The Dragon of Hogwarts

The Dragon of Hogwarts

Chapter 13: The Castle of Zabini

It was so much better than her dream. Riding on Dragon-Blaise's back as they soared through the night sky. Billions of stars twinkled all around her and she giggled like a little girl. It was the first time in her life that Hermione was riding a flying beast feeling absolutely no fear. It was so freeing and she finally began to understand why Harry and Ron spent so many hours soaring through the sky on their broomsticks. With the fear and dizziness gone, it was liberating!

They'd been flying for about an hour, when Hermione spotted two more dragons flying toward them.

Don't be afraid, it's just my Father, and Grandfather.

Hermione watched in fascination as the two huge beasts fell into a sort of formation on both sides of she and Blaise.

Can you communicate with them like you do with me?

Hermione felt the familiar wave of fatigue that always hit her when she attempted telepathy with Blaise. She swayed a little, and her grip tightened on the scaly ridge that lined his back.

Don't, Hermione. There will be plenty of time to answer your questions later. Just hold on, we'll be home soon.

At the word, 'home' Hermione felt a flood of warmth from him, and smiled. Blaise really loved his home and was sure that she would too.

She looked down at the large, dense forest that they were soaring over. Dark shadows moved through the trees, and she shivered, feeling the hairs on the back of her neck stand straight.

Ten minutes later they came to a huge empty clearing and began circling it. Her stomach dipped as they began a swift decent, and her grip tightened further.

Hermione braced herself for the landing, but it was so gentle, she almost missed it. One minute they were swooping toward the ground, the next they landed with a slight bump and she was sliding off of him.

Her legs ached slightly as she had to support her own weight again. She looked up at Blaise, who was still in his dragon form, in confusion.

"Why did we land here? Where's your house?" she asked.

Close your eyes.

She obeyed the command, then felt something pull at her navel. The world dipped like she was on a muggle elevator, and her eyes flew open in alarm.

They were in exactly the same place they'd been before. However, instead of seeing a large empty clearing, Hermione was suddenly staring up at a huge castle. It was almost as big as Hogwarts.

"You didn't tell me you lived in a castle," she gasped staring up at it in awe.

You didn't ask.

The sound of his laughter filled her mind, and she gave him a stern look.

His ferocious snout made it impossible for Blaise to make any recognizable expressions, but she could see the mischievous twinkle in his eyes.

Before she could ask him what he was up to, a light at the castle caught her eye.

The heavy oak door had been opened, and one of the most beautiful women Hermione had ever seen, began to descend the stone steps.

The woman's pale skin practically glowed in the moonlight. Her shiny blue-black hair was piled on top of her head in an elegant twist, and her gorgeous blue velvet robes had a short train that trailed behind her as she walked.

Hermione suddenly felt very plain, standing there with the dragons in her rumpled robes. She nervously tried to smooth down her frizzy locks, but the wind from her ride had made that impossible.

When the woman reached them, her perfect bow lips split into a welcoming smile, and she reached for Hermione's hand.

"You must be Hermione, I am so excited to finally meet you," her voice was deep and melodic, and Hermione detected a slight accent that she couldn't place.

"I am Mariella Zabini, Blaise's mother," she said, clasping Hermione's hand warmly.

Hermione's eyes widened slightly.

Mariella didn't look old enough to be Blaise's mother. She studied the woman more closely, and was able to detect the slight graying of the lustrous black hair. But that was the only indication of her age. Her slender figure and smooth wrinkle-free skin made her look not much older than Hermione herself.

Hermione realized she was staring and shook herself out of her daze.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Zabini," she said, politely.

Mariella gave her a chastising look. "You are family now, Hermione. Call me Mariella," she gently admonished.

Hermione nodded and gave her a weak smile.

"Well, you must be exhausted from your trip. Come and I'll show you were you can freshen up before dinner," Mariella said, and motioned for Hermione to follow her back to the house.

Hermione glanced at Blaise, unsure.

Go on. I'll be back later.

Part of her was upset that he was just leaving her like this, but another part just wanted to find a bathroom and a brush.

Her glare informed him that she wasn't entirely happy with the arrangement, but she quickly turned back to Mariella and nodded her assent. She followed Mariella into the castle, admiring the huge crystal chandelier that hung in the entrance hall.

Hermione was led down a corridor, and let out a gasp at seeing the exquisite tapestries that covered the walls. The dragons depicted were almost life size, but the thing that really caught her attention was that they were moving. It was almost like the paintings at Hogwarts, except that they made no sound, and didn't seem to notice that she was there watching them.

Mariella cleared her throat and Hermione jumped.

"I didn't mean to startle you," she apologized, "perhaps you could look around later? The rest of the family is very anxious to meet you and I know you'll want time to freshen up first."

A very delicate way of telling her she looked a mess. Hermione blushed slightly and the two continued on their way.

She was shown to a large room that was dominated by a huge king-sized four poster bed draped with green and silver linens. There were unmoving paintings on the walls, thick, plush rugs on the floor, and a moderately sized chandelier in the center of the ceiling. Two green armchairs were placed beside the now empty fireplace.

The mantle was filled with framed pictures of Blaise and his family and friends. She was surprised to see one of herself their as well.

After her initial scrutiny of the room, she turned back to see Mariella watching her curiously.

"Is this Blaise's room?" Hermione asked her.

She nodded.

"And, you don't mind if he and I share a room?" Hermione could feel her cheeks heat up at the question.

Mariella laughed at that.

"Hermione, I love my son very much and like most mothers, I want him to be happy. That cannot happen if he does not fully bond with you. So, my top priority is to see you pregnant with my grandchild."

Hermione turned even redder and looked away. Mariella put a comforting arm on Hermione shoulder.

"Blaise has informed us that you are very inquisitive. I promise that tomorrow you and I will sit down and have all of your questions answered. Tonight you should relax and meet the family."

Hermione nodded feeling relieved and anxious at the same time. She really wished that Blaise was here with her.

As if sensing her thoughts Mariella said, "Blaise and his Father and Grandfather will be out late tonight. Since Blaise is in school most of the year, they rarely get the opportunity to be together in their dragon form."

Hermione raised an eyebrow.

"Well, enough talking. Go and freshen up for dinner," she gestured toward a door on the other side of the bed.

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Hermione stood in front of the bathroom mirror eyeing her reflection.

She looked much better now that she'd washed her face and pulled her hair up into a knot. She'd also changed into some nicer robes, hoping that she'd make a better impression on the rest of his family than she had on Mariella.

There was no way she could compete with Blaise's mother's beauty, but at least she didn't look quite so rumpled and wind-blown.

She shrugged and walked out of the bathroom to see a young girl of about ten jumping on Blaise's bed. Her white-blond hair floated around her head like a cloud as she jumped.

Hermione cleared her throat and the girl let out a squeak as she dropped to her belly on the bed.

The girl gave Hermione an annoyed look as she slid off of the bed and walked over to her. "You startled me!" she admonished placing her hands on her hips.

Hermione bit back a grin at the indignant little girl in front of her.

"I apologize, but I must say that you startled me as well," Hermione said.

The girl blinked up at her in confusion.

"Well, I wasn't expecting to see anyone jumping on the bed when I came out of the bathroom."

The girl dropped her eyes to the floor and her cheeks turned a bit pink.

"I got bored waiting for you. Besides, Blaise doesn't care if I jump on his bed," she said, sullenly.

Hermione's eyes narrowed at that but she chose to ignore it. "Why were you waiting for me?" she asked.

The girl's eyes darted up and to the side as if she was trying to remember something she'd rehearsed.

"I am to escort my new cousin to dinner since you don't know the way," she recited and looked up at Hermione as if anxious for approval.

Hermione smiled and held out a hand. "I'm Hermione," she said.

"Dorothy," said the girl giving Hermione an exaggerated handshake.

"It's nice to meet you, Dorothy."

Dorothy stared at her for a minute, looking her up and down before finally nodding in approval.

"Blaise said you were pretty," Dorothy informed her in a whisper.

Hermione blushed.

"Perhaps we should go before we miss dinner?" Hermione asked, tentatively.

Dorothy nodded and grabbed Hermione's hand.

In the hall, Hermione found her attention captured once again by the tapestries. Dorothy watched her curiously. "Do you like them?" she asked sounding a little anxious again.

"Yes, they're lovely. I've never seen anything like them before," Hermione said, reassuringly.

Dorothy beamed with pride. "I made them."

Hermione came to a halt and stared down at her in shock. "You made them?" Hermione demanded.

Dorothy stuck out her lip in a pout. "Yes, I made them!"

"But, how? I mean, you're not old enough to use magic..."

"I didn't use magic. At least, not on purpose. I just started painting them one day and when I finished, they started moving," Dorothy explained leaning close to examine a sleeping dragon by a cave.

"How old are you?" Hermione asked, still shocked at the talent the young girl possessed.

"I'll be eleven this summer. Then I can start Hogwarts in September," she said, excitedly.

Hermione smiled at her. "You'll like Hogwarts. It's simply wonderful," Hermione said as they continued on their way.

Dorothy led Hermione to the impressive dinning room. A long mahogany table that could seat about fifty people filled most of the room. Crystal chandeliers lined the ceiling above the table, and an enormous fireplace filled the back wall.

A small group of people was seated around the far end of the table, and they looked at her in expectation as she moved toward them with Dorothy pulling her by the hand,

Mariella stood, and came over to her before they'd reached the others.

"You have a lovely home, Mrs.- er, Mariella," Hermione said.

Mariella smiled and led her toward the others.

"Thank you, Hermione. Now, you've already met my niece Dorothy, this is her mother and my sister-in-law, Lillian McCain," Mariella said gesturing toward the woman who was seated next to her. Lillian's hair was almost as dark as Mariella's, and Hermione noticed that she had the exact same eyes as Blaise.

Hermione nodded politely, and Lillian smiled at her in return.

Dorothy ran to her mother and seated herself in the empty chair beside her.

"These are my parents, Noah and Marcia Rothbury."

Marcia and Noah were a very handsome couple, and Hermione could see with no problem where Mariella got her beauty. They smiled and welcomed her warmly.

"And finally, my mother-in-law, Katherine Zabini."

Katherine Zabini looked so much like Blaise. The hair, eyes, mouth, nose...everything! In fact, if Blaise had been a woman, Hermione had no doubt that this was exactly what he'd grow to look like.

"I'm sorry you won't be able to meet my husband, Zachary, or my father-in-law, Richard until tomorrow. But as I explained earlier, this time together is very important to them."

They ate soon afterward and though Hermione got the impression that there were many things Blaise's family members would like to ask her, they refrained.

All except for Dorothy.

"Blaise says you're muggle-born, do you really live with muggles?" she asked, between bites.

"Um, yes," Hermione answered, doing her best to suppress a yawn.

"My dad's a muggle too. He lives in America because my mum-"

"Dorothy!" Mariella reprimanded.

Lillian had gone very pale.

"If you're done eating, you may be excused for bed, if not then stop talking and finish," Mariella scolded.

"Sorry, Aunt Mari," Dorothy said, and giving Hermione a sheepish look, turned to concentrate on her plate.

Lillian and Dorothy left for bed a few minutes later. Marcia and Noah followed after them, so that only Mariella, Katherine, and Hermione remained.

"I apologize for Dorothy's behavior. Her parents have only been separated for a few months, and I don't believe she fully understands what that means," Mariella said, pouring Hermione a cup of tea.

"That's so sad," Hermione commented.

"They're fools, both of them. To proud to admit they were wrong," Katherine said, harshly.

"Dorothy told me that she painted the tapestries in the hall. She's very talented," Hermione said, breaking the awkward silence that had descended upon them.

Katherine smiled.

"We'd thought she was a squib for a while. No magical talent what so ever. Then her parents separated and she and Lil moved in here with us. She loved to paint and had shown me some of her work. I bought her some blank tapestries to decorate her own room. The first ones she made were of unicorns. They are lovely; you'll have to see them soon. It wasn't until after she saw Blaise change form for the first time that she painted a dragon one. We were all surprised to see them moving," Mariella explained.

"Turns out my Granddaughter has more magical talent than most," Katherine declared, smugly.

Katherine and Mariella then began asking her questions about her and Blaise's relationship. At first Hermione was hesitant and shy, but soon found herself opening up about things she'd never discussed with anyone. But these where the only two women who knew exactly what she was talking about.

"What happens to Blaise when he changes back?" Katherine asked.

"Well, he's always very hungry, and he eats almost everything in sight. Then his skin itches him terribly. I always end up scratching him," Hermione said, blushing slightly.

Mariella nodded. "Zach is the same; I have an ointment that helps a great deal. I'll get you some," she said refilling her teacup.

"Thank you."

"Go on," Katherine urged.

"Well, he eats his fill and then passes out for the next twelve hours or so," Hermione continued.

The two women raised their eyebrows at that.

"It's rather annoying, actually. He's no good in class, so I have to take extra notes for him..." she broke off when they exchanged a look. Hermione looked at them in confusion.

"Hermione, have you ever made love to Blaise while he was in the process of changing back?" Katherine asked.

Hermione turned pink.

"N-no."

"Well, that explains it," Katherine said to Mariella who nodded in agreement.

"He won't be quite so helpless if you do," Mariella explained.

"It's also the best time for conception," Katherine added.

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Hermione sighed when she finally shut the door behind her. The clock on the wall chimed four; Blaise would be back soon.

She was tired and wanted nothing more than to sleep for a week, but unfortunately, she had other responsibilities.

She uncorked the bottle of pepper-up potion and downed it in one swallow. Hopefully this would keep her awake long enough to do the deed and then she could sleep.

Hermione went into the bathroom and changed into the purple satin teddy that Professor McGonagall had given to her a few months ago. She'd never worn anything like it for Blaise before, and had decided to try it out on the trip. She covered it with a bathrobe, slipped the ointment that Mariella had given her into her pocket and went back into the bedroom.

Blaise had already returned and was seated at a small table in the corner of the room, stuffing his face. He gave her a smile showing off his sharp, elongated teeth. Hermione gave him a small smile in return, hoping that his teeth would be back to normal, before they went to bed.

She walked over to him and started pealing off his shredded clothing, baring his pale green skin to her view.

Taking the ointment from her pocket she opened it, and was pleased to find that it had no scent. She dipped her fingers into it and then started applying it to the skin of his back.

He quickly turned to look at her, making an odd strangled sound in his throat.

"What's wrong? It's not burning you, is it?" she asked him, anxiously.

He shook his head.

"Cold," he growled. She got her wand and cast a quick warming spell.

"Better?"

He nodded.

"It's for the itching," she explained as she massaged it into his skin.

A few minutes later, he finished eating and stood up with a yawn. He pulled her into a quick hug and then headed for the bed, eyes drooping.

"Oh, no you don't," she said, grabbing his arm and turning him to face her.

He blinked down at her in confusion, but didn't resist when she slipped her arms around his neck and pulled his head down for a kiss.

Blaise pulled back after a moment, obviously confused. He and Hermione never made love when he was like this. Well, except for that one time when he'd almost lost control during Potion's Class.

"I'm tired," he said, blinking at her sleepily.

"Tough."

His eyes widened at her tone and then his jaw dropped when she stepped back and removed her bathrobe. Hermione smiled as she saw the tiredness vanish from his face.

It was Blaise who initiated the kiss this time.

Hermione sighed with pleasure as his warm hands sought out the hidden gaps in the teddy so that he could caress her bare skin. The heat from his tongue blazed a trail down her neck, eliciting a groan from deep in her throat.

She entwined her arms around his neck, running her fingers through his hair and then down his back to tug at the waistband of his pants. He pulled her tighter against him, and she could feel him growing harder against her belly.

She unzipped his pants and reached inside to stroke him, delighting in each groan and intake of breath he made.

When Blaise could take no more, he swept her up into his arms, and carried her to the bed. He stepped back to study her lying in the middle of his bed, flushed with his kisses and caresses. Suddenly, his nostrils flared and he practically dived on her, lips and hands moving over her with a desperation that made her mouth go dry.

He ripped the teddy off of her body, tossing it behind him. Hermione didn't think she'd ever been more turned on in her life.

Soon his pants were gone and he was plunging himself into her over and over. His hand started working between her legs, and she shouted his name as her orgasm crashed over her.

Hermione stroked his back as he spilled himself in her, then pulled his head down for a deep kiss. Blaise ended the kiss and rolled to his side, pulling her with him.

She turned so that her back was to his front, and he spooned her, wrapping his arms around her waist.

It didn't take long for him to drift off to sleep, but Hermione held onto consciousness a little while longer. She could feel the warmth of his essences inside of her, and hoped that this time it would work, and their bond would be complete.

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Hermione awoke a few hours later and went to the restroom. She had a slight headache and began looking around in the cabinets for some relief. A strange green glow through a crack in the back of a cabinet caught her eye, and she pushed on the wood, surprised to see it move aside to reveal a compartment about the size of a breadbox.

She stared in wonder at the bowl with the glowing liquid, and came to a startling revelation. It was a pensieve. Blaise's pensieve.

TBC...