𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐆𝐈𝐑𝐋 𝐖𝐇𝐎 𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐏𝐏𝐄𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐖𝐀𝐑

the one with the dragon

"Never shall the blood
of innocent be shed
but the blood of the wicked
shall flow like
a river."

•

ON SUNDAY MORNING, we decided to stay alive until Tuesday and worry about Karkaroff later and figure out how to deal with the dragon at the moment. We walked three times around the lake, trying all the way to think of a simple spell that would subdue a dragon. Nothing whatsoever occurred to us, so we retired to the library instead. Here, Harry pulled down every book he could find on dragons, and the three of us set to work searching through the large pile.

"'Talon-clipping by charms. . .treating scale-rot . . .' This is no good, this is for nutters like Hagrid who want to keep them healthy. . ." At least Harry knew Hagrid was a nutter.

Hermione was disdainful.

"'Dragons are extremely difficult to slay, owing to the ancient magic that imbues their thick hides, which none but the most powerful spells can penetrate . . .' But Sirius said a simple one would do it. . . ."

"Let's try some simple spellbooks, then," I said, throwing aside Men Who Love Dragons Too Much.

Harry returned to the table with a pile of spellbooks, set them down, and began to flick through each in turn, Hermione whispering nonstop at our elbows.

"Well, there are Switching Spells. . . but what's the point of Switching it? Unless you swapped its fangs for wine-gums or something that would make it less dangerous. . . The trouble is, like that book said, not much is going to get through a dragon's hide. . . I'd say Transfigure it, but something that big, you really haven't got a hope, I doubt even Professor McGonagall . . . unless you're supposed to put the spell on yourself? Maybe to give yourself extra powers? But they're not simple spells, I mean, we haven't done any of those in class, I only know about them because I've been doing O.W.L. practice papers. . . ."

"Hermione," Harry said, through gritted teeth, "will you shut up for a bit, please? I'm trying to concentrate."

"Summoning Charms can help," I said. I wasn't all too fond of flying myself but Harry was good with a broom. He should do it. I should do some magic with my strecromancy. "You can summon and broom and fly away."

Before either could reply, however, Viktor and his gave of fangirls came. He turned his dark eyes towards us. They swept past Harry and Hermione and landed on me for a second before moving back to Hermione. I felt slightly warm around my cheeks in those two seconds he stared at me. I wanted him to be Draco. But I guess not because that bitch was back to ignoring me.

The next day breakfast was difficult. It didn't seem to want to go down my throat because I was already filled with crippling anxiety and paranoia. I saw Cedric.

Cedric still didn't know about the dragons . . . the only champion who didn't.

"Hermione, I'll see you in the greenhouses," Harry said, seemingly coming to the same decision as he watched Cedric leaving the Hall, as me.

"Go on, we'll catch you up."

"Harry, Skylar you'll be late, the Bell's about to ring-"

"I'll catch you up, okay?"

By the time we reached the bottom of the marble staircase, Cedric was at the top. He was with a load of sixth-year friends.