𝐢. 𝐌𝐈𝐂𝐑𝐎𝐂𝐎𝐒𝐌𝐈𝐂 ; harry j. potter ( UNEDITED )

126. "we're still the same. howling ghost they reappear"

After ages of being captured and forced to live in a dark and cavernous underground, the dragon was finally free.

Lucia, Harry, Ron, and Hermione struck out for the opposite shore. The lake did not seem to be deep: Soon it was more a question of fighting their way through reeds and mud than swimming, and at last they flopped, sodden, panting, and exhausted, onto slippery grass.

Hermione collapsed, coughing and shuddering; Ron shivered and panted; Lucia took a deep breath of fresh air, smiling through the coldness as her body trembled. Though Harry could have happily lain down and slept, he staggered to his feet, drew out his wand, and started casting the usual protective spells around them.

When he had finished, he joined the others. It was the first time that he had seen them properly since escaping from the vault. All three had angry red burns all over their faces and arms, and their clothing was singed away in places. They were wincing as they dabbed essence of dittany onto their many injuries.

"I'm relief," admitted Lucia, wincing momentarily as she dabbed the essence on her face and hope for the cells to regrow and to not leave a scar. "Of the dragon I mean."

"I am too," said Hermione with a pitiful sigh.

"Whomever participated in scarring that poor dragon deserves to rot in hell," she seethed angrily. "How dare they? Perhaps a good beating will do — educating the ignorant and heinous bastards are proving to be a bit tedious in my opinion. Magical creatures truly deserves better than annoying and pesky humans."

"Oh yes, I agree," said Hermione, handing Harry the bottle, then pulled out four bottles of pumpkin juice she had brought from Shell Cottage and clean, dry robes for all of them. "But riding the dragon..."

"It was our only way out," said Lucia defensively. "Unless you want to be mauled by them, I think my plan was better,"

"Well, on the upside," said Ron finally, who was sitting watching the skin on his hands regrow, "we got the Horcrux. On the downside —"

"— no sword," said Harry through gritted teeth, as he dripped dittany through the singed hole in his jeans onto the angry burn beneath.

"No sword," repeated Ron. "That double-crossing little scab..."

Harry pulled the Horcrux from the pocket of the wet jacket he had just taken off and set it down on the grass in front of them. Glinting in the sun, it drew their eyes as they swigged their bottles of juice.

"At least we can't wear it this time, that'd look a bit weird hanging round our necks," said Ron, wiping his mouth on the back of his hand.

Lucia laughed dryly, examining Hufflepuff's cup. "I can't believe I found it..." she drawled in disbelief. "You know, I saw it because of this damn thing," she pointed at the spectacles that she was wearing.

"The bloody thing finally did something?" Ron gaped.

"It'd done something during the eve of my birthday, but since then it was useless." Lucia thought, huffing out a tired breath. "But I'm not sure how... All I remember was thinking deeply about the cup and before I knew it, I saw it shining."

"But it wasn't..." said Harry, confused.

"Yeah, but when I look through it, it was," said Lucia, chugging the juice down her throat. "But I couldn't see anything that had anything to do with Ravenclaw. So I reckon it's somewhere else,"

"Well it's a start," said Harry. "That glasses going to help us out if we just learn how to work it. For now, we at least got another, which means we only need to destroy this and then there would be one left."