Chapter Two
I turned slowly and stared at the packages before reaching for them to open them. A pair of black dragonhide pants and a soft green fitted tunic were in them. Quickly I pulled my jeans and tee shirt off and put on the new clothes. I could tell instantly that they had been charmed to fit nicely and to be breathable. I ran a brush through my hair and waited for Charlie to come and get me. I stared out the window at the dragons, wondering which one was Goldenwing. I was pulled out of my daydreams by the door opening and Charlie walking in.
“Ready?” he asked. I noticed that he had on a yellow tunic, which clashed horribly with his hair, and black dragonhide pants.
“Yeah,” I mumbled. I was beginning to get nervous. What if the other Council members weren’t as nice as Eloise had been? What if they thought that being able to talk to Charlie’s dragon was horrible, and thought that I should be sent to Azkaban immediately? What if they had some awful test that I had to go through and couldn’t do and they sent me packing my bags? I shook my head to get the what-ifs out of my mind as we made our way through the manor and outside.
The sun was shining brightly and there was a slight breeze. It was perfect Quidditch conditions. We headed towards a field that was filled with people wearing different colored tunics.
“Those are the other members of the council,” Charlie said, noticing my gaze. “You’ll have to perform a test in front of them, then there will be a meeting tonight in which they will discuss whether or not you should be allowed to join the Council.” I looked nervously at the people standing around. My heart sank to my feet when I recognized one of them.
Draco Malfoy was standing on the opposite side of the field from me in a green tunic and black dragonhide pants. In my nervousness I noticed that dragonhide was a very good look for him. That thought led me to remembering that I had on dragonhide, too, and I suddenly wished that I had worked out a little more with the Quidditch team. Blushing, I turned my gaze from him to the man standing next to him. He was wearing a yellow tunic like Charlie’s and tan dragonhide pants. His hair was dark blonde, and he looked at me scornfully. I shifted my gaze from him and scanned the rest of the faces. Anxiously I noted that all the women had their hair braided like Eloise’s had been if it was long enough. I thought of my own long hair and how I had left it down, and wished that I had thought to pull it up. I hoped my hair wasn’t going to get in the way of my test. My gaze landed once again on Draco as we reached the crowd.
Oh no, I’m going to make an arse of myself in front of Malfoy, I thought.
You won’t, child. You have the Gift in far greater proportions that he could ever dream of having, a calm, feminine voice said. It calmed me, much like a Draft of Peace potion would. I looked around to see where the dragon that had spoken was and saw three men and a woman leading the most beautiful creature I had ever seen towards me.
The dragon’s scales were iridescent, but had more gold than any other color in them. Her eyes were glittering and multicolored with no pupils. My heart leapt and I knew, instantly, that I would never be able to give Goldenwing up; I felt a sense of completion, as though I found the one thing I had been needing, although I didn’t know I had been missing it.
Hello Goldenwing. I’m Ginny, I thought, not knowing what one should say to one’s dragon.
I know, the serene voice replied. Come and pet me. I was only vaguely aware of Eloise speaking again, but I didn’t know what she was saying. Carefully I walked towards the dragon and reached tentatively towards her neck. As my hand made contact with the scales, I gasped. I had expected the scales to be cool, but they were warm, as if she had been lying out in the sun all day. The dragon closed her eyes in contentment. The thunderous noise of applause brought me out of my thoughts and I looked around. Everyone was clapping, even the man standing next to Malfoy, although he was clapping rather reluctantly. I looked back at where Charlie was standing, clapping with a huge grin on his face. Seeing him looking so proudly at me brought a smile to my face. I turned to face Goldenwing once more. Looking at my beautiful dragon, I knew that if I had needed to, I would have been able to produce a real patronus.
The crowd disbanded soon after the applause had died down. Now only Charlie and, of all people, Draco Malfoy were left. They were talking quietly. After a few minutes, Charlie left his side and came towards me.
“We’re having a meeting now, but Draco is going to show you some basic dragon care things and tell you what he knows of the Council. Normally Sloan would tell you, but she’s needed in this meeting; it’s bound to be a rough one,” Charlie said. He gave me a hug and left before I could protest having to be taught by a Malfoy. I pointedly looked away from Malfoy and continued to pat my dragon. I sensed rather than heard him walk behind me.
“You have a really beautiful dragon,” he said. After hesitating for a moment, he continued. “May I pet her?” I nodded mutely, not knowing what else to do. We stood in silence for a few minutes, both petting Goldenwing, before I spoke.
“So, uh, what kind of dragon do you have?” I asked, wondering if it was a stupid question to ask.
“Hungarian Horntail named Vertigo,” he said. “Let’s take Goldenwing out to the field where the Greens are kept; I’ll explain some stuff to you on the way.” I nodded.
Come on, Goldenwing, we’re taking you somewhere. I suppose you’ll just follow us? I said to my dragon. She opened her eyes and stared at me.
Of course, she said. I followed Draco as he started walking to the right.
“Er, what did you mean where the Greens are kept?” I asked.
“I suppose that’s a good enough place to start my explanation. There are five regular groups in the Council, which are indicated by the tunics we wear and the fields that our dragons are kept in. Greens are the lowest, and newest, members, who are usually still in school. Our fields are the farthest away. Next come Reds. They’re the newest ones to have graduated. Their fields are a little closer than ours. Third are the Yellows, one of which is your brother. They’re older than the Reds, as I’m sure you’ve guessed, and again, as I’m sure you’ve guessed, their fields are closer than the Reds’. It goes on like this. The older you are, the closer your field is and the higher rank of color you have. After the Yellows come the Blues. After the Blues are the Whites. White is the highest normal rank. Basically you stay a white until you die. The last group is the most prestigious. They’re Purple, and the only current members of that is Sloan, the Head of the Council, and Dorian, her second in command. Purples lead the Council, and there are usually only two or three of them.” By this time we had reached the farthest field and stopped. Goldenwing, who had been flying behind us landed with a soft thud next to me.
“Which one’s yours?” I asked, so excited at learning so much new information that I forgot it was Malfoy I was talking to. He rolled his eyes.
“The only Hungarian Horntail out here,” he said, pointing to a medium sized black dragon. I glared at Malfoy.
“So, um, what is there to teach me?” I asked. He rolled his eyes once more.
“The real question is what is there to not teach you,” he said, and then continued in a more serious voice. “Well, you need to know how to saddle your dragon- but they don’t allow Greens to show newcomers that, so I suppose you’ll learn tomorrow- and you need to know how to wash your dragon, and feed her, but she’s been washed and fed today already, so you’ll learn that tomorrow. Really there isn’t much to tell. They don’t tell Greens a lot of stuff, and we’re not allowed in the meetings until we graduate, but by then they make us Reds,” he shrugged.
“Who else is a Green?” I asked.
“Well, there’s Tait. His dragon is Tybalt,” he said and pointed to a Common Welsh Green, “and Zandra. Angus is hers,” he pointed at a Swedish Short-Snout, “Lacey,” he grimaced at her name, “is the only other Green. Her dragon is a Hebridean Black and is named Noah. Zandra and Tait both go to Durmstrang and Lacey goes to Beauxbatons, although she’s British.”
“Where are all of them?” I asked, curious as to why I hadn’t seen them earlier.
“Durmstrang goes about a week longer than we do, and Lacey is on holiday with her parents. They should be finished with the meeting, so we can head back and see if dinner is ready.” We walked part of the way back in silence before I spoke again.
“So- your parents don’t mind you coming here all summer? My mum almost had a nervous breakdown at the thought of me being away all summer,” I said sighing. He made a noise, as if restraining himself from making a mean comment about my mother.
“Father is in Azkaban. Mother couldn’t care less,” he said simply, and I knew the topic was closed.
By that time we had reached the manor and dusk had arrived. All the windows were lit and the front doors were opened. Many witches and wizards were sitting on the front steps or on the grass. Some called out greetings to us, and Draco greeted them by name while I just waved, not knowing who they were. Charlie met us at the door and smiled at me.
“They’ve accepted you, as I knew they would. There were a few who didn’t want to, but in the end the majority ruled,” he said and led us into a chamber off the entrance hall. One large table stood in the middle. Two witches, both Whites, were placing dishes of food on the table.
“Hello Charlie, Draco, Ginny,” one called out as she put a bowl of mashed potatoes on the table. She had gray hair and a kind smile.
“Hello, Leila,” Charlie smiled. Soon the table was filled with the rest of the Council. Draco had left my side to go and sit with the man he had been standing with earlier. They were conversing in low tones and kept glancing at me periodically.
Dinner was an enjoyable affair. I met many of the Reds and even some Yellows. Most of them accepted me graciously, but I noticed one man that kept glaring at me. He had medium brown hair, wore a blue tunic, and was rather tall and rough looking.
“Who is that man that keeps glaring at me?” I whispered to Charlie. He glanced over at the man, and then turned back to me.
“Oh, that’s just Jude. He doesn’t really like new people,” Charlie said in an offhanded way. I tried to ignore the man, but his glare bothered me so much that I excused myself early from dinner and headed back to my room. Once in the sanctity of my room, I pulled out a parchment and quill to write Hermione a letter.
Hermione,
Romania is amazing! I’m having such a wonderful time here. I met this beautiful Antipodean Opaleye named Goldenwing. She is the sweetest creature! I’ve also met some very interesting people here. I’m looking forward to the rest of my visit and, while I’m sad you, along with Harry and Ron, aren’t here, I think it will be good to get away from those that I’m used to and give myself a chance to meet new people, ones that are out of Hogwarts. Two girls and a guy will be joining us later. Two go to Durmstrang and one from Beauxbatons. I’m really excited about meeting them. There is one other Hogwarts person here. Draco Malfoy. He’s been acting a little differently, and I’m thinking that the dragons have perhaps changed him for the better. I hope so, anyway. It looks like I’ll be spending the summer working with him. I can’t say much more about my visit- sorry to be so vague. I’ll see you two weeks before September 1st when I return from here. Until then, keep my brother and Harry safe! I know you’re the only reason they’ve survived six years at Hogwarts.
All my love,
Ginny
I gave the letter to my owl, Persephone, and watched as she flew off into the night before pulling my pajamas on and crawling into bed. I smiled to myself as I thought about Goldenwing and how much there was for me to learn and experience this summer. I yawned, rolled over, and was fast asleep within minutes.
I turned slowly and stared at the packages before reaching for them to open them. A pair of black dragonhide pants and a soft green fitted tunic were in them. Quickly I pulled my jeans and tee shirt off and put on the new clothes. I could tell instantly that they had been charmed to fit nicely and to be breathable. I ran a brush through my hair and waited for Charlie to come and get me. I stared out the window at the dragons, wondering which one was Goldenwing. I was pulled out of my daydreams by the door opening and Charlie walking in.
“Ready?” he asked. I noticed that he had on a yellow tunic, which clashed horribly with his hair, and black dragonhide pants.
“Yeah,” I mumbled. I was beginning to get nervous. What if the other Council members weren’t as nice as Eloise had been? What if they thought that being able to talk to Charlie’s dragon was horrible, and thought that I should be sent to Azkaban immediately? What if they had some awful test that I had to go through and couldn’t do and they sent me packing my bags? I shook my head to get the what-ifs out of my mind as we made our way through the manor and outside.
The sun was shining brightly and there was a slight breeze. It was perfect Quidditch conditions. We headed towards a field that was filled with people wearing different colored tunics.
“Those are the other members of the council,” Charlie said, noticing my gaze. “You’ll have to perform a test in front of them, then there will be a meeting tonight in which they will discuss whether or not you should be allowed to join the Council.” I looked nervously at the people standing around. My heart sank to my feet when I recognized one of them.
Draco Malfoy was standing on the opposite side of the field from me in a green tunic and black dragonhide pants. In my nervousness I noticed that dragonhide was a very good look for him. That thought led me to remembering that I had on dragonhide, too, and I suddenly wished that I had worked out a little more with the Quidditch team. Blushing, I turned my gaze from him to the man standing next to him. He was wearing a yellow tunic like Charlie’s and tan dragonhide pants. His hair was dark blonde, and he looked at me scornfully. I shifted my gaze from him and scanned the rest of the faces. Anxiously I noted that all the women had their hair braided like Eloise’s had been if it was long enough. I thought of my own long hair and how I had left it down, and wished that I had thought to pull it up. I hoped my hair wasn’t going to get in the way of my test. My gaze landed once again on Draco as we reached the crowd.
Oh no, I’m going to make an arse of myself in front of Malfoy, I thought.
You won’t, child. You have the Gift in far greater proportions that he could ever dream of having, a calm, feminine voice said. It calmed me, much like a Draft of Peace potion would. I looked around to see where the dragon that had spoken was and saw three men and a woman leading the most beautiful creature I had ever seen towards me.
The dragon’s scales were iridescent, but had more gold than any other color in them. Her eyes were glittering and multicolored with no pupils. My heart leapt and I knew, instantly, that I would never be able to give Goldenwing up; I felt a sense of completion, as though I found the one thing I had been needing, although I didn’t know I had been missing it.
Hello Goldenwing. I’m Ginny, I thought, not knowing what one should say to one’s dragon.
I know, the serene voice replied. Come and pet me. I was only vaguely aware of Eloise speaking again, but I didn’t know what she was saying. Carefully I walked towards the dragon and reached tentatively towards her neck. As my hand made contact with the scales, I gasped. I had expected the scales to be cool, but they were warm, as if she had been lying out in the sun all day. The dragon closed her eyes in contentment. The thunderous noise of applause brought me out of my thoughts and I looked around. Everyone was clapping, even the man standing next to Malfoy, although he was clapping rather reluctantly. I looked back at where Charlie was standing, clapping with a huge grin on his face. Seeing him looking so proudly at me brought a smile to my face. I turned to face Goldenwing once more. Looking at my beautiful dragon, I knew that if I had needed to, I would have been able to produce a real patronus.
The crowd disbanded soon after the applause had died down. Now only Charlie and, of all people, Draco Malfoy were left. They were talking quietly. After a few minutes, Charlie left his side and came towards me.
“We’re having a meeting now, but Draco is going to show you some basic dragon care things and tell you what he knows of the Council. Normally Sloan would tell you, but she’s needed in this meeting; it’s bound to be a rough one,” Charlie said. He gave me a hug and left before I could protest having to be taught by a Malfoy. I pointedly looked away from Malfoy and continued to pat my dragon. I sensed rather than heard him walk behind me.
“You have a really beautiful dragon,” he said. After hesitating for a moment, he continued. “May I pet her?” I nodded mutely, not knowing what else to do. We stood in silence for a few minutes, both petting Goldenwing, before I spoke.
“So, uh, what kind of dragon do you have?” I asked, wondering if it was a stupid question to ask.
“Hungarian Horntail named Vertigo,” he said. “Let’s take Goldenwing out to the field where the Greens are kept; I’ll explain some stuff to you on the way.” I nodded.
Come on, Goldenwing, we’re taking you somewhere. I suppose you’ll just follow us? I said to my dragon. She opened her eyes and stared at me.
Of course, she said. I followed Draco as he started walking to the right.
“Er, what did you mean where the Greens are kept?” I asked.
“I suppose that’s a good enough place to start my explanation. There are five regular groups in the Council, which are indicated by the tunics we wear and the fields that our dragons are kept in. Greens are the lowest, and newest, members, who are usually still in school. Our fields are the farthest away. Next come Reds. They’re the newest ones to have graduated. Their fields are a little closer than ours. Third are the Yellows, one of which is your brother. They’re older than the Reds, as I’m sure you’ve guessed, and again, as I’m sure you’ve guessed, their fields are closer than the Reds’. It goes on like this. The older you are, the closer your field is and the higher rank of color you have. After the Yellows come the Blues. After the Blues are the Whites. White is the highest normal rank. Basically you stay a white until you die. The last group is the most prestigious. They’re Purple, and the only current members of that is Sloan, the Head of the Council, and Dorian, her second in command. Purples lead the Council, and there are usually only two or three of them.” By this time we had reached the farthest field and stopped. Goldenwing, who had been flying behind us landed with a soft thud next to me.
“Which one’s yours?” I asked, so excited at learning so much new information that I forgot it was Malfoy I was talking to. He rolled his eyes.
“The only Hungarian Horntail out here,” he said, pointing to a medium sized black dragon. I glared at Malfoy.
“So, um, what is there to teach me?” I asked. He rolled his eyes once more.
“The real question is what is there to not teach you,” he said, and then continued in a more serious voice. “Well, you need to know how to saddle your dragon- but they don’t allow Greens to show newcomers that, so I suppose you’ll learn tomorrow- and you need to know how to wash your dragon, and feed her, but she’s been washed and fed today already, so you’ll learn that tomorrow. Really there isn’t much to tell. They don’t tell Greens a lot of stuff, and we’re not allowed in the meetings until we graduate, but by then they make us Reds,” he shrugged.
“Who else is a Green?” I asked.
“Well, there’s Tait. His dragon is Tybalt,” he said and pointed to a Common Welsh Green, “and Zandra. Angus is hers,” he pointed at a Swedish Short-Snout, “Lacey,” he grimaced at her name, “is the only other Green. Her dragon is a Hebridean Black and is named Noah. Zandra and Tait both go to Durmstrang and Lacey goes to Beauxbatons, although she’s British.”
“Where are all of them?” I asked, curious as to why I hadn’t seen them earlier.
“Durmstrang goes about a week longer than we do, and Lacey is on holiday with her parents. They should be finished with the meeting, so we can head back and see if dinner is ready.” We walked part of the way back in silence before I spoke again.
“So- your parents don’t mind you coming here all summer? My mum almost had a nervous breakdown at the thought of me being away all summer,” I said sighing. He made a noise, as if restraining himself from making a mean comment about my mother.
“Father is in Azkaban. Mother couldn’t care less,” he said simply, and I knew the topic was closed.
By that time we had reached the manor and dusk had arrived. All the windows were lit and the front doors were opened. Many witches and wizards were sitting on the front steps or on the grass. Some called out greetings to us, and Draco greeted them by name while I just waved, not knowing who they were. Charlie met us at the door and smiled at me.
“They’ve accepted you, as I knew they would. There were a few who didn’t want to, but in the end the majority ruled,” he said and led us into a chamber off the entrance hall. One large table stood in the middle. Two witches, both Whites, were placing dishes of food on the table.
“Hello Charlie, Draco, Ginny,” one called out as she put a bowl of mashed potatoes on the table. She had gray hair and a kind smile.
“Hello, Leila,” Charlie smiled. Soon the table was filled with the rest of the Council. Draco had left my side to go and sit with the man he had been standing with earlier. They were conversing in low tones and kept glancing at me periodically.
Dinner was an enjoyable affair. I met many of the Reds and even some Yellows. Most of them accepted me graciously, but I noticed one man that kept glaring at me. He had medium brown hair, wore a blue tunic, and was rather tall and rough looking.
“Who is that man that keeps glaring at me?” I whispered to Charlie. He glanced over at the man, and then turned back to me.
“Oh, that’s just Jude. He doesn’t really like new people,” Charlie said in an offhanded way. I tried to ignore the man, but his glare bothered me so much that I excused myself early from dinner and headed back to my room. Once in the sanctity of my room, I pulled out a parchment and quill to write Hermione a letter.
Hermione,
Romania is amazing! I’m having such a wonderful time here. I met this beautiful Antipodean Opaleye named Goldenwing. She is the sweetest creature! I’ve also met some very interesting people here. I’m looking forward to the rest of my visit and, while I’m sad you, along with Harry and Ron, aren’t here, I think it will be good to get away from those that I’m used to and give myself a chance to meet new people, ones that are out of Hogwarts. Two girls and a guy will be joining us later. Two go to Durmstrang and one from Beauxbatons. I’m really excited about meeting them. There is one other Hogwarts person here. Draco Malfoy. He’s been acting a little differently, and I’m thinking that the dragons have perhaps changed him for the better. I hope so, anyway. It looks like I’ll be spending the summer working with him. I can’t say much more about my visit- sorry to be so vague. I’ll see you two weeks before September 1st when I return from here. Until then, keep my brother and Harry safe! I know you’re the only reason they’ve survived six years at Hogwarts.
All my love,
Ginny
I gave the letter to my owl, Persephone, and watched as she flew off into the night before pulling my pajamas on and crawling into bed. I smiled to myself as I thought about Goldenwing and how much there was for me to learn and experience this summer. I yawned, rolled over, and was fast asleep within minutes.
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