I do not own nor possess any right over Harry Potter, all rights belongs to J.K. Rowling.

Chapter 12

The days were slowly starting to get colder, something that Shimmer dreaded as his body wasn't made to face cold temperatures and always had a harder time to survive through the cold winds of winter. It wasn't snowing yet but he knew it wouldn't be long before the castle and everything around would be covered in snow.

But it wasn't too bad yet, he could still go fly around without problem and just had to deal with the slightly colder weather. Stretching himself to revive his blood flow, warming up his body in a few seconds, he left the warmth of his hoard to reach the window and he flew down from there directly to Hermione's window, knowing that it was time for their daily meeting.

He landed on the window sill and stopped in front of the glass obstructing his way. Looking through it, he saw that Hermione didn't seemed to be here but two of the other human females she shared her room with were, sitting on their bed leisurely and looking at some kind of book, not noticing him. He resolved this issue very quickly with his simple yet effective solution.

THUNK

The two human girls jumped out of surprise before looking at him and the one with curly brown hair stood up to come at the window, muttering something that he didn't understood with a scowl on her face.

"That's the second time you're scaring us like that." She said not very happy as she opened the window.

"Hermione?" Shimmer asked looking around.

"She is downstairs in the common room. Come on." She replied gesturing him to get in.

He hopped down from the window and started to sniff for Hermione's most recent scent, not understanding what this 'common room' was, which only seemed to make the human girls even more annoyed at him for some reason.

"I'll take him there." Said the other girl with long black hairs and a slightly darker skin colour, standing up and walking to the door. "Come on Shimmer."

Following the girl, Shimmer looked around curiously as he tried to identify the numerous smells around him. It had been a few days since his introduction to the school and apparently the human pack leader told the rest that he was to be left alone and had access to pretty much the whole castle. It didn't mean that everyone let him in all the time or that he was welcome everywhere but many started to relax around him and considered him as some kind of resident in the castle, much like the ghosts wandering the corridors. He actually didn't get to interact with many humans for he spent most of his time outside of the school and he always stood with Hermione the rest of the time.

Rare where the moments like right now where he followed another human without his human friend, most young humans still preferring to stay far from him as long as Hermione wasn't there. Like if she could control him! That was a funny thought that he always got when seeing humans avoid him and treating him like the great predator that he was.

His thoughts got interrupted by the human girl starting to go down some stairs and he followed, hopping down the steps one by one, until they reached the big room where the young humans wearing gold and red robes gathered sometimes. At some point Hermione must have told him about why they wore different colours but he couldn't remember what she said, he just figured it was because they either had different ranks in the pack or different roles but so far he saw no differences between all the young humans, no matter their robes. It was quite confusing to him; all those weird things humans did make very little sense to him and he always explained it by humans being humans.

"Here you go, Hermione is right over there." Said his guide as the girl pointed to a corner of the room before going back toward the stairs.

Looking in that direction, he noticed Hermione in an armchair, with a big book in hands, silently turning the pages. What he didn't noticed was how tensed many of the Gryffindor students became when they saw him arrive, they didn't feared him anymore as much as the first day but he was still a dragon and thus a dangerous creature that had to be approached with carefulness.

Walking toward her, he reached the side of her sofa and let out a little cry as he jumped on the armrest, looking at her intensely.

Hermione jumped when she first heard and then saw him arrived. He didn't sneak on her but she had been so engrossed in her book that she hadn't been paying attention to anything around her, but she relaxed when she noticed that it was Shimmer. Glancing at the clock, she saw that it was slightly passed the time of their usual meeting time. She had no idea how he did it but Shimmer always knew when it was time even if he had no watch, not that it could have been useful since he couldn't read anything.

"Hello Shimmer. I'm sorry, I didn't see the time pass." Hermione said with a smile, noting at which page she was before placing the book on the table.

"Hello." He said looking at her, standing on the armrest as she reached for him and started petting his head.

"Is everything alright? Are you hungry?" She asked as Shimmer purred under her strokes.

"Meat."

"Sure, we still have time for a late breakfast." Agreed Hermione, standing up and picking up the book to put it back on the bookshelf.

She barely had the time to retract her arm that Shimmer jumped on her shoulders, taking her by surprise as he was no featherweight, bending forward for a second, before she managed to get her balance back. He was slightly longer than she was tall and even if his body was made to be light enough to fly, it was still quite the weight for a eleven years old girl. Even more for a bookworm such as Hermione that had no particular physical strength.

"Oomph! Shimmer don't do that." She scolded him as she felt him move to be more comfortable for the both of them.

"Shimmer sorry." He replied coiling his tail around her arm for support.

But Hermione wouldn't let him do that. Even if, and that was a big if, she was able to carry him right now, she wouldn't be able to do so all the way up to the great hall. Moving around, she caught him as he tried to steady himself even further and let out a small cry of indignation as she put him back on the armrest of the sofa she was previously sat on.

"No Shimmer, you're too big for that. Plus, you have wings, you can just fly around." She clarified as she petted his head.

"Shimmer not understand." He did understood that she didn't wanted him on her shoulder, not the why.

"Just no, Shimmer. Now come on, we need to be quick if you want to eat something." Hermione replied making her way for the door of the Gryffindor dormitory.

With just a little growl of annoyance, he flapped his wings spread wide and followed Hermione who had already opened the door. He passed through the opening, leaving behind a lot of Gryffindor students talk about what the two just did even if none of them had realized that the other students were looking at them the whole time.

"Humph! That little dragon again." Grumbled the portrait of the fat lady as Hermione closed the door.

"He is very nice you know." Commented Hermione as she walked toward the stairs.

"He will burn all of us down!" She said as several other paintings shared her opinion.

Shimmer didn't listened to what the weird flat-non-human said, he wasn't sure if they were real or not as he couldn't smell any living scent from them but they still moved and talked like other humans, really something inexplicable that he quickly put as another weird human thing.

He followed Hermione as she got down the stairs, some moving and some staying in place, flying slightly above her and keeping a steady flight as he looked at the many portraits and objects displayed in the corridors. This school was really a place unlike any other, so many things that didn't make any sense except for humans apparently. They continued their walk toward the great hall, a few students looking warily at him when they noticed him passing above their heads and a few even giving a slow berth as Hermione passed next to them. Shimmer had to admit that while he was usually cautious of everything, most of the young humans in this school were far shyer and more careful than him.

After a few more minutes to go down the stairs and going toward the great hall, they finally reached their destination. Looking around, Shimmer saw that only a few students were still there, finishing their meal under the watchful eyes of the very little, old teacher and the broom teacher, both of them instantly catching sight of Hermione and Shimmer as they sat down at the Gryffindor Table, him standing directly on the table between a few plates still there.

A few full plates appeared and Hermione quickly gathered a few slices of meat before giving them to Shimmer who didn't lose a second to start eating under Hermione watchful eyes, the girl having already eaten earlier this morning. Just a few seats away, on the other side of the table, Shimmer briefly noticed the red-haired boy that he saw a few times already, also eating what could be considered a heavy breakfast.

They ate almost as loudly as the other, something that almost impressed Hermione and not for any good reason. She had to remind herself that Shimmer was a dragon and thus couldn't have the same table manners as humans, if he could even understand what it was, and that Ron was just... well, being Ron. And yet the boy's meal suddenly stopped and Hermione watched him standing up, bringing his plate with him as he sat right in front of Hermione with a uneasy expression on his face.

"Hum... there is something that I want to tell you." Started Ron glancing at Shimmer.

"I'm listening." Replied Hermione, not really liking where this was going.

Shimmer just stood there, almost between the two, and not caring for what they were saying as long as no one tried to take his meal away.

"So, I got punished by Professor McGonagall to clean all the damages done by the troll and fixing all of it. Without magic. She explained to me how wrong I was with you and how I was to never do anything like that again... but that's not what I want to tell you." He said a bit clumsily.

"And what is it?" Asked Hermione thinking that he apparently didn't understood the lesson.

"My brothers told me before all of this that I had been a real git with you and I wanted to apologize but... I just didn't want to admit that I was wrong. I knew I had to but I was too stubborn to do it. You almost got killed because of me and I acted like a Slytherin, not doing anything instead of being a true Gryffindor. I want to say that I'm sorry for treating you like I did and that I was just being an idiot for insulting you when you tried to help me." Confessed Ron as he looked at her and then down at his plate when he was finished.

If Hermione thought she would have been surprised today, she would have never expected it to come from Ron. She had truly thought that he hadn't retained anything from his punishment but if what he said was the truth then he had already understood, he simply didn't get the courage to put his thoughts into actions and words. At least until now. She looked at him intensely, trying to see if it was only a lie or an attempt to escape further punishment from their head of house, but she couldn't find anything else besides honest remorse and guilt on his face.

"I accept your apology." Decided Hermione. While she truly hated how she had been treated by him an some of her other classmates, Hermione had never been capable to hold grudges against anyone for long and especially when someone presented her some truly apologetic excuses.

"Wait really?" Asked Ron lifting his head up very quickly, almost snapping his neck in the process.

"Yes, I can see that you're really sorry so I accept your apology." Clarified Hermione.

"Oh...hm thanks." Said Ron looking at her sheepishly.

"Sorry?" Asked Shimmer, recognising the word and wondering why the boy apologised to Hermione. Had he done something wrong?

"Ron is sorry because of bad words. It's okay." Told him Hermione having to use easier words for him to understand.

Looking at the boy, Ron if he understood well, Shimmer tried to find anything on him that appeared dangerous but couldn't find anything. It might have been true that words could be used to harm, just not by making the skin bleed. Another weird thing only with humans.

Ron looked away from the unnerving gaze of the dragon and returned to his breakfast, eating slightly less loudly until Shimmer returned to his own piece of meat.

"Are you training him?" Asked Ron looking quickly at Shimmer.

"I'm teaching him how to behave and how to speak. It is a bit slow but he needs to learn more words first before we can move to anything more advanced, right now he still can't understand most concepts. I tried to make him understand that he didn't needed coins but I'm starting to think that this will never change, its like some kind of instinctual behaviour but all the books I read said that dragon's attractiveness for gold was only a myth." Hermione explained, getting into her lecture mode as Shimmer tuned her out, incapable to understand the flow of words.

"Sure. Have you tried to make him blow fire on command?" Asked Ron obviously not interested into the advancement that represented the possibility to speak with dragons.

"I- No. I've seen him blew fire on the troll before but I never thought about that." Admitted Hermione looking as Shimmer finished his last slice of meat, licking his teeth.

"Do you think it would be possible?" Continued Ron even more enthusiastic as he imagined Shimmer fighting the troll.

"Yes, but why would you do that?" Asked Hermione.

"Well, it would be pretty cool to have him light everything up on command."

"You can work on your pyromaniac tendencies later M. Weasley, I would advise you to go to your next class now if you don't want to lose points for being late." Said the stern and cold voice of Severus Snape behind the boy.

Ron didn't dare turn around and quickly finished his breakfast before leaving, imitated soon after by Hermione who forced Shimmer to come with her even if the dragon wanted more meat. Snape looked sharply at the little creature with a hard glare, not liking at all that he was forbidden by the headmaster to hex the dragon on sight and that he had to tolerate the lizard presence for now.

At least he had the right to block the dragon to access his classroom. He certainly didn't wanted to deal with a pestering dragon in addition to all of those annoying Gryffindors that kept being utter fools when practicing potion making.

Barely fifteen minutes later, Ron, Hermione and Shimmer were standing in the transfiguration classroom, waiting for professor McGonagall that was surprisingly not here yet. Up on the table, right in front of Hermione and Ron that sat together for the first time in a while, Shimmer looked at the room they were in and where the humans learned how to change things into other things. Even in animals sometimes. He briefly wondered if they tasted as good as the real ones.

"Shimmer you need to behave, okay? We're in class so you must be silent." Asked Hermione.

"What behave?" Asked the golden dragon not knowing this word.

"Hum... how to explain that..." Pondered the girl aloud.

"You need to stay silent, no talking." Tried Ron.

At that moment professor McGonagall entered the classroom, instantly reducing the chattering to perfect silence as every student took their seat and waited for the old teacher to start her class.

"Like this." Whispered Ron right after professor McGonagall passed next to him.

Shimmer could only admire the respect that the young had for their elders and this one really seemed to be one not to mess with, he already got this impression the first times he saw her but it was impressive how her presence affected the young humans. He stood silent too and watched her turn to the class before starting to instruct the younglings.

"Good day children. Today we shall continue our transfiguration exercises. Everyone will start working on transfiguring a match into a needle, those who can manage do to so without problem shall continue onto the Mice to Snuffboxes spell." Introduced professor McGonagall.

A few students gave a few sighs of annoyance at the idea to keep working on this spell but they were already well aware that their teacher wouldn't let them go any further without knowing this one first. A few tens of matches were taken out by the children that started to work on them, wands out and pointed at the wooden sticks. Shimmer watched with great fascination as Hermione instantly turned her match into a perfectly thin needle, a proud smile on her face. Turning sideways Shimmer observed Ron doing the same only to come up with a larger needle, not as small and pointy as Hermione's.

"Very good Miss Granger and I can see that you seem to be improving too Mr. Weasley. Please work together until you've mastered this spell and then you can move on to the Mice to Snuffboxes spell." Congratulated them the professor before eyeing Shimmer that was doing the same.

In fact, he didn't stop there and walked in front of the woman and started to smell her in an attempt to figure if she did smelled like a cat. She stiffened as he approached and he wasn't surprised to find out that she did smell like one. He might have done it longer if not for the woman's intervention.

"Miss Granger, could you move Shimmer away please? I don't want to risk angering him by doing so myself."

"Of course professor. Shimmer, come here please." Hermione replied, embarrassed by how Shimmer acted with her teacher.

Shimmer complied; his curiosity satisfied. He looked at Hermione for a few seconds and opened his wings wide before taking out to the air, flying toward ceiling for a few seconds until he landed on one beam, high enough to look at the entire class that was actually doing the same. He wondered why but didn't gave it much thoughts and the human teacher quickly regained control.

"Quiet please! Focus on your matches." Sternly said Minerva.

The students instantly obeyed under her strict order and returned to their magical exercises. Shimmer watched them all doing so, some better than others but still giving a special attention to Ron and Hermione who worked on the boy's transfiguration spell for a few minutes until he managed to get a perfect one under the guidance of Hermione.

"You're free to start working on your Mice to Snuffboxes spell." Said McGonagall as she noticed their progress.

Shimmer watched them go tot the side of the class where they opened a closet and took out a mouse each, placed in a little cage that they brought to their table. He suddenly remembered what Hermione did last time with one of these and it was with great fascination that he observed them do the same. Hermione managed to get her mouse changed into a very pretty golden box while Ron's mouse turned into a wooden box with whiskers and a tail.

"I don't get how you always manage to get it on your first try." Frowned Ron looking at his box.

"It's because I read everything about the spell and practiced the wand movement before coming to class." Answered Hermione a bit uncertainly, still afraid that things would return as it was before the troll incident.

"Right." Said Ron.

Hermione waved her wand again and now the box was a mouse once more, looking around calmly as if nothing happened. Shimmer didn't let it out of his field of view, eyes fixed on the animal that started to walk away as Hermione turned to help Ron transfiguring his box back into a mouse but visibly struggling as it didn't appeared to do anything.

But Shimmer was attentive and he wouldn't let such an easy snack get away that easily, especially one that was completely unaware of his presence. He opened his wings slightly and aimed for the mouse that was now on the ground, walking between the humans that were still practicing without a clue about the fleeing rodent, his mouth ready watering at the prospective of this meal.

He didn't noticed, too focused on the mouse, but professor McGonagall was eyeing him very seriously, waiting to see what he would do until he started to prepare for his attack and she could do nothing but watched as the dragon jumped from the beam he was standing on and dived straight for the mouse at great speed.

Shimmer remained completely focused on the mouse, forgetting everything else around him as he slashed through the air toward his meal. He opened his mouth as the students around took notice of him and some started to scream as they feared that he was coming for them.

A single, yet loud, squeak was everything that came out from the mouse as he bid down on its neck, killing it in a few seconds as blood started to drip on its fur and on his neck. He pressed harder for a few seconds to make sure that it was dead before stretching his wings as he flew toward one corner of the ceiling and started to eat his meal under the disgusted and terrified eyes of the students.

"Ew that's disgusting!" Loudly complained Pansy Parkinson, a Slytherin student.

"It seems only pureblood's pets have manners." Added Malfoy between the many chatters going on in the class.

"Quiet please, I will not have my classroom become a zoo." Ordered Minerva looking warily at Shimmer that was finishing his mouse, blood dripping from the beam he was on to the ground.

"Shimmer." Whispered Hermione ashamed that she let him eat the mouse without even noticing it leaving.

"That was bloody deadly you mean." Cheered Ron in a half-whisper.

Shimmer for his part didn't cared about their talks, mainly because he couldn't understand them but also because he was busy licking the blood on his lips. Satisfied with this additional snack after the breakfast that was a bit too light for him, he flew down and landed near Hermione that looked him with some kind of sad expression in her eyes even if he knew it wasn't the sadness he saw her display before.

"What am I going to do with you? It was very bad Shimmer." Hermione tried to explain even if she didn't see how, mice were a very common prey in nature after all and she was certain that it wasn't Shimmer's first mouse.

"Bad? Eat good." He replied confused, much like Hermione expected.

"Ugh this is going to take a while." Sighed Hermione looking at him.

"And you shall take the time to do so later Miss Granger. Meanwhile you shall continue working on the match to needle spell." Said professor McGonagall as she looked sternly at Shimmer that was completely unaware of the glare sent toward him.

After their class of transfiguration, they had to go in the dungeon for the potion class and despite Hermione many attempts to send him away or to make him understand that he wouldn't be welcome, Shimmer didn't wanted to go anywhere else for now and stuck with them, flying above the group of Gryffindors and Slytherins that did their best to ignore each other.

They entered the classroom where professor Snape was waiting and it didn't took more than a second for his scowl to deepened even more, which many of the students didn't thought possible.

"What is that annoying flying lizard doing here?" He instantly asked, cold yet slightly angry.

"He doesn't want to leave, sir." Replied Hermione very carefully.

The head of the Slytherin House looked at Shimmer that flew landed on top of a shelf, head upside down as he looked through the glass of the shelf he was standing on and staring at the many weird plants and animal parts displayed there. He was already far less excited to be here than he was originally, mainly because of the many strong smells mixed in the room that didn't do any good to his nostrils but he found that the teacher covered in black clothing and with very greasy hair looked like a black tree with old, oily leaves.

"A dragon shouldn't be the one to make the rules, Miss Granger, you should discipline him until he obeys your every command." Snape said even if he knew very well that dragons were usually too untamed to follow any order in the first place. He would never admit it, but he was impressed to see that she was somehow managing to keep Shimmer in check and even teaching him the human language.

Standing up, Snape walked in front of his shelf where Shimmer was still looking at the ingredients for his potions, his eyes temporarily focused on some lionfish spines. Scowling at the dragon's carelessness who could very well poison himself if he ate the spines, he reached for it when Shimmer's eyes turned toward him, hissing and showing his teeth in a threatening stance at the sudden approach.

Snape froze at that and many students around believed that he was scared of the dragon but they couldn't be more wrong.

'Lily.' Snape thought, looking into the green eyes of Shimmer who reminded him so much of his deceased friend. Never did he thought he would see these eyes again if not into the young Potter child that had disappeared so long ago, the child of a man that he truly hated and of a woman that he had loved with all his heart and that he remembered seeing the jade like eyes. If it wasn't for the fact that the dragon obviously had diagonal slits, it could have really be Lily's eyes. He didn't stood frozen for long but it was enough to make him doubt and by now Shimmer was just hissing a bit lower, keeping his green eyes on Snape's hands.

"Shimmer will be allowed to remain as long as he behaves." Said Snape turning around, secretly wishing to have more time to gaze into those eyes that brought back so many memories.

The class stood silent as they watched Snape, the inflexible teacher that only favoured his Slytherin students and hissed at everyone else all the time, tolerate the presence of Shimmer that he had been pestering about him since the dragon's first apparition.

After this strange interaction from their teacher, they returned to their usual potion classes with the cold and stern teacher checking on every student and their potion, doing his usual favouritism much to the pleasure of the Slytherins that smirked to the Gryffindors, stuck with only doing their best to only end up with either a negative comment about their potion or a barely acceptable in the case of Hermione and Ron.

It was the middle of the class when Shimmer finally hopped down from his perch and landed on the table right next to Hermione who quickly shuffled aside the ingredients for the potion to leave him enough space and not have any of them damaged. They had learned during the last class that professor Snape was not kind with students using damaged or rotten ingredients.

"Hermione." Said Shimmer as he landed, bored after watching the humans spending so long just to change the colour of their weird waters in what they called cauldrons.

"Shimmer. Be silent and behave." Whispered harshly Hermione who glanced at Snape only to see him starring at them.

"Shimmer. Fly. Coin. Bye-bye." He replied not lowering his voice at all, not that he was talking loudly but it was enough to be above the other students talks.

"I- what?" She replied not understanding if he wanted to leave or stay for a coin.

"Miss Granger, would you mind sharing what Shimmer is talking about with us?" Asked Snape from his office.

"I'm sorry sir but I'm not sure of what he wants." Hermione replied uncertain.

"Really? Now that is a surprise. What do you want Shimmer?" He asked the dragon directly after mocking Hermione who looked down.

"Shimmer want fly... go coin. Want bye-bye." Tried to explain Shimmer, forcing himself to remember as many words as possible which made Hermione proud of both her friend and her successful teachings.

"Am I wrong to believe that he wishes to go steal more valuables for his own pleasure?"

"No sir." Replied Hermione looking at Shimmer that was looking expectantly at the door.

"Hmph, you ought to correct this habit of him soon. I don't want him to steal from me again. Now out of my dungeon!" Said Snape as he walked to the classroom's door and opened it fully for Shimmer to go through, frowning and angry looking even if it wasn't really towards the dragon. He would welcome him again if just to stare into his eyes.

Finally having his will obeyed, Shimmer flew through the door and quickly went all the way back to the surface before finding an open window, startling many students and paintings on his way even if he didn't cared. They were in no danger from him as long as they didn't try to steal his coins.

Speaking of coins, it was time to do his daily collect even if it was harder now that everyone knew about him. All the humans were now hiding their coins and except for Hermione and a very few teachers that gave him a few, he wasn't getting as much as he used to.

AN:

Hi! Valexto at the keyboard!

Sorry for the wait, I'm preparing a trip before finally returning to my home country after two years. This means that it took longer to write this chapter and I wont have as much time as before to write the next one, don't expect any update before a week or two but don't despair either for I am not abandoning the story in any way.

As you've probably noticed, I've forgiven Ron for his harsh words and behaviour. This is because he is only a 11 years old kid, not that smart and pretty brash but ultimately with a good heart. I have read many fictions where is completely bashed and hated and while it is not wrong, I simply feel like his behaviour is simply because he is young and hadn't realized until now just how wrong a few harsh words could harm.

The next chapter is already planned in my mind and will refocused a bit on the original storyline, it needs to keep going after all.

Thanks for the support and the many comments.

See you soon!