AN: Thanks so much for reviewing, reading, putting me on alert, and for favoriting! It really means a lot to me! Now onto something a little more traditional...
I don't Harry Potter, or this song which I believe is an old French carol.
"'Ere you go little fella! All nice and clean!"
The dragon looked up at him in annoyance. Hagrid chuckled as he put the towel away. The dragon simply huffed and hopped over to a corner hoping to stay far away from the dreaded bath tub.
"Okay, who's next?" Hagrid called.
The creatures cowered in their places, afraid of the giant's hands as well as the increasingly cool bath water. "Oh come on now," Hagrid began. "'Ere isn' anythin' to be 'fraid of," Hagrid replied.
A whimper came from under the table. "Ah!" Hagrid replied as he eyed the baby hippogriff. "Here we go!"
Before Hagrid could scoop up the animal, he heard a tap on his window. His body straightened as he listened out for it again. He shrugged and resumed his pursuit of the hippogriff. Then, the noise came again.
Hagrid spun around, this time catching moonlight reflected in the raven's eyes. "Oy! I almost didn' see 'im!"
Hagrid lumbered over to the window and opened it, allowing the raven to hop inside. Attached to the raven was a note written on fine, clean paper. "Ay, Severus sent me somethin'?"
The raven cawed. Hagrid untied the letter and began scouring his kitchen for treats. When he'd found one, he returned to the window and held out his hand. The raven leapt onto his hand and eagerly began eating the treats.
With his free hand, Hagrid opened the letter and began reading. He gasped when he heard the news. "It's 'ere!" he announced.
The animals crept out of their hiding spaces as Hagrid began laughing. "The Little One's finally here!"
The raven swallowed his last morsel and flew from Hagrid's hand. Hagrid looked over at the bird and replied, "Tell 'em I'll be there soon enough!"
With that, the raven glided off into the night. Meanwhile, Hagrid eagerly rushed into another room and grabbed a torch. After lighting it, he announced, "I'm gonna be leavin' for a while! I'll be back before the sunrise!"
The animals crawled completely out of their hiding places as Hagrid ran into the night. Though his movements were graceless and lacked any elegance, the joy on his face was clear. He burst into Hogwarts still holding his torch. He'd need it for where he was going.
"Hagrid?" Minerva asked as she saw him bouncing down the halls.
"Headmistress, he's here!" Hagrid answered.
"Who's here?" Headmistress McGonagall asked.
"The Little One!" Hagrid exclaimed. "The Little One!"
Minerva inhaled sharply. "My goodness! Where are they?"
"In the dungeon! Apparently 'Mione and Severus just returned from the hospital," Hagrid answered.
"Let's go then!" Minerva answered.
She followed Hagrid down to the dungeons. After darting through the Potions classroom they wrapped upon Severus' door. From behind the door they could hear shuffling around, so they remained patient. Severus opened the door and whispered, "Hello Minerva, Hagrid."
"Where is he?" Hagrid asked in a louder voice.
"He's with Hermione in our bedroom. He's asleep," Severus answered in a soft voice.
"Oh, sorry," Hagrid whispered.
Severus nodded and gestured for them to come inside. Hagrid and Minerva obeyed. The Headmistress examined him closely. Although he still wore the same stern expression he's always worn, there was a light in his eyes which hadn't existed before. It was enough to lift her spirits.
Hagrid blew out his torch and followed them into Severus' bedroom. Hermione lay on the bed, cradling a tiny object. She looked up and whispered, "Hello Hagrid, Headmistress Minerva."
"He's so beautiful," Hagrid whispered as he approached them.
"They are both beautiful, aren't they Severus?" Minerva asked.
"Indeed," Severus answered as he admired them both.
Hagrid peered down at the baby. "He's beautiful 'Mione. He has your nose."
She chuckled. "I know. Severus says that already means he's lucky."
"He's lucky to have you as a mother. Period," Severus replied.
Hermione looked back at him. "He's lucky to have you as a father as well."
Severus' lips twitched into a half smile as Minerva approached the baby. "Hello," she whispered. "Welcome to Hogwarts."
The baby paid no attention to either of them. Instead he continued his slumber. "What do you think he's dreamin' about?" Hagrid asked.
"I don't know," Hermione answered. "I don't even know if babies can dream at his age."
"Sure they can," Hagrid softly insisted. "They probably just dream of more pleasant things such as unicorns and love."
"Or when his next feeding will be," Severus replied as he joined them.
Together they quietly laughed. Hermione looked down. "Whatever he's dreaming, I hope it's a pleasant one."
The child exhaled loudly, but did not open his eyes. Instead he stayed in his dream world, happily enjoying his dreams of riding a unicorn with his Mummy and Daddy.
