Just like Brothers

Chapter 74

Harry practically ran back to the castle.

His mind was running rampant with thoughts of dragons.

Dragons

He was fourteen years old! How in the name of Merlin would he survive an encounter with a dragon.

He shuddered thinking of the task, there was no denying it, he was in way over his head. By the end of the month, Harry Potter would be nothing but a heap of burnt flesh.

He didn't realize somebody was in front of him until he ran straight into them.

"Who's there?"

With a horrified expression on his face, Harry stumbled to get away from the Dumstrang Headmaster.

Harry pulled his cloak closer around himself, making sure he was still hidden from sight. As quiet as he could, he got back up onto his feet.

"Who's there?" Karkaroff repeated, looking around frantically.

Harry remained silent, he didn't dare move a muscle.

With a suspicious look on his face, Karkaroff edged along the Forest, towards where the dragons were being kept.

As soon as he disappeared in the line of trees, Harry took off at a sprint.

Instead of going up the grand staircase, he went down the one that led to the dungeons.

He slipped into the Potion's Classroom and pressed the two stones on the back wall that revealed a door to his house.

"Severus!" Harry called hysterically, running up the staircase and down the hall. He stopped in front of his guardian's bedroom door and started banging on it, "Severus! Get up!"

There was a creaking of floorboards and the doorknob turned.

A half-asleep Severus Snape opened the door and rubbed his eyes, he wished he could say this was an unusual occurrence, "what's the matter?"

"Dragons!" Harry said hysterically, "the first task is dragons."

This immediately woke Severus up, "dragons?" He gaped.

"Yes!" Harry bear-screeched, "what am I going to do! I can't go up against a dragon!"

"Are you sure it's dragons?" Snape looked at him skeptically.

"I saw them," Harry moaned, "I'm done for."

"You saw them?" Severus repeated, "how?"

"Hagrid," Harry gasped, "Hagrid showed me, they're massive."

It was clear both Severus and Harry were overly stressed.

"It's late, we can't do anything about it tonight. Why don't you go to bed," Severus suggested, "you can stay here tonight and we'll figure it out in the morning."

"Ok," Harry breathed, "yeah, we'll figure it out in the morning."

He walked back down the dark hall and turned into his bedroom. The glowing stars comforted him as he shrugged off his cloak and pulled on a pair of pajamas.

With a glance at Draco's untouched bed and a pang of loneliness. Harry sunk into his mattress and fell into an uneasy sleep.

>•<

"Harry, wake up!"

Harry groaned and rolled over, checking his watch for the time. He had just been having an odd dream of being burnt alive.

"Come on, you have classes in an hour," Severus's voice registered in Harry's mind.

"Can I skip them," Harry slurred, pulling the covers back over his shoulders.

"No, you idiot," Snape rolled his eyes, "you're not a particularly great student, your grades are bad enough as is, you don't need to be skipping lessons for no reason."

"Whatever," Harry groaned, burying his head into his pillow.

"Aguamenti," a jet of water soaked the half-asleep teenager.

"Ah!" Harry shut up in his bed, "whatcha do that for?!"

"Breakfast," Severus smirked, closing the door behind him as he walked away.

"Git," Harry muttered, kicking his legs over the side of his bed.

He slowly pulled on his robes from the night before and walked to the kitchen.

"If I'm not taking exams," Harry frowned, "why do I need to attend class?"

Severus gave him a look, "Your O.W.L.'s are next year, Mr. Potter, I expect you to do well."

"Harry? Severus? Are you here?" The front door opened again and a blond walked through, "oh, there you are."

"Morning," Harry waved.

"Granger's loosing her hair," Draco snorted, grabbing a bowl from the cupboard, "she kept on going on and on about how you went out last night and didn't come back. I told her you were probably here, I was right."

"She worries too much," Harry said.

"Be thankful," Severus knocked him in the back of the head, "if that girl didn't look out for you all these years, I'm positive you would be six feet under."

Harry gave him a glare, "would not."

"Would too!" Draco piped in, pouring milk into his bowl of cocoa-puffs, "why were you out anyways?"

"Dragons," Harry whispered, "the first task is dragons."

Draco spit out a mouthful of cereal, "what do you mean, dragons?!"

"Draco, please," Severus shook his head, throwing a towel at the blond's head.

"Four of them," Harry grimaced, "one for each of us."

"Mate, you're so dead."

"Gee, thanks," Harry said sarcastically, "you're making me feel so much better."

"What're you going to do?" Draco wiped the table.

"We have to figure it out," Severus sighed, pushing a strand of hair out of his face.

"What takes down a dragon?" Draco thought aloud.

"I don't think I have to take it down," Harry said, "just get past it."

"You're at a major disadvantage," Severus observed, "the others know much more advanced magic."

"Thanks for reminding me," Harry said miserably.

"Oh, hush," Severus put a plate of eggs in front of Harry, "Draco run across the street to get dumb and dumber."

Draco was back with a tired-looking Sirius and Remus in less than two minutes.

"What's going on?" Sirius yawned. His brown hair was tied back in a french braid.

"The first task is dragons," Severus explained, "we have to make a plan for Harry."

"Dragons?" Remus gaped, "is that even legal?"

"Where'd they get them from!?" Sirius's silver eyes were as big as saucers.

"Romania, I think?" Harry said, "Ron's brother Charlie was there."

"Charlie Weasley?" Remus asked, "Ah, I keep forgetting that he's all grown up now. I've heard he was quite the Quidditch player."

"Quidditch!" Sirius yelled out excitedly, "that's it!"

Draco's eyes lit up, he seemed to understand Sirius's train of thought, "yes! Brilliant!"

"Am I missing something?" Harry looked up from his breakfast.

"My dear godson," Sirius grinned, "we know how you're going to get past that dragon."