Springfic: "Two Dragons" for lyras
Title: Two Dragons
Author: lazy_neutrino
Recipient: lyras
Character(s): Cho, Marietta
Rating: PG
Wordcount: 1050
Warnings (highlight to view): None
Summary: Fifth year. Cho and Marietta have to make a choice.
Betas: kennahijja
Two Dragons
The cloud above the lake looked like two dragons fighting. The Horntail was on the left, now swiping at its opponent with an angry claw, now rearing up on its hind legs for a tail smash. On the right the Fireball was fluid, billowing in and out as it danced around its adversary. Small puffs of cloud hung around it, dissipating in the wind like flames in water.
Cho arched her back on the springy grass, shifting her shoulder away from the stone that dug into her. A breeze stirred the treetops and she wondered if it was time to think about going in. Not yet, surely; there was still warmth in the afternoon sun. Beside her, Marietta lay face down with her head resting on crossed arms, snoring gently.
Cho grinned. She stretched out her leg and gave Marietta a kick.
The effect was startling. Marietta rolled into a ball, turned away from Cho, and sat up, all in a single movement.
'When you do that,' Cho said lazily, 'you look like a hedgehog. It would be criminal not to poke you.'
Marietta blinked. 'I haven't been asleep. Not really.'
'Of course not. What's the time?'
'About twenty past three?'
'Five to four.'
Marietta let out a stream of curses. Cho grinned again. 'Don't let Umbridge hear you talking like that. It's not ladylike. Did you think any more about what I said?'
'About Harry?'
'Mmm.'
'I'm not sure...'
'Is it your mum? Because -'
'It's not Mum.' Marietta put a hand to her head and ran her fingers through her hair. 'Not just Mum. She says Umbridge is a stupid cow and Fudge is worse.' She smiled. 'Actually, she said that Umbridge tries to control anything she doesn't understand, and that keeps her pretty busy most of the time. You wouldn't believe how pleased people at the Ministry are that Umbridge is hundreds of miles away, poking her nose in up here. But there's Dad to consider.'
'Is he still at Madam Malkin's?'
'Head cutter.' Marietta blushed. 'Mum's dead proud. And we get a discount. I don't know what we'd do if he lost his job.'
'That wouldn't happen, would it?'
'You never know. Most of her business, it comes from the old families. Rosiers. Malfoys. He said Emily Rosier just put in her order for the new season. Seven hundred Galleons.'
Cho's jaw dropped. 'Seven hundred?'
'Imagine seven hundred Galleons and all to spend on clothes.' Marietta lay back on the grass, staring at the sky. 'I'd have a red dress. Floor length. Matching cloak. Maybe a blue one, too. One in every colour.'
'Pink for me.'
'You'd look great in pink. I don't think I'd have yellow. It washes you out, Mum says. What about you?'
Cho tilted her head, considering the problem. 'White gloves. White dragonhide. They've got the best grip on a fast broom… I wouldn't want a dragon to die, though. Maybe a dragon that died of old age.'
'After a happy and peaceful life?'
Both girls laughed.
'Seriously, though.' Cho rolled over and gazed at her friend. 'Is it Harry that's bothering you? I think he's really nice.'
'He fancies you.'
'Does not.'
'And you fancy him.'
'I do not! Well, maybe just a little bit.' Cho frowned. 'I feel bad about that, too. It's like I don't know what I feel from one day to the next.' Tears sprang to her eyes and she blinked them away furiously. 'Oh, for fuck's sake.'
Marietta reached out and squeezed her arm. 'It's O.K.'
'I'm fine. I just keep crying. It's stupid. But, Marietta, if it's not Harry -'
'It's not. Honest.'
'Hermione.' Marietta's silence told Cho everything she needed to know. 'You don't like Hermione Granger.'
'It's not because she's a Muggleborn.' Marietta said quickly.
'I know.'
'Really?'
'Silly. I know you.'
Marietta shook her head. 'It's just - everything's so black and white with her. And she's always right, all the time.'
Cho said carefully, 'She usually is right, though. She could have been in Ravenclaw.'
'Too bossy. She's like Umbridge, always sticking her nose in. Like that stupid thing with the house elves. And it's not even as if she's got any family. She's got no idea what it's like.'
'There's a mum and a dad.'
'You know what I mean. They're not going to lose their jobs. They're not going to be cut dead in the street for the next hundred years. Wizard families don't forget.'
'She's been a good friend to Harry, though,' Cho pointed out. She sat up, wrapping her arms around her knees. There was a chilly edge to the air now and she hunched forwards, pulling her shoulders in and staring across the lake. 'And I think -' She took a deep breath. 'I think I'd rather be on Harry's side than the other one.'
She felt Marietta scuttle across the grass towards her and then her friend's arm was warm around her shoulders.
'You believe what Harry said? About -' But Marietta did not even whisper the name.
'I do. I think he's back.' She leaned into Marietta's arm and closed her eyes.
They were silent for several minutes and then Marietta said softly, 'All I ever wanted was to be ordinary. Why does it have to be our generation that deals with it?'
'Don't you think our parents said the same thing?'
Marietta shivered against her. 'That's a horrible idea.'
'That's why we have to stop it.' Cho sat up straight. 'Forever. I'm with Harry.'
'I suppose that means I am too, then.' Marietta said slowly. 'As long as I don’t have to be friends with Hermione. I was wrong about one thing, though.'
'Mm?'
'She's not too bossy for Ravenclaw. After all, you got in.'
Cho punched her on the arm. 'You'll pay for that.'
Marietta dodged the second punch and jumped to her feet, laughing. A huge raindrop splashed on her arm. 'We'd better get back.'
Cho snatched up her cloak and wand. 'Last one home's a Gryffindor!' As she set off in Marietta's wake, she glanced up at the sky. A dark strand of cloud was racing in from the west, all but blotting out the sun. There was no sign of the dragons.
Author: lazy_neutrino
Recipient: lyras
Character(s): Cho, Marietta
Rating: PG
Wordcount: 1050
Warnings (highlight to view): None
Summary: Fifth year. Cho and Marietta have to make a choice.
Betas: kennahijja
Two Dragons
The cloud above the lake looked like two dragons fighting. The Horntail was on the left, now swiping at its opponent with an angry claw, now rearing up on its hind legs for a tail smash. On the right the Fireball was fluid, billowing in and out as it danced around its adversary. Small puffs of cloud hung around it, dissipating in the wind like flames in water.
Cho arched her back on the springy grass, shifting her shoulder away from the stone that dug into her. A breeze stirred the treetops and she wondered if it was time to think about going in. Not yet, surely; there was still warmth in the afternoon sun. Beside her, Marietta lay face down with her head resting on crossed arms, snoring gently.
Cho grinned. She stretched out her leg and gave Marietta a kick.
The effect was startling. Marietta rolled into a ball, turned away from Cho, and sat up, all in a single movement.
'When you do that,' Cho said lazily, 'you look like a hedgehog. It would be criminal not to poke you.'
Marietta blinked. 'I haven't been asleep. Not really.'
'Of course not. What's the time?'
'About twenty past three?'
'Five to four.'
Marietta let out a stream of curses. Cho grinned again. 'Don't let Umbridge hear you talking like that. It's not ladylike. Did you think any more about what I said?'
'About Harry?'
'Mmm.'
'I'm not sure...'
'Is it your mum? Because -'
'It's not Mum.' Marietta put a hand to her head and ran her fingers through her hair. 'Not just Mum. She says Umbridge is a stupid cow and Fudge is worse.' She smiled. 'Actually, she said that Umbridge tries to control anything she doesn't understand, and that keeps her pretty busy most of the time. You wouldn't believe how pleased people at the Ministry are that Umbridge is hundreds of miles away, poking her nose in up here. But there's Dad to consider.'
'Is he still at Madam Malkin's?'
'Head cutter.' Marietta blushed. 'Mum's dead proud. And we get a discount. I don't know what we'd do if he lost his job.'
'That wouldn't happen, would it?'
'You never know. Most of her business, it comes from the old families. Rosiers. Malfoys. He said Emily Rosier just put in her order for the new season. Seven hundred Galleons.'
Cho's jaw dropped. 'Seven hundred?'
'Imagine seven hundred Galleons and all to spend on clothes.' Marietta lay back on the grass, staring at the sky. 'I'd have a red dress. Floor length. Matching cloak. Maybe a blue one, too. One in every colour.'
'Pink for me.'
'You'd look great in pink. I don't think I'd have yellow. It washes you out, Mum says. What about you?'
Cho tilted her head, considering the problem. 'White gloves. White dragonhide. They've got the best grip on a fast broom… I wouldn't want a dragon to die, though. Maybe a dragon that died of old age.'
'After a happy and peaceful life?'
Both girls laughed.
'Seriously, though.' Cho rolled over and gazed at her friend. 'Is it Harry that's bothering you? I think he's really nice.'
'He fancies you.'
'Does not.'
'And you fancy him.'
'I do not! Well, maybe just a little bit.' Cho frowned. 'I feel bad about that, too. It's like I don't know what I feel from one day to the next.' Tears sprang to her eyes and she blinked them away furiously. 'Oh, for fuck's sake.'
Marietta reached out and squeezed her arm. 'It's O.K.'
'I'm fine. I just keep crying. It's stupid. But, Marietta, if it's not Harry -'
'It's not. Honest.'
'Hermione.' Marietta's silence told Cho everything she needed to know. 'You don't like Hermione Granger.'
'It's not because she's a Muggleborn.' Marietta said quickly.
'I know.'
'Really?'
'Silly. I know you.'
Marietta shook her head. 'It's just - everything's so black and white with her. And she's always right, all the time.'
Cho said carefully, 'She usually is right, though. She could have been in Ravenclaw.'
'Too bossy. She's like Umbridge, always sticking her nose in. Like that stupid thing with the house elves. And it's not even as if she's got any family. She's got no idea what it's like.'
'There's a mum and a dad.'
'You know what I mean. They're not going to lose their jobs. They're not going to be cut dead in the street for the next hundred years. Wizard families don't forget.'
'She's been a good friend to Harry, though,' Cho pointed out. She sat up, wrapping her arms around her knees. There was a chilly edge to the air now and she hunched forwards, pulling her shoulders in and staring across the lake. 'And I think -' She took a deep breath. 'I think I'd rather be on Harry's side than the other one.'
She felt Marietta scuttle across the grass towards her and then her friend's arm was warm around her shoulders.
'You believe what Harry said? About -' But Marietta did not even whisper the name.
'I do. I think he's back.' She leaned into Marietta's arm and closed her eyes.
They were silent for several minutes and then Marietta said softly, 'All I ever wanted was to be ordinary. Why does it have to be our generation that deals with it?'
'Don't you think our parents said the same thing?'
Marietta shivered against her. 'That's a horrible idea.'
'That's why we have to stop it.' Cho sat up straight. 'Forever. I'm with Harry.'
'I suppose that means I am too, then.' Marietta said slowly. 'As long as I don’t have to be friends with Hermione. I was wrong about one thing, though.'
'Mm?'
'She's not too bossy for Ravenclaw. After all, you got in.'
Cho punched her on the arm. 'You'll pay for that.'
Marietta dodged the second punch and jumped to her feet, laughing. A huge raindrop splashed on her arm. 'We'd better get back.'
Cho snatched up her cloak and wand. 'Last one home's a Gryffindor!' As she set off in Marietta's wake, she glanced up at the sky. A dark strand of cloud was racing in from the west, all but blotting out the sun. There was no sign of the dragons.