Wands and Wings

Chapter 29

On Christmas Eve, I was up all night teaching Griffin how to say "Merry Christmas". I hadn't taught him any words, really.
He had learned some on his own, like how to say Harry and Ron. He still had problems saying Hermione.
When I woke up after about five minutes of sleep, I clambered down the stairs after seeing Hermione was asleep.
When I got into the common room, I sat down on a chair, legs crossed. Griffin shrank and jumped up onto my legs, his booted feet hitting painfully against my legs. I sat there for a while, staring out the window.
That is, until Hermione came down and threw something at me.
A wrapped parcel hit me in the face. "Ouch..." I muttered.
"You forgot your present." Hermione said lightly. "I found it at the foot of your bed. I figured you hadn't seen it."
I picked it up.
It was small and carefully wrapped.
I slowly opened it.
Griffin watched me curiously. "Ka-tree?" He said softly.
I glanced at him and finished unwrapping.
I felt Hermione's curious eyes on me.
I lifted out a silvery object, rectangular in size and rather heavy. When I looked closer, I saw there was a picture in the center.
The picture was black and white, and of a young girl and boy sitting on the steps to Hogwarts. A tall, beautiful woman stood behind them, holding a small, glimmering statue I didn't recognize.
Like the pictures on the walls, this photo was moving.
The young girl, with white hair in a braid, waved at me from the picture, nudged the boy, and pointed at me.
Hermione came over. "Who are they?" She asked.
"I...don't know." I replied. "She looks like you." Hermione pointed out, gesturing to the girl. "Kind of."
I turned the frame over. It seemed way too heavy to just be holding a picture.
"I'm going to go see what the boys are up to." Hermione broke through my thoughts.
"Okay." I watched Hermione climb up the stairs to the boy's dormitory, holding an angry looking Crookshanks.
The minute the door shut, I felt a change in the picture's weight.
Suddenly there was a tiny statue on the chair.
Griffin sniffed it. "Magic." He said, looking proud that he pronounced a word right.
I picked it up. I immediately regretted it. It burned my hand like a lightning bolt had just shocked me. When I dropped it, there was a red burn mark on my palm.
Griffin shook his fluffy golden head. "Bad magic."
I poked the statue with my foot. I couldn't make out what it was supposed to be.
I let out a low sigh, and sank back into the chair. I heard a door open and then suddenly the statue had zipped back into the frame.
Hermione had come back down, looking angry and flustered. She stormed past me, and went up to the dormitory. After a short while, Harry and Ron came down too, but then froze.
I glanced at them.
They seemed absolutely petrified.
"Are you two okay?" I raised an eyebrow.
"On your shoulder...." Ron said in fear. I glanced over. A shimmer of iridescent scales shone in the corner of my eye. I cursed, taking Tiger into my hands.
The dragon looked over at Harry and Ron, and then beat his tiny wings and flew over to them.
Ron nearly fell over when Tiger came inches away from his nose.
"Tiger." I called lightly, still looking at the photo. The dragon flew back over and draped over my shoulders without so much as a chirp.
I went over to Harry and Ron and promptly dumped Tiger in Ron's hands, and then followed Hermione out of the common room to the Great Hall for lunch.
Ron and Harry came soon after. I could hear Ron muttering, "that was a dragon. She has a dragon. Harry, she's got a dragon."
When we reached the Great Hall, we found that all the tables had been pushed aside, and that only one table that could seemingly fit thirteen was set in the center.
"Merry Christmas, Gryffindors!" The oldest man there, Professor Dumbledore, said pleasantly. We sat down at the end of the table.
We were eating for a while before Professor Trelawney, as Hermione told me, came gliding in, babbling about the future.
Dumbledore got her a chair, which she quickly sat down in. "Thirteen is an unlucky number." She said solemnly. "Where is Professor Lupin?" She added. "Ill, poor fellow. And on Christmas." Dumbledore shook his head.
"Surely you knew that, Sibyll." Professor McGonagall said sharply. "Of course. But even though I know all I do not like to brag." Trelawney said coldly. The Gryffindor head muttered something that made Trelawney quite angry.
"Minerva." She began. "I have seen that Professor Lupin shan't be with us for long. He fled right away when I offered to gaze for him." She said, her misty tone returning.
I poked at my turkey awkwardly. "Imagine that." Professor McGonagall scoffed.
"I doubt that Remus is in any danger. Have you made the potion?" Dumbledore said suddenly, looking at Snape. "Yes, Headmaster."
"Brilliant." Dumbledore nodded, and we continued on with lunch.
At the end of Christmas dinner two hours later, Harry, Ron, and I went up to the common room. Hermione stayed behind to talk to Professor McGonagall.
When we went inside, Ron immediately fired question after question at me about Tiger.
Harry had ran up to his dormitory to grab his new broomstick to show to me.
"Fancy." I said, staring at it. "Brand new. Looks expensive."
I twirled my white wand in my hand, the golden tip glittering.
Ron was just in the middle of a question before Hermione came in, closely followed by Professor McGonagall. Harry and Ron looked shocked.
She walked over to the two boys and took the broom away from them. "Is this it then? The broomstick you were sent?" She examined it. I saw Ron steal an angry glance at Hermione, who was reddening behind and upside down book.
"Was there a message with this broom?" The professor asked. "No." Replied Harry quietly.
"I see." She ran her fingers over the golden words inscribed on it.
Firebolt.
"Harry, I'm afraid I'm going to have to take this away." She said finally.
I thought Ron was going to punch her. "Why?" Harry said with a violent jerk.
"It needs to be checked for jinxes." The professor said. "Madam Hooch and Professor Flitwick will I dare say strip it down..." She told Harry.
Ron seemed to think the professor was mad.
"It shouldn't take more than a few weeks." Professor McGonagall said.
"There's nothing wrong with it!" Harry protested.
"We don't know that yet, Potter." She said kindly. And then she turned on her heel and left.
In a matter of seconds Ron was rounded on Hermione, yelling at her.
"Why did you go after McGonagall!" He yelled.
"Because...because she and I both believe that broom was sent to Harry by Sirius Black." Hermione snapped back.
Ron's face went white and he stepped back. I twirled my wand again.
"Do you really think it was?" Harry asked hoarsely.
Hermione looked at him. "We'll know soon."

Short chapter, I know. Well hey, at least I updated! ^.^
More to come!
-a very exhausted Leap