Love In The Time of Voldemort

Chapter Six

This time it's Draco that pulls Hadara into a bone crushing hug. He holds her tight against him in the abandoned corridor.

"I wish I could keep you here forever."

"The task begins in an hour."

"What if we just ran away together instead?"

Hadara laughs and leans in to place a gentle kiss on his neck. Draco's eyes close at the contact, overwhelmed by feeling.

"You know that the tournament's magic would drag me back here, kicking and screaming."

Draco groans dramatically. "Promise me you're not going to do something stupid."

Hadara takes a soft step backwards. "I will make no such promise. Being stupid has saved my life more than once."

Draco takes a step closer and cradles her face in his hands. "You can't possibly know how important you are to me, how much it would wreck me to lose you."

"I know," Hadara assures him. "I feel the same."

Draco glances at his watch. "We better get going. Everyone will be wondering where you are."

Hadara places one last lingering kiss on his lips. "I'll just tell them I was busy with more pleasurable matters."

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Cissa returns to the stands just as Hadara's name is called. It seems no one even noticed her disappearance in the chaos of the tournament.

"Did you have any trouble?" Lucius asks.

"It was hard to convince her at first, but she understood when I told her my children's lives were at risk. Then it was just the usual."

Both of their attention is quickly stolen by Hadara.

They can't tell what she's doing, but the dragon seems to be interested in whatever it is. She's holding out one hand like she's trying to calm down an unruly krup, and not a dragon.

"Is she speaking Parseltongue?" Cissa whispers.

"She must be."

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Hadara knows she's playing on borrowed time. The dragon is more astonished that he can speak Parseltongue than anything else.

"A speaker?" It asks, voice low and serpentine.

"Yes, I speak it," she answers.

"You are a rare one, little speaker. What are you doing here?"

"People who want me dead have put me in this competition. I have no choice but to compete."

The dragon throws back her head and lets out a roar that shakes Hadara's bones so hard her teeth hurt. The dragon turns back to her with sorrow in her eyes.

"They offer up their hatchlings as a sacrifice in this game, for what? Glory? Gold?"

"Both, but I have more than enough of both. I want to live. I want to have my own hatchlings."

The dragon looks at her piercingly. "What is it you need to leave, little speaker?"

She knows she's supposed to bide her time, and forfeit. But if she can get the egg within those few minutes, all the better.

"There is a gold egg that lies amongst your own. They've planted it there, so you'd be enraged, and come after me."

The dragon's head snaps around to look at her nest. The imposter egg is there among the others, golden when it should be tan. The dragon backs away towards the edge of the enclosure. Hadara can practically see the conflicting emotions cross her face. She wants to help Hadara, but it's hard for her to fight her maternal instincts to protect her eggs.