Dragon Hunt

Harry turned and stared down at Sirius and Charlie. “Get everyone here,” he snapped before pushing past them back into the room. He glanced at the empty bed; he could make out the impression Draco had left.

“Harry?” Sirius asked tentatively. “Maybe—“

“I said get everyone here,” Harry said coldly.

“It is not the best idea to—“

“If everyone is not here in ten minutes to help formulate a plan, I am going alone. That bastard took what is mine and I will have it back!” With that, he tugged his gaze away from the bed and headed for the door. “Ten minutes in the kitchen!” he commanded.

Sirius turned towards Charlie, who stood with a knowing little smile. “Harry’s beginning to accept the bond. If Lucius hadn’t interrupted, I would guess they would be well on their way to completing it. About time too, Draco has been so weak the last couple of days that I thought he may collapse at any moment.”

“That just makes it worse. We’re not ready to attack Malfoy manor. There is a real possibility that we can’t get Draco back, at least not alive,” Sirius sadly.

“If we don’t try, Harry will never forgive us,” Charlie pointed out. “I’ll go to the burrow and gather my family. You floo Snape and Moody and anyone else you think you can get to come immediately.”

When Harry stepped into the kitchen at the appointed time, it was standing room only, which was just fine—he didn’t think he could relax enough to sit. The Weasleys all sat around the table: Molly, Arthur, Charlie, Bill, Fred, George, Ron, and even Ginny. Hermione was sitting as well. Behind them were Moody and Snape, Sirius, a young woman with pink hair that he didn’t know and two other men he’d never seen before. Harry stepped towards Snape. “Thank you for the book,” he said quietly. Snape nodded in recognition.

Sirius cleared his throat. “As most of you already know, Draco Malfoy was cursed to become a dragon on his seventeenth birthday.”

Snape took up the talk. “Draco has been feeding me information about his father’s doings for years now. He is a spy, but chose to not go through the change while still with his father. The transformation causes temporary memory loss. Draco was afraid that his father would use that to manipulate him into using the powers of the dragon.”

Charlie cleared his throat. “Tonight, Draco was taken from us by Lucius Malfoy.”

“From this house?” Moody grumbled. “Impossible. It is heavily warded.”

Sirius shrugged. “I think Lucius found a way to track Draco. He didn’t approach the house, but somehow forced Draco to change back into his dragon form. Charlie and I pushed him out the door so he didn’t destroy the house and that is when Lucius took him.”

“Why should we risk our necks? There is hardly any hope of getting to them unscathed,” the pink haired girl asked.

“Allowing Malfoy, and in turn Voldemort, to harness and enslave a dragon is unacceptable,” Moody pointed out.

“We cannot allow Draco to be left to his father’s hands,” Harry practically growled. “I want him back!”

Charlie nodded. “We’ll do what we can.”

“He’s at the manor,” Snape said. “Lucius flooed me about an hour ago telling me that he had a plan to get his son back and that he would have him by morning. I didn’t believe him at the time. He has asked me to meet him at sunrise at Malfoy manor to deliver some potions meant to subdue dragons.”

“We shouldn’t compromise Snape’s position, if at all possible,” Moody said. “We should attack before dawn, not allow Lucius the chance to manipulate the dragon.”

“His name is Draco,” Harry said coldly.

“Yes, Draco,” Sirius sighed. “We need to get to Draco as soon as possible.”

“Malfoy Manor is extremely well warded, almost as well warded as this place. And unplottable. I cannot speak its location, just as none of us can speak the location to this one,” Snape said.

“Harry can find it,” Charlie said. “A dragon can always find its mate.” Harry thought about it, trying to picture Draco in his mind, trying to see him. And he did. He could feel it—his thoughts were cut short by Snape’s voice.

“There will not be many people there, I do not believe. However, Lucius will not give his son up without a fight,” he said. “If I may make a few suggestions?” Harry nodded, giving Snape his full attention. If Snape would help him get to his mate, he would listen to the greasy bat.


“Where have you been?!” Lucius screamed at his son. Draco shook his head, trying to gather every last scrap of memory. For weeks now, he’d been trying to let it come as it would, not pushing himself to remember because he didn’t actually want to remember. But now? Now he needed to. “Where have you been you ungrateful little brat?!” Lucius shouted.

“Safe,” Draco responded simply. He could feel the magical bonds on him, wrapping not only his hands and wrists tight, but his own magics as well.

“Safe?!” Lucius asked incredulously. He began laughing and Draco saw an oddly maniacal gleam to it that he’d never seen in his father before. “You’ve been safe?! There is no such thing, you silly child! The Dark Lord is free. He roams where he wants and he is strong enough to kill us all. We serve him, Draco.”

“You serve him, Father. But I never will,” Draco said calmly.

“You are his most powerful weapon, my son. The power of a dragon at the full disposal of a powerful wizard? You will be unstoppable in his hands. Don’t you see that?” Draco responded by staring at him silently. “Never has a wizard been able to truly harness a dragon. Work with one, use it’s natural instincts to manipulate it, but never in all of history has anyone truly tamed a dragon!”

“I’m to be his pet?” Draco snapped. “You speak of me as if I am an animal! I am not an animal! I am a Malfoy and I serve no one but myself, you fool!” Lucius looked taken aback by his son’s words. “I remember the pride of the Malfoy line, even if you do not. I bow to no one, let alone a power hungry, crazy half-blood who couldn’t even murder a defenseless baby!”

“Potter will die soon enough,” Lucius practically growled.

Draco shook his head. “Not while I live.”

Lucius stared hard at his son, weighing the words, measuring them and trying to figure his son out. It was as if he’d never seen the boy before. He had always looked as his son as an extension of himself, but now? Draco was a newfound rival and possible enemy.

Draco watched the emotions flutter across his father’s usually stoic face. And then he was looking down the narrow length of his father’s wand. And then, there was nothing but blackness.