Chapter 10: Wolfish

A few hours later, and some more reading, I pack up the kit.

"I want to see those dragons again." I say, re-equipping my armour.

"What about her?" Dobby says, indicating to Camille, who is sitting and staring at us.

"Do dragons and wolves get along?" I ask. "I don't think anyone's ever tried." I tilt my head side to side. "Do you wanna see some dragons?" I ask her with a grin. She nods, an odd thing to see a wolf do. "Great, let's go."

I fumble about in the dark as we walk, Dobby and Camille can both see much better than I can. After a while, I see flames in the distance.

"The Metal Man returns." The red dragon says lazily as we get closer.

"Err, yeah." I gulp. "What are you doing here exactly?"

"Forced here by two-legs, against my will." Flames flicker out of her mouth.

"Oh, Shut up Becky." One of the other dragons says, a light green one. "You're just as excited to be here as us. Out of the compound for once!"

"I've got no idea what's going on." I mutter to myself.

"Oh, don't mind us." The green one says. "It's the tournament that the wizards were talking about. We're supposed to guard this fake egg." She says.

"So you know about the tournament?" I ask.

"No, I was just talking with my tail." She says sarcastically.

"Dobby, I'm being sassed by a dragon."

"Well don't piss it off!" He tugs on my arm. "The handlers are coming back." We duck behind the bushes. "What did they say?" He asks as we back away.

"They're here for the tournament to guard the eggs, sounds like they're the goal." I explain quickly.

"It makes sense. The megafauna for the task, as if there was any doubt after last time. It'd be ridiculous to have you all slay a dragon, so getting the prize is the logical goal." Dobby nods excitedly.

"How am I supposed to get the egg though?" I lean against a tree. "They might listen to me and just let me have it, but what if they get a prize for attacking me?"

"What could anyone give a dragon?" Dobby asks.

"I don't know, they like treasure or something?" I suggest. "Maybe a nice tasty Paladin to chow down on."

"No point in freaking out yet." Dobby says. "We should get back to the castle, it's getting late."

"Alright." I nod. "Will you tell Fleur about the dragons?" I turn to Camille, who has vanished. "Of course." I laugh, shaking my head. "C'mon." I hold my hand out to Dobby. I turn to him after he doesn't do anything. "Dobby?" He is frowning.

"There it is again." He says. "They're calling me."

"No idea who it is? You say you know when I call you." He shakes his head.

"It doesn't work like that. I know it's you because of our link, this could be anyone." He wrings his hands, looking worried.

"How about we go and see who they are?" I suggest.

"Are you mad? It could be a trap!" He stamps his tiny foot.

"All the more reason to bring a bodyguard." I grin.

"This isn't a good idea." He groans.

"Are any of my ideas good?" I ready Excalibur. "If it's a trap, I'll probably win."

"And if it's not?"

"They we'll meet somebody new." I shrug.

"Fine." He concedes. "But any trouble, I'm taking us back."

A second later we land in a grassy clearing in a forest, not the forest we were in. Still dark, so it must be England still, a couple of tall flaming torches sit opposite each other at either side of the clearing and The trees are not as tightly packed as in the Forbidden Forest.

"Lancelot." Ah, we're not alone.

"Olli?" I turn to the voice. Three armoured Paladins standing side by side. Oliver seems to be the leader of the little party. I don't recognise the other two in the bad light. I drop my combat stance and lean on Excalibur. "You're looking a bit peaky, is it the moonlight?" His jaw tightens. "Hit a nerve?" I smirk and tilt my head to the side, I enjoy teasing the New Order.

"Silence, Lancelot." He growls.

"That's Sir Lancelot to you." The ground doesn't feel right, they've set this up well. I might be able to beat them in a run through the forest, but they might not be alone and they have the advantage of knowing where we are. Oliver's eyes slip down to Dobby for a second.

"Thought you could just waltz in here with your Squire? I thought that even you would smell a trap this obvious." He smirks.

"So, What've we got here?" I pace around the circle, I can see that it irritates them by how quickly I dismissed them as a threat. "Demonic holding circle, feels quite strong. I suppose the side effect of physically trapping Paladins was why you used it?" His two accomplices look ready to pounce. "Standard 12 metre radius I presume. Fancied a stand off did we? Does Gawain approve?"

"I can't get us out." Dobby says quietly. Bad news. Shit shit shit. Whilst these kinds of rings trap demons from escaping, it doesn't stop them from entering, which also busts the circle. I grab Excalibur.

"Olli, you twat, are you trying to get us killed?" The New Order must be handing out lobotomies now too.

"That was the general idea." He lifts his own sword.

"Do you not read? Anything could go through this circle and break it. You've painted a nice big target on yourselves." I sigh, spinning around to scan the trees. "You're lucky I turned up really, or this could've went even worse."

"What does he mean?" One of the cronies asks.

"The moon you imbeciles." I point skywards. "You tried to lure me into a trap on a full-fucking-moon. You don't even know that this entire forest had been set up by wizards to trap people. If Dobby can't get us out, it's wizards." A stick snaps in the distance. "And you've brought them a nice gourmet meal into their forest." I duck and spin Excalibur upwards, severing the leg of the first Werewolf to pounce.

"Wolves!" Oliver shouts. "Back to back, watch the trees!" They form something roughly circular in the clearing.

"You idiots." I laugh, backing away from them. "You walked into the lair, I ain't getting you out." I have Excalibur shrink to it's one handed version as I break into a run, slicing the next wolf along it's abdomen. Dobby's tiny legs dash next to me, no doubt using magic to keep up. "The hunt is on, Dobby!" I grin. "But we are the prey." I suddenly stop.

"What is it?" Dobby leans on a tree. I can vaguely hear the others being attacked. "You're not thinking of helping them, are you? Let them die, they're here to kill you."

"I dropped my fucking wand." Dobby closes his eyes and pinches the bridge of his nose.

"You what?" I start jogging back to the clearing. "This is why you should only use your sword! Not your head!" He shouts as he follows me.

"Greatest wizard this generation." I grumble after severing a wolf's head that dived at us. "I don't smell the Big Bad, but this is his pack."

"Don't think he's here?" Dobby asks as we arrive back in the clearing.

"Bastard probably sent these initiates in. An easy kill." I duck back in a limbo-like fashion to avoid a heavy claw, which slides across my breastplate. One of Oliver's cronies is laying flat on his back, the armour around his stomach is torn and covered in blood, the other is missing the top half of his body.

"More incoming!" Dobby shouts from his new perch in a tree. Sure enough, more wolves appear, Dobby manages to snare a couple with tree branches at the click of his fingers. Oliver seems on his last legs now, one of his arms looks flayed and he's sporting a nasty cut on his face.

A pair of the wolves dive at me, knocking Excalibur out of my hands as it pierces into the throat of one. The live wolf pins me to the forest floor as I slip my arm slips into it's mouth to occupy it.

"Dobby!" I push my hands at the wolf's face as it gnashes near mine.

"I can't!" He squeaks. "It'd hit you!" I turn my face as the teeth snap dangerously close to my forehead. Excalibur is stuck in the dead wolf out of reach.

"Fucking dog breath!" I kick my legs upwards and shift the wolf over my head, rolling onto my hands and knees and pouncing onto the wolf's back, wrapping my arms around it's neck. It, being the heavier of us, rolls us over and it's weight pushes onto my armour, I'd have lost my grip if I didn't have the protection. The struggles start to weaken as it paws at my face. "Ssssss!" I hiss in pain as it's claw gouges painfully across my face as the wolf goes limp. I throw it off of me. "Hadn't to bloody happen a second before it dies!"

"Your face is cut." Dobby says, dropping down next to me.

"Thank you, Sherlock." I pull Excalibur out of the wolf corpse. "New-borns." My left eye isn't really responding, I opt to try and keep it closed as I inspect the New Order idiots. The dead one is dead, but the savaged one is groaning. I stand above him. "Oh Lord Jesus Christ, He who is most merciful, Have mercy on this troubled soul who, to his last breath, fought the forces of darkness. May the Lord have mercy on you soul." I slip Excalibur through his armour, straight into his heart.

"He could have lived!" Oliver screams at me from his tree. He's battered and sitting against it, not looking too sharp. "Gawain could have sealed the wounds!"

"And how would Gawain get here? Or carry him to the Church?" I walk over to Oliver. "He could have popped up as a wolf later and quite literally bite me on the arse. He's had his last rites. Maybe the Lord will forgive all of your morons at the pearly gates." I level Excalibur and hold it under his chin. "If you ever try and kill me again, I'll cut your God damned head off." I let the blade fall … onto his wrist.

"AAAGH!" He screams, recoiling.

"Oops." I kick the hand away from him. "Dobby."

"Yes?"

"Cut off a paw from each wolf, drop them at the Ministry with a note from me."

"The Ministry? Of Magic?"

"So they can identify them." I shrug, sliding Excalibur into the scabbard on my back. "Might even get a reward." I laugh as I start severing paws.

"We have to get to the edge of the forest. Can you get that looked at?" He points at my face as we walk, he carries the bloodied bag.

"Drop me in the hospital wing at Hogwarts."

"Honey, I'm home." I call out as I drop into the room. I discard my breastplate onto the floor.

"Mister Potter!" The Matron rushes over to me, wand drawn. "What happened?" She forces me onto the nearest bed.

"You should see the other guy." I grin as her wand dances in front of my face.

"Is this a curse? What did you do?"

"Werewolf scratch." I say. The marks they leave never heal, much like 'dark' curses that cut.

"Wait here." She frowns. "And stop touching it!" She slaps my hand away from my face.

"Alright, alright." I scowl at her as she hurries down to the other end of the room. I remove my gauntlet and dab my finger at the start of the cut, just above my left eye.

"I said don't touch!" She comes bag with a large bottle and a small phial of something white. "Drink." She forces the smaller bottle into my hand.

"What is it?" I sniff it.

"Drink." I begrudgingly swallow the coppery tasting potion as she pulls a pipette from her bottle. "Tip your head back. This is going to hurt."

"I once had a sword run through my stomach." I say as the potion hisses on my skin. "That hurt. This is like getting shampoo in my eye. Speaking of which, will the eye be ok? Kinda need my depth perception in this job."

"Yes, Mister Potter. Your eye will be fine." She says firmly. "But the scar will remain here, as you well know."

"One more for the collection." I mutter.

"With the correct potions and treatments each week, the scarring will be less intense, but-"

"I'll pass." She pulls back and stares at me in disbelief. "It'll serve as a reminder."

"A reminder for what exactly?"

"Not to get my face scratched by a demonic wolf." I grin. She narrows her eyes and watches me for a while.

"I need to contact the headmaster. Stay here."

"Oh, please do. He'll enjoy the tale, I'm sure." I lean back on the bed, folding my arms behind my head.

A/N: A little fighting, a little death. A sweet new scar. Feedback is appreciated.

Enjoy.