Little Dragon

chapter 38

Little Dragon

Authors Note: Happy New Year! Thank you all for your lovely reviews last chapter, it seems however, that only one of you lovelies caught onto what will happen this chapter! ;) Another wonderful thank you to my muse master Pica for helping to keep me on track. I honestly believe that she would like to strangle me sometimes, well, either me or my muse. Now, this chapter is short for which I cannot apologize enough, but I really want to get a chapter up tonight and am on the verge of falling asleep. Please see the end authors note for my reasoning. Now, while short I sincerely hope that you enjoy it regardless!

Disclaimer: I would really hope that the fact that I don't own Harry Potter would be obvious by now, I can't afford to buy Harry Potter, I can't even afford these hospital bills. They won't accept my knuts, sickles, and galleons, they seem to want muggle money, of which I have very little. How odd.

Chapter 38: Into the Den

Nymphadora Tonks was many things, clumsy, goofy, wild, an amazing Auror if she could get just a little more practice, but most of all she was a proud Hufflepuff. As such Tonks knew of every rule and routine that the Hufflepuff house had. After the events of tonight? There was no doubt in her mind that the Den had been put on lock down.

Why wouldn't Amelia listen to her when she said that it was a bad idea to go ahead and do a sweep of the common rooms?

Oh, right. because she had only just graduated from the academy and become a patrolling Auror. Wet behind the ears and all that rubbish.

Squaring her shoulders Tonks tries one last time to warn Dawlish of what they were about to face, if he did not listen to her now then that was that and at least she could enjoy the shock on his face when he came face to face with the inhabitants of the Den.

"Dawlish, when we get there please don't-."

"Tonks, no more. I won't hear anymore of this ambush rubbish. These are children still, and we are trained Aurors, even if they managed to attack us there would be no harm done." Dawlish all but snarled, his shoulders tight with aggravation. The Ravenclaw was a good Auror, but he tended to have a rather one track mind when it came to how to handle a situation properly.

With a mental shrug and a shake of her head Tonks continued on. Hopefully some of the older students would recognize her and simply bind her. As they approached the hidden entrance to the common room Tonks quickly sent a Patronus not to Amelia but rather Pomona Sprout. She would be the only one able to calm the badgers after what was about to happen...

The entrance to the Common Room glew a bright green color causing the students closest to the doorway to move back.

"Someone is trying to override the password," Austin Kirsty said as he drew his wand and leveled it at the door. "Aim to incapacitate only. Jinxes and Hexes. Older students to the front, first years to the back."

With the orders given the students fell into position quickly, the seventh years at the front, followed by the sixth years until the entitety of Hufflepuff house surrounded the doorway with their wands raised and a spell on their lips...

The silvery whisps of magic came together to form the shape of a jack rabbit, the message which has been bestowed upon it to deliver echoing continuously within its mind as it made its way through the halls of Hogwarts searching for its destined recipient.

Pomona Sprout, 49 years old, will be 50 on May 15th, Aura is green with yellow swirls, magic is light based, last know location according to caster is the school infirmary...

There.

Now, just to deliver the message so that I may fade.

The silvery figure dove through the thick walls that separated the infirmary from the corridor and quickly came to a stop in front of the appropriate recipient, sparing no thought to the others within the room.

The jaw of the rabbit dropped and the message which made up its being was finally delivered, a little more of the rabbits magic fading with each word spoken.

'Professor Sprout, we are just outside of the Den, Dawlish is attempting to bring down the locking charms. We need assistance immediately.'

With a bright flash of green the charms used to keep the Dens entrance locked came down. A moment of hesitancy passed through the Badgers in the room as they waited for the portal to open, one last breath so that they could cast their spells, some students adjusting their holds on their wands.

They were ready, they had been given their orders and they were prepared for whatever was about to come...

There! The sound of movement behind the portal refocused their attention as they heard the faint sound of a woman's voice hissing words which were indiscernible as the doorway was pushed open and a tall figure dawned in a plain grey trench coat, a wand held loosely at his side. As the figures light blue eyes took in the Hufflepuff students and their many wands pointed at him there was only time for one shocked breath before the spells began to fly and all that was visible became bright flashes of color accompanied by the ringing cries of various spells.

Tonks watched the catastrophe in amusement from the safety of her shield charm, pride for her fellow Hufflepuffs swelling within her.

Ever since her first year at Hogwarts Professor Sprout had emphasized the need for teamwork, cooperation, and unity. Of course they had never had a true need to show it at such a level when she had still been in school but they had been ready. She herself had felt great pride in being voted as one of the Houses delegates.

The delegates were those whom everyone in the Den had decided would be best to take charge and make the appropriate decisions for the other members of their house. Though not many could usually tell there was indeed a chain of command within Hufflepuff.

No, it wasn't as flashy or obvious as it was with the other houses. They didn't have a prince and princess like Slytherin, or the 'rowdiest of them all' as seemed to be Gryffindors leaders, nor did they exude the obvious superiority as Ravenclaws had. No, Hufflepuff as a whole ran rather smoothly, all dissagreements being handled quickly and privately so that it did not appear as though Hufflepuff had any conflict at all. The only time that the delegates were really needed was when there was a larger problem that could not be handled individually or if there was some other necessary emergency.

Looking at the collapsed form of Dawlish, Tonks carefully put her wand on the floor allowing the shield to fade as she raised her arms above her head.

"Take my wand and bind me, Professor Sprout is on her way down. You have all done well protecting the Den, I'm proud," Tonks said, a large smile stretching her cheeks.

As thick bands of magical ropes wrapped tightly around her chest Tonks let her gaze drift once again towards Dawlish's downed form and tried desperately to stifle a giggle.

The mans skin was now various shades of purple, grey, and orange; his signature trench coat either singed or transformed into various objects such as needles or torn and braided thanks to several beauty charms; his own bogeys flapping around his head and attacking, and finally to top off the image the man was also covered in glitter.

Needless to say Tonks lost the battle against her laughter.

Authors Note: Okay, so hopefully this turned out well, I've been trying to finish this chapter all day. As my luck would have it every time I go to save my internet kicks me off and I have to redo all that I have written. I will not lie to you my darlings, I am a little buzzed at the moment, it's New Years Eve and I'm celebrating with a couple members of my family (who are not making finishing this chapter any easier). So... Again, hopefully this came out decently. If not I will fix it later.

P.s. Please do not take Tonks' views on the head students in the other houses as my own. Tonks' views are her own, I am just the one that she chooses to express them through. My own thoughts on this matter will be tucked into this story as well, though I doubt it will be stated outright.

Happy reading my lovelies! May 2018 treat you better than 2017 has!