Dragon Hunt

“Hermione!” Charlie yelled when he reached the Gryffindor Common Room. He ignored the looks of all the students who had no clue who he was other than his flaming red hair. Hermione stood from the couch by the fire and Ron quickly followed. “I need your help in the library!” he demanded.

“Can I—“ Ron started.

“Just come quickly,” Charlie shouted, not even pausing before exiting the tower. Ron and Hermione were on his heels. Charlie slid into the library and ran through the stacks, stopping at the potions section. “Find books explaining the properties of potion ingredients, not actual potion recipes.”

“Do you think Harry’s been poisoned?” Hermione asked, already searching through the titles.

“Yes,” Charlie said shortly and then froze. “No. Not exactly.”

“Is there a specific ingredient we’re looking for?” Ron asked as he pulled a book from the shelf.

“Dragon’s Blood,” Charlie responded.

“I got something,” Hermione said, flopping a book down on the small table between the stacks. “A whole chapter on Dragon’s Blood.”

Charlie leaned over it, scanning it quickly. There wasn’t anything that he didn’t know before. Dragon’s Blood is sought after for its magical potency. Inherently, it has no effect on what a potion does, only the strength of it. It adds pure magic to a potion. A single drop of Dragon’s Blood can magnify a potion’s effect by one hundred times (depending on the size of the batch). It is not used often because the only blood with any effect is that taken directly from a still beating heart.

“We need more,” Charlie muttered, already taking long strides over to the circulation desk. “I need to get into the restricted section,” he said firmly.

Madame Pince didn’t even look up. “Students need a note from a professor in—“

“I’m a guest lecturer,” Charlie fought back.

Pince looked up, startled by the harsh tone. “I doubt it’s an emergency, Mr. Weasley,” she said flatly, but handed him a key. He didn’t waste a second, rushing towards the area. Ron and Hermione followed, but Pince stepped in their way. “A guest lecturer has no authority to allow students into the restricted section,” she informed them coolly.

Charlie didn’t even seem to notice their absence from his side. Hermione and Ron watched numbly from the cage door as he pulled books from the shelves, muttering to himself all the while. When after almost half an hour he hadn’t even responded to their calls, they sat at a nearby table. “Why do you think he needs to know about Dragon’s Blood?” Ron asked. “Shouldn’t he know about Dragon Blood?”

Hermione’s face scrunched as she pondered that. “He does, but I think he’s looking for a more unusual use of it and maybe side effects?” she wondered aloud.

Ron threw up a hasty silencing charm. “You think that Harry has been dosing himself with Draco’s blood?” he asked in disgust.

“No!” Hermione defended quickly. “No, but it’s possible that when they combine magics that Harry is being dosed with the magic that Dragon Blood carries somehow. I don’t know. Charlie did all kinds of diagnostic spells. He must have some idea that he’s checking out.”

Ron nodded. “Harry’s going to be all right?” he asked meekly.

Hermione smiled at him reassuringly. “Harry’s strong. He’ll be okay,” she said.

“But if he has to keep tending that egg—“

“He won’t stop,” Hermione said. Ron frowned. “Ron, that egg is Harry’s child, you know?” Ron chewed on his bottom lip. “Ron?”

“I know. I know that the egg is Harry’s child. It’s just weird, you know? And I know Harry would love to have a family, but—I’d rather have Harry.” Hermione opened her mouth to argue. “I know that’s selfish, but its how I feel. Harry’s my best mate and I love him. He’s part of my family.”

“Mine too,” Hermione admitted. “He’s like my brother.” She shrugged and wiped her face. “That makes that egg our niece or nephew, right?”

Ron gave a quiet smile. “Does that mean Malfoy’s my brother-in-law?” Hermione could only laugh in response.




Draco woke when the warmth in his arms moved away. He sat up to see Harry kneeling beside him. “Harry?” he asked, but Harry said nothing. Instead, the brunette took his hand and laid their entwined hands on the egg. Draco felt their magics combine and tried to pull away. “Harr-“

“We haaave to,” Harry hissed, not releasing Draco’s hand.

Draco felt the magic swirl around them. He felt it join, become one. He felt it grow and strengthen and solidify. He was so powerful; he and Harry were powerful together. And then that magic focused and rushed into the egg. Draco’s skin tingled and heated. He felt as if the world were in that egg. And finally he realized that the simmering they’d felt before was a raging boil. He basked in the feeling. Basked in a third magic combining with his and Harry’s. He basked in the knowledge that he would soon have a son.

It was only Harry’s screaming that brought him out of the magic induced trance. Draco pulled away, pulled Harry away, saw him shaking. Harry’s eyes rolled back in his head and then he shuttered, collapsing back onto the bed. “Harry?” Draco asked, panicked.

Harry didn’t move.

Draco knelt down beside the bed and ran his hands through his mate’s thick hair. “Haaarry! Waake up!” he hissed.

Harry’s eyes fluttered open and again, as they were opening Draco doubted what he saw, but when they finally stayed open, they were the familiar startling green. “Did you feel it, Draco?” Harry asked in awe. “We have a son.”

“Yeah, love, I felt it. Now I need to worry about you. Drink this,” he commanded gently, handing Harry yet another magic restoration potion. Draco had to help him sit up enough to drink. Harry swallowed it obediently and didn’t even grimace at the taste, before collapsing down onto the bed. “Are you feeling all right?”

“I’m cold and sore all over,” Harry admitted weakly. “And I’m so tired,” he whispered.

“Dobby!” Draco called softly, waiting for the pop. “Dobby, I need an enervate potion immediately. Ask professor Snape for one, but do not tell him why, and if he won’t give you one, steal it.”

“Yes, Master Draco,” Dobby responded, sensing the urgency even though Draco’s voice remained soft.

“And Dobby? Find Charlie Weasley and tell him I need him now.” Dobby bowed and popped out.

“A son,” Harry whispered with a smile. “We’re going to have a son,” he muttered. Draco watched him, holding his hand with one of his and running fingers through his hair with his other. Draco could feel his mate’s heart racing far too fast. “A son. Thank you, Draco. Thank you for giving me—for being my family. Thank you,” he said, his voice cracking. Draco saw tears in his eyes and moved his hand from the dark locks to wipe them away. “I love you so much, Draco, my dragon.” Harry shivered.

“Harry, shhh, it’s okay.”

“No,” Harry muttered, shaking his head. “Since I was eleven, my life has been about Voldemort, about fighting him and preparing myself for fighting him and I never saw past that.” Harry was struggling, gasping for breath, forcing his words out. “I never—I couldn’t see past the moment of his death as if I would die too. But now, there’s you and our son and—“ Harry sighed deeply, unable to speak anymore.

Draco smiled and felt tears of his own running down his face. “Harry, just try to relax. We just need to get you calmed down and strong.”

Dobby popped in. Draco turned to face him, hand out expecting a potion, but Dobby dropped to his knees. “Dobby tried, sir. Dobby tried and Dobby didn’t say who it was for; Dobby didn’t,” he said, knocking his head against the floor. Draco barely had a moment to think before the magical door to the dungeon flew open. Reflexively, Draco pulled a blanket up over Harry to cover the egg.

“Okay, I’ve been supplying you with magic restoration potions without asking why, but now you are demanding an enervate potion? I need to know why,” Snape growled. And then he looked beyond Draco to Harry who was stretched out on the bed shivering. “What is going on, Draco?” Snape demanded. He stepped over to the bed, putting his hand on Harry’s forehead. Harry’s eyes had fallen closed again, but he looked anything but peaceful. “He’s freezing.”

“I know.”

“Did you cast a warming charm?” Snape asked, already pulling out his wand.

Draco stepped in his way. “No spells,” he said, thinking about the egg resting against his mate. “Severus, this goes back to things I don’t want to tell you because it could put you in an awkward position.” Snape only frowned at his godson. “Do you have the potion?” Draco asked.

The door to the tower flew open and Charlie rushed in. “What is it?” He saw Harry and moved directly to the bed.

Draco kept his eye on his godfather. Snape handed over a small vial. “It’s the strongest I have, Draco,” he said quietly.

“Thank you, Godfather,” Draco said quietly. “I promise you that the moment you are free of your double life that I will bring you fully into mine, but at the moment, I have a need to protect my mate at all costs.”

Snape nodded. “I understand, Draco. I’ll leave you.” Draco sighed sadly. His godfather was part of his family and he was hiding from him. Though it was for the best. Snape disappeared through the magical doorway and Draco turned his attention back to his mate.

“What did he give you?” Charlie asked as he pulled the blanket back and examined Harry. He was dressed in jeans and a t-shirt. Wet sweat marks were beginning to show on the thin fabric, but he was shivering.

“The strongest enervate potion he has,” Draco replied distractedly.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea at the moment. He’s exhausted magically and physically. He—He’s worse than before,” Charlie commented. “What happened?”

“I fell asleep wrapped around him. I woke up when he moved away. He was like in a trance and he—we tended the egg. I tried to stop him. I knew he was--It’s complete; we have a son.”

Charlie’s focus turned away from Harry and moved to the egg. “You’re sure?”

“Yes. Oh, gods, Charlie. It was amazing. We have a son and he’s so strong and I can’t wait to meet him.” Charlie couldn’t miss the pride and joy radiating off the dragon.

“Congratulations,” he said sincerely.

Draco’s manner changed abruptly. “Now let’s focus on Harry.”

Charlie nodded. “We need to regulate his temperature. Get him in a warm bath.” Draco disappeared to start the tub. When he returned, Charlie was already lifting Harry. Charlie heard the growl and released Harry back to the bed. “What?” he asked, confused by the sound.

“Don’t touch my mate!” Draco growled.