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Rating: You name it, we´ve got it - at some point in the story - as long as you don´t name children or animals. (Werewolves not considered animals)
Kids? Scram! Don´t like kinky, \"perverted\" sex? Don´t read. - In short: NC-17! Consider yourself warned.
Disclaimer: All Hail JKR! Everything recognizable belongs to her. The story though, belongs to us.
Posting of this story will go on for a year, (April 2005 - April 2006) and be - to our knowledge - the first (kind of) realtime FF written. Posting will be at least once a week. It is a birthday present for a beautiful (and kinky) young woman, Matilde, who only deserves the best. We´ll try to give her exactly that. Happy Birthday, Matilde!

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Part 4 – May 1st - May 7th

Fire in the Sky

Transsylvania, Friday May 6

Dear Minerva!

Thank you so much for the books. I have already finished one and handed it on to Severus. He was very pleased that you sent Shakespeare as well; more his style than mine, really, but at least it takes a good, long time to read.

Also thank you for the advice. I spoke to Charlie and he’s being the best. Of course he knew this would not be a real relationship and he does not want me to commit to anything when all is as it is right now, the world is a far too dangerous place.
He is right of course.
A part of me wanted him to insist on something, but then again, you can’t both have the nice guy and have him demand things like that…

And as you know Severus did in fact hear us. I feel so embarassed still, and I also feel a bit sorry for him; he seems so lonely the poor man.
I think he misses someone. I can’t guess who, but someone. I never thought him the type to care enough to miss, but apparantly he does and that makes me sad for him.
The man is caught between a rock and a hard place, in constant physical pain, and, if I still read him correctly, also in emotional pain.

And speaking of Severus…
If I read between your lines correctly, Severus told you pretty much all that happened with the vampire.
Now that was odd. And disturbing. I hope I never see something like that again!
At the same time it was increadibly sexy… The thing had him completely enraptured; he is very beautiful when he’s like that. He ought to smile more – actually, he ought to do something besides stare and scowl more often!

Anyway, since then I’ve started to worry a bit. He’s not acting normally – if Severus ever acts anything that resembles normally…
He seems restless. At first I put that down to him actually having had sex, something I guess is not too common an occurrence.
(Although it might be more common than I think if he misses someone. But I’d rather not think too much about that.)

But it has gotten worse. He’s up most nights till late and then sleeps in. His appetite seems to be going down. He prefers to drink warm red wine. And he is even paler and more sickly looking than usual.

I was fairly certain when I broke down that door that the vampire had not bitten him seriously enough to casue infection.
But I might be wrong…
As far as I can remember from my Defense against the Dark Arts classes, vampirism needs a two-way transfer of blood to infect.
The vampire should drain blood from its’ victim and replace it with some of its’ own. Only then will the victim turn vampire too – and then only after the next full moon.

The full moon is still two weeks away, but please check the facts for me!
I was not the best of students and I am not sure that I remember correctly.
I really don’t fancy waking up next to a vampire after the full moon!

Still I didn’t see or find any evidence that Severus had drunk any of her blood, even though she had taken some of his.
I will have to ask him about it though, and he will not like that!


Later, same night

I asked him. I was right, he did definitely not like that. Goodness!
He really should get laid more often.
That face of his can look so mean and sour, I can’t imagine how I could ever think that he looks good when he is happy, or more correctly, enraptured.
I keep reminding myself what it looked like, it makes me feel that I’m not here in vain, that there is something in him worth saving.
If I had not seen that I probably would have left.

I don’t think it improved his mood that I almost tripped one of his potion-thingies. They are everywhere now!
Most of the diminutive kitchen is full and now half the livingroom too! No wonder I bumped into something.
At least I managed to catch it before anything happened; but he was definitely not gracious about it. Cranky bastard.
So you can imagine how he reacted when I asked if he, by any chance, thought he might be in risk of turning into a bloodsucking monster anytime soon.

Anyway, he was quite adamant that nothing of the sort happened, but I actually think he was lying…
You know, he is a very skilled Occlumens, but still. Something there tells me he was surprised and that he didn’t exactly shield himself – and what I saw revealed an ounce of doubt.
I don’t like this.
Not one bit.

I have to admit I’m frightened. If he is becoming a vampire I’ll be the only food around. And I wont be able to resist once he has his powers; that much I know.
He can sneak up on my anytime, without warning.
I’m not sure I dare sleep around the full moon, I will have to do something to stay awake till the danger is past.

He could help me, there might be a potion for it, but I don’t know if he will help. If I ask, it will be very clear that I do not trust him with himself right now.
I do hope he can see the sense in it, that it is for the common good, and after all it is only for a night or two…
I will ask this, and this time he will not be able to shrug me off easily, that much I promise!

Later again.

My gods! What a night!
I was here, writing you, when I suddenly saw fire in the sky.
Two dragons, firebreathing as they flew, were coming over the forest – I must say it was a magnificent sight!
I have never seen anything like it, awe-inspiring, truly. I can understand why Charlie wants to work with these fantastic creatures.

Trailing the two stampeeding (bad word, it implies running over grasslands, not flying over forests, but they looked stampeeding) dragons came 8 smaller ones, with riders.
I am envious.
Who would not want to fly a dragon!

We ran out and saw when one of the dragons was hit by several, very well coordinated, spells and fell to the ground.
It set the forest on fire as it did so, and there really was no time to stop and think.
We had to go.
There was a risk that the fire would reach us, and we really had to go help put out that fire – most of the dragon tenders had to go on after the other one.

Severus ran inside, thought, and I was screaming at him that we had to get the hell out of there, but he was the smarter one. He ran for polyjuice.
Given what happened next, it was very good that he did so.

When he came back he looked like a local girl. He must have stolen some hair when we were at the village.
I had to admit that he was right and changed into a man myself; pretty non-descript, local looking too.

When we got to the fire a few of the dragon people were there, subduing the beast.
They seemed to be using the smaller dragons to do so.
The riders spoke to the dragons and they, in turn, seemed to communicate with the large fallen one.
It was like a negotiation.
Apparantly some dragons are pretty smart…

We helped fight the fire, they didn’t really see us, and probably assumed we were a local couple if they did.
Then we took to our brooms to see if the other dragon was down yet.

Then we saw it. The village was on fire.
It was a horrible sight!
No use trying to hide being magic folk now, we would keep our looks but we had to help!
It was terrible. Crying children, weeping women, distraught men, all trying to put out fires small and large, while a full-scale battle between riders, small dragons and a huge hungarian horntail. And I mean huge!

Charlie was there, with one of the smaller dragons, his seemed to be particularly smart one, sort of coordinating all the little ones and trying to reason with the large one.
That one too was a horntail.

Severus was really amazing. He is a brave man when he wants to be, and he was not about to let children get hurt.
He saved so many of them, got them out of harms way, while I helped guide the adults out more conventionally.
We set up a small camp on the far side of the village, taking care of injuries and such.
In the end noone was killed, but a few were burned pretty badly, and we had to heal them up.

Severus got a nasty burn on his right leg, so now he’s in even more pain.
We took care of that too, but you know burns, they sting no matter what. At least we are back home, the cabin didn’t burn, and he has his potions to help him deal with the added pain.
I can’t blame him for wanting to get rid of all that hurt…
Right now he’s drinking red wine and seemes determined to get drunk.
I think I’ll join him shortly – it really was a horrible sight!


Later-later again…

Charlie dropped by and told us some more. He wanted to thank us for coming out to help, even if it was quite a risk.
None of the dragon people had thought it odd though, having assumed we were a local wizarding couple.
That’s a relief.

They have taken care of the memories of the villagers; they still have a burnt village but now they wont remember dragons or wizards being part of it.
That’s probably good, those children looked like they would never sleep again, those eyes… Minerva, mine water just to think of it!

You must tell part of this to Hagrid, you see, the smart young dragon Charlie was riding turned out to be none other than Norbert!

See, the dragon tenders sometimes take young dragons and rear them, well sort of at least, and these dragons become more friendly towards humans.
With time, and if they are intelligent enough, they can cooperate with the tenders to keep the dragons where they should be.
Dragons are smarter than I thought – they understand basic concepts like “you are safe here” and stuff like that.
Some of them are brighter than that, and they are often leaders.

So once in a while, by pure chance, a bright dragon is reared by humans and such a dragon is invaluable to them.
Norbert is such a dragon.
And he remembers Hagrid loving him, and he likes Charlie too, since he took care of him when he arrived here, so he is really one of the best assets they have.
Amazing really!
I hope I get to meet Norbert some time, I’d love to speak to a dragon. Not to mention fly one…! Wow.

Charlie had to leave again of course, since everything is still a bit in shreds back there. The two dragons, who made all the trouble, did so because they had decided to try and escape.
They are both back there now, and something has to be figured out with or without their cooperation.
Charlie hopes they will want to stay. I hope he’s right.

Now I’ll go back and finish that wine with Severus, we both still want to get drunk.

Goodnight Minerva.

We still miss all of you.

Love
Tonks (and Severus, I think)