Chapter Text
~oOo~
"I could not have made myself any more clear!" McGonagall glared at the fourth years crammed into her office. "Much as is pains me to do this, one hundred twenty points from Gryffindor."
"That's not fair!" said Ron. "Harry didn't choose to go. He was kidnapped."
McGonagall arched an eyebrow. "Very well. Mr. Potter may have his twenty points back. But fifty points from Gryffindor for sheer stupidity! If you genuinely believed Mr. Potter was in danger, how is it not one of you thought to get a teacher?"
They all made a detailed study of their shoes.
McGonagall gave an exasperated sigh. "Very well then, off to your afternoon classes. And do try to earn back a few of those lost points. I've grown rather fond of the way the house cup looks in my office." The fourth years rose. "Mr. Potter, a word before you go."
Harry sat back down and waited for the others to leave. The moment the door closed he jumped in. "Professor, I didn't ask for the dragon to grab me. It's just they have questions about humans and there's a limited number of people they can ask."
McGonagall grimaced. "I believe you. While you have a complete disregard for rules, I have never known you to seek attention. However, this is exactly the sort of incident that draws attention. By now, every student at Hogwarts will know about it, which means that by tomorrow night, people outside Hogwarts will know too. In order to prevent unnecessary worry, may I suggest you write to your family to assure them you safe and unharmed?"
Harry looked at her, puzzled. "Honestly, I don't think the Dursleys would care if I were attacked by dragons."
McGonagall tried very hard not to roll her eyes. "Remind me again why you're not in Ravenclaw...? Now get out, Potter."
It wasn't until later that evening when Harry was heading into the forest with Madame Pomfrey that it hit him. "Oh my God, she meant Sirius!" If his godfather had returned to Britain when he'd been entered into the tournament, he might break cover and come to Hogwarts if he thought Harry was in danger from dragons. Harry resolved to write to Sirius as soon as he returned to the common room.
~oOo~
The clearing was packed. Madame Pomfrey was there because she was the healer. The Fireball was there because she was the patient. Harry was there because he was the official translator. Mori had come as well; the tall kid just radiated calm. Also, he was the backup translator in case Harry's snake-accented dragon proved confusing (the dragons said he was still talking funny despite that the Horntail corrected his pronunciation every single time). The dragon handlers were there in case Madame Pomfrey's healing spells hadn't worked properly and the dragons took it badly. The other dragons were there, more curious than protective, but the presence of all the handlers did make them a little edgy. And Hagrid was there because, well, dragons. "When did healing become a spectator event?" Madame Pomfrey grumbled. "Alright. I waited until after sunset so the light won't be too bright, but it still might surprise her."
Harry translated.
"'Surprise,' not 'surprissss,'" the Horntail corrected.
Harry repeated the word in the more dragonish accent.
Madame Pomfrey lifted the sphere of darkness and gently unwound the bedsheets that bandaged the dragon's face. Scales were just starting to grow in over the raw pink flesh. The Fireball blinked a couple times. "It's blurry," the dragon said.
"Hm." The Hogwarts Matron leaned in. "Lumos." She looked carefully at the newly restored eye, then crawled over the red dragon's nose and looked into the existing eye, then back into the new one. She dimmed the light from her wand, then waived it over the new eye, subtly changing its shape. "Now?"
The dragon's head jerked back suddenly seeing how very many humans were in the clearing. "Yes."
"But how well does it work? Ask her what colors I'm wearing. Do dragons see color?" She added as an afterthought.
Harry translated.
"Day clouds and ripe pomegranates," the Fireball answered.
"Her color vision is good," Harry said, thinking how woefully unpoetic English could sometimes be.
"Acuity? I guess we can't ask her to read an eye chart," the healer said.
Mori rumbled something and the Chinese dragon reared up and spat its namesake fireball at a tree a hundred yards distant, causing it to burst into flame. The wizards pulled at their wands at the unexpected act of aggression and prepared to counter attack. "Her aim is fine," Mori said practically.
"You know," Charlie Weasley said, "you've been pretty good about warning the dragons what's coming, but do you think you could give us the same courtesy?"
"Hn," Mori nodded in acknowledgment.
The dragon handlers rushed over to extinguish the tree before it could start a forest fire.
The Fireball rubbed the side of her head against the healer much as the Quetzalcoatl had done to Mori. The she made a peculiar undulating motion and lowered her head to Madame Pomfrey's knees. The other dragons encircled her and all followed suit. "Mr. Potter?"
Harry was at a loss.
"Their heads are lower than yours. They are honoring you," Mori supplied.
"Indeed," she replied. "It is unnecessary." But it was clear she was touched. She reached out and laid her hand upon the Fireball's nose. "She has been a better and more grateful patient than most of my human charges."
"Does that mean you are finished with her?" Charlie Weasley asked.
"I should like to keep an eye on her for another twenty-four hours, but you may remove them day after tomorrow." She petted the dragon then left before she did something stupid like invite them to stay.
Harry was supposed to go with her and had even turned when he saw the Quetzalcoatl wind over to Mori. In a low, displeased voice it said, "The one-who-speaks-poorly said there are other males trying to steal your mate, but if you take her on a date-and-time and show her you are a skilled hunter and bring her your kill, you might convince her you were a better choice."
Mori gave Harry a very strange look. "I said take her on a dinner date," Harry defended himself.
The dragons looked around conspiratorially. "We know this is not your territory, but there are a large number of acromantula in these woods. No one would notice if you took a few."
"I'm not sure she'd like the taste of spider," Harry tried to squelch the suggestion.
"Hmp," said the Green. "Regardless, you have too many. They will overrun the forest and then your den. I'm surprised they haven't tried already."
Harry nodded sideways. "Until recently we had a basilisk."
The dragons looked at him like he was crazy. "Why would you keep one of those? They're psychotic and dangerous."
"It was asleep in the lower levels. No one knew it was there."
The Short Snout looked at him in all seriousness. "Then you should clean out your den more often."
"And get rid of them," added the Horntail.
"Any idea how?" Harry very much wanted to know.
The dragons thought about it. "Get a cockatrice. Giant spiders are their favorite food."
Harry wondered if Hagrid would be upset at his onetime pets being food. On the other hand, it would be bringing in another large, vicious creature. He might be all in favor of it. "I'll suggest it."
"It's settled then," said the Horntail. "Arianawel will get a cockatrice for the one-raised-by-snakes and you will bring your mate here and present her with food that is not spiders, and we will keep the other males away."
Mori gave Harry another scathing look. "Their idea, not mine," said Harry. Mori looked at the dragons. They all nodded avidly, pleased by their own cleverness.
.
Harry and Mori parted ways on the lawn, the Ouran student taking the stairs to his floating palace, Harry heading across to the castle. Snape was waiting for him by the door. He gave Harry an unpleasant smile. "An evening stroll in the forest, Mr. Potter? Twenty points from Gryffindor."
"I was helping Madame Pomfrey."
"Who returned to the castle some time ago. Ten more points for misrepresenting the facts."
Harry bit back his retort. Thirty lost points was enough for one night. He didn't need a detention on top of it. He nodded and trudged towards Gryffindor Tower. As he approached the Great Hall, a fourth year Hufflepuff girl was waiting by the hallway that led towards their common room. "Hi Harry!" she said brightly.
"Hi," he answered dully.
"So, I was thinking," she went on nervously, "Christmas day is coming up quickly and I was wondering if you might like to go with me."
Harry looked at her like she was off her rocker. "Uh, no thanks." He barely knew her. If he was going to spend Christmas with anybody, it would be with his close friends.
"Well you don't have to be rude about it!" She flounced off.
He turned back towards the Great Hall only to find McGonagall by the door. "Potter," she said.
"Professor Snape already docked me the points for being in the forest after Madame Pomfrey left."
"Yes, I know," she said, looking at the hourglass of rubies that was currently noticeably lower than any of the other three. "But what I wanted to speak to you about was your conversation with Miss Jones just now."
"Oh, sorry. I didn't mean to be rude, but I don't know why she would be asking me to spend Christmas with her when I barely know her."
McGonagall grimaced. "She wasn't asking you to spend Christmas together, she was asking you to go to the Yule Ball."
"The what?"
"Didn't you bother to do any research into this tournament? The Yule Ball is a traditional event, a formal ball held on Christmas Day. Fourth years and above are invited."
"But I don't know how to dance, so I'll probably just skip it."
"You cannot skip it. The Champions open the Ball with the first dance."
"But I don't know how to dance," Harry repeated.
"That's why I'm telling you now, so we can arrange dance classes." Seeing Harry's panic-stricken face, she added, "find yourself a partner and I will give you lessons, or if you prefer, I can set up a class for any in Gryffindor House who would like to learn."
"The latter please," Harry said fervently.
"Very well, but you will still have to ask a young lady to go with you."
Harry got back to the common room and immediately grabbed Ron. "Did you know there's a ball? Like a formal dance?"
"I don't dance," said Ron.
"Neither do I," said Harry.
"Then let's just skip it."
"McGonagall says I can't."
"How many points d'you reckon they'd dock?"
"More than Gryffindor has."
They contemplated their misfortune for a while. "Who d'you think you're gonna ask?" said Ron.
Harry thought about it. His first choice would actually be Haruhi. The plain-spoken, unpretentious Ouran student not only knew exactly what he was going through, she never made him feel awkward or weird. But everybody thought she was a boy, so she'd have to break cover to go with him. Also, Harry wasn't sure the Horntail wouldn't use it as an excuse to come back and fry him. He thought some more. "I really have no idea who I could get to go with me."
Fay Dunbar walked over and smiled at Harry. "Did I hear you guys talking about the Yule Ball?"
"Yeah," said Ron. "We're trying to figure out who to go with."
"Really?" She sat down on the arm of Harry's chair and looked at him with those striking blue eyes. "I can't imagine a great looking guy like you would have any trouble finding a date, Harry."
"I could go with Cho Chang, maybe," Harry said. "She's smart and pretty."
"And she's a seeker," added Ron, "so you'll have something to talk about."
"Yeah," said Harry. This idea was sounding better and better. "Yeah, maybe I'll ask Cho."
"Well excuse me!" Fay shoved Harry off the chair then stalked across the room.
"What got into her?" Harry said from the floor.
"Dunno," said Ron, equally mystified.
~oOo~
The next morning, Hermione sat in the library, looking out the window at the floating pink palace. She had originally planned on finishing her charms homework in the morning and going to the Host Club tea in the afternoon. Lavender and Parvati had been going on and on about the last one and Hermione was hoping to request the table with the black-haired boy who could do math. It was so refreshing to meet a wizard who actually thought. But right now, the library was almost empty, it was just her and Krum. All the giggling girls who normally attached themselves to him had taken the day off to go bother the Host Club. The foreign students were going to be here for the rest of the year, maybe she would wait until next tea. She could actually get some work done. Except that apparently she couldn't. A shadow fell across her books.
Viktor Krum stood there, his hands clasped tightly in front of him, nervously squeezing each other. "You are Hermy-own-ninny?"
"Yes," she answered a little suspiciously.
"You are not like the other girls, always noisy and following me."
"Sorry to disappoint."
Krum apparently missed the sarcasm. "No, it is a relief. They are ..." he searched for the English word... "annoying. They just vish to be vith someone famous. I see you vith Harry Potter. He is famous too, but you do not expect things from him. You helped him."
"Well someone had to," Hermione said.
"You are his true friend. He is lucky to have you."
"Thank you," she said.
The way he wrung his hands made it clear that he wished he had a friend. It suddenly occurred to her that those Ouran students were always together, Cedric had the Hufflepuffs, Harry had her and Ron, but Krum was always alone except for his admirers. The most famous Quidditch player in the world was lonely. "Vould you be my friend too?"
"As long as you don't mind a friend who reads and studies all the time." She waived her hand over her books.
"I vant to be more than just a seeker." He accepted her invitation and sat down.
She was just putting the finishing touches on her charms homework when she looked up and saw him watching her.
"Vould you go to the Yule Ball vith me? It vould be nice to be vith a date who is a friend and smart as vell as beautiful."
Hermione couldn't help herself. She smiled. "I would be honored to go with you."
Viktor wasn't sure what to say. He thought back to the first night he was at Hogwarts and pulled out his wand and waived it over his quill. "Evfloresce." It transfigured into a rose. Sort of. It was solid white, except that the stem turned clear towards the base, there was a smudge of ink at the tip and the leaves and petals were still feathers. He grimaced at his inability to copy the Ouran spell. "I vill buy you real flowers before the ball," he apologized. "Vhat kind do you like?"
Hermione smiled. "As it happens, I like feathery roses." She tucked the quill-turned-bloom into her Charms book as a bookmark and closed it proprietarily before pulling out her Arithmancy book.
~oOo~
" 'Ave you given thought to ze Yule Ball?" The pretty Beauxbatons girl looked down at her coffee cup and blushed at her own daring.
Tamaki leaned over and raised her chin with a single finger. "With so many lovely young ladies, I don't know how I shall be able to choose just one."
The girls all squealed and bit their fingers.
.
Two tables over, Padma put her hand on Kaoru's sleeve. At least she was about 70% sure it was Kaoru's. "Is your arm healed now?"
"It is, thank you."
"You ladies should have seen him," Hikaru added. "That night, after the game, he broke down and cried from the pain."
"Hikaru! You promised you wouldn't tell anyone!"
"I'm sorry, brother. It was just so touching seeing your sensitive side come out."
The Patel twins' heads tilted to one side to the exact same degree. "I love a man with a sensitive side," whispered Padma.
.
Ginny gave Haruhi smile. "I think you were very brave facing that dragon."
"I wasn't brave at all," Haruhi replied. "I panicked. I don't know what I would have done if it hadn't been for Mori-senpai."
They looked over at Mori. His table was packed with girls silently admiring him. "More tea?" he asked. They all nodded in unison.
Ginny turned her attention back to Haruhi. "Did you know he could speak to dragons?"
"No," Haruhi said, "but I shouldn't have been surprised. He can talk to most animals and they all seem to love him."
"I wouldn't put money on the screwts," Fiona muttered.
"I still think you're brave," said Ginny. "I couldn't have walked into that arena at all."
"I didn't have much time to think about it. Whereas I now have a month to worry about the Yule Ball and two to worry about that egg puzzle."
"Why are you worried about the ball?"
"I don't actually dance very well, at least if I have to lead," Haruhi confessed.
"I could practice with you," Ginny offered. Then it dawned on her what she said and she became flustered. "I mean, just practice. I'm not hinting that... I mean I'm only a third year. We can't even go unless a fourth year or older invites us. Not that I'm hinting cause that would be, well, you know...not that I wouldn't like to... but ..."
"Ginny, shut up," Fiona rescued her.
"Thanks, I will."
Haruhi gave that easy, natural smile. "Actually, a practice partner would be really nice. And if we're going to practice together, we may as well dance together. Would you be my date for the Yule Ball?"
.
Out on the lawn after the Host Club was over, Ginny and Fiona looked at each other, eyes dancing, lips twitching. "Squeeeeeeee!" they both cried.
"Oh my God! I can't believe he asked me!" Ginny said.
"And a Tri-Wizard Champion! You'll be the envy of the school!"
Across the yard, Neville watched the girls giggle and jump up and down. They really were cute. He took a deep breath. It was now or never. "Hi Ginny."
Both girls gave him an impromptu hug.
"Oh, um, so, um, there's a Yule Ball this year and, um, I was wondering if you might, um..."
"Oh I'm so sorry, Neville, I just accepted an invitation from someone else."
"Oh," he glanced nervously away, his eyes landing on Fiona.
"Can't," she said regretfully. "It's my grandparents 50th wedding anniversary and we're having a big family reunion. I won't be able to stay for the holidays."
"That's ok," Neville tried not to sound disappointed.
"But you know who doesn't have a date," said Fiona.
"She'd be perfect for him," Ginny concurred.
"Who?" Neville trying not to look too confused.
"Luna Lovegood," said Ginny. "She's a Ravenclaw in our year and she's smart and sweet..."
"And she's got long blond hair that Fleur Delacour should envy," added Fiona.
"I don't know..." started Neville.
"We'll introduce you!" The girls each grabbed one arm and dragged him off.
They found Luna by the gardens outside the greenhouses, kneeling before the shrubbery. "What are you doing?" they asked.
"Looking for fluttersprites," she answered. "They nest in the autumn leaves you know."
"Er, no, I didn't know that," said Fiona.
"What are fluttersprites?" Neville asked.
Fiona and Ginny gave each other a glance. If Neville was going to ask sensible questions, this might not work.
"They have wings like a butterfly and a body like a garden fairy and long curly antennae," Luna said. "They haven't been seen in many years and some people say they were just a muggle myth but there's too much evidence to simply dismiss them."
"Yeah, anyway, we wanted to introduce you to Neville Longbottom," said Ginny.
"He's a Gryffindor fourth year and he needs a date to the Ball," said Fiona. Neville winced but the girls ploughed ahead.
"He's really smart and well read," said Ginny.
"And he's kind and considerate," said Fiona.
"And he actually listens when you talk."
"And he's not stuck in himself the way a lot of guys are."
"And he was raised to be a gentleman."
"He probably even knows how to dance..." the girls stopping singing his praises for a moment and looked at him.
"Yes I do," Neville confirmed. "My Gran made me take lessons." Suddenly all the tedious dance classes seemed like they might not have been a waste of his childhood after all.
"So will you go with him?" Ginny asked.
Luna gave him a dreamy smile. "That would be lovely," she said. "Do you want to help me look for fluttersprites?"
"Um, sure," Neville said, figuring he might want to get to know her if he was taking her to a dance. "'Autumn leaves' is a very vague term. Do you know which plants they preferred? Maybe we can find some of those."
As Ginny and Fiona snuck away, Fiona whispered "It would almost be worth skipping the reunion just to see how those two come out."
~oOo~
Charlie Weasley came on duty. In the last couple days, his job had changed completely. They'd gone from needing fifty wands-at-the-ready dragon handlers to a scant ten who spent most of the time drinking pumpkin juice or coffee. Now that they could talk to them, the dragons had gone from fearsome monsters to kind of overgrown dogs, who could, you know, level Hogwarts and fry everybody inside if they changed their minds. Fortunately, they regarded Madame Pomfrey with awe and treated Harry and Mori as adopted children. But they mostly behaved themselves and stayed in their grotto. Except when they kidnapped Harry from class. But apparently they had a question they thought was very important, and he was outside. Maybe cats were a better analogy, since they did what they wanted and bestowed their friendship like granting an honor. And when a group of students wandered into the forest, the dragons rounded them up like a herd of sheep and delivered them safely back to the castle, terrified but unharmed. Although in fairness, their terror may have been at McGonagall's expression more than the dragons. Even as a grown adult, that look would have done him in.
Both Charlie and Hagrid had asked Harry to teach them Draco-tongue but apart from a handful of words, neither one of them could get the hang of it. Was he going to be reduced to placing an ad in the Daily Prophet? Wanted: Dragon Handler/Researcher. Draco-mouth or Parsel-mouth preferred. Oh yeah. That would definitely attract the right sort... He shook his head. "Anything I should know about?" he asked Diego, head of the previous shift.
"Thank Merlin you're here," Diego said. "There's something going on with the dragons."
"What is it?" Charlie said, alarmed.
"We don't know," Ji said, coming up. "They have all rearranged their eggs, the Short Snout has been pacing up and down all afternoon, the Fireball has been experimenting as if to see how the wind moves through the trees, and the Quetzalcoatl dug a redoubt around her nest and lined it with her own feathers."
"Dibs on those, by the way, if she leaves them," Diego said.
"Why?" Charlie asked.
"What, are you kidding me?" the Costa Rican answered. "Ten galleons apiece. Fifteen if they're fresh. Just wearing them makes you more appealing to the opposite sex and a love potion stirred with a Quetzalcoatl feather never fails."
"Like the Latin lover needs help with the ladies," Ji said sourly.
"If she's feathering a nest, does that mean somebody's about to hatch?" Charlie asked.
"Shouldn't be," Diego said. "The Fireball was the closest and as we saw the other day, they're not that close."
"We thought they might settle down when the Mori kid showed up but he just dropped off a box and left."
"What was in the box?"
"We don't know. I thought the Horntail was going to skewer Ji when he went to look."
Charlie looked at Ji, who shook his head. "No idea. There some kind of preservation spell or time stop on it. But the Quetzalcoatl is acting like it's treasure."
"Why would you put a time stop on treasure?" Charlie said to himself. "Do we need to call in Harry or Mori?"
Diego gritted his teeth. "I have been the world's foremost authority on Quetzalcoatl for ten years. Do you have any idea how galling it is to have to ask a fourteen-year-old what's going on?"
Charlie sighed is shared frustration. "All right, let me try." He walked over towards the clearing. The Horntail gave him a thoroughly nasty look. Charlie bowed in respect the way Harry had shown him and said "What want need?"
The Horntail lowered her head then shoved Charlie back about twenty feet. "I could use more of an answer than that," he mumbled to himself in English. He stepped forward slowly, arms open.
The Horntail unsheathed a wicked looking claw, pointedly stuck it in the ground, drew a line between them and sat down on her side. Then to emphasize the point, inhaled and flamed the line itself. Charlie bowed and left.
"They don't want us in the grotto tonight," Charlie told the others.
"Why?" Ji said.
"How the hell would I know? I have a fifty word vocabulary. It's not like I can hold a meaningful conversation."
~oOo~
Ron dropped into one of the large red leather chairs in the Gryffindor Common Room next to the one Harry occupied and threw a sour look at the girls all clustered around to the latest edition of Witch Weekly (cover articles: Witch Wardobes, fashion for the holidays; 10 Reasons Why you should never spell your own hair; The Tragic Case of Gilderoy Lockhart). "Ask anyone yet?" Harry said.
"No, but there's no rush. We still have a couple weeks, right?" said Ron.
"Wrong," said Hermione, barely looking up from her transfiguration homework. "Everyone who wants to stay at Hogwarts over the holidays has to submit their names this week. If they don't have a date, they probably won't stick around."
"Eloise Midgeon doesn't have a date yet," suggested Ginny as she flipped the pages on the magazine.
"The girl who blasted her nose off trying to get rid of her acne? No thanks," said Ron.
"Madame Pomfrey put her nose back on and for your information, she is a really nice girl," Ginny said.
"You'd be lucky to get a girl as nice as her," Hermione added.
"Pass," said Ron. "Hey, are you sticking around?"
"Yes," said Hermione.
"Whew," Ron said relieved.
"What do you mean 'Whew?'"
"Well that way you can be our backup date in case we can't get one," Ron said.
If Hermione could have shot a killing curse out of her eyes, Ron would be very dead right now, thought Harry. "He didn't mean that the way it sounded."
"Oh didn't he? Well don't count on me being your backup date, Ronald Weasley. I wouldn't go with you even if I didn't already have a date. Which I do!" Hermione snapped her books shut, stacked them with a thump then picked them up and stomped out of the room.
Everyone in the room stared at Ron. Fred came over and draped his arm around Harry. "And that, Harry-my-boy, is what you don't say to a girl when you are asking her out."
Ginny looked at Ron severely. "You owe her an apology."
"Oh come on, you know she doesn't really have a date," Ron said. Then he added in an undertone to Harry, "You don't really think she has a date, do you?"
Harry shrugged noncommittally, unwilling to get into the middle of this one.
~oOo~
The Host Club assembled in the foyer of their palace. "Are we ready to go down to dinner?" Tamaki said looking around. "Where are Haruhi and Mori-senpai?"
"They already went to dinner," Kyoya answered.
Tamaki looked confused. "Is Hogwarts serving dinner early tonight?"
"Not exactly," Kyoya said.
"Takashi took Haruh-chan on a date!" Honey piped up.
"A date?" The color drained out of Tamaki's face.
"You know, like when you take a girl out to dinner because you like her?" Hikaru said.
"Like her?" Tamaki repeated.
"The dragons thought they'd be a super cute couple!" Honey beamed.
"Couple? Couple?" Tamaki exploded. "How could you let this happen? What were you thinking? Haruhi is too young to date!"
"She's sixteen, boss."
"Precisely!" Tamaki shouted. "Far too young to be unchaperoned."
"They're not unchaperoned, there are five dragons watching them," said Honey, then added thoughtfully, "Of course, the dragons do think they should mate..."
Tamaki crumbled away into a pile of dust.
"Perhaps that was a bit much to spring on him all at once," Kyoya said. "Sweep him up. He won't be functional until we check on them."
~oOo~
As Mori and Haruhi approached the forest, he said "You should probably know that while the dragons know we are too young to marry, they want to give us a romantic evening."
Haruhi thought about it. "What constitutes a romantic evening for a dragon?"
Mori shook his head. He had no idea.
When they arrived in the clearing the dragons were all bunched up waiting for them, almost twitchy with excitement. They sniffed her to make sure he brought the right female (he had), not that they expected anything different. The-one-who-speaks-well was far more intelligent than most of his kind. They then showed her each of their nests. Haruhi seemed to realize they were doing her great honor and trust, and so complimented the dragons on the eggs, their size, number and color, from the rich red-brown of the Fireball's to the speckled Welsh Green's. The dragons were right, thought Mori. Haruhi was calm, centered and not rattled at all. She would make a good mate for all the right reasons. If only she knew.
While looking at the Short Snout's ice-white eggs, the green dragon put her head next to Haruhi then pushed her over into Mori. He put an arm around her to steady her. Arianawel hummed smugly.
Haruhi looked at Mori, clearly thinking this is a dragon version of romance? "Why do they think we're a couple?" she whispered.
"I put myself between you and a rampaging dragon. Since our age differences are not great enough for us to be parent and child, they concluded I must be in love with you."
"Did you correct them?" she asked.
"About what?" he said.
.
They finished the tour at the Quetzalcoatl's nest with those spectacular brilliant blue eggs, definitely Haruhi's favorites, though she'd never offend the others by saying so. Next to the nest was a flat topped stone with the gold box Mori had brought earlier sitting on it; beside that, the feathered dragon had dug a small ditch, piled up the dirt and rocks next to it, patted it tight, then overlaid it with feathers. It was like sitting in a two person papasan chair. The Quetzalcoatl circled behind them, once around her nest then behind them again, enclosing the two humans. The others all peered over her tail to see how it was going. The people were chatting with each other but...
"They're not touching anymore," said the Short Snout. "Why are they not touching? Is that bad?"
"It could be bad," said the Green.
"I'm sure it's bad," said the Short Snout, now convinced.
"Maybe I could lean over and nudge them back together," the Green said.
The Fireball made an exasperated noise, batted the Green back, rose up and oscillated smoothly in the air. A chill breeze blew through the trees and rushed over the Quetzalcoatl's long body. Haruhi shivered and snuggled deeper into the feathers.
"She's supposed to cuddle up with her mate!" shrieked the Short Snout. "Why isn't she doing that?"
"We're warmer?" suggested the Horntail.
"There's no other males here," pointed out the Fireball. "Maybe he can still salvage it." They watched as Mori removed the spelled top from the gold box to reveal a tray of sushi. The Quetzalcoatl craned her neck around to see what he had brought while four dragon heads leaned over her tail to examine the food closely. The Fireball leaned in and sniffed. "Oh, fatty tuna. Good choice. That's very tasty."
"Do they want some?" Haruhi asked, seeing the four dragons looming over the food while the one they were leaning on was also looking on with interest.
Mori rumbled the question. They all looked over guiltily and ducked back behind the Quetzalcoatl as though the humans might instantly forget they were there. Out of sight, the secretive rumbling conversation continued. "There's not very much there though," the Horntail said. "Is that going to be enough?"
"Well maybe he's just planning on feeding her and not himself," the Welsh Green said. "You know, putting his mate before himself. That's always a good gesture."
"But if he can't feed both of them how could he feed a brood on top of it? She's going to think he can't feed them and she'll go find another mate who can," the Fireball said.
"This is bad, this is very bad," the Short Snout sad worriedly.
"Well then go fix it," the Horntail snapped.
"Fix it how?" said the Short Snout.
"Seriously? This is an island isn't it? There must be someplace around here to get fish."
"Oh I know just the place," the Welsh Green said. She took off at top speed.
The Chinese dragon popped her head up to take another quick look then hunkered back down. "She's eating now, that's good right? I mean, he didn't make the kill in front of her. Do you think she's smart enough to know he provided that and it wasn't just sitting there the whole time?"
"The-one-who-was-raised-by-snakes said she was smart," the Horntail answered, but didn't sound convinced.
"Is it going well, you think?" The Short Snout said.
"How would I know?" said the Horntail. "I don't know the first thing about human mating rituals. In fact I wish they didn't. The last thing we need are more of those dangerous unpredictable creatures around."
The Short Snout ignored the acid comment and craned her neck for a better view of the couple. "Maybe the-one-who-speaks-poorly could tell us."
"I'll go find him." They really weren't supposed to leave the area, but since the Chinese Fireball manipulated air currents instead of beating the air with wings, it could move more stealthily than the others. It rose into the air. It took a few minutes to locate the scent it wanted from all the others, then made a beeline for the castle.
.
"Shit!" said Ji. "The dragons are bolting."
"What?" Charlie looked over in alarm.
"The Green left a few minutes ago and the red took off for the school."
The dragon handlers raced to the edge of the forest in time to see the Fireball circle closely around the outside of the castle before landing on Gryffindor Tower and spiraling up the outside.
.
"Did you know you could talk to dragons when you jumped in the arena?" Once the question had occurred to Haruhi, she couldn't let it go.
"No," Mori replied.
She looked up, shocked. "But you can speak to any animal."
"I can understand many animals," Mori corrected, "and can speak to most that I understand, but I must hear the language first before I know if I can understand it. I cannot simply speak to an animal without hearing it talk first."
"But if you didn't know... I mean why would you...?"
"You were in trouble," Mori said simply.
Haruhi was at a loss. "I guess so." I mean, I guess he would rescue anybody he cared about: his parents, his brother, his cousin, the Host Club. It was probably just a Host Club thing. Nonetheless, she really wanted to hug him right now, so she did; but it was only when his arms went around her as well that it felt truly right. She sighed in contentment. Mori pressed his lips into her hair and sighed. All the dragons in the clearing looked on and sighed happily as well. Haruhi cracked up.
.
The Fireball wrapped herself around the outside of Gryffindor Tower then paced around the stones until she found a window that smelled like Harry could be on the inside. She snorted to try to open the window.
Inside the common room, the window began to rattle fiercely in the wind on what had been a calm night. Lavender turned around and screamed when she saw a huge red dragon head framed by the lintel.
"Uh, Harry?" Hermione said. "I think this may be for you."
Harry went over to the window. "What are you doing here?" he hissed in Parseltongue.
"We need your help," said dragon. "C'mon."
It was getting late, he couldn't go down the staircase without getting caught. "Uh... let me get my broom."
"We're in a hurry. Climb on." The dragon moved forward a step or two, offering the back of her neck to Harry. Wondering if he was making the biggest mistake of his life, Harry did. The dragon launched herself into the night.
"There goes another twenty points," said Seamus.
"You're just jealous," said Dean.
"Yes, I am," said Seamus.
.
It wasn't as smooth as riding a broom, but it was much smoother than the hippogriff had been. The undulating motion was almost like riding a roller coaster and Harry could have learned to enjoy it if he wasn't aware that at any moment the dragon could twist sharply, dislodge him and hurl him to his death. But the dragon didn't. It landed in the little grotto where they had all been living. "How's it going?"
"I can't tell," said the Short Snout. "They were talking then she made this weird noise like she was choking and started to shake."
"He doesn't want her if she's ill," said the Horntail.
"She's making the noise again," the blue dragon said worriedly.
"No, she's laughing," said Harry. "That's a good sign. It means she's enjoying herself."
"Then he fed her," the Horntail said. "But they ate all of it and there's none left."
"Will she be angry with him because he didn't give her enough?" the blue dragon fretted.
"Unlikely," said Harry.
"After they ate, he put his wing around her," the Short Snout continued.
"He doesn't have wings," the Horntail corrected. "He put his leg over her."
Harry looked at his own body trying to picture it. "His foreleg or hind leg?"
"Foreleg," said the Horntail. "Then he bit her."
"He didn't use his teeth. He just kind of tasted her. Probably trying to see how bad that shaking sickness is."
"Uh ... Where did he taste her?" Harry asked.
"Does it matter?" said the Horntail.
"Kinda."
"On the top of her head."
"Does he think it's a brain injury?" asked the Fireball.
"No, it's not that. I'm sure he thinks she's fine. It's just that on the top of the head can mean anything. If he tastes her on the cheek then they're just being friends and if they taste each other on the mouth and then they are exploring a mutual interest."
The Short Snout inhaled sharply. "Food! They were both eating the fish and they're still hungry so they're going to taste each other looking for more."
"No, that's not it," Harry said.
Just then the Welsh Green got back, carrying a full grown Atlantic bluefin tuna by the tail in her teeth.
"Perfect timing," said the Short Snout. "Now we need to lay it in by the nest subtly so she thinks it's always been there and she just overlooked it when she was looking for more food."
Harry slapped his forehead. This night was just getting more and more surreal. "That fish is five times her size! She's not going to think she overlooked it."
"He's right," said the Fireball. "Besides, that fish is too big and her teeth are too small. She can't bite through that. Remember, the fish was already shredded before he gave it to her."
"Alright, you hold the fish and I'll shred it," the Horntail unsheathed a wicked looking set of claws.
"It's my fish," the green said through clenched teeth. She whipped her head around to try to protect her prize but the weight and momentum were too much. The body of the tuna ripped off and went sailing through the air, leaving the dragon holding the end of the tail in her teeth.
.
Contentment settled over Takashi Morinozuka. The woman he adored was spending a quiet evening with him, just the two of them - dinner, conversation, no frantic running around. Against the backdrop of those brilliant colored feathers, her eyes sparkled. She sparkled. Her lips twitched in amusement at their absurd situation, at the eager dragons playing clumsy matchmakers, but she wasn't displeased. The fantastic colored backdrop blurred together leaving her in sharp focus and she looked at him like she was seeing him - really seeing him - for the first time. This was the most perfect night. Mori gazed deep into Haruhi's eyes. His fingers gently traced through her hair then raised her chin up. His lips brushed against hers as he leaned in for their first real kiss when a six hundred pound tuna dropped out of the sky.
.
The unsubtle stomping of the Host Club through branches and leaves distracted the dragons. "It's the rival males!" said the Fireball. "You were supposed to keep them away!"
The Horntail charged to drive them off. Four of the fledging males quailed in terror, but the little yellow one stood his ground, squared his stance, and when the dragon came close enough, grabbed her claw, stepped sideways, and flipped her clean on her back. He marched over to the stunned dragon's head and wagged a finger at her. "You need to be more friendly!"
"Hey," Tamaki said as Mori and Haruhi walked by, "Why are you two covered in fish guts?"
~oOo~