Be a Dragon

[Barnabas Malfoy]

That morning Barnabas had fetched his granddaughter from her parents with little effort; while he might've been a politically ruthless man, his adoration for his family was astounding. He knew his son would've protested a trip to Europe, where most of the Malfoy patriarch's dragon reservations were, so he opted for taking Serpentine to one of the few resevations he owned in the United Kingdom. After being sure his granddaughter was properly dressed for the Highlands, they departed by train— he wouldn't dare apparate or subject her to floo— and arrived a little after noon. 

"Serpentine," Grandpa Malfoy hummed in his heavy voice, "dragons are not delicate beasts, my dear. You must remember to be respectful to them." His glare was remarkably soft, and he looked down his long nose at her with half a smile. 

Of course, Barnabas couldn't get away with bringing Serpentine alone; he'd brought a nannywitch with him, given he wasn't adept at truly parenting a girl. He'd spent most of his life ignoring his daughters, though he was determined to amend that flaw by possibly leaving his entire web of dragon-breeding properties to his little Serpentine. 

"Are you ready to see the dragons, my dear?" The reservation was heavily warded, and appeared like any other farm; a castle in the distance with a large stretch of stone barns and fences.

@"Serpentine Malfoy"

  

[Serpentine Malfoy]

She had been thrilled when the nanny told her that she would be spending the day with her grandfather. He always paid her more attention than his son did, and the little girl gravitated towards anyone who paid her any sort of mind. Still, while the who thrilled her, she was skittish and frighted when she was informed that she was to be visiting one of Barnabas's dragon ranches. Dragons were big and scary - they were the objects used in children's stories to scare them into behaving, and at five, she was still terrified of them. She was fairly certain they could eat her in one bite if they wanted too - and probably did.

She followed after him, paying little mind to the nannywitch, tugging on the sleeves of her overobe compulsively, as if she was trying to channel the nervous energy into something less notable. Not only was she used to being instructed to take up the least amount of space possible, she didn't want to displease her grandfather. The dragons were his passion, and he was one of the few Malfoys that paid the little girl any mind.

At his reminder, she nodded slowly, blonde ringlets bouncing where they escaped from her hat. She certainly wouldn't be taunting them. But while he said they were not delicate beasts, she wished they were. She would have been quite thrilled with the idea of visiting a unicorn or something of the like. Still, Serpentine offered a shaky smile back, not daring share the fact she had no idea as to how one respected a dragon. The eldest Malfoy child didn't have a pet, only a little brother who she treated with contempt and to who she tended to pretend didn't exist.

"Yes, Grandfather," she offered, her voice a light trill in the still, empty air. No no. She wasn't really. Surely they were terrifying and horrible beasts that would gobble her up. But would grandfather actually lead her to be eaten? Likely not.

@'Barnabas Malfoy'

  

[Barnabas Malfoy]

In other situations, Barnabas seemed to loathe children. They were grubby, small creatures with whiny voices and buggish eyes, but not his children nor his grandchildren were like that. Those of the Malfoy line were undoubtedly of a different stock, with her pale hair and faces— then again, Barnabas was indisputably a narcissist and would've claimed all Malfoys even went to the bathroom more gracefully than most. 

"Come then," he offered her his large, pale hand and strode through the gates as well as his limp would let him. Three large, black banners fluttered nearby on a stone wall, the Malfoy sigil quite evident; little Serpentine would most definitely feel at home.

"Do you see there, Serpentine?" he said a bit more animated than he was used to, "that is the family crest; do you see the dragons on the edges?" With a thin, pointed finger he carried her gaze to the small dragons with their wings. "You have no reason to be afraid of these dragons, my dear," Barnabas tried to lower himself to a knee as best he could, though he felt a bit discomfort in his bad leg. "Here," he cooed, "have a better look, child," Grandpa Malfoy showed her the sigil on his ring, which of course might've been much more interesting to look at given the brightness of the steel.

"How about I show you some real dragons, my girl?" he laughed after she had ample time to gawk at his ring and slowly lead her to one of the many stone barns. Inside the enormous barn, several wizards stood at the ready as two large, black-scaled dragons slept peacefully in its enchanted pen. They were two of four that he'd managed to find, though there was some money involved; of course, the MacFausty clan wouldn't be happy that he'd managed to get his hands on them, though he didn't intend on telling. 

"This, my dear," Barnabas said in a hushed voice, "is a Herbridean Black. Can you say Herbridean?" he hummed, using his cane to point at one of the pair. "That there is the mother, and you look carefully, you'll see the eggs she's sleeping on." The straw the creatures were nestled upon was scorched and smoking, a few embers occasionally drifting upward.

@"Serpentine Malfoy"

  

[Serpentine Malfoy]

The blonde haired child took the offered hand, not wanted to be lost alone in a place with such terrifying beast. She had always been pleased with the family crest, and her smile turned sincere when she caught sight of the banners fluttering in the wind. She had ever since she had been old enough to know them as hers and a maid had explained to her her own name and the connection to the serpentine figures that clung to the M labeled crest.

She humored him pointing at the sigils, even though she had grown up seeing the crest, her eyes following his fingers across the fabric. She shifted as he bent down to make room for him. She peered at the ring as he held it out, running a small finger across the silver colored metal, eyeing the sigil before trotting after him as he headed off to one of the barns.

Her eyes flickered to the dragons he pointed out, and even when he said she had nothing to fear, she skittered back a few steps, pressed against the legs of her grandfather like she was attempting to hide in the folds of his robe. Still, sky-blue eyes peered towards the tiny dragons with an unhidden curiosity, reassured by the distance. She could see the appeal. They were large majestic creatures that radiated power that made her never wish to cross one.

A flicker of annoyance crossed over her fear as he asked if she could pronounce the name of the dragon. "Herbridean," she repeated, doing well to not show her annoyance to her grandfather, not wishing to anger him by doing what he didn't wish for her to do. The young Malfoy didn't notice the eggs until Barnabas pointed them out and she shifted closer, away from the folds of his robe to get a better view of the eggs. "When do they hatch?"

  

[Barnabas Malfoy]

"Good, good," Barnabas said in that iron voice of his; the edges of his mouth twitched momentarily into a smile as he listened to little Serpentine have her go at pronouncing Herbridean. She was an exceptional girl, in Barnabas' opinion; had his daughters been this exceptional? He couldn't recall, he never truly tried to pay attention. Though, it did make him wonder how much he'd overlooked those girls. 

"They hatch when they wish, my dear," the old man said, apprehensive about her moving closer. Of course, with one heavy step he was close enough to reel her back, laying a gentle, pale hand on her dainty shoulder. "You see, the mother must keep her eggs nice and warm, otherwise they won't hatch at all my dear. She breathes fire upon them until they rattle and shake, and eventually crack open for the little baby to come." 

The Malfoy patriarch's eyes flickered; soon, he'd have another heir, much like how this pair of dragons would have their own. 

"Would you like to hold a dragon egg, Serpentine?" Barnabas looked down upon her with his cold eyes, his smile not even close to reaching his glare. "Of course, not these. That would be quite unwise, to touch these eggs."

@"Serpentine Malfoy"