Dragons at Hogwarts

Chapter 48

I wheezed my hands flapping helplessly at Hagrid in a silent message to remove his weight from my back. ASAP.

Why was he so heavy?

He shifted, rolling over so that I could (finally) breathe, and got off me.

I lay there for a few moments, watching the pretty stars dance in front of my eyes.

Someone was saying something.

I cracked open an eyelid to see a pompous looking woman, all prim and stern and disapproving, and dressed in the brightest pink I have ever seen, ramble on to Hagrid about "Proper procedure dictates blah blah blah legal words dragon blah blah restrained words words ferocious and highly unpredictable blah blah blah."

Wait, what?

"It should be restrained immediately, the dangers it poses to the council are immeasurable and-"

Did she just refer to me as an it?

"Wait a minute!" Hagrid cut in " You can't jus- I mean, she's a person and deserves the right to speak for her cause, don't she?"

Her eyes flash, and she straightens as much as she can, still not even reaching Hagrids belt buckle.

"It has already displayed violent tendencies, has it not? It should have been properly restrained, and the fact that it has not will soon be rectified."

I opened my eyes fully, and moved to sit up, interjecting with "Hey, what do you mean rectified, and I'm not an it. I have a right to speak, do I not?"

"Beasts, even supposedly intelligent ones, cannot speak in a court trial." She keeps addressing Hagrid, ignoring me.

Before I can react, her want flicks and she mutters a spell that causes thick chains to spill over the floor, and then writhe snakelike around my wrists and legs. I shouted out, my eyes wide, but a stray chain wound itself across my mouth, reducing the sound to a garbled shriek. My mouth filled with the taste of rust, and I moved my head back, trying to spit it out, but it was wrapped around the back of my head, and tightening like a vice.

I couldn't move.

My breaths hissed through my nose, and I could barely breathe again and I couldn't move.

I could feel myself trying to hyperventilate, but another chain was winding itself around my throat and I couldn't move, couldn't get free, couldn't breathe.

Dimly I heard Hagrid shouting, protesting, but black spots were dancing across my vision and his voice kept getting further away and I tried desperately to get another breath but I couldn't and the black spots were spreading themselves across my vision and-

My eyes rolled back into my aching head, and I was screaming inside but no noise was coming out and I fell into the darkness and my last thought was that I need fresh air and the sky was so far away and I couldn't breathe.