“You are incredibly ugly, you know that? Of course, you probably take that as a compliment.”
Jillian stroked the chin of the tiny dragon that she had been taking care of for the past three days. Since the dragon was so small, it could be kept at Hogwarts without danger.
Jillian studied the dragon - she had named it Seinte from the name of a famous dragon studier - and clucked at it. Seinte in turn clucked back and snuggled closer. Her scales were slightly uncomfortable, but Jillian loved it when they cuddled. It reminded her of all the pets she had wanted and never gotten.
She grinned at the thought of what her mother would say if Jillian told her she had a dragon. First, she would probably faint, then she would ask if it would hurt her carpets.
“I have never seen a dragon cuddle with anyone. It’s bloody strange.”
Jillian raised her eyes up to Peter’s - the Slytherin now had a name. About time. “Have you ever seen a dragon before this?”
He grinned and nodded. “My uncle had one once, but it nearly burned his house to cinders so he had to sell it. It was brilliant!”
Jillian grinned and turned back to Seinte. Peter and Jillian had settled on a sort of truce during their detentions, and it was working perfectly. Jillian would care for the dragon, and Peter would look after the cage. Since they rarely fought - unless you count the first time when Peter had shoved her into the cave and almost onto Seinte - detention wasn’t as horrible as she originally thought it would be.
She hummed a small tune as the dragon opened its mouth in a yawn. They only had to send it to sleep before they got out of detention, and Jillian was also getting tired. When Seinte was finally lulled to sleep, Jillian laid her gently on a fire-proof blanket and walked out of the cage. They couldn’t stay in the cage while Seinte slept because she snored in flames. It had been her bad luck to stay and almost get caught on fire the first night.
Peter locked the cage door and tip-toed - very exaggeratingly - out of the stables. Jillian followed with a chuckle. Peter was actually nice for a Slytherin, although, he could seem a little distant when he was thinking. He also had quite a temper, but so did Jillian, so she didn’t mind.
The walked along the edge of the Dark Forest in silence. Jillian peered through the branches curiously and sighed. She really had wanted to go into the Forest, but it was too dangerous for students.
Suddenly, Peter grabbed her arm and stared across the dark grounds. There was a shape moving swiftly toward them.
Peter grabbed Jillian’s hand and pulled her into the Forest.
“Wha-”
Peter put his hand over Jillian’s mouth to stopped her from making any noise as the hurried form got closer. Jillian could see that it walked on two legs and wondered why Peter was so worried. She struggled slightly, but he didn’t let go.
Instead he whispered, “Stay still. We need to move back into the Forest carefully. We don’t want to be seen!”
Jillian’s eyes widened at the thought of going into the Forest. She was just kidding when she thought about going into it. She really didn’t want to go any further. She started to struggle harder, but Peter grasped her upper arm and dragged her along with him as he moved back into the Forest.
They could still see through the trees and watch the form getting closer until it reached the trees. There was very loud breathing as it entered the trees and looked around. Jillian’s eyes widened when a form suddenly appeared beside the other one.
She would have gasped, but Peter’s hand was still making sure no sound escaped. Jillian watched as the two forms started having a quiet conversation. She only caught a few words as they whispered to each other.
“Dumbledore…not good…only sign…night…Dark Forest!”
“Wizards…destroying the…time is…Dumbledore…duty…life.”
It continued on like this as Peter dragged her a bit further back into the Forest until they couldn’t see or hear the two forms any more.
Jillian could hear her heart beating until she heard the distinct sound of someone walking toward them. Then, her heart stopped, literally.
Jillian could tell Peter was holding his breath as he moved back another step. There was a snap of a twig, and Jillian closed her eyes, knowing that they would be caught for sure.
Instead, the footsteps started moving away, and Jillian opened her eyes. Jillian and Peter stayed unmoving for a few minutes before Jillian suddenly elbowed Peter in the stomach.
He let her go with a grunt, and Jillian turned toward him. She whispered, “What just happened here?”
Still clutching his stomach, he only answered, “Don’t tell anyone about what happened. You can’t tell anyone, or there will be more danger than you know.”
Jillian stared at him searchingly and asked, “Do you know who they were?”
He shook his head and said, “That’s what I’m trying to figure out.”
She opened her mouth to ask another question, but only a small squeak of terror came out. Peter, noticing where she was looking, turned quickly and stood face-to-face with a very large spider. He gaped at it and stepped back. The spider breathed on them loudly before suddenly turning and running through the trees.
Jillian clutched her chest and said, “That was the scariest thing I’ve ever seen in my life!”
Peter nodded in agreement and grabbed her hand, tugging her out of the Forest. When they were safely out of the trees, Jillian suddenly asked, “So, you brought me in the Forest because?”
“It was for your protection.”
“Into the Forest? For protection? You’re mad!”
Peter rolled his eyes and started across the grounds. Jillian followed him and asked, “What are we supposed to do now?”
He shook his head and replied, “Nothing. That’s all we can do. Nothing.”
Jillian looked at him thoughtfully and walked to the castle with no further questions.
How can we do nothing. I know something bad happened, and I’m going to find out just what it was! She thought as she stamped into the castle. She yawned and decided to go to bed first and search for something when she was refreshed in the morning.
Author's Note: Well, I hope you enjoy the suspense! I finally gave you his name, although I need help with the last name. If you have any ideas, put it in your reviews, and I'll see if I can use it. Thank you, guys. I love all my readers!