The loud crack of someone Apparating brought Harry out of the coma he had been in for the last ten hours.

“Good morning Harry,� the Minister of Magic said brightly.

“Morning Ernie,� Harry replied groggily.

Ernie Macmillan, one of Harry’s former schoolmates, had been elected Minister of Magic just two months ago. Some were saying that he was too young for the job, and at times Harry had been inclined to agree with them, but Ernie seemed to be competent enough.

Harry yawned and reached for the glass of water on his nightstand. “What is it this time?� he asked. Part of Ernie’s success thus far could probably be attributed to Harry; whenever a problem arose Ernie quickly turned to Harry for help. So far Harry had been able to come through, but the constant demand was beginning to wear on him.

“Well…� Ernie began slowly, “I suppose I’ll get straight to it then. We have a slight problem at Azkaban.�

Harry resisted the urge to snort. He very much doubted that Ernie would be here if the situation were minor. Sipping quietly on his water, he waited patiently for Ernie to continue.

“I tried to handle this one without you Harry—honestly I did—but…� he hesitated. “Well, the dragon is going berserk, and its already injured five Aurors, and I contacted the company we bought it from, but they have a strict hands-off policy after delivery.� He spoke in a strained voice, like somebody that is trying to appear calmer than they really are.

Harry nodded. “I suppose it’s hard to blame them,� he said, standing up and moving towards the closet. “I doubt Why exactly are you still using the dragon? I thought it was just a temporary measure.�

“It was, but I decided that the dragon was preferable to the alternative.�

Harry nodded. “Dementors.�

“Yes,� Ernie shuddered, “I’ve hated them ever since…well, you remember of course.�

Harry did remember. During his third year at school a supposed murderer had escaped from Azkaban, and Dementors had been stationed at every entrance. It had not been a pleasant experience, but by the end of the year he had learned to deal with the creatures. Since then he had not had much difficulty with them.

“So you’ll do it then?� Ernie asked anxiously, interrupting Harry’s thoughts. Ernie did not bother waiting for an answer. “Wonderful. Knew I could count on you Harry. Thanks again.�

Before Harry could respond, Ernie had disappeared. “Sure,� he said to no one in particular as he pulled a clean shirt over his head. “No problem.�

* * *

Five minutes later Harry had conjured and eaten a small breakfast, and was ready to leave. With a quick thought of his destination and a sharp turn around, he was gone. The familiar squeezing sensation gripped him, tightening his stomach and making it difficult to breathe; but Harry waited patiently, knowing it would soon pass. A moment later he found himself staring through a haze of darkness at the island of Azkaban.

He had only been here on two other occasions. Once, during his seventh year at Hogwarts, he and his friends had come to question a prisoner. They had ended up in an encounter with a dragon, probably the same dragon Ernie had told him was causing trouble. Another time, just two years ago, Harry had been called by the last Minister to hunt down a former Death Eater. After capturing the murderous villain, Harry had brought his captive here.

Despite his previous visits, the dark oppressive atmosphere still surprised Harry. His memory of the place did not do it justice; it was far worse than he had remembered. The island was shrouded in a darkness so thick that it could be felt; a darkness that swallowed any light that dared come near. Gloominess and depression encircled Harry’s mind, like two wolves moving in on their prey. Harry shook his head, trying to rid it of the awful foreboding that threatened to choke him.

He strode forward, passing between the two sleeping griffins that lay chained to either side of the gate. Out of the blackness a tall figure emerged. Whoever it was (Harry was guessing that it was a man, but he could not be sure) had dressed himself in robes that matched the surroundings, and had pulled his hood low over his face. The figure stood still, waiting patiently for Harry to come to him. At last Harry stopped. They faced each other without moving or speaking.

A loud roar broke through the silence. Harry chuckled. “That reminds me,� he remarked, “I came to take care of your dragon problem.�

The dark man turned and opened the door, motioning for Harry to proceed. Harry stepped past him, through the door and into the black hole of Azkaban.

He tapped his temple with his wand as he entered, adjusting his vision to the absence of light. It was a spell he had created himself, getting the idea from Muggle “night vision� goggles.

Another roar shook the tunnel, bringing a light dust cascading down from the ceiling. Harry continued forward, ignoring the haze. A hot breeze flowed down the hallway blowing the sand back into his face. Well at least they have the furnace well-stoked, Harry thought grimly.

As he turned a corner in the tunnel, Harry received his first glimpse of flame. He hurried the last few feet to the end and walked out into the large cobble-stoned courtyard. The dragon stood in the middle, blowing fire into the blackness of the sky. A large chain was coiled at its feet; one end had been drilled into the ground, while the other was fastened to the thick neck of the beast.

Harry took a deep breath and stepped forward, attempting to draw attention to himself. The beast did not seem to notice and continued its angry rampage. Have it your way! Harry made a stabbing motion with his wand and a purple spiraling streak of light shot out of it.

The dragon roared in pain as the spell hit it in the face. It turned quickly, searching for the source of the spell. The roving eyes found Harry and another ear-splitting roar shook the ground. The message was clear—You asked for it!

The next thing Harry knew, a stream of flames was headed directly towards him. He flicked his wrist deftly upward, as though pointing the fire towards the sky above his head. The strong updraft of wind he had created with his spell blew the oncoming inferno over Harry’s head by several feet, leaving a large scorch mark on the wall behind him.

It did not take the dragon long to switch tactics. Having failed to burn the pesky wizard, the dragon charged, planning to rip him to shreds.

Harry stood calmly, waiting for the right moment. Just before the dragon reached him, he turned and Apparated behind the beast. The giant lizard whirled, spotted Harry, and swung its long, spiked tail in a vicious arc. Again Harry Disapparated, this time appearing on the dragon’s right side. A blast of flame erupted from the beast.

Protego! Harry thought quickly.

The fire engulfed Harry’s small sphere of protection, and the dragon, sensing victory, continued to blow. Harry strained, knowing that if he let the shield down he would be fried instantly.

The two struggled on, each determined to outlast the other. Finally, the dragon had to break for breath. Harry seized the opportunity and Apparated to the other side of the courtyard, trying to give himself time to gather his thoughts. The dragon sat huffing for a few moments, attempting to regain its breath. They stared at each other across the enclosure, searching for an exploitable weakness.

At last the dragon started forward again. It approached cautiously this time, claws clicking on the stone floor. Harry continued to wait, knowing that the monster would reach him soon enough. After all, good things come to those who wait. He was not sure how those words applied in this situation, but he waited anyway.

When the dragon was halfway to him, Harry decided it was time. He extended both arms outward. His open palm was pointed up, and his wand held ready. Suddenly, he took a step forward and pushed outward with his hands, as though he were shoving someone backward. Instantly the dragon was knocked from its feet. As it clumsily tried to right itself, Harry returned his hands to their previous position. He then lifted his hands sharply.

The dragon watched in bewilderment as the stones it was standing on, along with those surrounding it, were raised into the air. A few seconds later the beast found itself standing on a mass of cobblestones that were suspended forty feet above the ground. Harry flicked his wand and waves appeared in the rocks. The dragon had a very difficult time trying to maintain a firm foothold as the rocks flew up and down like a giant rug being shaken out.

Harry pointed his wand at the ground in front of him and made an upward flicking motion with it. At the same time he leapt forward onto the rising square of stones, and as the platform slowly floated towards the dragon, Harry sent two more spells at the beast.

The dragon glared at Harry as he drew nearer, longing to reach out and rip his arms off. Suddenly, despite not having stable footing, the beast swung at him. Not expecting the off-balance attack, Harry jumped backwards, off of the square of stones. He caught hold of the edge with his left hand and with some quick wand-work was able to rearrange a few of the stones into steps. Nimbly climbing each step, he swung himself back onto the platform in one easy motion.

Harry decided that he was beginning to tire of this dragon. He made a complicated twirling motion with his wand and pulse of bright yellow light slammed into the head of the beast.

As the dragon fought to keep upright, its left leg slid down one of the shifting hills in the rocky platform. The movement caused the dragon’s whole body to spin sideways. Using the momentum from the turn, the dragon brought its tail around at full speed. Harry, now wary after the previous attack from the dragon, had been ready. He leapt up and away from the incoming tail, arcing his back as he did so. He then kicked his feet hard over his head, propelling himself into a perfect back flip. Midway through his rotation, he flicked his wand above his head and conjured a tall pillar. He had placed the platform perfectly, and his flip carried him to a deft landing in the middle of it.

There was no time for a pat on the back however, for the dragon had turned back toward him and had opened its mouth without roaring. Harry had a pretty good idea what that meant, and hurriedly conjured another pillar behind the beast. Sure enough, a jet of flame spewed from the dragon moments later, engulfing the pillar that Harry had occupied seconds earlier.

Standing on the second pillar directly behind the beast, Harry hoped it would take the dragon a minute to find him. Taking advantage of the situation, he selected two sections of rock from the floor. The two sections rose on either side of the dragon, and the beast turned to look at them quizzically. With another flick of his wand, Harry sent the rocks hurtling towards the dragon simultaneously. Unable to move because of the taut chain attached to its neck, the dragon could only watch helplessly as the two walls of rock crashed into it from both sides.

Harry waved his wand again. All of the rocks that had been held aloft fell to the ground. The dragon opened its wings quickly, and floated softly down. It landed on the huge pile of rocks that had been animated only moments before.

Harry jumped off of the pillar he had been standing on and fell softly to the ground with the aid of a spell. He did not waste time upon landing. A quick wave of his wand sent the platform flying towards the dragon. The beast swung its tail to meet the projectile and the pillar broke apart into pieces. Harry was not discouraged, and another flick of his wand sent the first pillar crashing into the unprotected back of the dragon. The beast stumbled forward awkwardly, reeling from the blow. It shook its giant head, trying to rid its vision of the stars that had suddenly appeared.

Stepping forward, Harry concentrated on one final spell. He slashed down viciously with his wand and a bird-shaped surge of light erupted from it. The flaming bird curled around, searching for its target. It smashed into the exposed chest of the dragon and burst in a brilliant explosion of light. The force of the spell knocked the dragon back and it fell to the ground hard.

Harry watched cautiously, not ready to assume the beast was finished. It lay still, unmoving and silent.

“Is it dead?� a voice asked tentatively.

Harry looked towards the entrance and saw Ernie. The minister stepped forward, but Harry held up a hand of warning, and Ernie stopped. Harry pointed his wand at a small piece of rubble and lobbed the rock at the prone beast. It bounced harmlessly off and there was no response. Circling warily, Harry tried to get a better view of the head. Both eyes were closed, and the neck was resting at an awkward angle that Harry knew would be very uncomfortable if the beast were only feinting. He twirled his wand slowly, and the body rolled over as limp as a rag doll.

Satisfied, Harry turned to Ernie. “I didn’t kill it,� he said, “though I must admit I was tempted several times.�

“Thanks a lot Harry,� Ernie said, extending his hand. Harry grasped it, shaking firmly.

“Don’t mention it,� Harry replied.

“Well,� Ernie said, glancing around, “I think I’ll be on my way. This place gives me the creeps.� He turned back as he reached the doorway. “You, uh…don’t mind cleaning up do you?� he asked hopefully, gesturing towards the rubble and rocks strewn across the floor.

Harry looked around, surveying the damage. “Nah,� he said, “let the maid get it.�