The next morning began the routine again, and Harry found himself dreading the day as he leaned over his sausage and eggs at breakfast. All three of them were exhausted, and Ron had already managed to insult Hermione into silence. Harry wasn't convinced that was the only reason she wasn't speaking, however, as he noticed her paying avid attention to the table where Jake sat with Lao Shi. Jake was trying to imitate him as he pointed a clawed finger at a goblet, causing it to float in the air and twirl, though Jake only managed to make his tip over and spill its contents.
They traipsed off to charms, where Professor Flitwick began by reiterating the importance of the O.W.L.'s, a message that Harry was growing very tired of hearing. The hour passed swiftly, and soon they were under Professor McGonagall's gaze in transfiguration, listening to the same speech once again. Jake and Lao Shi, it seemed, were also observing this class. He couldn't see his hands, but Harry got the feeling Jake was practicing whatever technique he had been using earlier, given how random objects around the room kept teetering or shaking. Neville was always clumsy, but he must have dropped his wand a dozen times while trying to make his snail vanish for the lesson, much to the amusement of the red dragon.
Hermione was still refusing to speak to Ron by the time lunch came around. Ron and Harry were beginning to panic under the load of homework they had to complete, and so decided to sacrifice their lunches for precious time in the library. They were beginning their walk when Harry turned to tell Hermione that they'd meet her at their next class, only to find she was already down the corridor and off to the Great Hall.
"Are you heading to the Great Hall for lunch, Jake?" Hermione's voice sounded from behind him. Jake turned and saw the brilliant girl with frizzy brown hair just catching up to him and Lao Shi. He had suspected it before, but after watching their transfiguration lesson he knew that Granger was a prodigy. She had successfully cast the vanishing spell on her third attempt, while the rest of the class hadn't made so much as a hair disappear.
"Yah, I'm starved, you coming?" He noticed that she was alone, asking, "Where did Harry and Ron go?"
"Oh, well…" she paused, falling into step beside Jake as they made their way. "Ron upset me earlier, so we haven't really been talking this morning. They went to the library to work on homework, but I've already finished most of it." She said it so nonchalant, but Jake knew all about the full loads they had received so far.
"Is this a normal thing? You and Ron fighting, I mean," Jake asked. They had just entered the hall and were moving to find a seat at the Gryffindor table. Lao Shi briefly touched Jake's shoulder before heading towards the head table, probably to speak with Dumbledore or one of the professors.
Granger gave a knowing laugh. "More than I'd like to admit. We might as well be siblings, the way we bicker."
"Trust me, the real thing is a whole lot worse," Jake agreed smiling, filling his plate with nearby goodies on the table.
"You have brothers and sisters?" Hermione asked. She had wanted to ask Jake questions about the Dragons of Draco Isle, and this seemed like a good way to start the conversation. Her need to know about them was insatiable.
Jake shook his scaly head. "Just one sister, and she's plenty. You?"
Granger shook her head as well. "Only child, though I've always wondered what it would be like. If they're anything like Ron, though, I think I'm alright." She couldn't help but laugh at that. "If you don't mind me asking, are you from the USA? The only wild dragons I've heard being native to the Americas were in Chile and Peru…" she stuttered before looking at Jake alarmed. "Not that you're a wild dragon of course! Your lot aren't nearly as large or mindless as the typical variety." Jake cocked an eyebrow at that, Hermione thinking she'd offended him and continuing to ramble and hopefully alleviate the tension. "It's just strange that you all come from the Isle of Draco but have different...uhm, ethnicities?...Which isn't a bad thing!..."
The sudden flustered fit starkly contrasted against Hermione's usual superior maturity, and Jake couldn't help but laugh at it all. He was also reminded, however, of Lao Shi's warning of not giving anyone too much personal information. They were here to make friendships, but they also had the secrets of their people to maintain. Jake would have to be careful, especially around someone as sharp as Hermione.
"Accent gave me away, huh? Yah, I'm from the states." Hermione relaxed as soon as he started laughing, her previous awkwardness now replaced with rapt attention as Jake took his turn to speak. "The clothes aren't as fancy, and tea isn't that big, but otherwise it's pretty much the same." Humor was always a good fallback for avoiding certain topics, Jake thought.
They kept at it, Hermione talking about her muggle parents, learning about being a witch when she was eleven and coming to Hogwarts. Jake had to dodge some of her questions, but was thankfully saved before they became too specific by the end of lunch. Lao Shi rejoined them, and the trio walked down through the courtyard to the lawns beside the castle.
They were headed to the subject that Jake had been looking forward to the most since he'd first seen his schedule: Care of Magical Creatures.
"And just what are they doing?" Ron asked. Harry and he were walking to their Care of Magical Creatures class when they saw Hermione headed in the same direction, striding alongside Jake and Lao Shi.
"Probably going to the same place we are," Harry responded. He was kind of surprised to see it, but he was pretty sure Ron was getting jealous. They met with the group of Gryffindors and Slytherins standing just beyond Hagrid's Hut along the edge of the Forbidden Forest. Everyone was looking at the table by Professor Grubbly-Plank, which looked like it was covered in sticks.
"Neat, Bowtruckles," the red dragon mumbled next to the blue one, who was trying to introduce them to the professor. She shot a look at him, scolding, "Yes they are, but don't go giving away the answers!"
"My bad," he apologized, running his claws through his hair. The two stood off to the side, away from the group but still within earshot. Professor Grubbly-Plank gathered everyone up and began her lecture, introducing them all to the Bowtruckles, describing their behaviors and habitats (after Hermione of course recited them perfectly). Malfoy and his cronies made the usual show of mocking Hermione as she answered the Professor, though Harry was pleased to see them immediately shrink away as the red dragon gave them a now familiar stare of impending doom.
Throughout the lesson, the dragons simply watched and observed, whispering to one another as the students collected the sketches that Professor Grubbly-Plank had demanded of them. Malfoy had regained some of his courage and didn't spare the opportunity to covertly antagonize Harry about Hagrid's mysterious absence, hinting that he knew where he was. Harry's emotions surged, and he earned a few choice cuts from the Bowtruckle he'd managed to crush in his hand. Hermione gave him some pieces of cloth to stem the bleeding as they walked off to the greenhouses for Herbology, all the while Harry being unable to shake the constant feeling that he was being watched far more closely than the others by their new reptilian guests.
While they walked, Jake eavesdropped on their conversation. Apparently, Harry was concerned about someone named Hagrid being missing and the blonde boy (Malfoy they called him) had insulted him. He was also very over protective of Hagrid, Jake decided, after watching him snap at Hermione about his teaching or something, which she had made no mention of in the first place. Jake was getting more and more reason to believe the boy was more paranoid than brave, which only served to worry him further.
A group of Ravenclaws were leaving the greenhouses as they arrived, one of them being Luna, the girl Haley had befriended. She saw Harry and immediately ran to tell him something, but Jake was distracted by his own sister.
"Hales? What are you doing here? I thought you were with the first-years," Jake asked. These students were far older than the ones he was used to seeing her with.
"Sun and I spoke with Dumbledore, and he agreed to let me observe the fourth-years instead. I've got to say, it's been a lot more interesting than yesterday!" She was absolutely giddy as Sun caught up with her. "We're headed to Charms, see you guys later!" Haley shouted as they flew up towards the castle.
The two dragons headed to the greenhouses while the rest of the students were chatting and introduced themselves to the pleasant woman known as Professor Sprout. They were exchanging the usual pleasantries when Jake caught a scent that made him stiffen immediately.
"Is…is that…" He knew what it was, but here? Why would…
"Is that what, dear?" Professor Sprout asked, slightly confused. Jake was craning his neck around, looking at the pots and bags scattered amongst the shelves, until his nose led him to a crate filled with heavy woolen sacks.
"Oh, you mean the fertilizer! Yes, we only use the finest dragon dung for our budding beauties here at Hogwarts," Professor Sprout trilled, clearly proud of her plants. Jake was gasping in disgust, despite the disapproving glare from his grandfather. Why were they not bothered by this?
"Jake, control yourself, your behavior is very disrespectful of their culture," Lao Shi scolded him as they found their seats in the corner of the greenhouse, the students starting to pour into the humid room.
"Yo, G, they're using dragon sewage to grow their plants! That's just…so…gross," he gagged.
His Dragon Master answered with exasperation, "Dung from feral dragons, Jake, you know that. It is no different than any normal farmer using cow manure, or…"
"Please, gramps, no more…" Jake coughed, his eyes shut tight. Lao Shi sighed in defeat before turning to listen as Professor Sprout began delivering another speech on exams, and Jake could only watch in nauseating horror as the students repotted various plants, all the while handling the fresh, top quality fertilizer.
As soon as the bell tolled, Jake waited for no one. He was gone and flying out of the door, putting as much distance between him and the greenhouses as possible.
"I'm sure he'll be fine," Ron assured Hermione.
"I just don't trust Umbridge one bit." Hermione hissed. Just the thought of that pink little toad of a woman made her furious. "Especially after yesterday, she's got it out for Harry."
"Well there's nothing we can…" Ron paused looking over Hermione's shoulder before continuing. "Bloody Hell, you look awful."
Jake's weary body plopped down on the bench beside Hermione. She couldn't help but agree with Ron, seeing his drooping ears and exhausted slouch. His scales even looked a shade of red paler than normal, if that were even possible. "Jake, are you alright?" she asked tentatively.
"Never better…" he grumbled. "Herbology just grossed me out a little. Or a lot." The thought of the class made him cringe again, and he reached for the nearest goblet, gulping down the drink inside. He took a soothing breathe before asking, "Where'd Harry go?"
"Umbridge sacked him with detention through Friday," Ron answered.
"Ouch, that's rough. Especially if it's with her." Jake said. The parallels between Umbridge and Rotwood continued to grow as Jake considered the many afternoons he'd had to spend cleaning whiteboards or scraping gum for his own lunatic professor. The other two agreed with their downcast glances.
"Jakeroo, you done yet?" Nerk was calling from a table away. Jake nodded and stood to leave. "We'll catch up later," he waved before following Nerk out of the Great Hall.
"We should be heading back, too," Hermione prodded. "We've got plenty of homework to catch up on, and if we finish early you can help me knit more hats for the elves," she added, a tone of hopeful excitement filling her voice.
Ron mumbled and nodded in agreement, though he seemed distracted, his eyes focused on the landscape outside the windows of the Great Hall.
The sun was beginning to set, orange tinting filling the sky. Once again, Ron's enchanted Quaffle had flown in the completely wrong direction, forcing him to groan with frustration and fly over to retrieve it. This is hopeless, I'm making a fool of myself, he thought in disappointment. I would have been better off just doing my homework with Hermione.
He had made it halfway down the field toward the maroon ball when a red dragon came flying in from the side and picked it up, turning to meet Ron mid-flight.
"Yo, Ron! What's crackalackin'?" he shouted up to him, tossing the ball towards him. Ron barely managed to catch it, and it took him a great deal of effort to stay balanced on his broomstick doing so. He was clutching the handle for dear life, desperately trying to correct himself, and quickly headed for the ground before he truly did fall. Jake followed and fluttered a foot in the air. "I was watching you for a bit, but I didn't really get what you were...well...trying to do..."
"Shouldn't you be with the other dragons doing…whatever you all do?" Ron dismissed Jake, his face and ears growing a bright red. The thought of the dragon watching him flounder on his broom and failing miserably to practice being a Keeper made him deeply embarrassed. Jake landed on the ground, the dejection plain on his face. Good, thought Ron, we don't even know him, why does he care what I'm doing?
Jake perked back up and smiled widely. "Well, I was, but it was crazy boring so I came out for a quick break." He pointed a claw at the ball still in Ron's hands. "What's that thing? It looked like you were trying to make it attack you."
"You're joking, right? It's a Quaffle," Ron answered, confused by the dragon's lack of response. "You know, for Quidditch," he continued. Jake just tilted his head, completely lost by what he was saying.
"You don't know about Quidditch?" Ron asked incredulously. Jake shook his head, and Ron was almost beside himself. How could someone not know about Quidditch? "It's only the most popular sport in the world."
"Oh, so it's like the Ogre Bowl!" Jake chipped in, hoping to find some kind of similarity. It was Ron's turn to look confused now, before Jake shook his head again. "Never mind, forget it. What's Quidditch? Are you supposed to fly through those hoops?" Jake said pointing the three golden goal posts at the closest end of the pitch, his mind drifting to the races on the Isle of Draco.
Ron shook his head laughing, deciding he couldn't just let someone, dragon or otherwise, go on living without knowing about his favorite pastime. He did his best to summarize the general idea of the game, the different positions the players filled, how points were scored, and how the game was ended with catching the Golden Snitch. It took about five minutes of explanation and Jake wasn't sure he really understood much by the end of it, but he'd gotten the gist of it.
There was one thing, however, that still had him confused. "But if you wanted to play Quidditch, why are you by yourself? Even if we were just using the Quaffle, we'd still need at least four people to a team, right?" Ron's ears were reddening again, his eyes looking down to stare at his shoes.
"Well, I, uh…" Ron was having great difficulty explaining himself. Jake having no knowledge of the sport eased his tensions slightly as he continued, "I'm practicing being a Keeper. The Gryffindor Quidditch team is having tryouts this Friday for a new Keeper, and I…er…"
"Ron, that's awesome!" Jake said in support. Ron lifted his head, relieved by the dragon's response. Jake looked up at the goal posts, then back at the Quaffle before asking Ron, "Do you want help? G's got me doing enough work to bore a rock to death, I'm begging for something else to do." Ron wasn't sold on the idea, but considering his pathetic progress thus far he was willing to try anything and nodded his approval.
"Thanks. Jake, right?" he asked uncertainly, climbing back on his broom and tossing the Quaffle to the dragon. The two spent the rest of the daylight working on Ron's Keeping skills, Jake going a bit easy on his throws to give him a chance. He was very shaky, and nearly fell on multiple occasions, but by the time they were packing up for the night Jake really thought he'd made huge improvements.
"Hey, Ron," Jake said, handing him the Quaffle to put in his bag. The red headed boy looked up in answer. "Thanks for letting me hang out with you. It's been…hard, getting used to this place, not knowing where you are or…anyone around you." He suddenly ducked his head as though ashamed of what he'd said. Ron kicked himself for how he had acted earlier, no doubt making things worse for the red dragon that had been kind enough to help him.
"You kidding? I should be thanking you, having help practicing Keeping's the most fun I've had in a long time. And I'm sorry for being a git with you before." He smiled sheepishly before quickly mentioning, "I'll probably be out here again tomorrow, you know, if you want to…stop by or, er, something…" Jake's terrifying toothy smile was back again, though Ron was growing accustomed to it.
"Definitely."
As always, if you have any opinions or advice (positive or negative), PLEASE review and comment! Any feedback is great feedback, and it lets me know you at least cared enough to respond! This is my first fanfic, so I'll take what I can get.