Harper

  I didn't agree with the pn. What was the stupid wizard imagining? Taking Vivi with him?

  NO! NO! NO! Nope!

  "Veit, please!" Remy stood in front of me with his arms crossed. Mom looked up worriedly and snorted threateningly. She wanted me to stop being so stubborn. She agreed with the stupid wizard and the pompous Narcisse. Remy hadn't given up yet, either. "He could get sick if he sits on the cold floor! And he's dirty."

  At these words, Vivi began to stroke his clothes. I looked at him worriedly. Lou avoided my gaze. "Veit?", the wizard repeated.

  I growled. 'No.' Lou leaned close to my scales. He held a hand in the feathers of my wing. He trembled a little. 'You can bring him all this here! Everything he needs!'

  'Harper. He can't stay here!', said Narcisse. He tried to catch a glimpse of Lou, but I kept him hidden under my wings.

  'He can!', I growled. 'With your help!' Lou couldn't hear that part of the conversation. He only heard our growls, which frightened him. Scared, he clutched a feather. It tugged a little, but he didn't tear my feather out. He wouldn't be able to do that anyway.

  "Veit?" Remy sighed and touched one of my wings. I growled, but he ignored it. "Lou isn't safe here. I know you're determined to take care of him. But so am I. Lou is like a little brother to me. He's safe with me. A cave is not a pce for a human. And we can't bring a whole bed here! This won't do. You can visit it. Tomorrow. That's a promise."

  I snorted. 'Harper?', my father's rumbling voice boomed in my head. 'Please. Be reasonable.'

  In the end, Remy took Lou with him.

  Remy lost patience and turned his stinking magic on me. He lifted my grand wing and pulled out the crying Lou from underneath. He carried him to Narcisse no matter how much I grumbled and Lou whimpered and eventually flew away with him. "You can visit him tomorrow!", were his only words before they flew away. My siblings prevented me from persecuting him. But I only toyed with the idea for a moment. In the end, I stayed where I was. I didn't want to scare Lou any more. And an angry dragon chasing the stupid wizard probably wasn't particurly trustworthy.

  That wizard shouldn’t dare to not take good care of Vivi!

  Otherwise, I'll eat him!

  Pouting, I y down between my parents. Mom lovingly cleaned my wings. 'You're going to see him tomorrow', she tried to comfort me.

  Remy

  Lou was shaking and crying throughout the flight. His thin body felt bony and weak. He desperately needed something to eat. And a bath... He smelled slightly unpleasant and his hair was dull and a bit matted. He desperately needed some love. And he was going to get all the love.

  ’Will your family turn against you?’, Narcisse asked worriedly. He glided gently through the air.

  "Of course they will. But that doesn't matter." Lou flinched when he heard my voice.

  'Are you going to move out? I know you're up to it!'

  That's definitely what I was going to do. I would bring Lou with me.

  'You know Harper is going to try to move in with you as well?' Narcisse sneered with amusement. 'The boy seems to be a little precocious!'

  "You mean?" I had to hold Lou well so he wouldn't fall from Narcisse's back. Although the harness was firm and offered enough support, it was only intended for one person. Not for two. My three dragons always wore the harness. They almost never put it down. Putting it on them every time was far too time-consuming. Especially in the case of an attack. It was made of strong and soft leather, with a girth that secured the rider.

  'What? Didn't you notice that?' Narcisse sounded amused.

  "What?" Lou only heard half of the conversation. However, I wasn't sure if he was even listening. He resisted the touch. His whole trembling body was stiff. But I couldn't possibly let go of him. We quickly approached my parents' house. Narcisse was able to nd there on the sturdy roof. "What should I have noticed?"

  'How Harper reacts? To your little friend? He likes him.'

  "That hasn't escaped me." I held on to Lou well when we nded. It was always a bit bumpy on the roof. The nding area was too small to nd gracefully. At least that's what Narcisse said.

  'In the sense of falling in love!' Narcisse turned his head towards me and Lou and then rolled his eyes demonstratively.

  Oh. I just shrugged, then turned to Lou. "Lou? We're here. I'll help you off Narcisse's back now, okay?"

  Lou didn't answer. Was he in shock? Why? "Lou?"

  Again, I didn't get any answer. Sighing, I climbed off Narcisse's back. Together with Lou, who let me help him. But he was crying. However, as soon as we had the ground under our feet he tore himself away from me. He staggered and then fell to the ground. Immediately, Narcisse lowered his head towards Lou as I knelt in front of him. "Are you okay?", I asked.

  Lou nodded.

  "Can you stand up?"

  Narcisse nudged him gently with his muzzle. "I can help you if you prefer!", he offered Lou. His loud dragon voice thundered between the houses. Surely we've already been watched by some neighbors. How could they overlook a dragon?

  Lou gnced at Narcisse for a moment, but was startled by the dragon's closeness, and finally frowned. He was still trembling. The next moment, my father came up the outside staircase that led to the roof. "Remy! What... Is that the cursed one?"

  "I'm gd to see you too, Father", I greeted him mockingly.

  "Why is the cursed one here?"

  Narcisse snorted and took human form. He sat down next to Lou and nodded at me. I got up, left Lou in the care of my faithful friend, and walked up to my father. "His name is Lou. And he will live with us for a while. Until I did move out."

  "What?" Annoyed, my father shook his head. "Is this a bad joke? Move out? You're not married yet! That's no good! And... And!" Stunned, he pointed at Lou. "Get rid of that!"

  That? "No. And now, please clear the way for Narcisse and me to bring Lou into the house. He's lost his home and I'm not going to let him sleep on the streets. Also, he is a human. No 'that.'"

  I heard Lou wailing, so I turned around while my father started to protest. Narcisse had lifted Lou up. "He smells like blood!", he growled. "Where should I take him?"

  “No!", shouted Lou, kicking his legs powerlessly.

  "Remy!", my father hissed. I ignored him.

  "My room."

  Narcisse nodded and pushed past my father. He stared at Narcisse and Lou in disbelief. "That you're really doing this!"

  "Yes, I do. Don't worry. We won't stay long", I replied and then followed Lou and Narcisse. "Or do you want to kick me and Lou out the door? He's almost a kid and he's hurt."

  I descended the stairs, took the back door into my parents' mansion, and hurried up the stairs to my room. Past my mother and sister, who stared at me in amazement. Narcisse followed me with Lou in his arms. My room was big. I had a comfortable bed, a private sitting area consisting of soft cushions, elongated seat cushions, and a table, as well as a private bathroom. Narcisse stood in the room as if he was unsure. He still held the whimpering Lou in his arms.

  "Where?", he asked.

  "My bed. I sleep on the sitting area. It's big enough."

  "Really?"

  "Yes."

  "Good." Carefully, Narcisse set Lou down on the bed. "Should I stay? Or keep watch, or..."

  "I could use some help. I'm afraid my family will refuse. Stay with Lou for a moment. I'll heat some water for a bath." Narcisse nodded as I walked to the adjoining room. Using a pump, I let water into the stone tub and then lit a fire in a small iron firepce under the tub to heat the water. As soon as it was warm enough, I would put out the fire. I didn't want to cook Lou. I grabbed fresh towels from a shelf and then went to my closet, passing Lou and Narcisse. Lou needed clean clothes. My clothes would be too big for him, but it was better than nothing.

  Narcisse also sat on the bed and spoke softly to Lou. He tried to calm him down. They were both watching me. Lou had pulled up his knees and was staring at me with wide, fearful eyes. He was silent, weeping. I opened the magnificent closet and randomly took out a tunic. The fabric was light blue and very fine. I also brought the tunic into the bathroom and checked the water. It was still cold. Then I went to Lou and Narcisse. "Lou? Are you hungry?", I asked him. Narcisse went to the bathroom to monitor the fire and water for me. It was not allowed to cook.

  "A bit", Lou replied quietly. His voice trembled as well. "Why am I here?"

  "Because you need a pce to sleep. And food. A bath. And you're hurt. I can't let you live on the street." I wanted to pet his head, but I decided against it. Lou didn't like being touched. And I didn't want him to scream again. "I'll get you something to eat, yes? And some water? Stay here. Narcisse is next door."

  "Here?" Lou stroked the fabric of my duvet. "I get everything dirty."

  "No, Lou. Stay here, will you?"

  "Good." Lou sounded like he was in a trance. It was worrying. And then there was the case with Harper. Why did he call himself Veit? And... Hadn't he even called Lou Vivi? A nickname? Sweet. I got up and left the room. I heard my parents arguing while Danielle was waiting for me at the bottom of the stairs.

  "Remy? What's the point of this?", she asked. Danielle had her hair pinned up. She wore clothes made of beige fabric. She would look pretty if she didn't frown furiously. And she had overdone it again with the makeup. It looked ridiculous.

  "What point?", I asked.

  "The cursed one? Here? With us?"

  "Lou." I pushed past her.

  "I don't care about his name! You're endangering us!", my sister snorted.

  "He's not cursed."

  "Nonsense!"

  "No nonsense." Not even the dragons could smell a curse on him. That was proof enough. "He's a normal boy. He needs help."

  "He is more important to you than the happiness of your family! The wedding will take pce the day after tomorrow. Our brother is getting married! And you!" Danielle pushed herself in front of me and blocked my way.

  "Danielle? I am beholden to the dragons, not to you! And Lou is my friend. The dragons like him. Are you trying to offend them?" I crossed my arms impatiently. Of course, my argument was a bit exaggerated, but it worked. Danielle flinched. Silently triumphant, I continued, "Renan couldn't smell a curse. If Lou is anything, it's helpless. I'm going to change this. And yes. He's more important to me." I grabbed her by the shoulders, pushed her to the side a little roughly, and entered our kitchen. There was no one here. Except for Danielle, who followed me scolding. I ignored her, filled a cup with fresh water, and took some fruit and a thin slice of bread, which I spread with some butter. Lou wasn't used to a lot of food. Even though I wanted to, I shouldn’t give him much.

  Then I returned to my room. Danielle followed me to the door. Now my mother also hurried after me, scolding. "Get the boy out of my house immediately! Remy!", she demanded.

  "No. Don't worry. I'm buying a house tomorrow and we're gone! I've already have one in mind!", I announced, closing the door on her and my sister. Neither of them dared to enter the room.

  sasi