Hermione wandered back to her flat slowly, she had no need to get back quickly, nor did she particularly want to. Her day had been fairly uneventful so far - but she liked it that way. There had been more than enough escapades, adventure and danger going on over the past few years to last her for a long time.
It didn't seem so long ago that she had asked to be transferred to Romania for work. She had heard so much about Romania from the Weasleys that she couldn't help but want to see it for herself. Besides, she needed to take a break, get away from home, England, and all it's connotations.
Charlie Weasley had helped her settle in at first, which she was very grateful for - especially considering recent circumstances. However, he was called away a lot, especially after the outbreak of Doxy Flu leaving the Dragon Keepers shorthanded.
As Hermione walked back through the field, a sudden movement to her right caught her attention. A Welsh Green dragon reared back on her hind legs. She had the witch in her sights and was prepared to strike. Matilda, the witch, stood on the ground, her broomstick in splinters and her wand flung far from her body. Her goal had been to administer an immunity potion, to protect the creature from Dragon Pox. Her only thought now, though, was to get away with her own life.
Usually the witches and wizards of the Dragomirna Dragon Preserve in Romania worked in teams of four, Hermione knew that from Charlie. But there had been a virulent outbreak of Doxy Flu among the dragon keepers, and an epidemic of Dragon Pox threatened the dragon population. The witches and wizards that had not yet succumbed to the flu were obliged to spread out and immunize as many dragons as possible in hopes of minimizing the spread of the one disease.
Matilda's partner was obviously not with her, for whatever reason. Hermione supposed that he or she had returned to the compound for more doses of potion. Matilda should obviously not have attempted this immunization alone, but had clearly not anticipated things going so horribly wrong.
Hermione only knew Matilda vaguely, she remembered Charlie introducing her over dinner shortly after she had arrived. She hadn't spoken to her much since then, only 'how do you do' and other niceties in passing.
What on earth should I do? Hermione asked herself, aware that she had not much time to decide. She barely knew anything about dragons - her main focus in Care of Magical Creatures had been not to get bitten, burnt, or on the receiving end of whatever Hagrid's latest pet could do, instead of memorising emergency dragon procedures.
But really, Hermione decided, she only had one choice. I wouldn't be a true Gryffindor otherwise, she thought as she ran over to Matilda, her wand at the ready.
"Stupefy!" Hermione screamed as she neared Matilda and the nearing dragon, but the spell only succeeded in angering the dragon more, smoke billowing out of its nose. "Aguamenti!" she yelled again, this time doing more than just angering the Welsh Green, accomplishing her goal and distracting it away from Matilda. Unfortunately, it didn't just distract it away from Matilda - it focused it's attention onto Hermione herself.
"Didn't think this through..." Hermione cursed - this must be one of the only times she hadn't thought her actions through and it had to be the time when it was a life or death situation.
Hermione briefly considered trying the Permanent Sticking Charm to try and stick the dragon to the ground, but she doubted it would work - besides, in the unlikely event that she managed to stick it permanently to the floor, it could still breathe fire - and Matilda didn't look up to any high-speed dragon chases. But what other spell could she use? Why did dragon skin have to be so tough?
Hermione raised her wand, staring into the dragon's eyes, which bore an uncanny resemblance to fire itself, as it descended down towards her.
"Stupefy!" half a dozen voices yelled, as the dragon slumped down as the rays of light found their marks and Hermione let out a sigh of relief. She quickly ran over to Matilda, who had fallen to the ground, looking nearly as pale as Nearly-Headless Nick.
"Are you alright?" one of the dragon tamers asked, approaching Hermione and Matilda. Hermione couldn't help but notice the burn scar running down his left cheek and the reddish patch seeping through his shirt on his right shoulder. "Ryan Naylor," he added, holding out his hand.
"Hermione Granger," she said with a weak smile as she shook his hand. "Yes, I'm okay thanks. I'm not sure about Matilda though." Hermione looked over with concern at the woman next to her, who, although she was blinking and looked a little less dazed, still didn't seem to have regained any colour or strength.
The dragon keeper crouched down next to Matilda, looking into her eyes and taking in her somewhat dishevelled appearance. "Yes, it's as I thought - Dragon Pox," he explained, turning back to Hermione. "It's lucky you came when you did and held that dragon off - there's no way she could have tackled it on her own, especially not with the Pox."
"But Dragon Pox isn't that serious, is it? I mean, they found a cure for it the 16th century, it's easily dealt with," she pointed out, dredging up facts from her memory. Ryan smiled at her before conjuring up a stretcher for Matilda.
"Normally, no, you're right. But something's happened or mutated - this isn't regular Dragon Pox. We don't know what it is, or much of what it does, and until we find that it's pretty hard finding the cure. Nearly everyone's down with it round her, it's getting worse all the time. What with that and the lack of people or facilities round here to help, we're pretty much at a loss for what to do - and the dragons themselves are getting worse too. I'm sure everything will work out though, I mean they've found a cure for the original one, I'm sure they will for this too," he added quickly, realising he must have scared Hermione by the startled look on her face. However, his words didn't sound convincing. "The best thing - the only thing - to do now is to take her back to camp. Hopefully they'll be able to help..." With that, he picked up his broom and prepared to return to his companions who were nearly finished dealing with the Welsh Green.
"Wait! Aren't you coming back too?" Hermione asked, seeing that he had no intentions of accompanying her and Matilda back, and besides, he looked injured himself.
"No, we're short staffed as it is at the moment, and we have six more dragons to immunise before sunset - and likely as not, people to save from the dragons or the Pox - whichever gets them first! Good luck," he called over his shoulder with a wry smile as he flew off.
Hermione sighed, wondering if she had jinxed herself from the beginning, thinking things might have settled down for her now. She walked beside Matilda's stretcher, somewhat pacified by the fact that she seemed to be resting.
When they finally reached camp, Hermione was nearly as shocked as when she had heard Ryan tell her an epidemic may be on the loose. The camp seemed to be in pure chaos - only the Weasley twins were nowhere in sight to have been at the cause of it, which they usually were when things got messy. But this looked serious. There were people running about everywhere, loose potion bottles rolling around, trails of gauze and bandages lying forgotten at bedsides whist Healers hurried to attend to the groaning patients.
"What's happened?" Hermione couldn't help but gasp, only everyone was far too rushed and troubled to welcome her.
"No one knows, that's the problem," a deep, dry voice answered from a bed to her left. Hermione looked at the man, who could have been fairly young, but experience and wounds added on years to his eyes. "If it's the Pox, something's gone terribly wrong. If it's something else, no-one can figure out what exactly it is. Whatever it is, nothing seems to be helping. A few of us are recovering, but only very slowly. Far more aren't. That your friend, there?" he asked, looking over to Matilda's listless body on the stretcher still hovering behind Hermione. Hermione nodded silently, still taking in her surroundings. "Then you best get her out of here."
"But this is the camp! Where else should I take her - there are Healers here, and help! Surely this is the best place for her?"
The man snorted, almost smiling at her naivety. "Look around you! Do really consider this help? No, you'd be far better off taking her somewhere - anywhere - else, where she can recover." Hermione shook her head, but even as she did, she could see the sense in the man's words. The few Healers that were there were young and harassed, she could see worry-lines on their foreheads that shouldn't have taken residence there for a good few more years. She could see tears prickling in the eyes of Healer and patient alike as the uselessness sank in, though they fought it with all there might. She may not have known Matilda for very long, but she couldn't have saved her from that dragon just to leave her to die there.
"But - but - I'm not a Healer! I don't know what to do!" Hermione protested weakly, but even so she knew what she had to do - and she didn't like it.
"You may not be a Healer, but you're here. You say you can't help her - then take her to someone who can. And trust me, they won't be here. You look like a bright girl, you'll find a way."
The trouble for Hermione wasn't finding the way - that she already knew. The trouble was accepting it. Come on, Matilda's health is what's important here, Hermione reminded herself as she thanked the man and left unnoticed. And the one place she might actually get better is St. Mungo's. Plus, if they manage to heal her, they could heal everyone in Romania! Think about what's more important here, Hermione. Saving hundreds of people's lives, or your own problems. So, it means going back to London - facing what you just ran away from. You're a Gryffindor! You're not supposed to run away from things! You're supposed to face them! Growl at them, even! Hermione tried to convince herself as she walked away, keeping a watchful eye on Matilda. But what if there's somewhere else that could heal her? I'm sure London isn't the only hospital in the wizarding world... Even if it is the one with the best staff and facilities, and with the best chance of helping Matilda... Hermione sighed. There was no way of getting around it. She would have to go back to London, even if going back to London did mean going back to what she had been trying to avoid for the past few months...
"But how on earth am I going to get there?" Hermione asked aloud, though immediately regretting it as Matilda's eyelids flickered. There was no way Matilda was going to be well enough to Apparate, and she didn't have any Floo Powder, let alone fireplaces!
"Hermione?" Matilda's voice drifted up from where she had woken on the stretcher. "It is Hermione, isn't it?" she asked, making sure she had her rescuer's name correct, reminding Hermione of how little they actually knew each other.
"Yes, Hermione Granger. Are you felling alright?" Hermione inquired gently, stopping so that the stretcher lay still.
"I'll live," she said in an effort to sound upbeat. Hermione tried to smile back, but those words struck her in how they may not come true, Ryan's words echoing in her mind of how no one knew what to do, that things were getting worse all the time...
"Right, well we have to get you back to L - London, St. Mungo's," Hermione told her, making her decision for definite now - she couldn't go back on her word. Besides, doesn't a part of you secretly almost want to go back there? Hermione asked herself, though immediately banishing the thought from hr brain. "But how to get there... Come on, this is Romania, not the Stone-age..." However, it may as well have been, the Dragomirna Dragon Preserve was an extremely remote area. Hermione could see that Matilda needed immediate attention, but how on earth could she get her to London quickly without Apparating or Floo?
"There must be something round here..." Hermione wondered aloud as she looked again at her surroundings. It was then that she saw it. "Oh no. No, no, no, no, no!" For the answer was right in front of her. In fact, the answer was all around her. But how Hermione hated flying... Especially on Dragons.
Escaping Fate - Alongside Certain Death And Other Such Predicaments by Oppungo
Chapter Notes: A huge thank you to hogwartsduchess for betaing at such short notice!