Rescuing Dragons

Promises and Plans

 The first thing Raven became aware of was dazzling light. No matter how tightly Dilly tried to close the curtains, sunbeams forced their way through the gaps. Several times during the night, the worried elf had tiptoed over to Raven just to reassure herself that her mistress was safe and well. After Raven's ordeal last evening — and the one before — she deserved a bit of a lie-in. Raven brought her hand to her chest, thinking of the deadly green light that had almost found her. It seemed like a horrible nightmare but her sore wrists were proof it was real. She sat up just in time to see Dilly walking in with hot tea and croissants.

"Good morning, Miss Raven!"

"I love you, Dilly."

Dilly looked up in surprise and said softly, "I loves you too..., is everything okay?"

"It's just important to never take things for granted. Life is fragile."

"Yes, mistress. Things can reminds us of that."

"If something happened to me, where would you want to go?"

Dilly looked fearful. "Are you sure nothin's wrong?"

"Yes, I just think there should be a plan. I don't want you to be with the Malfoys. I would never want you near Lucius." Dilly sighed quietly with relief. "I'm thinking Draco and Astoria if that's okay with you. Lyra told me wonderful things about Andromeda but I don't really know her."

Dilly was quiet for a moment. "What if you gets married?"

"Just for now, I think it should be Draco and Astoria. If we get to know Andromeda and you like her better — or if I get married — it can be changed. How does that sound?"

"Whatever you wants, Miss Raven."

"No, I want it to be what you want. That's what I want."

"I agrees with whats you said."

Raven smiled and gave her a hug. "I guess I should get up." She began to get dressed while pondering what to tell Charlie.

If she stayed here, how often could she see him? He said it was almost 9,000 kilometers from here to his workplace in Romania. It wouldn't be fair to take Brae from her herd, plus she would be in too much danger around all those dragons. Apparating or using the Floo Network would be dangerous for Chit so she'd have to use a broom. That meant it would take almost five days to get there, even on a Firebolt. The summer holidays would be the only time there were enough travel days to do that. That meant Charlie would have to do most of the traveling. He could Apparate from various points, or perhaps the Ministry of Magic could give him a Portkey.

If she left here, what would that mean? Dilly had opened the bedroom curtains and Raven walked over to take in the view. The trees were at their peak of Autumn splendor. The late morning sun lit up the golden forest and the sky was a delicate azure blue. Her heart ached at the thought of leaving this. Raven had only been here around three months but it felt like home. She cracked open the window and could smell mouldering leaves and the distant smoke from a bonfire. It was Monday but the Headmistress had declared it a holiday for students and staff since everyone was up late the night before. The students were outside, protected from the chilly weather in their cloaks and House scarves. A few were flying at the Quidditch pitch but most of them were on the lawn. Some standing in huddles or playing games but the rest were gathered around a large bonfire, drinking hot cider and watching Fire Salamanders play in the crackling logs. Their laughter drifted up to her window.

Leaving here would mean giving up a prestigious position with possibly the largest collection of magical books in the wizarding world at her disposal. While it would be hard to leave so many colleagues she'd grown to respect and care for, the real difficulty would be leaving her family. She would never get the chance to know Andromeda, and Brae would have to stay here. But what about Charlie? It was hard to imagine being here or anywhere without him. They could be together all the time if she moved to Romania, and she would definitely have more time for research. Plus she wouldn't have to deal with all the drama this place seems to attract. Raven had made her decision.