Dragon Hunt

Harry paced the kitchen in front of the floo as he waited for it to burst to life. Sirius and Remus watched him from the doorway. “Harry, school starts in just over a week,” Remus said, trying to distract him.

“Yes,” Harry responded shortly, his attention never diverting from the floo.

“Dumbledore has made arrangements regarding yours and Draco’s living arrangements so that you can be together while keeping up the appearance that you are enemies,” Sirius said. Harry continued to pace, but he glanced up at the other men. “Draco is to be Head Boy. That will give him his own room. Traditionally it should be in the dungeons because of his house, but his room will be only a dummy room for a portal into a room above Gryffindor tower. Dumbledore figured that it would be beneficial for a dragon to have ready access to the sky. And luckily enough for you, you had just enough nightmares last year and just enough subsequent complaints that Dumbledore could conceivably give you your own room, again above Gryffindor tower.”

“Good,” Harry said, nodding. “Now if Draco would only come home!”

Remus stepped forward. “Harry, Severus said this would be hours, if not over night. In the mean time, you need to act as if there is nothing out of the ordinary.” Harry stared at him confused. “You’ll need to get your things from Diagon Alley, for school.

“My mate is being questioned by the Dark Lord and you want me to go shopping?” Harry snapped, laughing. “You must be joking.” He went back to pacing.

“Then we should train. Work on you defensive magics. We should have been working all summer. It is imperative for when you take on Voldemort.”

Harry just growled lowly and continued pacing.

Charlie appeared in the doorway. “They shouldn’t be separated so early in the bonding. Harry is reacting like a dragon.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means he is going to go mad, literally, and charge after his mate if Draco does not return soon.”

“I can hear you, you know?” Harry said snidely.

Sirius stepped over to block Harry’s path. “You are not a dragon, Harry. You are a wizard and one who will listen to his head! Draco is doing what he needs to and you have to do your part. You are going to go to Diagon Alley for a short trip to gather school supplies. You are going to eat a solid meal and then you can go back to your crazy pacing. And tomorrow morning, we train.”

Harry nodded, grabbed a handful of powder from the pot hanging on the wall and stepped into the fireplace. He let out a clear “The Burrow” before disappearing.


Hermione rolled her eyes as Harry dragged Ron from store to store muttering about doing his part. He was acting a fool, but luckily Charlie had explained the need to shop right now. They were almost done and they’d been at it for less than an hour.

She watched as Harry stopped cold in front of a window and Ron walked on, oblivious as usual. Harry ran into the shop. Hermione decided to ignore him and go fetch the red head before he got himself completely lost. “Where’s Harry?” Ron asked when Hermione had managed to grab him. Again she rolled her eyes and dragged him back to the shop Harry had disappeared into.

“Thank you,” Harry said, accepting a wrapped package from the clerk.

“What’s that?” Ron asked when they’d reentered the crowded street.

“A gift,” Harry said shyly.

“For who?” Ron asked. Hermione smacked him in the chest for sheer stupidity. “Oh,” Ron responded. Ron then pulled out his wand and cast a silencing charm around the three friends. “I just wanted you to know, Harry, that while I’ve never much liked the git, I know what he’s been doing for the order and I understand that he is your mate and all that entails. So, for you, I’m willing not to kill him.”

It was Harry’s turn to roll his eyes. “That’s so kind of you,” he said sarcastically.

“I mean I’ll give him a chance. I’ll be nice to him, in private. But, I also hear that I have to been mean to him in public, but I will not kill him, or even cause serious harm,” Ron said smugly.

“That’s so kind of you,” Harry repeated, only slightly less sarcastically.

“Really, Harry,” Hermione chimed in. “I think it’s great that you know who you’re meant to be with. It is something I envy.”

“Like you don’t know who you’re going to end up with,” Harry teased with a knowing look towards Ron, which Ron of course missed. Hermione blushed.

Ron looked from one to the other and back again. “Who?” Ron snapped. “Not Krum, is it?” he practically shouted. “I told you he’s too old!”

“It’s not Victor,” Hermione said, turning away from Ron.

“Well, whoever it is, he’s not good enough for you,” Ron complained.

Hermione laughed loudly. “Oh, I know that!” Harry even giggled at the irony. “But, I love him anyway,” Hermione finished.


“Hide your nerves!” Snape demanded harshly, yet quietly. Draco swallowed and took a deep breath. Snape watched as a cold façade he hadn’t seen in weeks settled over Draco. Without another word, Snape pushed open the door to the Dark Lord’s current abode.

“Ahh, young Master Draco,” Voldemort greeted with what Draco assumed passed for warmth from the snake. “I trust your strength is recovered?” he asked as Draco approached.

Draco bowed lowly and kept his eyes lowered even when he stood again. “Close to,” he responded.

“We’ve never had time to spend together,” Voldemort said as he stood and approached Draco. “Walk with me, young sir.” Draco nodded obligingly and fell into step with the creature. “I am sorry for your loss. The death of your parents is most upsetting for me. They were loyal to me. I trust their son will follow in their footsteps.”

“I only await a time when I may prove my loyalty,” Draco said stiffly.

“Hearing this pleasesssss me greatly,” Voldemort hissed. Draco refrained from shuttering. The Dark Lord’s voice sent cold chills through his very blood. But when he hissed in a way that alluded to his ability to speak parseltongue, he made Draco feel nauseous as easily as Harry’s hissing made him horny. “Your family’s curse has always made your family quite intriguing to me. I would like to hear more of your transformation since your coming of age.”

“I can transform from the body you see now to that of a silver dragon. With that form comes the typical dragon abilities of flight and fire breath,” Draco oblidged.

“And spell immunity?” the Dark Lord asked excitedly. “Are you as immune as dragons are famed to be?”

Draco’s brow furrowed. “I do not know. I have been spending weeks now trying to control my transformations. I have not had the leisure to test my spell immunity.”

“Perhaps we shall?” Voldemort asked pleasantly. He turned to face Snape who had been walking a few steps behind the pair. “Are you amenable to that, Severus?”

Severus bowed. “As long as Draco’s strength remains with him, I have no objections for a few tests. I ask only that we do not over tire him so soon after his trauma.”

“Certainly not,” Voldemort whispered to himself, frowning. “Severus, if you don’t mind, I would like to speak with Master Malfoy privately.” Severus flicked a glance at Draco and caught his eye. He then bowed lowly and turned to take his leave. Draco watched his godfather leave and barely kept his mask in place as cold fear flowed through him. “Let us continue our walk,” Voldemort said and continued to the end of the hall and out into the garden beyond.

Draco kept pace and kept silent. “Your family’s curse intrigues me, Draco. You intrigue me.” Voldemort stopped at a low wall where they could look out over the grounds.

“My Lord?” Draco asked, keeping his eyes forward.

“Master Parkinson has told me that the engagement between yourself and his daughter has been broken.”

“Yes,” Draco answered shortly.

“Master Parkinson has also told me that it is because your tastes run somewhere other than to females.” Draco knew he colored, not from embarrassment at being outed, but at the realization of where exactly this conversation was going. “It is nothing to be embarrasssssed of,” Voldemort hissed. Draco kept himself from jumping from his skin as he felt the clammy finger brush the side of his neck. “On the contrary, it is one of the things that intriguesssss me about you.”

Draco stepped back, his head tilted to the side and feigned confusion on his face. He needed to change the subject. “Forgive my observation, my lord, but your voice has a slight hiss to it.”

Voldemort looked suspicious at that, but nodded. “I am most comfortable speaking in parseltongue and have developed an accent when I speak English.”

“It sounds quite familiar,” Draco observed, turning his confusion into a pensive expression. “In the spirit of the tests you wish to perform, will you oblige me by speaking in parseltongue for a moment?”

Voldemort regarded him for a long time. “Yyyou havvve theee mosst ssssstunnnning eyeessss,” the creature hissed in parseltongue. Draco quickly decided to not understand the comment.

Draco kept his composure and replaced his look of confusion and quickly turned it to sadness. “It was silly of me to hope that my transformation would give me the gift of parseltongue. Silly to hope it would bring me closer to you.”

“You would be welcomed as closssse to me as you would like,” Voldemort offered boldly, his hand taking an unwelcomed place covering Draco’s own. Draco didn’t move. He couldn’t ignore or feign ignorance to Voldemort’s advances, yet he could not risk flat out rejecting the man.

His skin was crawling. He waited impatiently for something to happen and almost allowed himself a sigh of relief when he heard footsteps approach.

“Forgive my intrusion, my lord,” Snape interrupted, bowing lowly. Voldemort removed his hand and turned to face Snape. “I have just been informed that you intend for Draco to be marked.”

“Yes,” the creature answered shortly.

“The mark would be noticed at the school, my lord,” Draco pointed out.

“I do not intend for you to leave my side, Massster Malfoy.”

“Again, forgive me, but I do not feel this is the best of plans,” Snape interjected. At Voldemort’s angry glare, Snape continued. “With myself being his legal guardian as well as a professor at Hogwarts, it would be suspicious if he does not return. It would compromise my position as your spy.”

Draco finally turned after gaining his composure and turned to join the discussion. “As much as remaining in your presence pleases me, my lord, Severus has a point. And if I may add, my position as a student allows me to observe those who maybe potential allies worth wooing and potential enemies worth keeping an eye on. The student body may be young witches and wizards, but they will be choosing sides soon enough. It is to you advantage to know them all as intimately as I can provide for you.”

Voldemort leaned over and hissed in Draco’s ear. “There issssss only one I wish to know intimately at the moment.” Draco could not contain his shutter this time, but from the low chuckle, Voldemort mistook it for a pleasured shutter.

“My lord,” Severus pressed.

“Very well,” he said flippantly. “Young Massster Malfoy is quite perssssuasive. You should both return before your absence is noticed, so we should test Masster Malfoy’s abilities.” Draco and Snape both bowed. “Transform, Massster Malfoy,” the Dark Lord commanded.

Draco bowed lowly and stepped away. He felt dirty and ashamed, but he knew it would look suspicious if he didn’t do it, so he quickly stripped from his clothing, feeling Voldemort’s lusty stare. The moment he was nude, Draco transformed, turned and breathed a stream of fire as he stroked his wings and took to the air.