I do not own nor possess any right over Harry Potter, all rights belongs to J.K. Rowling.
Chapter 23
"Shimmer, what happened?" Asked Dumbledore gravely, as he walked up to him.
Staring at the old human, Shimmer didn't really know what to say. Shall he say in which order everything happened? Absolutely everything?
"Shimmer Hagrid, bad creature want kill unicorn. Shimmer want kill bad creature, smell dead, is Quirrell. Shimmer speak Hermione help, not want stay is want go. Shimmer blood, is go blood. Shimmer go not go, eat wing Dumb Door! Ron do. Troll dead. Quirrell bad, attack Shimmer. Shimmer attack. Kill Quirrell."
"Thank you Shimmer." Interrupted him Dumbledore, who felt that it would perhaps be better to ask someone else for details, even if he thought to have the most important ones.
"That can wait, Albus. There are two injured students here!" Scolded Minerva as she went in, reaching Hermione and kneeling beside her. She brought a hand before her face, before sighing in relief. "She's alive."
"Mister Longbottom, how are you feeling?" Said Flitwick, walking up to the boy.
"My head and my back hurts." Moaned Neville, still clutching his head.
"Take them to the infirmary. Mr. Weasley, are you with us?" Replied Dumbledore, noticing how shocked Ron was.
"I- there- there was- it-" He mumbled weakly, looking back at what remained of Quirrell's body before turning away, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath.
"Calm down, everything will be alright. Minerva, Filius, would you mind taking them all back to the infirmary? Severus, with me." Commanded Dumbledore, a brief look of pain in his eyes as he looked at the pile of ashes, keeping his wand in hand as they went toward the corridor of flames.
"Tsk. They destroyed everything." Said Snape, looking at the broken potions littering on the ground. "Reparo."
With a flick of his wand, the vials fixed themselves and returned to their original place, albeit empty of their content. Taking two small vials from his robes, Snape shared one with Dumbledore and they drank it in one go, before going into the flames, unbothered by their heat.
Shimmer watched them go, but remained close to Hermione. Minerva flicked her wand and Hermione's body rose in the air, levitating a metre off the ground. Neville had tried to stand up, only to be stopped by professor Flitwick, who told him to drink a potion and wait. He did so, and instantly fell limply on the ground. He was soon levitated too, following behind Hermione.
"Mr. Weasley, can you stand up?" Kindly asked Minerva.
"I- yes, professor." He managed to reply, pushing himself up.
"Good. Now, everyone goes to the infirmary. Poppy will be having a fit over you three." She muttered at the end.
Not waiting for the two men that went into the fire, Shimmer took off and flew next to Hermione, flying slightly above her.
"Hermione okay?" He asked.
"That's what we are going to find out, Shimmer." Replied Minerva as they walked past the dead troll.
"Children! How could they be that stupid to put themselves in such danger!" Raged Poppy Pomfrey as she frantically walked between the three students in the infirmary. She had already taken care of Hermione and Neville's concussions, eased the pain in their back, and ensured they remained asleep as the treatments took place. Ron was both in a better and a worse case, having no health issues but also being forced to endure all of the matron's rant.
"I'm sure they'll be able to explain themselves when the Headmaster comes back, Poppy." Tried to appease her Flitwick.
"Oh, they better explain themselves. Going alone at night after a dangerous creature!" She kept going. No one told her who the creature in question was.
Shimmer was kept aside, lying down at the end of Hermione's bed. He tried to stay closer, but the human taking care of Hermione forbade him to, not even scared when he threatened her. She had to explain that Hermione had to sleep to get better before he was allowed to stay at the end of her bed.
"Shimmer, can you come here?" Asked Ron, sitting on the bed next to Hermione.
A bit surprised, Shimmer didn't ask himself any question, and used his wings to make a long jump between the two beds, landing right next to Ron.
"Ron okay?" He asked.
"Yeah, I think." Answered Ron, staying silent for a few seconds. "Did we- did I kill him?"
"Shimmer kill." Instantly confirmed Shimmer, not seeing the problem.
"I know, but, I freed you, and we were all trying to get away. It's- we killed him." He continued, horrified both by what they did and what they witnessed.
"Shimmer kill Quirrell." Repeated Shimmer, not wanting to have his kill stolen.
"But we helped you. We're criminals!" He whispered harshly.
"Is everything alright, Mister Weasley?" Asked professor Flitwick, who had come up silently.
"I- professor- '' Started Ron, stopping as the tiny professor raised his hand.
"I understand, Mister Weasley. What you've seen and what happened, was most certainly horrifying. However, I can assure you that you're not in trouble." Said Filius.
"How?" Simply asked Ron, baffled.
"We may not know yet what exactly happened, but from what we knew beforehand and what we saw down there, I believe that you did your best to stay alive. No one can fault you for this." Assured Filius with a smile.
"Professor Quirrell-" Ron started again.
"Tried to kill you." Finished Filius. "Everything will be alright, Mister Weasley. Let us take care of this."
A series of footsteps came from outside the infirmary and the door opened, revealing Dumbledore, Snape and Hagrid, who looked quite exhausted.
"Albus! There you are! Could you please explain how these children ended up like this?" Instantly asked Poppy, glaring at the old man.
"Now, now, Poppy, I can assure you that I had no part in this." He tried to defend himself, smiling lightly at her.
"I do not know if that's a good or a bad thing." She replied angrily.
Dumbledore lost his smile, looking a bit stumped at her comment, before focusing on more pressing matters.
"Ah, Mister Weasley. I was hoping you could tell us what happened?" The headmaster said, walking up next to his bed and giving a small glance at the other two students lying in the other beds.
"Headmaster, it was Quirrell, he was trying to-" Ron went on quickly.
"A moment, please. Tell us from the beginning. How did you end up following Quirrell?" He asked the boy, raising his right hand in an appeasing gesture.
"Shimmer came up in the dormitory, saying that Professor Quirrell was the bad creature killing unicorns." He restarted.
"That matches what Hagrid said. Continue please." Acknowledged Dumbledore, sharing a small look with the half giant that was sitting on another bed, almost crushing it beneath him.
"Hermione wanted to go tell a teacher, but Shimmer didn't want to wait, so we followed him. He went into the room you forbade us to go in, and there was so much blood everywhere." Ron looked a bit pale at that.
"Aye. He hurt Fluffy real good, but he's alive. Thanks to Snape." Said Hagrid, sounding quite tired.
"Indeed." Nodded Snape.
"Continue." Nodded Dumbledore at Ron.
"Well, after that, we jumped in the hole and almost broke our back on impact."
"You-" Poppy got mad again.
"Not now, Poppy." Interrupted her Dumbledore.
"We found Shimmer stuck at that first door, with lots of keys. We found one key with blue wings and went through."
"Dumb Door!" Growled Shimmer, recalling the door.
"For once, he's not wrong." Laughed a little Filius.
"Yes, yes. I presume you did the chess task? You are most knowledgeable at chess, if I recall." Said Dumbledore, doing his best to keep Ron focused.
"I- yes." Agreed Ron, briefly asking himself how the headmaster knew this, but instead deciding to keep going with his tale. "After, we saw the dead troll and came up to the room where there were a lot of potions. We didn't get the time to do anything when Quirrell came out from where he was hiding and took our wands."
"I see. Did he attack you instantly?"
"No. He- professor, he looked so bad. There was blood and ashes mixed together all over his stomach." Explained Ron, shivering as the picture of what he saw came back.
"From his fight in the forest, against Shimmer." Supplied Hagrid.
"Ah, thank you Hagrid. And did Quirrell attack you?" Repeated Dumbledore.
"No, but there was a voice. And- and Quirrell talked back to it. And then he removed his turban. On his head. It was him." At that point, Ron was white as a ghost, recalling the red, evil eyes glaring at him. The face that looked like a demon more than a human.
"Who was it?" Pressed Dumbledore, suddenly far more serious.
"Him. He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named." He whispered in fear.
The intake of breath that all the adults took surprised Shimmer. He tried to follow what Ron was saying, and he got most of it, but there were a few things that escaped him. Just like what Ron just said that appeared to have scared the humans, even if he couldn't understand how.
"Are you certain?" Asked Dumbledore, sighing loudly and tiredly.
"Yes. He was terrifying. He said it himself, and Quirrell even said it was his master. He tried to kill us, but Shimmer attacked first, trying to burn him down."
The eyes of the adults turned to Shimmer, and he didn't like it.
"What is?" He asked, frowning at them.
"As much as I would like to ask Shimmer, without Hermione, it would take too long to translate his words. Mister Weasley, would you mind continuing." Said Dumbledore, looking at Shimmer with interest.
"Quirrell used his wand to protect himself, and we hid behind the table with the potions, and Quirrell immobilised Shimmer with ropes. He was about to kill him, so we grabbed the potions and threw them on Quirrell." Ron tried to do his best to recall everything correctly.
"I recognise here the talents of Gryffindor. Some of these vials contained precious poisons and potions." Sneered Snape at the Weasley boy.
"They did what they had to do to stay alive, Severus." Chidded Dumbledore, letting Snape grumble a little.
"Shimmer kill bad man." Intervened Shimmer.
"Did he now?"
"Yes professor. I went to free him from the ropes, and Y- You-Know-Who blasted Hermione and Neville. They hit the wall hard, and he was about to hurt them more, but then I freed Shimmer and he attacked Quirrell and... him. They screamed. He burned them alive and they… they screamed so much." Ron stopped after that, a horrified expression in his eyes.
Once again, the eyes of everyone returned to Shimmer, some with fear of the dragon.
"What? Shimmer kill bad man." He reminded them.
"You did, Shimmer. That you did. I believe that you saved their lives." Replied Dumbledore, patting Shimmer's head.
"Sickles." Added Shimmer.
"Hmm?"
"Shimmer go forest. Seven Sickles. Shimmer kill bad creature. Sickles? Galleon?" He stared at the old human, waiting for his payment.
"Right. You have quite the memory for such things, Shimmer. You will get your money, seven Sickles for the night and a Galleon for hunting down Voldemort." Agreed Dumbledore, even as the teachers stood stiffly at the dark lord's name.
"Albus!" Minerva scoffed.
"Let me deal with this quickly Minerva, so that we may focus on what matters." Dumbledore took note of her indignation, but didn't give it any more attention.
"Shimmer want coins." Shimmer said, not wanting to wait.
"Later, Shimmer. I promise to give you your coins later."
Well at least the old human promised.
"So, what happens now?" Asked Ron, a bit lost.
"Well, Mister Weasley, I'm afraid that tonight means dark times ahead for Great Britain. Hopefully, Voldemort was vanquished for good tonight by Shimmer, but I have doubts. I will also ask you to not speak about all that happened tonight to anyone." Dumbledore added.
"What? Why?"
"Because the world isn't ready to face such dark news. Even the ministry of magic would rather ignore this than face the reality. It would also send a message to his followers that he is still alive. We can't allow this. Can I count on you, mister Weasley?"
"I- can I talk to my family about this?" He hopefully asked.
"I will warn them about what happened myself, but until I do so, I will ask you to be patient." Offered Dumbledore, stroking his beard.
"Alright." Ron begrudgingly accepted.
"So, back to you, Shimmer."
"Dumb Door." Nodded Shimmer.
"It's Dumbledore." Tried to correct the headmaster, finally starting to get a bit annoyed by the name. Much to the amusement of the other teachers.
"Hard. Dumb Door. Shimmer like." He replied.
"Another time then. Shimmer, do you know why Quirrell and Voldemort were together? Why did your fire hurt him so much?" Asked Dumbledore, talking just a touch slower to be sure that the dragon understood his words.
"Shimmer not know. Quirrell smell dead dead. Blood. Shimmer fire Quirrell and fire Voldemort. Shimmer Kill. Voldemort not dead." He said, much to the shock of the teachers.
"How do you know?" Asked Minerva.
"Shimmer saw Voldemort. Not human. Fly. Shimmer not know word." As much as Shimmer wanted to explain, he simply didn't know how to say what he knew.
"It's alright. But you're certain that he's not dead, correct?" Dumbledore got closer to Shimmer's face.
"Shimmer not know. Quirrell dead. See Voldemort fly. Shimmer not think Voldemort dead." He tried.
"That is quite helpful already."
"Are you done? I have patients that need to rest. And I need to check for any signs of possession now." Briskly said Poppy, tapping her foot.
"I believe so, yes. The rest can wait until tomorrow morning. Rest well, children. And you, too, Shimmer." Agreed Dumbledore, both having the information he wanted and not wanting to be in the matron's way any longer than necessary.
He waved at his colleagues to follow him outside, but they were interrupted before they even reached the door.
"Coins!" Jumped Shimmer, taking to the air and ready to follow the headmaster until he could get his precious coins.
"Not now, Shimmer. Besides, wouldn't you prefer to stay with your friends?" Dumbledore pointed at Hermione and the two boys.
Shimmed looked back at Hermione, Ron, and Neville. He really, really wanted to get his coins, but at the same time he didn't want to leave them here. Especially Hermione. And then he remembered that she promised him coins too. Would she remember that if she remained asleep? He didn't know, but it would be better to be sure.
"Shimmer stay." He flew back to Hermione's bed, laying down close to her feet.
"Good. Then I wish you a good night in Poppy's care." Dumbledore replied.
"Good. Now, out!" Almost pushed them out Poppy, more than fed up that her work had been interrupted so long.
The teachers played the game, knowing how the matron was with her patients, and left the room.
With only the grumbling matron left, Shimmer looked at Ron who was still quite pale, and soon taken care of by the woman who gave him a sleeping draught that promptly sent him to sleep. With only Shimmer left awake, he looked at the room a little longer, watching the matron move a few things and prepare some more potions, until she gave him a stern look and turned off the lights.
Alone, Shimmer thought back to what happened in the last few hours. First the hunt in the forest, which had been boring at first and then more exciting once they found Quirrell. His tracking skills were still excellent, and he was quite proud of that, even if he got stuck a few times with stupid things, like that stupid door. Except for the old human, he really didn't like doors.
And his fight against Quirrell was certainly shocking. A face behind a head? He couldn't even understand how this worked, but he was certain that this Voldemort was why Quirrell reeked of death, even when being alive. It also revealed some very unfair things that wizards could do, like shouting water in his mouth which he really didn't like, or the way ropes caught him and made it impossible to defend himself. He would have to be more careful in fights with wizards from now on.
Also, that was the first time his fire ever burned someone like it did with Quirrell. Sure, with time, he could burn things to ashes, but not that quickly and not before leaving bones and other things. Was it because of Voldemort? Being dead but not dead? Shimmer didn't know, but he had a feeling this Voldemort creature wasn't dead.
Finally, after thinking this much after such a long night where he usually slept, Shimmer tightened his wings closer to his body and promptly fell asleep, thinking of the future coins waiting for him.
Hermione woke up exhausted. She wasn't tired, but her body was a bit sore and her mind was slowly starting to come back to its usual speed. She blinked a few times, just as memories from last night came back. Following Shimmer, being caught by Professor Quirrell, him removing his-
She choked as she recalled the face, a sob leaving her lips as her breathing accelerated. She could still see so, so many horrible things. Their professor, bloody with his stomach burned. The monster at the back of the professor's head. Its red eyes, its sneer, its dark skin, and an evil, a will to hurt others so great that it still made her tremble now.
She could feel a hand on her shoulder and hear a voice somewhere, but they were so far away for her that she ignored them.
After that, came the memory of Shimmer fighting Quirrell who dealt with him quite easily, along with herself and Ron and Neville, throwing bottles at the amalgamation. And then she remembered being blasted away, sent into a wall, and the pain in her body almost seemed to surge as she recalled.
But then, after all this, she heard once more the screams of terror of the two beings merged in one, as a brief image of fire flashed in her mind.
"Miss Granger!"
Hermione jumped, looking around for a second, startled, before her eyes locked with the matron next to her bed, who was shaking her shoulders.
"I- professor." She said, feeling small tears running down her cheeks.
"Ah, glad to see back, Miss Granger." Said Madame Pomfrey.
"What happened?" Hermione asked, her memory being quite blurry toward the end.
"Well, after you and your friends decided to go after a possessed teacher, without telling anyone, you should simply be lucky to be alive! Do you know how stupid this was? That could almost be called suicide!" Madame Pomfrey glared at her, admonishing her harshly.
The realisation of what they did, and their consequences, instantly surged in her mind, and Hermione started hyperventilating.
'Oh my god! We were outside during the curfew! We didn't warn any teacher about where we went! We went into the forbidden room! And we killed a teacher! I'm a criminal! I'm a murderer! I'm going to be expelled!' She thought quickly.
"Miss Granger!" Called her again Madame Pomfrey, strongly, but also much kinder than before. "Calm down, Miss Granger! Everything is going to be alright."
"No it won't! We killed a teacher! I'll never see my parents again, and I'll be expelled!" She cried loudly.
"Drink this Miss Granger, it will make things better." Madame Pomfrey said, handing the terrified girl a calming draught.
Reacting more than reflex than anything else, Hermione grabbed the glass and drank it in one go. Almost instantly, her hands relaxed and the glass fell on the cover of her bed. She eased herself back into her bed, looking at the matron a bit slowly.
"Now, are you calm enough to listen to me, Miss Granger?" Asked the Matron.
Hermione could only nod in reply.
"Good. Now, as I was saying everything is going to be alright. You're not injured, even if your body may feel a bit sore. How is your head?"
"A bit heavy." Slowly said Hermione.
"Good. What about your back?" Continued Madame Pomfrey, taking notes at the same time.
"A bit painful, but it's okay." She replied.
"Perfect! Then you'll recover. Now, about what's going to happen to you." Madame Pomfrey clapped her hands. "First, based on what happened last night, the Headmaster and your head of house believe that you have suffered enough and that points shouldn't be taken for this. Although there might be something involving Shimmer."
"Is he alright?" Asked Hermione, wondering what happened to him.
"Oh, more than alright I would say. He wouldn't leave your bed this morning, saying something about a promise, but I forced him to go outside. His place isn't in the infirmary." Sternly said the matron.
"Oh. And what happened last night? I don't remember very well." Continued Hermione, reassured that Shimmer was alright.
"You and your friends went after a possessed teacher, and if it wasn't for that dragon, you would probably be dead. Yet at the same time, without him, you wouldn't have been there, so he put you in danger." Mused the woman for a few seconds. "Anyway, to calm your fears, you are not going to be expelled."
"I'm not?" Hermione couldn't say how reassuring that was to hear.
"No. You may have disobeyed a few rules, but not enough to warrant that. And you did what you had to to survive, so they won't be too hard on you for what happened to Professor Quirrell. Shimmer on the other hand..." She trailed off.
"What? What do you mean?" Hermione asked a bit faster.
"He killed a human. It was in self defence, against a possessed teacher, but still a human. Should the department of magical creatures hear of this, they will put him down." Madame Pomfrey explained.
"But he was saving us." Hermione tried to explain, feeling a bit of panic come back.
"And he did. Don't worry, I'm certain the Headmaster won't let anything happen to him. Now, I want you to rest a little, alright? The Headmaster will want to talk with you and I'm sure your friends will too."
With her piece said, the matron walked back to her office and kept the door open, in case there was an emergency.
Hermione leaned back into her bed, thoughts swirling in her head quickly despising the calming draught. Between all the problems she thought she would have by killing a teacher, and being told that Shimmer might be in trouble for killing a human, she didn't really know what to think about. He did everything to save them, so they couldn't ignore that. Right? As much as she hated it, she was more than aware that sometimes dangerous animals had to be put down, and most of the magicals in England would probably agree that Shimmer is exactly that, regardless of his unique abilities.
And what could she even do about this? Sure, she is an eyewitness and could testify for Shimmer. But would they take her words into account? She didn't know. And not knowing scared her.
Stuck in a loop of worrying thoughts, Hermione didn't know how long she remained there, but a loud noise coming from the windows got her attention.
THUNK
"Hermione!" Called Shimmer, standing right behind the glass of one of the infirmary's windows.
"Shimmer." She calmly called back, still under the effect of the calming draught.
"What in the- oh, you flying pest." Madame Pomfrey rushed out of her office, wand in hand, only to groan at the sight of the golden dragon.
With a flick of her wrist, the window opened and Shimmer instantly came in, landing right on Hermione's bed, beside her left hand.
"I'm glad to see that you're alright, Shimmer. What's on your lips?" She asked, seeing red around his mouth.
"Lips?" He asked, not knowing that word.
"Your mouth." Hermione clarified.
"Is squeerel." Shimmer replied, licking his lips.
"Hold on a second." Stopped them the matron, using her wand to send a quick scourgify at the dragon's mouth. "Much better, and much more sanitary."
"Not like." Grumbled Shimmer, angrily licking his lips in an attempt to remove the mildly annoying sensation.
"I decide who likes what in my infirmary. Now, miss Granger, I trust you to make sure he behaves well." Warned Madame Pomfrey.
"Yes, Madame Pomfrey." She replied seriously.
"Shimmer not like." Stubbornly said Shimmer even as the matron walked away returning to her office.
"She's not bad. How are you Shimmer? And it's Squirrel, by the way." Hermione couldn't even stop herself from correcting him.
"Squirrel. Squirrel. Shimmer eat squirrel. Shimmer okay." He repeated the word to get it right.
"I'm glad to hear it." She sighed in relief.
"Hermione coins? Promise." He told her, wanting to deal with the important things first.
"Coins? What coins?" Hermione honestly couldn't remember.
"Hermione promise! Hermione give Shimmer coins! One Galleon and three Sickles!" He screeched in indignation.
"I- I don't remember that." She weakly replied.
"Hermione promise!" Shimmer whined and growled at the same time.
"You did." A sleepy voice came from their right.
Hermione and Shimmer looked in the direction the voice came from and saw Ron, still in his bed and looking at them. They had completely forgot about him, and from the look on his face, they probably woke him up. Or he simply tried to remain asleep. Hermione didn't know.
"I did?" Asked Hermione.
"Yeah. Shimmer was about to go on without us, and you said you would give him coins if he stayed. And he did." Explained Ron.
"Oh. I'm sorry, Shimmer, I didn't remember that." Hermione apologised.
"Shimmer want coins." Continued the golden dragon, adamant about getting his money.
"Alright. Let me look." She replied, standing up a little and reaching into her pockets.
"Hermione give one Galleon and three Sickles." Repeated Shimmer.
"Give me a moment, please." She said as she dug into her pockets, taking out the sickles and then the galleon, realising that the amount that Shimmer said was the exact amount she had on her. "Here you go. One Galleon and three Sickles."
Quickly reaching with his neck, he carefully grabbed the coins with his mouth and put them at the end of the bed, where Hermione's feet were beneath the cover, and counted them. He also admired them, knowing very well exactly where he planned to put them in his hoard.
"And what happened to V- to You-Know-Who?" Hermione asked, realising that she completely forgot about this quite important detail. She would have freaked out at that realisation, but she was still under the effect of the calming draught.
"Don't know. Shimmer killed Quirrell and then he... flew away. It was like a ball of smoke, with his face screaming. It was horrible." Ron replied, a haunting look in his eyes as he recalled what he saw.
"Shimmer kill bad man and Voldemort. Voldemort dead not dead. Not know. Fly not wing. Not fire, smoke. Shimmer not know word not know creature. Not wizard but wizard. " Confirmed Shimmer, though his words became confusing toward the end.
"I see." Nodded Hermione, even though she only got parts of what he said. Something about You-Know-Who not being completely dead, if the little dragon was right.
A knock on the doors of the infirmary got their attention and they turned to look at it. Madame Pomfrey came out of her office with a small frown on her face and opened the door, revealing a smiling Dumbledore as well as the ever strict looking Minerva McGonagall.
"I got your message, Poppy. I also asked Minerva to accompany me, if that's not a problem." The old headmaster said.
"It's alright. Come in."
The two walked in and Madame Pomfrey closed the door behind them. The three adults then made their way toward Hermione's bed, stopping a bit more than a metre away when Shimmer growled at them, wary of losing his coins.
"Ah, young Shimmer, good to see you back. I see that you were already paid." Chuckled the headmaster.
"Hermione promise. Dumb Door promise. One Galleon, seven sickles." Shimmer said, looking up at the headmaster greedily, his tail wagging a little behind him at the idea of getting more coins.
"Yes, yes. You know that you're starting to cost me a lot, don't you?" Dumbledore said as he grabbed all the coins in one of the pockets of his robes, that he had prepared before coming.
"I'm sorry, Headmaster. I'll try to make him stop." Hermione calmly apologised.
"On the contrary my dear, I find that quite amusing. He's the only dragon that corresponds to the ones seen in muggles' books if I'm correct." The headmaster laughed lightly.
Shimmer was purring as he grabbed the new coins, adding them to the small pile that was forming before him. He then lay on it, moving them a little until they were all covered by him and out of reach from the humans around him. When he looked up, he saw that everyone was looking at him with either amusement, annoyance, or curiosity.
"What? No take back. Shimmer coins." He warned them, pressing himself down on the coins.
"They are all yours, Shimmer. Don't mind us." Chuckled Dumbledore, right before looking at Hermione. "And how are you feeling, Miss Granger?"
"A bit tired, but good, Headmaster." The student replied.
"Good, good. Ron already told us much of what happened, and I'm aware you were knocked out during your confrontation with Professor Quirrell. But, is there anything that you remember that might be of importance?" Asked the headmaster.
Hermione remained silent for a few seconds, recalling everything she could about the previous night, but didn't find anything that important. If Ron already told them all that happened, then there wasn't much more that she could add.
"No, Headmaster. Though, I do have a few questions." She replied.
"Ah, of course. Go ahead, Miss Granger, I'll try to answer them." Dumbledore smiled at her, appreciating how smart the young witch was.
"Did you know that Quirrell was hidding You-Know-Who?" She asked.
"I had doubts, yes. But no proof. I knew, thanks to Shimmer's nose, that Quirrell's situation was far worse than I expected. It made me a little more wary of him, but I didn't want to confront him directly until I had the absolute proof that he had fallen under Voldemort's lies." Explained the old wizard.
"Nose?" Asked Shimmer, knowing they were talking about him and last night. Though he couldn't remember why his nose might have been important last night.
"Yes, Shimmer. Your nose and your description of Quirrell smelling of death while being alive."
"Dead not dead." Instantly said Shimmer.
"Yes. Back to you, Miss Granger. Do you have any other question?"
"Yes, Headmaster. Everything we found down there, they were trials, made to stop someone to go in. What was Quirrell looking for? What could have made him rush there while he was about to die?" She asked, a slight note of fear colouring her voice as she spoke.
The heavy sigh from the headmaster and his slightly tired expression stopped the young girl to continue. It was clear the answer wouldn't be an easy one, and with a glance at the deputy headmistress, Hermione knew that she too knew what this was about.
"I will answer this question, but only once we're back to my office. Does this satisfies you?" He answered.
"Yes, Headmaster. I only have one more question. What will happen to Shimmer? He killed Professor Quirrell, so isn't he in big trouble?" Hermione asked.
"An excellent question, my dear. You see, were this a normal situation, I would agree that Shimmer would have to be put down by the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. But, this situation is more than unique on several points." Dumbledore started to explain, with a small smile on his face and slighly more fervent in his speech. "First, Shimmer acted in self defense. He saved all of you from lethal danger, and thus cannot be condemned as a rabid and dangerous creature. Secondly, Shimmer's sapience makes him capable of analysing the situation more than a regular dragon, meaning that he didn't act out of cruelty or as a feral beast, but as a creature acting to defend itself and its friends. And lastly, only your friends, Shimmer and Hogwart's staff knows what truly happened down there. And I plan for the truth to remain hidden as long as possible."
Hermione listened, and as the headmaster finished, she wasn't quite sure of what to think about. He would lie to the whole world? To protect Shimmer? She understood and agreed with him, but she knew that she would never be able to lie like this. Was this normal for someone like the headmaster? This only made her ask herself more questions.
But one took the upper hand.
"So Shimmer will be fine?" She asked.
"As long as no one knows what truly happened, then yes. I will explain that Professor Quirrell unfortunately died fighting a troll. There might be questions from DMLE, but I'm certain I will be able to explain myself with their director, Amelia Bones. Don't worry about Shimmer, Miss Granger, he will be perfectly safe as long as none of us speaks about what happened last night." Dumbledore finished, smiling at Hermione and Shimmer.
"Shimmer okay? Shimmer good dragon?" Asked the golden dragon, understanding that he did something right.
"That's not exactly what I was saying, but it's close enough. Though, it does remind me of something. Miss Granger, Mr Wealsey, I believe that your head of house has something to tell you." He said, steping aside to let her get all their attention.
"Thank you, Albus. For your reckless actions last night, and disregard of all safety rules and comon sense, I will be taking thirty points from Gryffindor. For each student." Minerva McGonagall sternly said, glaring at her students but also at Shimmer.
"What?! Why? We were only trying to help!" Protested Ron, standing up in his bed.
"And that is the only reason why you're not losing fifty points each, in addition of returning alive." She glared at him, cowing him into silence, before turning back toward Hermione. "And I thought that you, of all my students, Miss Granger, would have been smart enough to alert a teacher of what was going on. I don't believe I need to say how disapointed I am by your lack of cautiousness."
"We didn't have the time. Shimmer left us, and I couldn't let him go alone." Simply said Hermione, still calm thanks to the draught.
"I understand, but Shimmer is a dragon. Not a student. He can defend himself, and as much as I hate saying it, he managed to do so remarkably well until now. Not only were you not even supposed to leave your dormitory, but you recklessly went after a wizard that you knew to be dangerous."
"Shimmer dragon. Not human." Confirmed Shimmer, even though he didn't even understand what the last part was about.
"I know, Professor. I'm sorry for what happened and how we acted, but we didn't have the time. I panicked, and thought that helping Shimmer was more important." Hermione poorly justified herself.
"That is no excuse. You could have told another student or even a portrait to go and warn me. Your behaviour last night is truly terrible compared to your usual exemplary attitude." Minerva shook her head.
"I'm sorry." Was all Hermione could say, even as tears rolled down her cheecks and her voice wavered a little.
A growl interrupted them, and all eyes turned toward Shimmer who was growling at Minerva. The witch took out her wand by reflex, but didn't do anything, standing ready to defend herself.
"Hermione cry not good. Not make Hermione cry." Her growled harder.
"Shimmer, stand down." Dumbledore warned, all traces of amusement replaced by a rigid seriousness.
"Apologise." Asked Shimmer.
"Shimmer." Hermione called her, making him look at her. She smiled a little, even as she cried. "Everything's all right. I'm sad, but it's because I did bad things. Not because of Professor McGonagall."
"No." Shimmer replied, much to her surprise, Ron's and the teacher's. "You no cry. Old woman speak, Hermione cry."
"Old woman." Indignantly repeated McGonagall, more than offended by the dragon's words. She knew them to be true, but to hear it from Shimmer was quite annoying.
"Now, now Shimmer. Minerva may have been a bit hard, but it's because we care for Hermione's wellness." Tried to temper Dumbledore.
"Old woman apo-" Started again Shimmer.
"It's not a nice way to adress someone, Shimmer. You should call her Professor McGonagall or Minerva." Dumbledore interrupted him, keeping control of the conversation and trying to divert the dragon's anger. He too was wary. Shimmer may have acted nicely compared to any other dragon, but he was still a dragon and still a wild one.
"Minerva not nice Hermione. Apologise." Shimmer said.
"Shimmer, it's okay." Hermione tried to calm him down.
"Apologise!" Growled Shimmer, standing up and glaring at Minerva.
The witch almost unleashed a spell, and Poppy was also pointing her wand at him, but Minerva refrained herslef just in time. She looked at Dumbledore, looking for confirmation, but he only shook his head.
"I believe that Miss Granger and her friends learned their lesson and won't be doing anything of the sort. Am I right, Miss Granger?" Asked Dumbledore, looking at the young girl, while also keeping an eye on Shimmer.
"Yes Headmaster, I promise." Hermione said, her eyes fixed on Shimmer and worried about what was happening.
"Stop talk! Apologise!" Demanded Shimmer, smoke coming out of his nostrils.
"Minerva. Would you mind apologising before our young friend become too agitated?" Asked Dumbledore, keeping an eye on Shimmer.
"Very well." Huffed Minerva, both feeling angry and defeated at the same time. And she was also agreeing with Shimmer, she was hard with Hermione even though she didn't like it, but it was for the young witch's good. "I'm sorry for being so harsh with you, Miss Granger. Please, believe me when I say that I do not enjoy saying such things."
Shimmer's angry gaze turned to Hermione,
"I- It's alright Professor. I accept your apology." Hermione replied politely.
"Good." With a satisfied hum, Shimmer sat down again, the smoke coming out of his nose stopping and scattering in the air.
Everyone let out a sigh of relief as the situation de-escalated. Though the adults remained wary of the little dragon, reminded that the creature before them, despite being nice and calm most of the time, was still a partially tamed dangerous creature.
"Are you certain I shouldn't throw him out, Albus?" Asked Poppy.
"No, it's alright. I believe that it might be beneficial for him to stay with us for now. Minerva, is there anything else you would like to add?" Asked Dumbledore.
"Not while some ears are here, no." The stern headmistress replied, glancing at Shimmer with a bit of anger.
"Alright. Poppy, would you mind if I took Mister Weasley and Miss Granger to my office?"
"They should be capable of handling this much, but I want them back for tonight." The matron ordered more than asked.
"Perfect. Would you mind following me?" Dumbledore said, looking at the two students and the dragon.
"Shimmer take coins. Fly Dumb Door." Shimmer replied, already starting to pick up the coins between his teeth. In a rare moment, as in he never had this problem before, he almost couldn't pick up all the coins in his mouth. Yet, not wanting to leave a single one behind, he managed to get them all. He tried to talk, but didn't even realised that having so many coins in his mouth would make it way harder. "Shaaer o. Ay."
"We can't understand what you're saying, Shimmer. Even less than usual." Hermione told him.
A bit angry at being told his vocal capabilities were bad, he flew to the window and waited for the wizards to open it. Poppy was all too eager to see him go, and promptly opened the window where he flew away. The little dragon was
"Finally. I was afraid we would have to contain him." The matron said, sighing in relief.
"Between the three of us, I have no doubt it would have been possible. Snape did it with a simple chest, after all. But, that would have been a most detrimental outcome. Now, if we're done here, I'd like to move to my office." Replied Dumbledore.
A grumble got their attention and all eyes were aimed at a bed on the other side of the room, where a black haired Gryffindor was waking up. The boy blinked his eyes a few times to remove the effects of sleep, and was more than surprised to see all the people in the room.
"What did I miss?" Asked Neville as he stood up.
It took a little while to explain what happened to Neville, but they did so on the way to the Headmaster's office. They climbed up the stairs behind the gargoyle and before they even put a foot in the office, they knew that someone was waiting for them.
THUNK
THUNK
"Well, he is certainly as quick as he is stubborn." Dumbledore chuckled, reaching his office and flicking his wand in the air.
He, the students following him, and Minerva, all got to see Shimmer walk in by the window, looking as if everything was perfectly normal.
"Hello." Greeted them Shimmer, more by reflex than anything else.
"Good to see you too, Shimmer. Now, please take a seat." Said Dumbledore as three chairs flew from behind a shelf and landed in a half circle before his desk.
The three students did just as they were told, and Minerva walked around the desk to stand tall next to Albus who sat down in his comfortable chair. Shimmer flew up to the perch where he met Fawkes, though he looked slightly less bright than before, with some of his feathers being a bit darker. He sniffed around the phoenix, and was surprised to smell a little bit of death on him, though it looked like the phoenix was filled with more life than other creatures. How could that even be possible?
"Now, before I go any further, I would like you to know that what I'm about to say must not leave this room. Am I clear?" Asked Dumbledore.
"Yes, Headmaster, I promise." Swore Hermione.
"Yes, Professor Dumbledore." Agreed Neville.
"Yes, sir." Said Ron a bit more casually.
"Shimmer promise." Also said Shimmer, before adding something else. "Promise what?"
"It's a secret. You must not tell anyone else." Clarified Hermione.
"Shimmer promise secret word." Nodded Shimmer.
"Good. Now, I do not know how or when Quirrell was possessed by Voldemort, but it was definitely some time before the start of the year. I had... suspicions that Voldemort was still alive, and I created a plan to capture him. By making sure the right rumour reached the right ears, I got him to fall on a chase for a mystical object that could bring him back to life." Dumbledore Explained, a grave look on his face and a hand running through his beard. "That's what he was doing in Gringotts, as I hid that very object there for a while. A chance that I had Hagrid retrieve it before he acted."
"And then you decided to hide it in Hogwarts? Isn't that dangerous?" Questioned Hermione, a bit sceptical at the plan of the headmaster.
"It wasn't without risks, I'll admit it." Conceded Dumbledore. "But Hogwarts is the safest place on Earth behind Gringotts. Plus, Voldemort knows that I would personally guard the school, making his attempts to get the stone even harder."
"Not without risks." Scoffed Minerva. "I told you from day one that this was a ridiculous idea, one that would put our dear students' lives in danger. And he almost killed some of them!"
"I'm aware, Minerva, and I would have never forgiven myself if that ever happened." Sighed Dumbledore, knowing that his deputy-headmistress was right.
"Professor?" Neville asked, raising his hand.
"Yes, Mister Longbottom?" Dumbledore replied.
"What was You-Know-Who looking for?" The boy asked.
"Yeah. What could have made him do... this." Added Ron, still thinking of Quirrell's body and his death.
"The answer is right here." Said Dumbledore, reaching for one of his drawers.
His hand came out with a small cloth bag, one that he opened and gently reached inside to pull out a shiny ruby-red stone, almost oval in shape and with smooth curves. The students' eyes were stuck on the jewel before them, not believing that there was a real ruby before them.
But one specific pair of eyes looked at the stone with more than awe. Shimmer couldn't help but be overwhelmed by the scent of magic that came from such a tiny rock. And what a rock it was. The smell of magic, life and gold, all combined it one, making a most unique cocktail of scents. He never saw one like this before, so beautiful and so enticing. He was already salivating at the thought of owning it, but couldn't decide if it would be better to either keep it in his hoard or to eat it to enjoy its taste.
Fawkes looked at him with concern, wondering what was happening in the young dragon's mind.
"A ruby?" Questioned Ron, confused that Voldemort would have been after a single stone. Sure, such a stone could allow his family to live comfortably for a while, but it was just a ruby.
"No, not a ruby. This, my young students, is the renowned Philosopher's Stone, created by my old friend Nicholas Flamel. Capable of turning metals into gold, and of extending one's life. With this, Voldemort would have been able to get a new body." Dumbledore revealed.
"Woah." Let out Ron.
"Does it really work?" Wondered Neville.
"It certainly does. Nicholas Flamel and his wife are both more than six hundred years old." Nodded Dumbledore.
Fawkes squeaked lightly, trying to get Shimmer's attention, but it did nothing to remove the gaze of the dragon from the stone.
How could he? Shimmer leaned forward a little, the extremely powerful scent of magic entering his nostrils and filling him with an absolute need to get this stone for himself, no matter the consequences.
"What are you going to do with it?" Asked Hermione.
"Well, me and Nicholas talked about it, and perhaps it's time for the stone to disappear. The chance that Voldemort or any other dark wizard tries to take it for themselves is too great, and its power is sincerely too much for humans." Dumbledore sighed, knowing that his friend's choice was the right one, as sad and painful as it was.
"Oh. Does that mean that-" Started Hermione again.
She didn't get the time to finish, as Shimmer had jumped from his perch. Fawkes squawked in warning, but couldn't do anything as the dragon dived straight at the stone. Taking everyone by surprise, he caught the stone between his teeth and flew away with it.
"Shimmer!" Squeaked Hermione, startled by his rush.
"Shimmer, give me back the stone." Dumbledore strongly yet calmly demanded, his wand in hand. He only realised now that the dragon, who could smell magic and liked to eat it, was a risk for the stone.
He heard the words, and normally he would give back whatever he took, even coins if needed. But not that rock. Now that it was in his mouth, he could taste how the gold and the magic mixed together in a wonderful flavour. Flying higher and closer to the ceiling, trying to put some distance between him and the wizards, he looked for an exit. He also found himself forced to avoid Fawkes, the phoenix trying to catch him with his claws. Though, even if Fawkes was older and more experienced, Shimmer was currently the faster one, and he managed to avoid each of Fawkes attempts to catch him.
"Shimmer! Give the stone back, right now!" Ordered Hermione.
"Shimmer like! Gold! Magic!" He managed to say even as his eyes aimed at the stairs. He clutched the stone harder between his teeth, and felt the taste of magic become even stronger. Even though he didn't know about drugs, the effect was roughly the same, the more he kept it in his mouth, the more addicted he was to the stone's magic.
Dumbledore saw where he might be going, and before Shimmer was able to escape, used his wand to move a shelf in the way of the stairs, effectively stopping Shimmer from leaving the room. Growling in frustration, Shimmer turned around and frantically flew in the air, trying to find another way out.
"Shimmer, I really don't want to do this. Please, give me back the stone." Dumbledore warned, aiming his wand at the dragon.
"Shimmer!" Hermione shouted once more, now very worried about her friend's safety. Would the headmaster really shoot down Shimmer? She could barely imagine this and simply kept her eyes on Shimmer, trying to force him to come down. "Wingardium Leviosa!"
Hermione's spell was rightly cast, of course, but the power behind it wasn't enough to affect a being capable of resisting magic like a dragon.
Even if Shimmer was focusing on keeping the stone, he saw and felt Hermione's spell on him. It did nothing physically, but knowing that his friend shot magic at him hurt him in another way.
"No! Shimmer like like! Good! Shimmer take!" He countered.
"Albus! Do something!" Minerva called, also aiming at Shimmer, but afraid of what the dragon's reaction would be.
"Accio Philosopher's Stone!" Dumbledore unleashed his spell.
The effect was instant, and Shimmer could feel the stone in mouth being pulled toward the headmaster. It briefly stopped him in his flight before he stabilised himself, and then he pulled as hard as possible to keep the stone, growling at the same time.
"Let go, Shimmer! That's an order!" The headmaster said, putting more power in his spell.
"No!" Refused Shimmer between gritted teeth. The stone was stuck between his teeth, and he bit down hard to keep it. Where his teeth met the surface of the stone, small holes and cracks appeared, leaking an incredible amount of magic that fueled Shimmer to not let go. It felt too good to give it up.
He couldn't let them have it.
"You too Minerva!" Called Dumbledore.
"Accio Philosopher's Stone!" The deputy-headmistress shouted, standing next to Dumbledore.
Shimmer grunted under the effort, feeling the stone starting to be pulled toward the two wizards along with the stone. He hadn't used all his strength yet, not wanting to damage the stone, but he didn't have the choice anymore. Biting down with everything he had, larger cracks appeared on all sides of the stone, much to the teachers' horror.
"Stop casting! The stone is going to-" Hurriedly ordered Dumbledore, horrified at what was happening, lowering his wand.
It was too late though. Shimmer's sharp teeth broke through the stone, and almost all of its pieces went down his throat. The taste was incredible, by far the best thing he ever ate, and he barely registered as he flew backward, no longer being pulled by the magic of the wizard and the witch.
An awed and horrified silence took over the room, everyone looking at Shimmer as the dragon landed on one of the shelves. They couldn't believe that what happened before them truly happened, but the few broken pieces of the stone on the ground proved that this was real.
"What have you done?" Dumbledore asked in a near whisper, watching as Shimmer started to retch.
Indeed, Shimmer felt bloated. Or even more than bloated, if that was even possible. The magic of the stone instantly filled him, and it was too much. He tried to expel the magic, but it was for naught, as nothing came out of his mouth. A sudden wave of energy washed over him, and then his whole body felt far too heavy, completely exhausted. His vision was tainted with red as he felt like a specific spot on his forehead was burning, making him briefly shriek in pain as he experienced a pain unlike anything he ever had before.
He quickly lost consciousness, his claws released the shelf he was holding on and he fell forward.
"Shimmer!" Called Hermione, too slow to catch the falling dragon.
"Wingardium Leviosa!" Dumbledore casted, stopping Shimmer's body just a couple of centimetres above the ground, completely limp.
"Shimmer! Wake up! Please!" Begged Hermione, taking his head in her hands and trying to shake him so that he would wake up.
"Let me look, Miss Granger." Dumbledore said, putting Shimmer's body on the ground and using his wand to cast a diagnosis spell.
The young dragon was burning, as if he was on fire, and a small line on his scaled forehead was quite literally as red as hot iron. But, as much as Dumbledore wanted to find out about this, if it was an effect of the stone or not, they didn't have time to focus on that.
"Is he alright?" Asked Ron.
"It appears so, he looks to be merely unconscious. But, there's something wrong within him. We better take him to the infirmary, now." Ordered Dumbledore, picking up Shimmer with his magic. "Minerva, send a message to Severus. I fear that we might need his expertise."
"Is he going to be okay?" Asked Hermione, crying rivers of tears.
"I'm afraid this is a unique situation, Miss Granger. I have no idea what eating the Philosopher's Stone could do, we will have to find out." Dumbledore replied, quickly going down the stairs with Shimmer flying in the air right before him.
As Minerva used her wand to cast a spell summoning a cat made out of pure light, something that escaped the three students too preoccupied with Shimmer's health, Dumbledore and said students rushed toward the infirmary, hoping that the little dragon would be alright.
Dumbledore also couldn't help but think about the consequences of this. Not only for the health of Shimmer, but the consequences for Nicholas and his wife, as well as how he would explain this to the couple of alchemists.
Bur for now, he had a dragon to save.
Hi! Valexto at the keyboard!
Sorry for not releasing anything sooner, my last week was very, very busy, and I didn't have my computer with me. I'm back to normal now.
Though I got many problems with Fanfiction, as I suddenly got hundreds of old notifications, doubles if you prefer, that polluted my email.
Yeah, I made Shimmer eat the Philosopher's Stone.
Were any of you expecting this with the Philosopher's Stone? Tell me what you think.
And what do you think will happen to Shimmer next? I'm curious to know what you think or expect.
Also, as you can see, Voldemort isn't dead yet. This promises more challenges ahead for our young dragon and potentatially a Voldemort quite mad at a 'mere beast' for taking away his vessel and his chance at coming back to life.
Thanks for all the support and see you soon!