Chapter 9
I don't own Harry Potter it's Jkr
As the Easter holidays grew closer, the entirety of Hogwarts began to hunker down as the teachers -who must have agreed we were having too much excitement- started piling on the work. That meant Aelita and I were busier than ever with me constantly moving about the castle, helping people with the upcoming test; Aelita was running on fumes since her client base was more interested in escaping the pressures of the exams by partying.
"Good work today, Mark. Just remember that wrist flick I taught you and Flitwick won't know what hit him." I turned my back on the fist-pumping seventh year Ravenclaw and made my way through the shelves of ancient books, and tables filled with clusters of students al cramming for tests. As I rounded another stack I felt the cobblestones tremble slightly under y feet just before I heard my uncle's deep rumbling voice, "Shhh! Listen- come an' see me later, I'm not promisin' I'll tell yeh anythin', mind, but don go rabbitin' abou it in here, students aren't s'pposed ter know. They'll think I've told yeh-"
"See you later, then." I heard the voice of Harry say. As my uncle tried to shuffle off, I stepped from behind the stack of books, directly in to his path. "I'm invited to the party too right?" Hagrid gave a high-pitched yelp as he fumbled with the book I couldn't quite catch sight of, before stuffing it up his shirt, " O' Course yeh are Alma, I was us' on my way to ask yeh to come, I got a surprise for yeh." I shook my head, smiling softly. My birthday was coming up in three days, I'd almost forgotten with the work I was buried under, along with the fact that my curiosity about Snape had been growing in the weeks since that night in the forbidden forest. "Okay, Uncle Hagrid, I'll let your, sneaking, off this time." I'd dismissed and he gave a broad smile before turning on his heel and clambering the rest of the way out of the library.
A while later, I was outside Hagrid's hut, about to open the door, when voices and a stifling heat poured through the cracks of the wood. "Oh, come on, Hagrid, you might not want to tell us, but you do know, you know everything that goes on around here. We only wondered who had done the guarding, really. We wondered who Dumbledore had trusted enough to help him, apart from you." I could hear Hermione's voice leak like honey through the door, and it made me upset. I pushed the door open, not caring about the heat, that suddenly clung to my skin, or the hit a stack of kettles had taken from the door, scattering them every way and scaring Fang. I marched right up to the Gryffindors, sitting across from my uncle, at his table, drinking his tea. "I'd appreciate I if you didn't manipulate my uncle for information." I said with a hard gaze trained on them.
"It's a'right Al." I turned away from their red faces to see my uncle, with his big, forgiving smile. He patted my back before pulling a chair out for me. "Well Dumbledore borrowed Fluffy, then some o' the teacher did enchantments... Professor Sprout, Professor Flitwick, professor McGonagall, Professor Quirrel. Dumbledore himself did somethin', o' course, then Professor Snape-"
"Snape?" The three said the same time I did. By the look on their faces, I could tell we were -sorta- thinking the same thing. Snape knows how to get to the stone, so why was he pretending he didn't? I couldn't help but feel the answer staring me in the face, it was just missing one last piece. "You two are the only ones who knew how to get past Fluffy, aren't you?" Harry asked anxiously, eyes darting between my uncle and I. I chewed my lip as Harry continued, "And you wouldn't tell anyone, would you? Not even one of the teachers?" I nervously looked away, after all, I never told Snape how, he technically figured it out himself. I was suddenly aware of the intense heat that was bearing down on us as Hagrid answered for me. "Not a soul knows, except us an' Dumbledore."
"Well, that's something. Hagrid, can we have a window open? I'm boiling." Harry said, pulling at the collar of his shirt. After Hagrid refused, darting his eyes to the roaring fire, Harry spoke again with suspicion lacing his tone. "Hagrid- what's that?" But I knew.
I should have noticed my uncle's strange -stranger?- behavior lately, the encompassing heat that covered every inch of the hut, and the obsidian-colored egg nestled in the blazing inferno under the kettle. "Uncle Hagrid... You didn't... where-, how-, what?" I said, while taking slow hesitant steps towards the grate. "Happy early birthday Al." I turned to my uncle, fiddling nervously with his beard, as Ron bypassed me to look closer at the egg. "Where did you get it Hagrid? It must've cost you a fortune." Hagrid wrung his large hands together, still waiting for my reaction, as he explained how he'd won the egg in a game of cards. Hermione then asked the question that was tainting the feeling of my surprise, "But what is she going to do with it when it's hatched?"
"Keep him here o' course, I've bin doin' some readin'," said Hagrid, pulling a large book from under his pillow. "Got this outta the library -Dragon Breeding for Pleasure and Profit- it's a bit outta date, but it's all in here." He told us about the eggs need for constant heat, and when its hatched, a bucket of brandy and chicken blood must be fed to it every half hour. "An' see here- how ter recognize diff'rent eggs- what I got there's a-" I finally broke out of my trance of staring at the egg, my mouth moving before my brain could catch up, "Norwegian Ridgeback. Uncle Hagrid, I really appreciate the thought," actually I was overwhelmed with excitement, I mean, It's a dragon! " But, you're aware of how these creatures are when they're older." However, my uncle ignored me, always determined to live in the now.
Days passed as I mentally pinned my uncle on the Corkboard of Worry in my mind, along with the trio's meddling, the school work that was basically coming out of my ears, figuring out what Snape was up to, and the section of my hair that had been dyed a cerulean-blue by Tonks and a group of Hufflepuff girls when they pulled the string of a wizard cracker over my head, to wake me, the morning of my birthday. It was the morning after my birthday, however, that I felt an odd vibration in the air. It wasn't long until Astra delivered a note, addressed from Hagrid, with only two words written. It's hatching.
I almost skipped helping Professor Sprout with Herbology, but I knew birth -even from an egg- took time. I also wondered if the three Gryffindors already knew what was taking place in Hagrid's hut. So, I stood beside Professor Sprout, watching as the sleepy first years settled in for the first lesson of the day. The three Gryffindors I was most worried about finally entered, arguing, well, Ron and Hermione were, Harry's eyes were instead searching the room. Our green eyes met, and I could see the unique mix of excitement and anxiousness covering his face. They knew.
None of us said a word the entire lesson, our anticipation much too high, and as the bell rang, the four of us were out the door before Professor Sprout could say, "Good job, class." We streaked through the grounds to the forest edge, the early spring air whipping through our hair, until we finally reached the wooden hut. After I knocked on the door, we waited with bated breath until finally Hagrid opened the door, looking more excited than all of us. "It's nearly out," He said, ushering us inside. The egg was lying on the table with a few deep cracks and a clicking sound as the creature inside tried to enter the world.
We sat watching mesmerized, as a sharp scraping noise cut through the air before, all at once, the egg finally split open, pieces flying everywhere. Forgetting the bits that littered my uniform, I stared as the skinny black creature with spiny wings -comically huge compared to it's body-, orange eyes, and tiny stubs or horns, sat in place of the egg. It was watching us, watch it, as it sneezed, creating sparks that flew out of it's wide nostrils.
"Isn't he beautiful?" Hagrid murmured, I nodded and added, "Absolutely stunning." Almost dreamily, Hagrid reached out to stroke the head of the baby Ridgeback, but quickly retracted it as the dragon snapped at his fingers, showing tiny fangs. "Bless him, he knows his mummy- er I mean," he paused, looking at me and I shook my head. "I've thought about it a lot and you were always the one who really wanted a dragon Uncle Hagrid. You might not get another opportunity like this, so you should keep it." It looked like Hagrid was going to break out in tears, until the color suddenly drained from his face.
Jumping from his seat, he flew across the hut to the window, looking out towards the castle. I shot up from my own seat but didn't leave my spot beside the table, "what's the matter?"
"Someone was lookin' through a gap in the curtains -it's a kid-he's runnin' back up ter the school." Harry took off for the door, me right on his heels with my wand already in my hand. We both peered out, my wand arm extended , to see the gleaming blonde hair of Malfoy, as he bolted across the lawn. Even at a distance there was no mistaking who it was and I lowered my wand, not because of who he was but, with him being so far away, I didn't want to cast a spell with the risk of it hitting the building.
So instead, I watched as my uncle's fate was rested in the hands of a spoiled eleven-year old.
A:N/ Good morning/afternoon/evening! Honestly this chapter was supposed to be done on the 2nd in remembrance (R.I.P to those who have fallen :'() but let's all laugh together since that CLEARLY didn't happen. I finished chapter 11 finally and I semi love/hate Alma after it. It's crazy how finding time to type is harder than finding time to write for me lately but I'll try harder! So don't forget to review, and follow so you'll know when exactly I update! So until then! Have a good morning/afternoon/evening!