to be him.
The students were dismissed and Draco made his way out of the Great Hall flanked by Justin and Hermione. As they exited the hall, he heard Professor McGonagall call his name. She was standing by the main doors with, of all people, Charlie Weasley. As the trio approached, someone else was walking toward the doors. The Minister. No doubt the man wanted to know why anyone would want to talk to Draco.
McGonagall looked at the Minister, who admitted at once that he was curious. Because of the boy's background, and recent events, he was curious about anything that concerned Draco Malfoy.
"Too tired to make a trip?" Charlie asked once Draco stood in front of him.
Draco pointed out that it was the middle of the night. Charlie nodded and told him that they wanted everything prepped for dawn. And dawn wasn't that far away anymore. Then the Minister asked what all the preparations were for.
"Draco's dragon. The one he freed from Gringott's. It's in the Hebrides."
The Minister nodded his head. He had been informed of its condition. As an aside, he told Draco it was one of the reasons the goblins were not pursuing the matter. He asked, and seemed honestly relieved that the dragon was in much better health. The McFusty clan, who managed the preserve, had given the dragon all sorts of tonics and potions. But. And that came back to the Minister's question of why they needed Draco.
Charlie explained that it was her eyes. They had a potion to cure the problem, but the bigger problem was how to administer it. All the others were put into the dragon's food. There was no problem. But this potion was an eye wash.
"But why Draco Malfoy?" the Minister insisted.
"He has a bond with the dragon. She likes him because he freed her. She'll let him get close enough with the potion."
"Will he survive the encounter?" The Minister asked casually.
"Um, yeah?"
"Whot you mean UM YEAH? You not sure?"
"Mister Malfoy," Professor McGonagall admonished. "Watch your tongue."
"I'll watch nuffin'. 'e wants me to walk up to a dragon, and throw stuff in 'er eyes."
Bartemius Crouch chuckled. "I say let him do it. Of course, it's not my decision to make. I'm only the Minister for Magic."
Charlie looked at the Minister curiously. He glance at Draco to see the boy smiling. Draco explained that he had made another friend, today. Charlie Weasley decided to ignore both of them and directed all of his attention to Professor McGonagall. He pointed out that it didn't have to be tonight, although the potion they had on hand wouldn't last for much longer. It was also expensive to make. And if they were right, there would be enough time for them to get Draco to safety before the dragon could react.
Professor McGonagall asked the obvious question: What if they were wrong. Charlie gave her his best Weasley grin as he answered. Because of where he would be, he would never have to explain to anyone what happened.
"I am staking my life on this. Draco will be safe."
Justin nudged Draco. "Ask if you can bring a friend, to watch."
"Two friends," Hermione corrected.
"No," Charlie said before anyone else could. "The McFusty clan expect the best but always prepare for the worst. We ARE dealing with dragons. There will be no spectators. And there will be a minimal support crew on the ground. Everyone else will be at the defense perimeter." He grinned again. "That, and I can only apparate with one person."
McGonagall conceded the point. She would get Dumbledore. And one Gryffindor and one Hufflepuff would go to their respective houses. The Halloween feast was over.
As Draco's head cleared, he saw he was in a large room, a warehouse, with all sorts of contraptions on the walls and stacks of boxes in ordered piles. A loud voice said, "Och, they're here." The man smiled at the two new arrivals then nodded in the direction of the chief of the clan.
Angus McFusty was a big man, almost seven feet tall. Draco's first reaction was Hagrid's little brother. He was burly with short red hair and beard. Everyone had short hair. With his blond hair long enough to cover his ears, and his scar, Draco's was longer than anyone else. Angus explained in his thick accent that long hair was never a good idea around dragon fire.
The first order of business was gossip. Everyone had heard about the tournament. They wanted to know who the champions were, without having to wait for the morning papers.
"Me, of course." That short sentence was followed by a long explanation of how he had managed that feat, then who the other champions were and how they reacted. Several of the men smiled when he told them that the Minister was furious. One of them suggested if he was that angry at one extra champion then perhaps there should have been more. It seems the Minister was not popular amongst the clan members.
Business began with Angus giving his own explanation of what they were trying to do. The dragon was wary of anyone who approached too close. There were several close calls when she first arrived. It took a while but they finally figured out how close they could get so that she would notice her food and not attack. The main reason for the problem was that she could not see clearly. She had no idea who was approaching. Angus also noted that she reacted aggressively to any loud noise, apart from those sounds made by other dragons.
He pointed to two large cauldrons. They would be floated behind Draco as he approached the dragon. Once he was close enough, he had to get her attention. The contents would then be expelled from the pots and into her eyes. It was a simple plan. The difficult part was knowing how the dragon would react.
Charlie Weasley's task was to apparate to Draco's side the instant the potions were used. He would, hopefully, have time to apparate the both of them to the defense perimeter. Draco was warned, just in case, to be prepared to run like hell.
When it was time for Draco to ask a question, he wanted to know if he could have a broom. He was Gryffindor's Seeker and if he had to leave under his own power, it would be faster. As an added plus, he would have greater mobility if he needed to dodge anything. Like dragon's breath. Angus grinned. He sent one of his men for the best broom they had, then told Draco he had a good head on his shoulder, and a job if he ever wanted one.
The last thing they did before heading out to the preserve was to move to a small dining hall. Even though Draco wasn't that hungry, he was told to at least drink something. He was told he might need the extra energy. He had a large mug of hot chocolate. He also had a chance to talk.
"Charlie, I thought you worked in Romania?"
"I do, normally. Dad pulled a few strings when he found out the Ministry wanted someone to advise them on the care of dragons. He thought it would be nice to have me close to home for a few months." He smiled when he saw Draco's grin. "The first task was supposed to be dragons. I'm not sure exactly what they had planned though."
"Was? Why'd they change it?"
"Haven't yet. But I'll wager any galleons you've got that they're discussing it right now. After all, one student has an unfair advantage."
"They're going to change it because of me?"
Charlie nodded. "Hope they keep me at Hogwarts, though. I saw this girl from Beaubatons. I'd like to get to know her."
Draco began to describe Fleur Delacour and Charlie admitted that was the one. Charlie smiled when he was told she was part Veela.
Draco held the broom firmly in one hand. He was only on the edge of the preserve but he still felt the need to be ready. He had expected to see dragons, as in more than one, but the valley held dozens. And the valley was huge. Charlie told him it was close to ten square kilometers. He pointed at one of the medium sized dragons and Draco nodded. It was her.
The sky was light enough that he could see the way. And it was a healthy walk, a good kilometer. At least twenty minutes, maybe more if he had to move out of the way of the few dragons that were closer. Hearing Angus say it was time, he took his first steps forward. Two men called out the floating spells. A large cauldron came up on either side of Draco and shadowed him as he walked.
The sun had barely risen when he came close enough to his dragon. And she was beautiful. The dull scales that he remembered now gleamed in the morning light. Her claws were clean and sharp. And the raggedness of her body had been replaced with a more healthy look. Good food and room to move had done wonders for her. She didn't look half as good as the other dragons that Draco noticed, but she was much better than what she had been. Except for her eyes. They were still as runny looking and cloudy as he remembered. And he could see this because the dragon was now looking at him.
"Hi," Draco said softly.
The dragon lowered its head, more to sniff him then look at him. To remember his scent. He knew it was the empathic link because he began to feel a warmness, a sense of comfort, as her head came closer. She did remember him. She did know who he was. She was close enough that he raised his free hand to touch her.
Draco forgot something. He forgot why he was there. He was as surprised as she was when the potions spouted from the cauldrons and into her eyes.
The dragon pulled back and let out a roar. Draco dropped to the ground as flame shot out overhead. Behind him, he could hear people yelling. Something about not seeing him. Not that he cared. His attention was elsewhere. A twenty-meter long dragon was trying to come to terms with what she thought was an attack. She was angry. And she could now see clearly. She could see the three men who were well behind him. A glance backward showed two of them increasing the distance as quickly as possible. Charlie Weasley was also backing away but not as fast Charlie would explain later that the didn't apparate because they weren't yet in danger. All three wanted to remain fairly close in case . . . in case Draco still needed their help.
The dragon was getting ready to take wing when Draco jumped up and onto the broom. He didn't think to flee. He flew upward instead of away.
A dragon's claw came at him. He pulled sharply to one side. He heard the dragon roar again, shooting angry flames into the air above. Around him, the other dragons were beginning to react. A look to each side saw several dragons, in ones and twos, approaching to give aid. To help against the attack. And Draco looked up.
The dragon was looking at him. Her eyes were beautiful and clear. And burned with anger. Draco stopped his broom and sat there in the middle of the air.
The angry dragon leaned forward.
Draco moved toward her, slowly.
They were no more that three broom lengths apart.
Draco was looking into her eyes. All he could think of was how beautiful they looked thanks to the magic potions. Even though she was angry he couldn't help but feel happy.
Slowly, the anger faded to be replaced by a look of curiosity. Draco laughed.
"Yeah, it's me. This is what I really look like."
He felt someone sniff him. On his right was a male dragon, larger than she was.
"She adopted me," Draco said casually.
Much later, Draco would try to explain how he felt. He was surrounded by dragons. But he knew not to be afraid. He belonged. He was smaller than all the rest but he was part of this lounge of dragons. The part that scared him when he thought back on this was that he was not thinking of himself as human.
He flew amongst the dragons so they would know him, but he never went too far from her. Not at first. Here, she was in charge of him.
Now she was watching him. Draco had to show off. He flew high. He turned downward and did a loop in the air. As he came lower, he curved the broom so that he could spiral down to her. As he reached head high, he pulled out his wand and gave a wordless yell. A burst of flame shot from his wand. Life was good.
As the sun rose into the sky, the young dragons began to come near to inspect the stranger. One, a girl of ten, only a third the size of her, took wing and began to fly with Draco. An older boy joined them. The three soared through the air, looping around each other, playing catch the tail, simply having fun. In a short time, there were a half dozen of them swerving around each other in an intricate dance. The only purpose of the dance was to have fun.
A noise was heard, almost melodic, somehow familiar. His friends curved to fly toward it. He understood. There was food. He flew back. He must have been halfway across the valley by that point. There was still some play in their flight but they now had a purpose. The word breakfast came to mind.
Draco paused.
He remembered something important.
He was not a dragon.
He slowed as he neared. She was watching him. Her eyes held a mother's pride.
"I have to go."
The words meant nothing to her. She understood the feelings. In his mind, she gave him a sad smile. He gave her a sad smile of his own.
Turning the broom in the direction of the perimeter gate, he flew back to his own world.
When Draco landed, the first thing he did was look back. She was still watching him. Draco didn't know what to say when he was asked how he was. He wiped a tear from his cheek and muttered that he wasn't hurt. Angus McFusty was telling Charlie Weasley he was right. The boy had a strong bond. Perhaps too strong. It was suggested that he be taken away as soon as possible.
Charlie asked Draco if he had fun. He was holding out his arm. Draco looked back one last time. Then he apparated with Charlie back to Hogsmeade.
"How are you? Really?" Charlie asked as they made their way back to Hogwarts.
"She looked great," Draco admitted. "Lots better."
"And you? You gave all of us a fright, you know. When she blasted the air like that. And when you flew your broom straight up at her. And when the dragon king flew up to you. And a few other times when you went off . . . to play."
Draco laughed. "It was fun." He added wistfully, "I'll miss them. Not just her, but the other kids too."
"Those kids were at least as twice as big as you."
A shrug of the shoulders. "I've always been the runt."
As they reached the gate, someone shouted from behind. It was one of the men who floated the cauldrons.
"Rory?"
"Charlie, there's trouble. As soon as you left, the dragon spooked. She took off and left the preserve."
"She's coming here?" Charlie asked.
"We think. And she's flying fast. Angus has a team following her, make sure she's not seen."
Draco was horrified. Why would she do that? The two men were already answering the question. She saw him disappear. They agreed they should have walked him back to the station before they left. Charlie laughed, saying they knew for next time. What Draco wasn't ready for was Charlie's next suggestion. He and Draco would take a leisurely walk to the school and wait outside in a nice open area. Rory nodded and left them to head on to the castle at a faster pace.
"We'll wait outside?"
"She is looking for you. Do you want her to try entering Hogwarts to find you?" As both of them grinned, Charlie corrected himself. "Do you want to tell Dumbledore that you're the reason she tried to enter the school?"
"Waitin' outside sounds good."
It was a leisurely walk, both of them pointing out spots they were familiar with. When they spied the pitch, Charlie told Draco that he was once Gryffindor's Seeker. He even led them to winning the Quidditch Cup. Draco said that Oliver Wood told them all about it. Wood also said he could have played professionally if he had wanted. Then Draco admitted he helped do the same, a little, his first year. He did manage to help win the house cup.
Charlie laughed. "Any way I can find out how you did it?"
"Can't tell. Sorry."
Draco changed the subject by pointing to a spot near the lake. That was where he usually went to practice his guitar. He promised to play something for Charlie whenever he managed to get decent at it.
Hagrid was waiting for them as they walked past his hut. He was excited and asked if they knew how far away the dragon was. He joined them on their walk and insisted that Draco tell him everything that happened at the preserve. He then stopped Draco from answering by asking Charlie about Norbert.
"You mean Norberta," Charlie grinned. "And she's fine, last I saw of her. She's fitting in."
After that, there was nothing left to do but stand around and wait. And tell Hagrid, in detail, all about the dragons. The giant listened with enthusiasm, interrupting occasional to say that he wished he were there to see it himself. Draco was still telling the part about flying with the dragonets when Charlie shouted and pointed.
Draco had to ask how fast dragons could fly. Charlie told him that if needed they could average Eighty to a Hundred klicks with short bursts of more than a Hundred Twenty. He added that it was only one hundred and fifty to the preserve. Draco looked at his pickle watch. It was over an hour since they left the preserve. Draco also noticed something else. It was lunchtime. For all he had eaten the night before, he was hungry. Charlie said that was a bit of luck. No students would be around for the arrival.
As the dragon landed, Charlie and Hagrid backed away. Draco merely stood there. She landed so close that Draco felt the thud when her feet hit the ground. And she was worried.
"I'm fine. Really," Draco tried to tell her, but she insisted on looking him over, even walking around him, to make sure. Satisfied, she sat down and rested.
Draco's stomach rumbled. He was definitely hungry. And he had a thought. Looking around for the man, Rory, he saw Angus McFusty. The man was not smiling. "Did she eat?" Draco called out. The man shook his head to say no. The last thing he was going to do was shout while standing near a skittish dragon.
The boy smiled. "Kreacher?"
There was a popping noise as the house elf appeared. The dragon looked concerned but only watched because Draco was not worried. Kreacher also watched the dragon. This was not something the house elf expected.
And Draco explained. He pointed out the clan chief and told Kreacher to go over, he corrected himself, to walk over to the man and find out what dragons eat. He also warned the elf not to apparate too close to the dragon. Strange noises made her nervous.
Kreacher did not quite obey Draco. He didn't walk over to the man. His master had given him an important task and he needed to run in order to do this task as quickly as possible.
"Um," Draco said, nervously. "I'm going inside," he pointed at the main doors, "to eat. Kreacher will be . . ." Kreacher was opening the doors already. "Back soon with food. Um."
He paused, not knowing what to do. A movement to one side caught his eye and he saw one of the men from the preserve waving and pointing. Draco looked toward the doors again and saw Kreacher with a half dozen other house elves, each carrying huge platters of fresh meat. He smiled and knew he didn't have to say anything. Taking a deep breath to relax himself, Draco walked to the school. He was right about one thing. There were no students around because everyone was already eating. Except for one young girl who was also late. She paused when she saw Draco enter the main hall. He assumed she followed him but later, about ten minutes later, realized she had heard the noise from outside and went to investigate.
