Warm, soft, light.
The scent of marshmallow and hot chocolate.
Albus blinked, snuggling deeper into the cocoon of pleasant sensations.
- "Al? Honey, you hear me?"
He opened his eyes and smiled when he saw his mother leaning over him.
- "Mummy?"
His throat hurt a little, as if the words were scraping as they forced their way out.
- "Al, you okay?"
He turned his head toward the voice. His father was sitting on the edge of the bed, his black hair disheveled and looked worried. He pushed up his glasses with a tired gesture and bent down to pat Albus' hand.
- "You gave us a fright, y'know."
Albus did not understand. His gaze returned to Ginny, puzzled. Her face was gray with fatigue and worry.
- "What on Earth possessed you to run away on your own in such a cold night?" she squeaked in a trembling voice.
Then she began to cry and Harry got up to put his arm around her shoulders.
- "Everything's fine, it's over, Ginny", he said softly. "Go rest, I'll stay with him."
He gently pushed her away and waited for her to be out of the room before sitting on the chair next to the nightstand.
- "Daddy?"
The torpor that enveloped Albus was beginning to fade away. He squirmed a little in his bed, felt the aches lurking in his shoulders, his split lips, the weakness of his whole body and the pain that was leaking into his lungs when he tried to breathe in deeply.
Harry helped him sit and gave him a drink. The hot chocolate certainly contained something magical because his discomfort decreased again.
- "Feeling better?"
- "What happened?" Albus whispered. "Why was mummy ..."
Harry stroked his forehead gently.
- "Your mum got really scared when she couldn't find you in the house, Al. You disappeared for several hours, it was really ..."
He stopped, his throat hoarse. Then looked at his son's eyes.
- "Don't ever do that again, okay?"
Albus nodded gravely.
He had never seen his father so serious.
- I'm sorry, Daddy ...
Harry smiled. He pulled up the quilt, tucked in Albus tenderly.
- "It's over, now. But I don't think you can play beyond the house yard for a few months. Mum won't stand losing sight of you for a second."
He did not add that he himself had almost lost it when he had heard of the boy gone missing.
If Ron ...
Ron and Hermione, fortunately, had joined the search with them and the presence of his best friend had really helped him regain his composure. Even if everything had pretty much ended well, Ginny would certainly have an even harder time than him forgetting those hours of nightmare. To the fear that anything has happened to the child had been added guilt for no watching over him properly, then a night of anguish at the bedside of the sick child.
- "Why did you go there on your own, Al? I thought we had agreed to let your dragon in the snow boat."
Albus' long dark lashes fluttered.
- "Toothless!"
He sat up suddenly, looking around him.
Harry sighed.
- "We're done with this, Al. We agreed not to go back for it."
The dragon was gone, the snow trampled and the snow ship destroyed. A wild beast had probably gone through the grove and taken the ragged dragon plush. Even this had surely broken his son's heart, Harry was relieved the animal, whatever it was, had taken the toy rather than hurt the child. It had been frightening enough finding him asleep in the snow, close to hypothermia, but thankfully without any injury.
- "I saw him", Albus said.
Harry smiled at the child's relaxed face. The potion was indeed working. He would go back to sleep and be back on foot the next day. The whole ordeal would be quickly forgotten.
- "I really saw him, daddy", the boy insisted. "Toothless, I saw him."
His eyes were sparkling and his cheeks were flushed.
Harry, worried, put his hand on his forehead.
The fever had gone down, though.
Albus chuckled and snuggled into his pillow.
- "He's really cute, daddy", he yawned. "He didn't run away when I touched him, he recognized me."
Harry decided he was talking about a dream and nodded, smiling.
- "Of course he knows you."
- "But I had never seen him before ..." the child muttered, half asleep.
- "Good night, Al", said his father, kissing his forehead.
He left after a last look at the boat-shaped bed and lit the night lights in the hallway with his wand before heading to his own room.
He smiled as he entered, amused. Ginny was fast asleep, curled around Lily who was snoring, her little fists next to her chubby face. James had probably sneaked in a little later. He occupied the place of his father and was breathing quietly, mumbling incomprehensibly. A red sock decorated with witches hats was out of the quilt.
Harry put the foot back into warmth, stroked Lily's red hair and kissed his wife's temple before gently closing the door. He went down to the living room, sat on the sofa, draped the blanket over his knees and put his head on his folded arms, propped against a pillow knitted by his stepmother.
4 AM.
Everything was back to normal.
Everyone was fine.
The fire was asleep in the fireplace, giving a gentle heat. From time to time, an ember crackled, a reassuringly familiar sound. In the wooden nest hanging next to the window, the owl cooed while sleeping, its head under its wing. Snow gave a bluish sheen to the windows powdered with white bells and firs. The aroma of pancakes was still floating in the room, mixed with cinnamon and apple syrup. The magical clock on the wall above the buffet had gathered the five needles on the word home.
Harry closed his eyes and let out the sigh of relief stuck in his chest since his hasty return from the Ministry of Magic.
Oh, Albus ...
It's James who gives us trouble, usually, not you ...
He yawned.
Still a few hours before dawn ... I should get some sleep. If her parents come for a while tomorrow, Ginny should be able to get back on her feet.
Did Ron get that info we were missing?
His thoughts blurred. He pulled the blanket to his chin and fell asleep.
The moon passed over the house, dragging its rays through the window like long blond threads. She lightened the crumpled tablecloth on the table, Lily's high chair, a small shoe on the steps of the staircase, the blue porcelain cup on top of the stack of books, the armchair in front of which Harry had abandoned his slippers.
The young man shifted in his sleep, but it was not because of him that the fringes of the sofa fluttered.
There was something in the shade and its breath was making them tremble.
A sneeze - atchee - followed by an annoyed snort - frrsht.
Then the little dragon crawled out of his hiding place and shook open his numb black wings. He looked at Harry, thoughtful for a moment, then sniffed again and trotted into the kitchen. He put his nose in a half-open closet, jumped on a chair and from there on the edge of the sink where he smelled with delight the sausage dish that Ginny had left to soak. He stumbled on one of his wings, as he turned and fell heavily to the floor.
Pof.
His chubby body covered with thick fur didn't make much noise.
He stood up, shook his shaggy head on which an ear was bent and sneezed again.
Atchee.
Harry groaned in his sleep but did not wake up.
The little dragon wrinkled his tiny nose and waved his tail. He nibbled the carpet a bit then saw the shoe on which the moon hung bright reflections. His eyes narrowed and he flattened, rolling his shoulders. He jumped and skidded on a hat fell off from the hook. His muzzle hit the foot of the ramp and he hissed.
Embers crackled in the fireplace. He turned around, raising his ears, slipped between the furniture to the fire and watched it for a long time, his whiskers so close flakes of ashes clung onto it.
Then he snorted and trotted back toward the stairs. He jumped on the first step and turned around to check on the sleeper, but nothing had moved on the sofa. So he ran up with light steps, his long black satin wings stroking the stairs carpet behind him.
In the hallway, he hesitated and sniffed the air to find the scent he was following.
A ball against the wall - no.
A roller skate - yes and no.
The teddy bear much intrigued him. It smelled of milk and shepherd's pie. The little dragon dutifully cleaned the leg that had been soaked in Lily's plate and nipped the bear's ear. He fought against the plush toy for a while, paddling on the stuffed belly and filled his mouth with synthetic loops, then stretched out full length on the carpet of the corridor, a paw fraternally holding the pooh.
The golden diamond in his intelligent green eyes rounded curiously. He left the toy behind and slid flat belly up to the night lights.
The light butterfly inside the glass globe swirled, changing colors.
Blue, pink, pale yellow, pistachio green, blue ...
He tried to put his paw inside the transparent bubble, but failed to catch the so fascinating butterfly.
Some snow broke away from the roof and fell with a muffled sound on the edge of the bow window.
The little dragon looked up, alert.
One, two, three, four breaths on this floor.
He sat down and decided to wash. After carefully licking his paw and giving a lustrous shine to his black fur, he went looking for the scent again.
He flattened his ears and snarled silently at the door of the first room, his eyes fixed on the shaft of light that moved on the other side of the door, and ran on tiptoe, tail in the air, when the door opened.
Ginny did not see him. She tied the strings of her robe and went downstairs.
The little dragon came out of his hiding place behind the green plant in the pot of which James had installed the camp of his plastic soldiers.
Frrsht.
He cautiously walked to the middle of the hallway, then rushed into the other room in a few strides.
He shoved under the bed then stood up against the quilt waving his whiskers. A purr was born in his throat and his wings were softly spreading.
He cooed softly, interrogative, happy.
Albus stirred and turned aside. His hand slipped and the little dragon snuggled his head against the open palm. As he did not get more attention, he nibbled on a finger.
The tiny and fine like glass teeth woke up Albus who sat up with a start and rubbed his eyes.
- "Huh? James, stop!"
His eyes widened.
- "Oh. It's you!"
The gold split green eyes were fixed on him. Albus reached down and hoisted the black ball of fur on his bed.
- "Hey ... where were you? Did you follow me? Have the others seen you?"
The little dragon danced a while on his knees, allowing him to stroke him, then curled in a hollow of the quilt, his eyes half-closed, his paws kneading on the boy's arm.
Albus lay carefully not to disturb him.
- "Tomorrow, I'll asked Daddy what to feed you", he whispered.
His mother would certainly accept the new Toothless, so beautiful and so nice.
He closed his eyes, glad to feel again the fluffy ears under his fingers.
It wasn't a dream.
It was true.
oOoOoOo
It was not a dream.
It was true.
Harry considered, stunned, the living replica of Toothless standing on the bed of his son, its hair bristling and its ears back, hissing and spitting, whiskers straight, its black wings spread like a bat.
Albus tugged on the sleeve of his father, begging.
- "He just got scared", he pleaded. "He didn't want to scratch James. He didn't do it on purpose!"
Near the door, James' howls weren't of pain but aimed to denounce the obvious injustice : since when Albus had the right to his own pet and why could he even let it sleep in his bedroom?
- "That's enough, shut up already", ordered Ginny, irritated, while finishing to put ointment on his hand. "It's only a scratch. What were you doing here anyway? Albus's sick, you weren't supposed to wake him up!"
- "He's no longer sick, now that he can show off with his dragon", grumbled James who had chosen with reason to obey, and turn off the siren.
- "What is that?" Harry finally asked.
Albus somewhat got more confident. His father's voice was not angry.
- "It's Toothless", he said.
Harry raised an eyebrow.
- "No, it's not. I can see it looks a lot like it, but this is not a plush toy, Al. How did it get into your room?"
The child looked at him with innocence.
- "I don't know. He came in the night, I woke up. I found him where we made the snow boat, Daddy. Oh, please, let him stay with us!"
Ginny cleared her throat behind them.
- "Al, this may be a dangerous animal. Look how it hisses. It's not happy. If you approached it, it would probably bite you."
- "No, he wouldn't!
Harry had just enough time to grab the boy by the arm before he'd rush to the bed to prove the angry dragon was not going to hurt him.
- "Al, wait."
The young man exchanged a glance with Ginny, then turned again to his son.
- "You know what? Let's have breakfast and during that time, Toothless II the Return will have time to calm down. Then we'll see what happens next."
Albus opened his mouth to protest, then looked down and nodded.
- "Yes, Daddy".
- "That's good, Al."
Harry stood up and ruffled his son's hair while watching the little devil still electrified with anger on the bed.
He was going to need help to identify their surprise guest and make a choice.
Ginny took the hand of Albus as he passed by her side.
- "Did you sleep well, honey?"
- "Yes. Toothless kept me warm."
The young woman pursed her lips a moment, then smiled at the child.
- "What do you want for breakfast?"
- "Why does he get to choose, now?" James squealed immediately, behind them.
Harry did not completely shut the door and caught up with them. He put his hand on the shoulder of his eldest son to calm him.
- "I'll go over to the Ministry of Magic to arrange my leave today", he told Ginny. "And see if Neville can spare some time ..."
She nodded, then arranged the children's breakfast. Her towel wrapped around her neck, Lily tapped happily in her bowl, splashing milk everywhere. James was having a contest of gluttony with himself since he had realized his brother wouldn't pick up the challenge. Albus's spoon missed his mouth half the time, since he had his head turned toward the stairs.
Ginny rubbed her forehead, but failed to decide whether she should be angry, cry or just laugh. She eventually pushed back her red hair and grabbed Lily. She was about to take her to the bathroom when she froze.
- "Oh".
- "What is it, Mum?" James asked between bites of crunchy honey bread spread with pumpkin jam.
- "Oh", Albus repeated.
- "Oh-oh", sing sang Lily, imitating them.
On the staircase, the little upset dragon was glancing at the young woman. It didn't move for a while, then went down the last steps and walked around her to go look at the white stains on the tile floor.
- "He fancies milk", Albus cried, delighted.
James grabbed a piece of bacon in the pan and bent down to offer it to the animal.
Toothless II sniffed the piece of meat with visible interest, cautiously grabbed it with its sharp teeth and pulled on it to snatch it from the hands of the child, before launching it into the air and swallowing it down in one gulp.
The little dragon licked its lips, its round eyes rounded with delight, then belched loudly, making the children burst in laughter. It climbed on a chair then on the table, put its paws in the plates, dragged its wings in scone crumbs and shoved its nose in every dish. Within minutes, it had swallowed the food left for Harry and cleaned Lily's mess.
- "He's so funny!" James exclaimed.
- "Dwagon, Dwagon", called Lily, clapping her hands.
Albus turned pleading eyes to his mother.
Ginny sighed.
- "Can't we keep him, Mummy? Please?"
- "Al ... Let's wait for your dad's decision, okay?
She smiled as softly as she could.
Albus never asked for anything, unlike his brother and his sister.
Him who was so shy had walked two good miles in the snow during the night to get back his plush toy.
The little dragon seemed harmless, but it would grow and perhaps become a wild beast that could hurt her son.
Maybe ...
Neville…
Neville would surely know what to do with it.
She just hoped she would not be the one who would have to explain to the child that his best friend should again leave him.
- "Hey!" James suddenly shouted, jumping off his chair and running to the window. "Look who's coming!"
To be continued...