A/N: This chapter is one of the reasons that I only post a chapter a week. The truth is that this chapter did not exist at all before Tuesday. In one of those great flashes of insight I realized I had rushed over a part of the story and never developed certain characters. I also threw in some exposition to get it out of the way.

Anyway. Here is the latest installment. Barring difficulties, the first task is two weeks away.

Chapter 14: The Yanks Are Coming

Twelve days. That was the thought in Draco's mind. Until the first task would take place. So far, most people were in a good mood. Draco Malfoy was one of the few exceptions. The principle reason was a Herbridian Black dragon which had taken residence on the school grounds.

But now it was Saturday and Hogsmeade weekend. Sirius Black had given his permission for Draco to go into town. He even mentioned Draco's secret fear about what might happen. If the dragon followed, he was to return at once. He also gave the boy a task. A train was arriving at Hogsmeade station at two. He was to be there to greet the new arrivals. The Americans. Sirius did point out that a certain blond boy was the reason they were coming.

Draco looked down at his plate as he sat down for breakfast. It was empty. Kreacher had finally become too busy to do the extra service of making a special breakfast for his master. Not that Draco minded. The house elf was entertaining his newest friend, the dragon. And she was entertained. Kreacher always brought her something wonderful to eat. Draco's newest fear was that she would refuse to leave because she was eating too well. Justin had told him that was the least of his worries. A happy dragon was a safe dragon. He should worry about the first task. What if she thought he was in danger and came to rescue him? Draco cringed.

Hermione sat next to Draco as she came in a few minutes later. Justin had given up on protocol, at least for breakfast, and was sitting across from them. If yelled at, all he had to do was stand up, turn around, take three steps and sit down again. Justin asked her if she was ready for the adventure. Draco admitted that he was worried that he would actually have to go to the American school once the tournament was over.

That led to a discussion of what they could expect. Hermione said first off they should find out if the American school allows pets. Justin reminded Draco that his favorite portrait, Walburga Black, might not appreciate the change. Wizards across the pond were not noted for their pure blood. She might want to be left behind. And Kreacher still worshiped her, Draco reminded them. If Draco left her behind, the house elf would look on that as desertion. Either way, no good would come of it. His only consolation was that he had six months to worry about it.

When the time came, they dutifully marched down the road to the entrance, along with everyone else. The trio had become a fivesome. Colin Creevey had asked to join them, and brought another third year, Demelza Robins, with him. Demelza admitted that she wanted to talk to Hermione. She loved Quidditch and wondered what her chances would be, next year. Hermione was honest. Her best chance was to try out for Keeper. Unless she was very good at flying. All the chasers would still be here, as well as the beaters and the seeker. Demelza frowned but said she might try out, anyway. Her frown faded when she saw Hermione smile at the idea.

Draco and Justin were grinning at each other. Hermione, only two years ago, could not have told you the rules of the game. She only made the team originally because stuck up Potter bodged it as Seeker and no one else wanted to play on a 'loser' team. Hermione agreed because she was told she would only pretend, that they would replace her with a real player just before the match. Now she was agreeing with the third year that they should have worked it out so they could have the tournament AND Quidditch.

Colin asked about the dragon. How long was it going to stay? Draco asked a question of his own. Did he really ask Hagrid if he could ride it? Colin smiled, he never had a chance to ride the hippogriph.

That brought up the question of how hard the school shook the other day. Colin said he was in the dungeons for potions and barely felt it. Justin was on the fifth floor on a different side of the building. He felt it. He said it was similar to the time he was on the top floor of a skyscraper on a windy day. At the point where it stops swaying one way and starts to go back the other way. Both looked at Draco who admitted he wasn't paying attention at the time.

It was during Charms class. The classroom was on the third floor. Professor Flitwick was explaining the difference in wand waving between attraction spells and repulsion spells. Draco was sitting in his usual seat but he was not listening. He was thinking about the dragon. He was trying to think of how he could convince her to return to the preserve. She liked him. She had adopted him. But she was confused about what he was. She was trying to figure it out yet she still tried her best to teach him.

As he was thinking this last thought, he felt the building shake. Startled, he lifted his head. The building shook again. Draco, and every other student, turned to the window. The dragon was looking into the classroom.

"Mister Malfoy?" The professor asked in a trembling voice.

"I'm sorry, Sir. I . . . I was daydreaming."

"Please pay attention." The sense of fear was still there. "For all our sakes."

"Yes, Sir."

The dragon gave a roar and disappeared from view.

Hermione then whispered to him that he had better do his homework.

Colin was the one who raised the subject. Why was Sirius Black here? He thought the man was fired. Draco explained that the Minister made him head of security. Why he did that after firing him? Draco shrugged his shoulders. Hermione muttered something under her breath as she and Demelza rejoined the conversation. She berated Draco. All he had to do was talk to Sirius. Then he would have found out that the Minister fires him about twice a month.

"Then it was a joke?" Draco dared to ask.

"Yes and no," Hermione answered. "Sirius wasn't supposed to do what he did, curing you, I mean. But the Minister couldn't fire him. It wouldn't look right. So when Sirius acted 'business as usual' the Minister used that moment to put him on the shelf, so to speak."

Justin, always quick on such things, smiled. To him it was simple. The Minister didn't want Sirius around, but needed to have him around. So he gave the man a job that required he stay in one place. Draco didn't follow it at all. Nor did it matter. His legal guardian was now a permanent fixture at Hogwarts.

Draco did disagree about one thing. He wouldn't call it 'curing', what Sirius did.


Draco had a good time wandering around Hogsmeade. Zonko's Joke Shop was a necessary stop, although he did little more than look around. That was where they parted ways with Colin and Demelza. The Sweet Shop was the next stop. He spent some of the money he had on a pair of sugar mice. After that, they were off to the Three Broomsticks, with a brief stop at the stationary shop for Hermione. The last of his money went for a bottle of butterbeer. Sooner than they wished, though, it was time to go. There was a train to meet.

Draco was happy that Justin and Hermione wanted to go with him. For both of them it would be a treat. Meeting American witches. He admitted he was nervous. They were coming because of him. Because of something he did that he shouldn't have. He had no idea how these people would react.

At 2:00, the train pulled into the station. The three waited as the few passengers disembarked. Three witches in dark blue robes. Two wore matching pointed hats, the same style as Professor McGonagall. Both looked to be the same age. The matronly witch had grey hair. The third witch was younger, with flowing blond hair. She looked to be the same age as Tonks. She was the only one without a hat.

Draco smiled as he saw their escort. Arthur Weasley. As Arthur waved to them, Hermione nudged Draco's arm. Sirius Black was walking down the platform toward them. When he reached the three students, Black suggested they walk with him to greet their new guest. He was acting friendly. At least Draco assumed it was an act. The man suggested he use his fancy voice.

Everyone around him was smiling. Arthur made the introductions. The Matronly witch was introduced as Doctor McCudgeon, Dean of the Salem Witches Institute. Sirius introduced himself, claiming the title of Director of Security. When the witch gave him a wry smile, he added that he was given the position shortly after 'Draco's little escapade' became known.

The second witch, almost as tall as Sirius Black, introduced herself as Professor Duracam. She had what Draco thought of as a western accent. She also looked as though she could handle herself in a fight, with or without magic. Appropriately, she was in charge of the Athletics Department.

It was the third witch who caught Draco's eye. She reminded him of his godfather only because she was smiling. The comparison ended there. Where Professor Lestrange always looked like he was planning something, this woman looked like she was waiting to hear the last line of an anecdote. She proudly announced she was Professor Adrem, and she was looking at Draco.

"And y'all must be Draco Malfoy, the wonderful excuse for us to come here."

Doctor McCudgeon scowled. "I wouldn't call it wonderful, Minnie."

Professor Adrem laughed. "All Y'all pay no mind to Mildred. She's just as thrilled to be here as I am. She just won't admit it."

Hermione looked at Justin. "All Y'all?"

The professor laughed again. "Don't you know your English, honey? Everyone knows that the plural of Y'all is All Y'all."

Hermione tried to be insulted, but that smile was infectious. He gave one of her own and promised to remember. She introduced herself and Justin, they were there because they were mates of Draco.

Sirius offered to escort the witches to the carriages which would take them to Hogwarts but Professor McCudgeon demurred. Before anything else, she wanted to talk to Draco Malfoy, privately. Sirius nodded and said they would all wait at the end of the platform. Arthur Weasley made it a point to pat Draco's shoulder as he passed. A minute later, he was still standing there with the Dean of the Salem Institute looking at him. Then she waved her wand.

"A silencing spell. I don't want us to be overheard. And look at me when I talk to you."

Draco looked up. At once he felt a probe against his mental shields. "It won't work. I've studied Occlumency."

The Dean nodded. "Why?"

Draco showed his scare. "It's a curse scar. If you were to try to read my mind, I would pass out from the pain before you could capture a single thought."

She smiled. "Good. That means you're not some practical joker." A pause. "Do you want to leave Hogwarts for some school in New England?"

Draco was confused by the question. "I was told I didn't have a choice. Why you askin'? Um, I mean, Why are you asking?"

Doctor McCudgeon arched an eyebrow. "Your accent is a fake? But never mind that. I want to know if YOU want to go to New England. While I would not object to a request, I'm put out that your Minister stated it as a fate accompli. He seems a bit pushy, if you ask me. It may be because I'm from Boston, but I don't like it when people tell me my job. Do you want to leave Hogwarts?"

The conversation was not what he expected. This woman was looking for an excuse not to take him as a student. He decided then and there he would answer honestly any question she asked.

"No."

"Give me a reason. Any reason. I'll dress it up so that it sounds believable."

Any number of excuses came to mind. He was English. He had to go to an English school. He was allergic to foreign countries. He was born in France but they had to leave immediately because he developed a rash. He hates pizza and everyone knows that's all that Americans eat. That and hamburgers. He thought of Hermione.

"Do you allow pets?"

McCudgeon snorted. "What in the name of the Seven Bells does that have to do with anything?"

Draco shuffled his feet. "Got one. Ain't a cat or nuffin like tha'."

"You're a Cockney." The woman gave him an honest grin. "No wonder you use a different accent. And to answer your question, we do allow pets, within reason. Cats, but you said you didn't have one. Owls, of course. Dogs, although I've never been a dog person." She gave him a questioning look. "What kind of pet do you have?"

Draco told her. Later, Professor Adrem said that was the loudest laugh she had ever heard.

With effort, the Dean asked her next question. "Do you have a better reason than that? If I tell Board that you want to bring a dragon with you, they'll demand you come."

"Got one. Don't know if you can use it."

"Try me."

"Met this kid end of summer. His grandmother was a Trelawney. Don't know if the name means anything to you."

"Cassandra Trelawney was one of the most powerful seers ever. What did this kid say?"

"Told me to win the cup, the triwizard cup. Both our lives depended on it."

Doctor McCudgeon was impressed. Draco could tell that. He could tell it was partly because he trusted her enough to tell her, having known her for only fifteen minutes. There was also something else. Perhaps that the kid could also be a seer. Then the doctor asked.

"Does this boy also attend Hogwarts."

"Naw, he's only nine or ten. An' 'e's a Yank like you. Dad's a teacher in London on an exchange program."

The doctor was hesitating. "You're supposed to be clever. Could you arrange a meeting?"

Draco smiled. It was challenge, albeit an easy one. "Sure, I'll invite 'im to the firs' task. Tell Sirius I owe 'im for talkin' me inna comin' back."

She was frowning. "Why is it that every question you answer always brings up another question?" She promised to talk again when they had the chance. The important matter was taken care of, but she wanted to know more about this boy. Draco was proving to be an interesting person.

Walking to the end of the platform, Doctor McCudgeon had the pleasure of asking Arthur Weasley where everyone else was. Arthur explained the students said they came to the station from the Leaky Cauldron. That was when Professor Duracam suggested they wet their whistles while they waited.

"Were you able to settle the matter, Mildred?"

"You were right, Arthur. I talked to the boy and got more than I bargained for."

"Would you like to go to the pub?"

"Will they miss us?"

"Not unless we miss the evening meal. Sirius Black has already informed Dumbledore."

"I've never been a drinker. But I could use a healthy walk." The Dean looked at Draco. She nodded to the school in the distance. "Do you mind? You could show me that pet of yours."

Draco nodded. This was the chance for herto learn what she could of him.


By the time they reached the gate, Draco had given Doctor McCudgeon a fair outline of his life. That he was an orphan. Miss Carmichael's funeral. Janice and Mick. She, in turn, admitted to reading about the war in the local papers but did not remember the names. She was surprised and concerned to find out that her supposed student was the Boy-Who-Lived.

"By the way, if you do come to the States, you'll find very few people who know about you. There, you're old history from the other side of the ocean."

"Lady, you gave me the first reason to want to go there."

"Most of us do know about Voldemort, in a way. We gave him our own nickname. He's referred to as Innominatus."

"Funny name."

"It's from a poem that describes a wretched self-centered man. Of course, most people who use that name know the reference but have already forgotten its source." She smiled at a thought and said to Draco, "You said I gave you a reason to come to Salem? Here's the reason one of us came here. When I was informed of what you had done, entering our school, there was one teacher, whom you've met, who had heard of you. You were mentioned in a recent article about . . ."

"Victor Krum?" Draco smiled back at the reaction he received. He knew which witch she was referring to. "She really like him?"

"Dolores said he was better than anything we've got. I'm taking her word for it."

Draco asked if that was really why Professor Duracam came. Because she knew Viktor was one of the champions. This brought out another smile. He was told he was half correct. She was coming anyway because of her position. That was why she wanted to come. Then Draco asked his next question. What did Professor Ayudrem teach? He was corrected in his pronunciation. That was how she said her a's. It was A-drem. And she taught History. She wanted to come because Hogwarts is the oldest school in the wizarding world. It would be her only chance to spend any time at the school.

"She'll love Hermione," Draco said, using his fancy voice. They were near enough to the school that they could see the main doors. And something else.

Doctor McCudgeon stopped in her tracks. "As I live and breathe. A real dragon."

"Don't you have dragons in America? I read about the Peruvian whatchamacallits."

"They're really flying snakes. Big ones, I grant you, but in the Americas they never grew legs. A different branch of the evolutionary tree."

She had started walking again. Directly toward the dragon. "How tame is your pet?"

As they came closer, Draco became nervous. "Lied about that. Ain't my pet. I'm hers."

"That is another story I'll want to hear in detail." The dragon turned and looked directly at the Doctor. She stopped even though she was still a good distance away. Her next words were not said out of fear but out of intellectual curiosity. "She isn't growling or crouching or whatever dragons do, so I assume she's not preparing to attack. Do you know what she's thinking?"

"It's a, um, empathic bond. I know what she's feelin'."

The doctor moved forward at a slow pace. She and the dragon were watching each other. "What is she feeling? Does she feel threatened?"

"No." Draco tried to describe the feeling. The last time he had felt this was a long time ago. Miss Carmichael was asking Constable Givens, "What did Draco do this time?"