Chapter 12: Dragons
November 16, 2001 – Friday
Great Hall
Despite Ludo Bagman's earlier assurances, Dawn's name had found its way into the article, much to her frustration. Rita Skeeter, known for her penchant for drama and embellishment, had interviewed several individuals and prominently featured Dawn and Harry together in her story about Harry's supposed romantic interest.
The article read:
"Harry has at last found love at Hogwarts. His close friend, Colin Creevey, said that Harry is rarely seen out of the company of one Dawn Summers, a stunningly pretty Muggle-born girl who, like Harry, is one of the top students in the school."
When Buffy, Dawn, and Hermione saw the article, their fury knew no bounds. Not only did the blatant misrepresentation of the truth infuriated them deeply but so did the fact that Dawn's name had even been mentioned to begin with after their precautions to keep Dawn's name out of the Daily Prophet. However, the consequences of Rita's article extended beyond their indignation.
From the moment the article had been published in the Daily Prophet, Dawn found herself subjected to death glares and whispers from several of her fellow Gryffindors, as well as from a few in Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw. The judgmental gazes and the isolating atmosphere weighed heavily on her.
Harry, on the other hand, faced even more intense teasing and mockery due to what Rita had written. Pansy Parkinson, in particular, had been especially vocal about it, and her words were cutting.
"Stunningly pretty? Her?" Pansy had sneered the first time she encountered Dawn after the article's publication. "What was she judging against - a chipmunk?"
Hermione, ever composed and level-headed, tried to provide comfort to Dawn. "Ignore it," she advised in a dignified voice. "Just ignore it, Dawnie."
As much as Dawn tried to heed Hermione's counsel, it proved exceedingly difficult to ignore the taunts and misrepresentations. What made the situation even more challenging was that she and Hermione's best friends still hadn't reconciled since the day Dawn had yelled at them during the incident with Malfoy's curse.
Hermione's frustration with Ron and Harry's ongoing feud mirrored Dawn's own exasperation. She moved from one to the other, attempting to mediate and coax them into reconciliation, but both Ron and Harry remained steadfast in their stubbornness.
"I didn't start this," Harry insisted, his resolve unwavering. "It's his problem."
Hermione, her patience wearing thin, pressed on. "You miss him!" she exclaimed impatiently. "And I know he misses you -"
Dawn chimed in, offering her support. "Yeah, Harry."
Harry, still resisting, retorted, "Miss him? I don't miss him …"
Despite the ongoing tension between her friends, Hermione remained committed to teaching Buffy and Dawn defensive and offensive spells. She also continued to assist Dawn with her transfiguration studies, recognizing her sister's talent and dedication in the subject.
As they observed Viktor Krum's frequent visits to the library, followed by a group of giggling girls, Hermione couldn't help but voice her frustration. "He's not even good-looking!" she muttered, her annoyance palpable. "They only like him because he's famous! They wouldn't look twice at him if he couldn't do that Wonky-Faint thing -"
"Wronski Feint," Harry corrected.
Dawn, in agreement with Hermione, shook her head. "Not the point, Harry. I think Hermione is right; he isn't very attractive."
November 17, 2001 – Saturday
Hogsmeade
On the Saturday before the first task, a Hogsmeade weekend presented itself as an opportunity for a change of scenery. Hermione suggested to Harry that it would do him good to get away from the castle for a while, and Harry didn't need much convincing.
However, Harry raised a concern about Ron. "What about Ron, though?" he asked. "Don't you want to go with him?"
Hermione hesitated, her cheeks turning slightly pink. "Oh…well…" She searched for an explanation. "Dawn and I thought we might meet up with him in the Three Broomsticks…"
Dawn nodded, appreciative of Buffy's decision to let her go into Hogsmeade. "Yep."
But Harry, his resolve unyielding, replied flatly, "No."
Hermione and Dawn both expressed their frustration with Harry's reluctance. "Oh Harry, this is so stupid—" Dawn began.
"I'll come," Harry finally agreed, "but I'm not meeting Ron, and I'm wearing my Invisibility Cloak."
Hermione, though relieved that Harry was joining them, couldn't help but express her exasperation. "Oh, all right then…" she snapped, "but I hate talking to you in that cloak, I never know if I'm looking at you or not."
With Harry now concealed beneath his Invisibility Cloak, they made their way to Hogsmeade together. Hermione couldn't help but acknowledge Dawn's presence with gratitude. "I'm glad you're here, Dawn. Otherwise, I think people would be looking at me thinking I'm talking to myself."
Dawn offered her sister a warm smile. "Anything for you, sis."
However, Hermione's patience with Harry's concealed presence wore thin. "Harry, please just take off your cloak for a bit," she pleaded, "no one's going to bother you here."
"Oh yeah? Look behind you," Harry said, alerting Hermione and Dawn to the presence of Rita Skeeter and her photographer friend emerging from the Three Broomsticks pub. The sight of Rita immediately put them on edge.
Dawn, not wanting any more negative attention from Rita after her previous article, quickly suggested, "Let me under there for a second, Harry, before she sees me."
Harry promptly opened up the cloak, allowing Dawn to slip underneath just in time to avoid being spotted by Rita and the photographer.
Speculating on Rita's intentions, Harry remarked, "She's staying in the village. I bet she's coming to watch the first task."
Relieved that they had avoided a confrontation with the journalist, Hermione confirmed, "She's gone." Her gaze having followed Rita down the street.
Dawn emerged from under the cloak and couldn't help but express her disdain for Rita. "I really hate that woman," she said, her frustration with the nosy journalist palpable.
"Why don't we go and have a butterbeer in the Three Broomsticks, it's a bit cold, isn't it? You don't have to talk to Ron!" Hermione suggested, trying to ease the tension and encourage a more relaxed atmosphere.
The Three Broomsticks was bustling, filled mainly with Hogwarts students taking advantage of their free afternoon. Buffy had already secured a table and waved Hermione and Dawn over.
As they joined Buffy at the table, Hermione went to buy drinks. Buffy, curious about Harry's absence, inquired, "Where is Harry? I thought you and Hermione were going to bring him."
Dawn responded with a sigh, "He's around. Aren't ya, Harry?"
Harry's voice came from somewhere nearby, confirming his presence. "Yes," he replied, remaining under his Invisibility Cloak for the time being.
Buffy let out a resigned sigh. "Invisibility cloak?" she guessed, and Dawn nodded in confirmation.
Hermione rejoined the group shortly afterward, managing to discreetly slip Harry a butterbeer under his cloak. "Look, it's Hagrid!" she exclaimed, diverting their attention.
The trio glanced up and spotted Hagrid and Moody making their way toward them.
"Hello there, Hermione? Buffy? Dawn?" Hagrid greeted them loudly, his booming voice carrying through the bustling pub.
"Hello," Hermione, Buffy, and Dawn chimed in, returning the greetings with warm smiles.
Moody, with his distinctive limp, made his way around the table and commented, "Nice cloak, Potter."
Dawn couldn't help but voice her curiosity. "Can your eye - I mean, can you -?"
Moody, in his gruff tone, replied, "Yeah, it can see through Invisibility Cloaks. And it's come in useful at times, I can tell you."
Hagrid then leaned down and spoke in a hushed whisper, a secret meant for Harry alone. "Harry, have yourself and Dawn meet me tonight at midnight at me cabin. Wear that cloak."
Standing back up, Hagrid addressed the group more loudly. "Nice to see yeh, Hermione, Dawn, Professor Summers." His voice boomed in the pub, concealing the private conversation he had just had with Harry.
Harry couldn't help but express his confusion. "Why does Hagrid want me and Dawn to meet him at midnight?" he pondered aloud.
Hermione, also puzzled by Hagrid's request, mused, "Does he? I wonder what he's up to. I don't know whether you or Dawn should go, Harry..."
Buffy interjected with concern, "Dawn, I don't think you should go out."
Dawn, however, was determined to join Harry under the Invisibility Cloak. She sighed, "Buffy, I would be with Harry anyway, under an Invisibility Cloak. No one is going to see me."
Buffy sighed and nodded, knowing full well that short of standing watch over Dawn's bed she wouldn't be able to keep her sister inside. Especially if she couldn't see them leaving. So, she reluctantly agreed. "Then come to my room after you and Harry find out what Hagrid wants. I'll wait up."
Hagrid's Hut
At half past eleven that evening, Dawn, who had feigned an early bedtime, silently descended the stairs and slipped into the common room. She waited there for Harry, knowing that their rendezvous was imminent. It didn't take long before Harry joined her, and she slid underneath the Invisibility Cloak with him.
Together, hidden from view, they made their way outside and toward Hagrid's hut. Dawn knocked gently on Hagrid's front door.
Hagrid, clearly expecting them, opened the door and peered around cautiously. "You there, Harry? Dawn?" he whispered.
"Yeah, we're both here," Harry confirmed. "What's up?"
Hagrid wore a mysterious air, his voice hushed as he said, "Got summat ter show yeh both."
Dawn couldn't help but feel a mixture of curiosity and wariness. "What are you showing us, Hagrid?" she asked cautiously.
Hagrid beckoned for Harry and Dawn to follow him. "Come with me, keep quiet, and keep yourselves covered with that cloak," he instructed. "We won't take Fang; he won't like it..."
Harry, feeling a sense of urgency, reminded Hagrid, "Listen, Hagrid, I can't stay long... I've got to be back up at the castle by one o'clock."
Without further explanation, Hagrid closed his cabin door and led them toward the Beauxbatons carriage. Dawn couldn't contain her curiosity. "Hagrid, what -?" she began to ask.
But Hagrid hushed her with a stern "Shhh!" and knocked three times on the door of the carriage.
Madame Maxime opened the door and greeted Hagrid with a smile. "Ah, 'Agrid… it is time?"
Hagrid replied to Madame Maxime's question with a single word, "Bong-sewer."
Madame Maxime closed the carriage door behind her and accepted Hagrid's offered arm. They set off, walking around the edge of the paddock containing the massive winged horses that belonged to Beauxbatons. Dawn and Harry followed, their curiosity piqued.
Madame Maxime inquired, "Where is it you are taking me, 'Agrid?"
Hagrid, maintaining an air of secrecy, gruffly replied, "Yeh'll enjoy this, worth seein', trust me. On'y - don' go tellin' anyone I showed yeh, right? Yeh're not s'posed ter know."
Madame Maxime assured him, "Of course not."
As they walked further around the perimeter of the forest, the castle and the lake disappeared from view. Suddenly, Dawn and Harry heard shouting in the distance, followed by a deafening, earsplitting roar.
Hagrid guided Madame Maxime around a clump of trees and came to a halt. Dawn and Harry hurried up alongside them, their anticipation building. Then, they saw what Hagrid had brought them here to witness.
Dragons.
Five fully grown, enormous, and vicious-looking dragons were rearing onto their hind legs inside an enclosure, a sight that left both Dawn and Harry in awe.
As they observed the majestic yet terrifying dragons, the scene was filled with tension. A wizard near the fence was desperately trying to control one of the dragons, yelling, "Keep back there, Hagrid! They can shoot fire at a range of twenty feet, you know! I've seen this Horntail do forty!"
Hagrid, undeterred by the danger, couldn't help but admire the creatures. He spoke softly, "Is'n' it beautiful?"
But the situation quickly escalated as another wizard shouted, "It's no good! Stunning Spells, on the count of three!"
Dawn looked to Harry, she could see the look on his face and knew he was likely thinking the same thing she was.
"Stupefy!" the wizards shouted in unison, and the dragons fell to the ground, subdued by the Stunning Spells.
The dragon keepers lowered their wands, and a wave of relief washed over them as they approached their fallen charges. Their faces bore expressions of concern and care, illuminated by the dim light surrounding them. Hagrid's eyes sparkled with childlike excitement, and his voice quivered with enthusiasm as he addressed Madame Maxime.
"Wan' a closer look?" Hagrid asked Madame Maxime, his tone filled with genuine curiosity and wonder, as he gestured towards the magnificent creatures.
The wizard who had warned Hagrid not to come any closer turned, and Harry realized who it was: Charlie Weasley. Harry whispered to Dawn, his voice tinged with a mix of surprise and familiarity, "That's one of Ron's brother's Charlie."
"All right, Hagrid?" Charlie panted, coming over to talk. His voice held an undertone of relief and exhaustion, reflecting the intense ordeal they had just been through. "They should be okay now - we put them out with a Sleeping Draft on the way here, thought it might be better for them to wake up in the dark and the quiet - but, like you saw, they weren't happy, not happy at all -"
Charlie's words conveyed the deep concern he felt for the dragons, his brow furrowed with worry. Hagrid, ever the lover of magical creatures, leaned in closer, eager to learn more.
"What breeds you got here, Charlie?" said Hagrid, his voice a mixture of admiration and curiosity, as he soaked in the names of these magnificent beasts.
"This is a Hungarian Horntail," said Charlie, his tone tinged with pride as he introduced the dragons, his affection for them evident in his voice. "There's a Common Welsh Green over there, the smaller one - a Swedish Short-Snout, that blue-gray - and a Chinese Fireball, that's the red. And finally a Romanian Longhorn."
Charlie looked around, his gaze filled with concern and a touch of disapproval, as Madame Maxime strolled away around the edge of the enclosure, her eyes fixed on the stunned dragons. He couldn't hide the furrow in his brow as he turned his attention back to Hagrid.
"I didn't know you were bringing her, Hagrid," Charlie said, his voice tinged with frustration. "The champions aren't supposed to know what's coming - she's bound to tell her student, isn't she?"
Hagrid, seemingly unfazed by the implications, responded with his characteristic nonchalance, "Jus' thought she'd like ter see 'em."
Charlie couldn't help but shake his head, his voice carrying a hint of playful sarcasm, "Really romantic date, Hagrid."
Hagrid, seemingly undisturbed by Charlie's comment, turned his attention back to the dragons, his curiosity piqued.
"Five…" said Hagrid, his voice filled with curiosity, "so it's one fer each o' the champions, is it? What've they gotta do - fight 'em?"
Charlie's face took on a more serious expression as he considered the dangerous task that lay ahead, "Just get past them, I think. We'll be on hand if it gets nasty, Extinguishing Spells at the ready. They wanted nesting mothers, I don't know why…but I tell you this, I don't envy the one who gets the Horntail. Vicious thing. Its back end's as dangerous as its front, look."
Charlie pointed toward the Horntail's tail, and Dawn and Harry saw long, bronze-colored spikes protruding along it every few inches. The spikes glistened ominously in the dim light, adding an extra layer of danger to the already fearsome creature.
"I've got them counted, Hagrid," said Charlie sternly, his voice betraying his responsibility and concern for the dragons. His gaze remained fixed on the spikes, as if mentally calculating their lethality.
Then he turned his attention to more personal matters, his expression shifting to one of genuine worry. "How's Harry?" Charlie inquired, his voice laced with concern.
Hagrid's voice was reassuring as he replied, "Fine."
Charlie's tone, however, grew grimmer as he contemplated the upcoming challenge that Harry had to face. "Just hope he's still fine after he's faced this lot," he said solemnly. "I didn't dare tell Mum what he's got to do for the first task; she's already having kittens about him.…" Charlie imitated his mother's anxious voice, his face reflecting the distress in his words. "'How could they let him enter that tournament, he's much too young! I thought they were all safe, I thought there was going to be an age limit!' She was in floods after that Daily Prophet article about him. 'He still cries about his parents! Oh bless him, I never knew!'"
Dawn leaned over to Harry, her voice filled with empathy and a shared sense of concern, and whispered, "Let's get back to the castle."
Harry quickly nodded in agreement, his emotions a mix of trepidation and determination, having had enough of the unsettling conversation about the dangerous task that lay ahead.
Buffy's Suite
Harry and Dawn quickly retraced their steps, making their way back up to the castle.
"I have to see Buffy," Dawn said with urgency as they walked. "She's waiting for me in her rooms."
Harry nodded, his voice filled with a sense of responsibility, "I'll drop you off, and you will have to stay with Buffy tonight. Sirius is doing a floo call I have to be waiting by the fire at one o'clock."
Dawn acknowledged the plan with a nod, her commitment unwavering. "That's not a problem."
A few moments later, she stepped into Buffy's room, where her sister awaited her. Buffy's inquisitive eyes locked onto Dawn. "Where's Harry?" she asked, her curiosity piqued.
Dawn sighed softly, the weight of Harry's responsibilities evident in her response. "His godfather Sirius is calling him. He has to be back in Gryffindor tower in time."
Buffy nodded in understanding, her concern evident. "What did Hagrid want to show you?"
Dawn's expression turned solemn, her emotions laid bare as she revealed the daunting truth to her sister. Her voice trembled with fear and vulnerability, "Dragons. That's the first task. That's what Harry, I, and the rest of the champions will have to face. I'm kind of scared, Buffy."
Buffy's eyes filled with sisterly concern and determination. She spoke reassuringly, her voice laced with unwavering support, "You know I can't help you in the task itself, Dawn. But we'll make sure you're prepared for it. And remember, if anything happens, I'll be close by."
Dawn's anxiety was eased by her sister's comforting words, and she nodded, appreciating Buffy's presence and encouragement in this trying time.
