Mei Potter, Year Four | Twin from America

Chapter Twenty Three: Venom

          The stands were cheering when I came out but I had to focus on this stupid winged snake. It's small and fast but it is also deadly. Whenever I saw movement, I froze. I knew the dragon was agitated by the crowd and based on the metallic sounds, I knew it was also chained. I turned around a boulder and made eye contact with the copper scaled creature. I bowed to it.

          The stadium was quiet and I was closing my eyes when I extended my hand to it. I could feel it moving to me, it's breath was blowing against my whole body. I felt scales under my hand. I opened my eyes and saw claws by my feet. Slowly I looked up and saw the creature again. She was studying me. After a minute, she took me in her mouth but I knew she wasn't going to eat me. The crowd erupted into screams but I tried to give the audience a thumbs up. She was adopting me like a dog would.

          She brought me to her egg and before I could grab it and run, I was wrapped in her tail. I kept my wand strapped against my thigh and I was able to grab it but I couldn't hurt her. I aimed at the boulder I was hiding behind and casted an explosion spell. The spell scared the dragon and let me loose so that I could run to the egg. I saw her claws coming and jumped for it. Her claws missed me, but her head followed. I grabbed the egg as I felt her bite into my thigh.

          I screamed and the cannon sounded, indicating that I had finished the first task. I heard people screaming my name and Charlie came out and stunned the dragon. He caught me as I fell from her mouth while I kept one hand on my leg and the other holding the egg. Charlie took me back to the tent where Professor Dumbledore and Professor Snape came in. Charlie worked quickly and it scared me to see him so serious. I was laid flat on my back on the edge of a table and my knees hung off the end. He took off his belt and tightened it around my thigh to stop the blood circulation. Her fangs curled inward and she punctured my inner left thigh.

          I could feel the venom travelling and Charlie said, "Sorry, Mei," as he put his mouth to my wound.

          I was in too much pain to be embarrassed at the position I was in, I couldn't stop crying. He sucked out the venom and spat it out on the ground. Professor Snape had tonics prepared in advance for situations like this. After a few minutes, I was starting to feel better and thanks to the belt, I wasn't bleeding out as much as I would be. Professor Dumbledore instructed Charlie to take me to the infirmary.

          "I remember the way," Charlie reassured him and Professor Snape gave me a tonic to help with the remaining venom that may have spread when I was bit.

          Charlie had to carry me.

          "I'm sorry, Charlie," I apologized.

           "Mei! Stop that! You were brilliant out there!" he said as he looked at me.

          He smiled despite my blood on his face. He carried me quickly and ignored all the students. To my surprise, a lot of people were waiting for me at the infirmary.

          "Mei!" Harry shouted once he saw me, "What happened to you?"

          I was surprised to see him.

          "Harry! What happened to you?" I asked him.

          He was being treated for minor cuts. Madam Pomfrey kicked out my crowd of friends and she and Charlie got to work on my thigh.

          "You're very lucky she didn't get your femur, Mei," Charlie told me, "Venom into your bones is a different situation entirely."

          I nodded at him, now embarrassed that his face was at my thigh in the tent. I got a few stitches and it hurt to walk, but I was ok other than that. Harry, Charlie, and I were told we could go back to our common room and I received a note from Draco while I was in the infirmary.

'Mei,

Please meet me at the Astronomy tower tonight at 8pm.

Your Draco'

         It was only 4pm and I was hoping I could make it up all those stairs by myself. I put the note away and Charlie and Harry were assisting me up the stairs to the portrait.

          "You should come in, Charlie. It would be a nice surprise for your brothers," I begged.

          "I can't say no to you, love," Charlie teased and came in.

          There was a huge celebration for us. Harry was being carried by the twins and Seamus wanted us to open the egg. There was a horrible screeching noise when he opened it and the party stopped.

          "What the bloody hell was that all about?" Ron questioned.

          I was off to the side talking to Charlie about how to treat the wound and what to look out for if it was infected. Ron and Harry seemed to have made up and I told Charlie I would walk back with him when I caught the twins staring at me.

          "Are you sure, Mei?" he asked, worried.

          "Mhm," I nodded, "and if I need help, I'll whistle for you."

          He took my hand and we left for the Great Hall.

          "You must be starving," I told him.

          He was packing up some food, "I missed this. But I better be getting back. I don't want to overstay here and I need to check the dragons."

          He kissed me quickly, "Do be a good girl for me?"

          I blushed, "Oh, I'm not easy to tame."

          He gave me some encouragement, "You know, normal people can't earn a dragon's respect to the point of being adopted. You're brave and you survived dragon venom. You're stronger than you give yourself credit for. So don't keep yourself chained down. Go for the things that make you happy."

          When he left, it was nearly 8pm and I made my way to Draco. I want to be happy.