Dragonis

Dragonis

She lay on the grass in the field behind the small cottage she was currently calling home. She, of course, was the only one there. No one had ever really been there, and most likely no one would ever be there again. Things had changed for her so quickly after she had returned from Romania, or perhaps she should say, when she was forced from Romania. It had been so long since she had been in England, the last time she was there had been before her mother had left. Now she no longer remembered what it was like to have a mother, or for that matter, to have parents at all. Meryn had never even known them; she lived with her grandfather as her guardian. She, on no account, remembered what had happened to her mother, and she had never asked. Yet, the brief memories stabbed her heart. She often wondered where her mother had gone, but even thinking about her was painful. All she remembered was her long curly auburn hair and how she always smelt of flowers.

As for her father however, she knew nothing of him and knew better than to ask her grandfather. It just seemed to aggravate him, and she knew better than to do that. He had a quick temper and was often too busy to "dwell on the past" as he would say. Her grandfather was a very important man, almost as important as he was smart. He was a dragon keeper and had been since the beginning of time, it seemed. As for her, she had grown up in the dragon encampments, alongside mystic creatures. Often her grandfather would ask her why these beasts interested her so and she would always reply the same, "It's the power they have, a power that they don't even seem to realize they possess," He would smile and say, 'that's my girl... that's my girl.' All in all they just completely fascinated her.

When she came of age to go to Hogwarts, her grandfather insisted that she stay with him, and he wrote to the headmaster of the School stating his case. She wanted nothing more than attend Hogwarts--every child did--but he believed there was nothing she could learn there that he couldn't teach her himself. So, just as he had requested, her grandfather would teach her all she needed to know. "Any other nonsense," he had said she could take through correspondence. The truth was Meryn was so very keen on school that whenever she wasn't busy with the dragons, she was working on her schooling. Her grandfather was a very smart man, and he expected no less from her. When he educated her in Transfiguration, they would not cease the lesson until she had completed the assignment perfectly. He would drill magical history into her brain, and the Defense Against the Dark Arts lessons would sometimes carry on all night. Charms was simple for her and needed little of his presence. Potions, Potions on the other hand, was another story altogether. Brilliant as he was Meryn's grandfather lacked the talent he could clearly see his granddaughter had been blessed with. She acquired her Potions lessons correspondence from both Hogwarts and Durmstrang. Even after her lessons, however, she craved for more. She owned almost every book there was on the subject and had practically memorized them all. While she was far from being a potions master, she was well on her way.

Confiding in her the real reason her grandfather wished for her to remain with him rather than going to Hogwarts.

"It is your connection with the dragons," he said. "Your connection with them is so strong I don't want anything to happen to you."

She always thought that was a strange thing to say, and she wondered sometimes if it was just that he feared he would be lonely without her. But now...now he was dead and all she kept thinking of was how he always mentioned her connection with dragons True, she had lived with them her whole life, but then again, she had been away from them before too. She couldn't help but wonder if there was more to it than that. Still, Meryn never pushed her grandfather into telling her because she figured that if he had wanted her to know he would tell her.

After his death and with no one to care for her, the Department of Wizard & Family Services had thought it best to send her to Hogwarts. Although Meryn was legally eligible to remain on her own, she would not receive her inheritance until she finished her schooling, and now that her grandfather was gone, she needed to attend an actual school. Meryn was to join her classmates starting in the fall in the equivalent of her sixth year, and it would be necessary for her to go ahead of the rest of the students to take some preliminary tests to be certain she knew all of what was required. This decision had come about after a meeting between her and the Headmaster. Meryn was a few years behind in her education because of her grandfather's busy schedule; although when he was there to teach her, he went into great depth in all of her subjects.

She was scared. She had spent her whole life with dragons, and as far as she had been told, she had the temperament of one as well. She was quick-tempered, and when she got angry, she could practically breathe fire. Meryn had thick skin, so it took a lot to get to her and a lot to get through to her. She had very few friends--only one, perhaps, and he was more of a brother to her. There was very little love in her but on the other hand, there was also a fiery passion for whatever grabbed her attention. Some called her cold, some called her mysterious, but she was neither. She was just cautious.

For as far back as she could remember, dragons had been her knack. It was without any question to Meryn that after she finished her schooling, she would become a Dragon Keeper--or perhaps specialize in Potions--although she had thought she was going to work by her grandfather by her side. Now, everything had changed. Grandfather was dead, and she had left Romania, her Dragons and her home to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

***

She lay there looking up at the sky wondering what life would be like at Hogwarts. She knew plenty of wizards that had attended school there, and they told her she would positively love it. But already she missed the dragons. She found it so strange to be sleeping in a house rather than a cabin or outside with the dragons. Though stranger then that was to look up into the distance and not see the dragons towering over the trees or not to hear the sound of the dragon keepers yelling instructions at her. One person in particular she would miss other than the dragons was the only friend she had ever known: Charlie Weasley. Charlie was the closest thing to a big brother she had, and he would always look after her when her grandfather was too busy or away on trips. He was supposed to meet her in Diagon Alley tomorrow morning. Charlie was the only person she ever let her guard down around (she did not even do this very often with her grandfather). He had been there for her through the rough times, especially after her grandfather had died, and he was the only person whom had ever seen her cry. He didn't treat her like everyone else had either; he treated her like a colleague rather than a child, valued her opinion and never treated her like a little girl.

Most of her time was spent studying or tending to the dragons, so she never had much time to spend on anything else especially making friends. It was her temperament rather than her temper that kept her from doing so. Meryn was aloof, and she preferred to stay away from large crowds. They tended to make her nervous. And when Meryn felt nervous, she felt weak, and when that happened, she went on a warpath. Meryn didn't ever care much what people thought of her with the exception of her grandfather and the few professors she knew and of course Charlie.

She stared up at the sky above her. It seemed like hours but was possibly closer to minutes that she lay there with a thousand mindless thoughts running through her head when she heard the back door of the house open then close in the distance. A tall figure walked towards her in the dark, and she could tell who it was almost immediately. She smiled at him.

"Charlie, you missed me already that you had to come visit?" Charlie had been working as her grandfather's assistant for years and now he was in the habit of thinking that he knew everything.

"You know it," he said as he threw himself down next to her.

Every time Charlie saw her he remembered the devastation on her face when he told her of her grandfather's death. Leopold Kingsley had been Charlie's mentor for years, and he had been almost as devastated as Meryn when he had died. He remembered how her body had been so wracked with sobs and how ill she had become. He hated seeing her like that. Meryn very rarely showed any emotion at all, so seeing her like that tore Charlie's soul into pieces. He had spent four horrible nights by her bedside. She would cry and become ill and then refuse to show any emotions for hours before suddenly falling into a fit of tears once again. He had come there tonight hoping to 'save her from herself.' He knew what she was like when she was alone, and ever since her grand father's death, ever since he had seen her in such despair, he had thought of her as this fragile creature that needed his protecting. Although he would never tell her, she was like his sister now--no less then Ginny was--and he would protect her at all costs.

"So ya nervous?"

"No," she lied. "Well, just a little bit," she admitted after a minute because she didn't like lying, especially to Charlie.

"It won't be so bad," he said. "Besides, I'll tell my brother Ron you will be attending Hogwarts this year, so he'll show you the ropes." She had never met Ron before, but she was hoping that he was like a younger version of Charlie. "So," Charlie continued, "do you get sorted with the first years?"

Charlie had broken her train of thought, and when she looked at him a moment, she realized that he had come early. He knew that she would be all alone with her thoughts, which was never a good idea. He knew, she said to herself, I would be worrying myself half to death.

Quickly realizing that Charlie was staring at he with puzzlement patiently waiting for her to answer his question, she quickly blurted out, "No. Professor Dumbledore said I could wait until after because he spoke with the Sorting Hat. There has rarely been a student entering Hogwarts in sixth year before, so I'm sort of excited in a way..." she quieted herself, realizing she was rambling

"Excited for what?" he asked.

"I get to meet new people."

Charlie made a funny face. "What's wrong with me? Am I not interesting enough?"

She smiled at him. "Charlie, you know what I mean. It's just that I'm eighteen years old, and I've never really been around people my own age before." She paused. "That's what I'm nervous about. I can handle dragons no problem, but I don't exactly have the best people skills."

Charlie sighed as he stood up and offered her his hand. He had no idea how she felt--and he would probably never would--and he hated that he couldn't help her with that. He just wished he could find a way.

"I'll take you to Diagon Alley tomorrow just like I promised you I would, and I'm sure everything will turn out alright."

Meryn accepted his hand, and they walked towards the house speaking quietly about nothing before saying goodnight.

***

Meryn stood in her room looking about, her eyes finally coming to rest upon her trunks. She had two: one which held the very few clothes she owned and a few of her belongings; the other filled with her dragon keeper equipment, her books and the remainder of her grandfather's belongings. After his death, the Ministry had requested most of her grandfather's books and papers, and heartbroken, she had reluctantly handed them over. She had managed to keep his most favorite books and all of his journals, none of which she had yet the courage to open.

She knelt over the trunk and opened it, picking up a red velvet package from within its depths, and carefully and silently drawing the fabric away from the cold black stone underneath. The small figure of the black dragon stood regally on the palm of her hand. Its smooth obsidian body was made from hard stone. Its eyes were from the finest bloodstones and the teeth from actual dragon's bone ivory. This piece was never far from her; it had been a gift from her grandfather when she had turned ten years old. It resembled no dragon she had ever laid eyes upon. Its huge bat wings were folded gracefully behind its back, and the enormous talons on its hind legs would have dwarfed those of any other dragon. Every individual scale was hand carved so that it looked as though the actual dragon had been petrified than shrunk down to a size that would fit perfectly into the palm of her hand. She looked at it and smiled to herself as she carefully re-wrapped it and placed it as it had been in the trunk moments before.

She pulled a package of letters bound with an emerald green ribbon out of the truck and carefully closed it as she sat on the end of her bed. Within the package of letters was the acceptance letter from Hogwarts she'd received when she was eleven years old. Additionally, there were many letters her grandfather had sent her while he was away and the letters from the Potions Masters at Durmstrang and Hogwarts congratulating her on her progress. The letter that Professor Dumbledore had sent her three weeks ago, shortly after her grandfather's death, was at the top of the heap. She pulled the letter from the stack of envelopes. The writing on the pages had begun to fade along the creases from the constant folding and unfolding of the letter due to the number of times she had read it.

Dear Miss Meryn Kingsley,

I have heard the unfortunate news of your grandfather's untimely death. I would be more than pleased to meet with you and discuss your plans for the future. You may not have known but your grandfather and I were very close friends and colleagues. He expressed to me that if anything should happen to him that he would leave the decision of what was in your best interest up to me. I have made arrangements for you to meet with me in three days time; I will come to see you in Romania I have taken it upon myself to view your student records both here and at Durmstrang, and I can't wait to speak with you. It seems that your grandfather has taught you well, as I expected. I hope to convince you to attend Hogwarts in the fall. Miss Kingsley, on a personal note I must tell you he was a very good man and I hope to see you well.

Yours sincerely,

Albus Dumbledore

Order of Merlin, first class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock,

Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. Of Wizards

Meryn folded the letter back up and slid it back into the envelope. She remembered when Professor Dumbledore had arrived exactly three days after she had received the letter. He had Apparated by himself. His blue robes had billowed in the wind, reminding her terribly of her grandfather, and his white beard had trailed down past his waist, blue eyes twinkling as they lit upon her face. He had stepped forward, took her had and shook it genteelly; she had felt more like a child at that moment then in her whole life. Her grandfather had never mentioned that Albus Dumbledore was a friend of his, but the Headmaster had been quite a lengthy topic of discussion in her grandfather's magical history classes. Meryn had been in awe of Professor Dumbledore's presence, and he had seemed to sense that.

"I see you know of my past achievements. I doubt your grandfather missed even a second of my exploits." Meryn had nodded her head as the headmaster began speaking again, "I wouldn't mind a cup of tea how about you?"

Meryn remembered how stupid she had felt at that moment. She had been acting more like a star struck fan than a host. They had sat in her grandfather's office and spoke over a cup of pleasant Romanian tea. He had explained to her that her grandfather had sent her transcripts and all of her homework assignments to both Hogwarts and Durmstrang over the past years, and not just the assignments that she was taking correspondence but all of the assignments in every subject. So in all actuality, she was enrolled into both schools, therefore the choice was hers to attend whichever school she most desired. She had taken in all Professor Dumbledore had said and after a moment she had spoken.

"Professor,"--she had stopped to clear her throat--"where would my grandfather wish me to attend?"

Professor Dumbledore had looked at her for a moment in quiet contemplation, "My child," he had said after a few moments, "I fear he would have left the decision up to you."

In her room, Meryn unfolded the letter again, looking at the Headmaster's skilled handwriting. That decision had been somewhat difficult for her: Durmstrang or Hogwarts. It had been the Potions classes that were to make her decision: which class held more of a challenge for her, which professor could meet her demands to become educated far beyond the classroom walls. She had sat in silence for a long time before she had spoken, looking directly into the Headmaster's sparkling eyes.

"I have to take a few things under consideration," she had said very slowly. "First I must tell you of my passion in potions, and I have been spoiled in what the professors have been teaching me. My skills are far beyond that of others my age, but I need to refine these skills." She paused again. "There are things I don't yet know of course, and there are things that I will be giving up if I choose one school or another."

Professor Dumbledore had nodded as she spoke.

She had sat pondering for sometime, hugging the mug of hot tea in her hands. Finally, she had looked up at the professor "Yes." She had smiled one of her rare smiles at him. "Hogwarts it is"

They had spoken of many things during the remainder of his visit: her grandfather, Meryn herself, but mainly of her preparations to attend Hogwarts. Any student who entered Hogwarts later than their first year had to take standardized tests to be sure they were up to par with the rest of their class. Meryn had completed her O.W.L.S. with nearly a fair number therefore there was no question she was to go into her sixth year. However they would need to decide what level of classes she would be attending.

Meryn would be leaving for Diagon Alley the following morning to retrieve what equipment she would need to perform her tests, as well as purchase school robes and get her wand tuned. Within the week Professor Dumbledore would send word to her at the Leaky Cauldron about when she would be expected to arrive at Hogwarts. She folded the parchment up one more time and replaced it in the stack of letters. She scanned quickly through the rest of the envelopes and stopped on one with midnight blue writing scrawled on the front. It was from Polakov, the Potions Master from Durmstrang. She had this letter memorized. He stated how disappointed he was that she had chosen to attend Hogwarts but wished for her to remain in contact with him. In that letter he named her as one of his prized students. The first time she had read his letter her heart had swelled with pride, and momentarily she thought perhaps she had made the wrong choice in schools. Yet all she had to do was think on Potion Master Snape's work: he was so intricate and exact. It was not only art to him; it was his life. Some thought this passion was the only thing Polakov lacked in his teaching. However most believed it was his knowledge of illegal potions and his lack of trepidation in teaching his students more then they needed to know.

Meryn finally retied the emerald ribbon around the letters and levitated them to her trunk. This was a hard habit for her to break. The Ministry had sent countless owls to her upon her arrival in England. They were much stricter with underage wizards using magic outside of school. Meryn quickly and quietly changed from her regular attire of dragon hide clothes to her pajamas. She stared at the ceiling after she had crawled under the covers and turned off her light. How different things were here! She thought of the dragons again--oh, how terribly she missed them!--and touched the leather chord around her neck on which hung a baby dragon's tooth. She'd had it forever and rubbed it unconsciously as she fell asleep.

***

Sometime in the middle of the night Meryn's peaceful sleep became plagued with nightmares, the same nightmares she had been having since her grandfather's death. She was in the encampment, and they had just returned from retrieving a dragon from an area south of where the camp was located. Upon her grandfather's request, she had gone to order some new charmed ensnarement cables (as well as the new pair of dragon hide gloves she had wanted) when she had heard a loud commotion coming from outside her grandfather's tent. She had rushed outside to see the vista she would never again forget in her life.

The dragon they had just captured had reared onto its hind legs, doubling its massive height, and its yellow eyes were searching wildly in every direction. It had pulled free of its tether, which is a near impossible feat. She looked over at her grandfather and saw an expression on his face that she had never seen before: fear. She stood there, her legs refusing to work, as the dragon's roaring became almost unbearable. What had they done wrong? Why was this dragon so enraged? She had a million thoughts running through her head all at once. The dragon's eyes fell upon her, and it regarded her for a moment, becoming so silent that she thought perhaps it was over but no. She felt a pair of strong arms grab her around the waist and the pain as the two bodies collided with the ground. No sooner was she aware of the impact with the ground then she felt the heat of the flame that had missed her by mere inches. She looked over at those strong arms and saw Charlie, his face drawn into pure concentration. She could practically see the adrenaline running through his veins. He ran her into the forest away from the wrath of the dragon and made her promise not to move until he came to retrieve her, to which she reluctantly agreed. Meryn knew an awful lot about dragons, but she was not yet strong enough to handle a dragon gone wild like this one.

She had waited for what seemed like forever in silent anticipation when she heard the scream. She had never in her entire life heard anything like it: was it man or beast? But shortly after she knew. She heard the dragon bellow as it fell to the ground with an earth-shattering crash. Minutes passed like hours in the silence that followed, but Charlie came like he promised because he never broke his promises. Meryn was always filled with false hope when her dream came to this point because she thought that perhaps she could change its path if she tried hard enough, but Charlie always limped up to her with blood smeared all over his face and clothes.

"Charlie," she would say.

And he would look at her with tears shimmering in his eyes. "I'm sorry."

In her dream she would know what he meant, but when it had actually happened, she had caused a scene screaming, "Charlie, you're sorry? Sorry for what?" he remained silent. "Tell me, Charlie, tell me." She could feel her voice wavering. "Charlie, is everything alright is everyone okay?"

"Meryn..." He took a step closer to her and wrapped his arms around her, but she stepped back away from him. "Don't," he would say as she walked from the safety of the trees. "Meryn, don't! It's better if you don't..."

Charlie always stopped as he saw the look on her face: devastation. The camp was ruined, blood was everywhere, and as though she hadn't seen enough, she caught a glimpse--only a glimpse--before Charlie spun her around.

"You don't need to see this, Meryn. I'm sorry." He took her face in his hands as she tried to turn and see if she saw what she had actually thought she had. His face inches from hers and on the brink of tears, he said, "He's gone."

***

Meryn woke up from her nightmare screaming, tears streaming down her face, but to her surprise, Charlie was already by her side, holding her protectively in his arms. After all these months he still could never understand why she had refused the memory charm to rid her of the things she had seen. He would do anything to purge her of the those horrible images. She cried in his arms until she fell asleep, and Charlie laid her carefully down on her pillow as he watched her beautiful face. His heart ached for her, and he felt so responsible for her pain. Perhaps if he had just checked lines more carefully, or if he had just... he did this every time he looked at her. He would try to switch places with her grandfather, anything to have the old Meryn back.

He sighed as he pulled a blanket out of her closet, found a comfortable spot on the floor next to Meryn's bed and listened to her even breathing. He had been lying on the bed in the spare room, lingering close to sleep, when he had begun to hear Meryn's whimpers through the wall. Over the last three months he had become super-sensitive to those sounds. He could hear them no matter where he was it seemed. Charlie just knew when she was in pain. He couldn't remember the last time she had given him that devilish smile, or winked in his direction in front of other girls just to displease him. He missed that--he missed her--and he just hoped that Meryn's going to Hogwarts might 'fix,' her. Charlie sighed once again as he laid his head down on his arm and closed his eyes.

***

Meryn awoke the next morning with a heavy feeling in her chest, and slowly the memories of the night before crept back into her mind. She could hear soft rhythmic breathing from somewhere in the room, and she looked down upon Charlie. Maybe in another life her and Charlie would have been more than friends, but after everything they had been through together... She watched him sleep for a while before she pulled herself from bed and crept silently from the room. She made herself some tea and took a step outside into the warm June air. Today would be the final day of school for the students at Hogwarts, and soon her term would begin. She heard Charlie walk up behind her and rest his chin on top of her head.

"How are you doing?"

She turned around to see the look of concern in his eyes. "Just fine Charlie," she said as she walked back into the house. "We should leave for Diagon Alley soon. I would prefer to do this as soon as possible." Meryn hated large crowds. She would rather spend time either reading books or tending to dragons.

Charlie didn't say anything, just looked at her. "I mean it. Are you okay?" He paused and looked at her questioningly. "You can tell me you know."

Meryn narrowed her hazel eyes fiercely, the yellow flecks in their depths burning , and he knew what that meant. It was the end of the discussion, and she would not justify him with even an acknowledgement. Charlie clamped his mouth shut as he poured himself a cup of tea and changed the subject.

"My mother and the rest of my family would love for you to come to the Burrow over the break." Meryn had heard many stories of events that had occurred at the Burrow but had never been there.

"Charlie I would love to meet your family." She paused. "I just have to ask Dumbledore for permission, since he's sort of like my guardian now."

She looked at Charlie who quickly accepted her answer. It was something he did often to amend a situation. To him there was always an upside, but in reality, there never usually was. It made Meryn uncomfortable sometimes and often she blamed it on his upbringing. Charlie had more love in his life than Meryn could even begin to know what to do with. His optimism was often refreshing although lately it was causing her mainly frustration. Charlie begin to prepare breakfast and she watched him sighing inwardly, Charlie, you don't seem to know how lucky you are. As she walked to the bathroom Charlie watched her out of the corner of his eye with quiet concern.

***

She soaked herself in the tub letting the warm water kill the tight knots in her back and shoulders. She didn't remember the last time she'd had a restful sleep, and the five minutes a day she spent in the bath were the only time she would actually feel rested. She slowly stood from her bath and wrapped the towel around herself and walked to her bedroom in order to dress for the day. Charlie shook his head as his eyes rested upon Meryn's closed door took a sip of his tea. He wished once again that he could do more for her but she just didn't seem to want the help

Meryn stepped into her room, pulled open one of her trunks and chose her clothing for the day. There wasn't mush selection: dragon hide, dragon hide, or dragon hide, in various shades of brown or black. Today she had decided on the dark chocolate brown boot-cut pants and a ribbed black t-back tank top with, as always, her boots, which added three inches to her height. Meryn was five foot three and her grandfather had always said that you did not need to be tall when you had such great stature. She grabbed her shoulder bag and walked out of her room as she pulled her long hair into a low ponytail at the nape of her neck. By the time Meryn arrived back into the kitchen Charlie was ready to leave, so they quickly ate and prepared to travel to Diagon Alley.