It was Easter Holiday and Harry was sitting in the library reading over a Potions book that Severus had dropped in front of him a few days ago, a smile hidden in his eyes. Harry was startled from his book when Hermione suddenly sat down next to him. He almost expected her to ask for a book, until he noticed Ron and Haiden had also sat down at his table, both looking very disgruntled. Once sure that none of them wanted a book request, Harry tried to go back to reading his Potions book, however, the tension that Ron and Haiden brought to the table was making it hard to concentrate.
"Has Severus stolen the stone yet?" Harry heard himself ask, his eyes widened in both shock and fear. He hadn't even wanted to say anything, and yet his body moved without his permission.
"No, thankfully he hasn't convinced Quirrell to help him steal the stone." Hermione whispered to him, obviously not noticing anything wrong with Harry. Because of that, Harry began to wonder if he had been over thinking it, maybe he subconsciously thought the question. At least until his body moved once more without his permission and forced him to laugh almost psychotically. Harry began to panic, what was happening to him? Was he being controlled? Who was controlling him? Why were they controlling him? Haiden and his friends shared a confused look, they had taken notice.
Terrified, Harry knew that he needed to get to either Professor Flitwick or Severus so that they could figure out what was happening to him. He tried to get himself to push away from the table and stand up; however, his body stayed where it was, only slamming the Potions book closed while turning to look at Hermione and rested his head on his hand.
"Oh, I have got to hear this story." Harry felt his face split into a wide, teeth filled grin. "So, tell me, how is p-p-poor st-st-stuttering Professor Quirrell going to help the mean, old Professor Snape?" The trio in front of him shared another look.
"I overheard Professor Snape talking to him." Haiden said giving Harry a suspicious look.
"And?" Harry heard himself ask. "What did you hear?"
"Well–" Haiden started only to be cut off by Ron.
"Hagrid!" The group turned and looked at the giant who shuffled into view, hiding something behind his back. He looked very out of place in his moleskin overcoat. "What are you doing in the library?"
"Jus' lookin'," Hagrid said, in a shifty voice that got their interest at once. "And what're yeh lot up ter?" He gave them a suspicious look, causing Harry to giggle insanely. "Yur not still lookin' fer Nicolas Flamel, are yeh?"
"Oh, we found out who he is ages ago." Ron said impressively, as if trying to take all the credit. This caused Harry to giggle more. "And we know what that dog's guarding, it's a Sorcerer's St-"
"Shhhh!" Hagrid looked around quickly to see if anyone was listening. "Don' go shouting about it, what's the matter with yeh?"
"There are a few things we wanted to ask you as a matter of fact," Haiden said, "about what else is guarding the Stone, apart from Fluffy–"
"SHHHH!" Hagrid said again, sending Harry's body into another fit of insane giggles. "Listen – come and see meh later, I'm not promising I'll tell yeh anything, mind, but don't go rabbiting about it in here, students aren't s'poosed ter know. They'll think I've told yeh–"
"Bye bye!" Harry's body yelled out causing everyone to look him (Madam Prince giving him a disappointed look). Harry was panicking as he tried to get his body back under his control, he needed to get to either Professor Flitwick or Severus now. Hagrid shuffled off and the trio looked at him with Ron and Haiden glaring at him.
"What is up with you?" Haiden hissed out.
"Hmm." Harry's body hummed. "Yeah, that's not as interesting as to why Hagrid was in the Dragon section. Ron, be a doll and go see what the giant was looking at."
"Why should I?" Ron asked and Harry's body gave the boy a look that caused him to freeze.
"Because you're closer and I told you so." Harry's body told Ron.
"Alright, you need to stop hanging around Malfoy, now!" Haiden told Harry as Ron shakily got up from the table and walked into the section Hagrid had been in. Harry's body glanced at his brother before looking around the library (as if deep in thought) as a few images flashed through Harry's mind too quick for him to register what they were.
"Yeah," Harry's body drawled out as an insane smile slowly appeared on his face, turning his attention back to Haiden, "that conversation wasn't as fun nor as interesting as this." Haiden looked at him in confusion.
"Harry, are you all right? What's gotten into you? Have the Weasley Twins slipped something into your food or drink today? Why are you acting so strange?" Hermione asked in concern as she placed her hand on his forehead. She quickly pulled her hand away with a gasp. "You're burning up!" Ron had come back to the table with a pile of books in his arms and dropped them on the table before sinking back into his seat with a sigh.
"Hagrid seemed to be looking up stuff about Dragons." Ron hissed at him.
"Obviously, otherwise he would not have been in the Dragon Section." Harry's body said while forcing him to roll his eyes. "What I want to know is: What was he looking at." His body reached over and snatched one of the books from the pile. "Hmm." His body hummed. "Dragon Species of Great Britain and Ireland; From Egg to Inferno, A Dragon Keeper's Guide." Harry's body read out.
"Harry, I think you should probably go to the Hospital Wing." Hermione said standing up and began to try and pull Harry from his seat. Harry was sure that Madam Pomfrey would know what was going on and he would finally be free of this and have control of his body once more. However, Harry's body had other plans and slapped Hermione's hand away.
"Hagrid did say that he's always wanted a dragon. He told me so the first time I ever met him." Haiden said softly.
"Harry, I'm serious! You need to go to the Hospital Wing! You're burning up! And your eyes look glassy!" Hermione cried as she tried to reach for him once more, Harry's body slapped her hand away again. "Haiden! He's your brother! Make him go to the Hospital Wing!" Hermione all but screeched.
"But it's against our law." Ron said. "Dragon breeding was outlawed by the Warlock's Convention of 1709, everyone knows that. It's hard to stop Muggles from noticing us if we're keeping dragons in the back garden – anyway, you can't tame a dragon, it's dangerous."
"Oh, I'm sure you could tame a dragon if you tried hard enough." Harry's body said with a playful smirk.
"I'd like to hear you say that after you've seen the burns Charlie's got off wild ones in Romania." Ron hissed at him with a dark glare, Harry's body just smiled at Ron.
"But there aren't wild dragons in Britain, right?" Haiden asked.
"Of course, there are." Ron said as Harry's body slapped Hermione's hand off him once more. "Common Welsh Green and Hebridean Blacks. The Ministry of Magic has a job hushing them up, I can tell you. Our kind have to keep putting spells on Muggles who've spotted them, to make them forget."
"So, what's Hagrid up to?" Harry's body asked as it shot up from his seat.
"Where're you going?" Hermione asked (was there a hint of hopefulness in her voice? Was she hoping his body would say the Hospital Wing?) as she began to follow him out of the library (passing a very confused looking Draco) with Ron and Haiden following them.
"To Hagrid's!" Harry's body announced with an insane laugh.
~Forget Me Not~
When Harry's body knocked on the door of the gamekeeper's hut, everyone was surprised to see that all the curtains were closed. Hagrid called out "Who is it?" before letting them in and quickly shutting the door behind them. The stifling heat inside the hut made the world tilt and spin for Harry as his body tripped and stumbled.
"Really, Harry, you need to go see Madam Pomfrey." Hermione hissed at him as she gripped his arm, holding him steady as his body regained its balance.
"And Draco will take me to the Hospital Wing to get check out by her after we've seen Norbert." Harry's body informed Hermione as he pushed away from her and began to search the hut.
"So – yeh wanted ter ask meh something?" Hagrid asked Haiden.
"Yes. We were wondering if you could tell us what's guarding the Sorcerer's Stone apart from Fluffy." Haiden said.
"O' course I can't." Hagrid said as he frowned at all of them. "Number one, I don't know mehself. Number two, yeh know too much already, so I wouldn't tell yeh even if I could. That's Stone's 'ere fer a good reason. It was almost stolen from Gringotts – I s'ppose yeh've worked that out and all? Beats me 'ow yeh know 'bout Fluffy." Hagrid grunted out as Harry made his way over to Hermione and placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Oh, come on, Hagrid, you might not want to tell us, but you do know, you know everything that goes on around here." Hermione said in a warm, flattering voice the second Harry's hand had touched her. From the shocked (and scared) look that flashed through Hermione's eyes alerted Harry that she hadn't meant to say that, that she, too, had lost control of her body at that moment. Hermione hid her shock (and fear) with a smile. Hagrid's beard twitched and they could tell he was smiling. "We only wondered who had done the guarding, really." Hermione was forced to continue. "We wondered who Dumbledore had trusted enough to help him, apart from you." Hagrid's chest swelled at the last words. Harry blinked and he suddenly found himself on the other side of the hut from Hermione, Ron, and Haiden. He saw Ron and Haiden beam at her.
"Well, I don't s'ppose it could 'urt ter tell yeh that… let's see… he borrowed Fluffy from meh… then some o' the teachers did enchantments… Professor Sprout – Professor Flitwick – Professor McGonagall –" Hagrid ticked them off on his fingers, "Professor Quirrell – and Dumbledore 'imself did something, o' course. 'Ang on, I've forgotten someone. Oh yeah! Professor Snape."
"Snape?" Haiden asked in shock.
"Yeah – yer not still on 'bout that, are yeh? Look, Snape 'elped protect the Stone, 'e's not 'bout ter steal it." Hagrid told them and Harry watched as Haiden and his friends shared a look as his body moved closer to the fire.
"You're the only one who knows how to get passed Fluffy, aren't you, Hagrid?" Haiden asked anxiously. "And you wouldn't tell anyone, would you? Not even one of the teachers?" Harry felt something trickle down from his nose a second before his body quickly wiped whatever it was away. Harry wanted to see what he had just wiped away from his nose, however, his body seemed fascinated by the black egg that was twitching in the heart of the fire.
"Not a soul knows, except meh and Dumbledore." Hagrid said proudly as Harry's body wiped whatever was now dripping from his nose.
"Well, that's something." Harry heard Haiden mutter. "Hagrid, can we have a window open? I'm boiling."
"And this heat can't be good for Harry and his fever." Hermione added.
"Can't, 'Aiden, sorry." Suddenly Harry felt everyone's eyes on him, and his body turned to look at everyone over his shoulder. Hermione gasped.
"Harry, your nose is bleeding! I told you, you should go see Madam Pomfrey!" She screeched as she flew over to Harry's who's body let her catch him as his body crumbled.
"He's about to hatch." His body announced. Hagrid flew over to the fire and carefully took the egg from the fire and carried it over to the table. "Help me to the table, I want to see him." Hermione looked like she was about to argue, however, one look from his body had Hermione helping him over to the table.
"That's a Norwegian Ridgeback egg!" Ron gasped out as he bent over the table to get a closer look at the egg. "Where did you get it? It must have cost you a fortune."
"Won it." Hagrid told them. "Last night. I was down in the village 'aving a few drinks and got into a game with a stranger. Think 'e was quite glad ter get rid of it, ter beh 'onest." Everyone stopped talking when the egg began to shake, deep cracks appeared on the shell. Something was moving inside, wanting out; a funny clicking noise was coming from the egg. All at once there was a scraping noise and the egg split open. The baby dragon flopped onto the table. It wasn't exactly pretty: it's shiny wings were huge compared to its shiny jet body; it had a long snout with wide nostrils; the stubs of horns; and bulging, orange eyes. It sneezed, sending a couple of sparks flying out of its snout and caught Hagrid's beard on fire.
"Isn't 'e beautiful?" Hagrid murmured after extinguishing the fire on his beard. He reached out a hand to stroke the dragon's head, it snapped at his fingers, showing pointed fangs. "Bless 'im, 'e knows 'is mummy!"
"Hagrid," Hermione said with a grunt as Harry's body rested more of his body weight on her, his body's strength quickly leaving him, "how fast do Norwegian Ridgebacks grow, exactly?" Harry, nor anyone else, got to hear his answer. The last thing Harry saw before his world went black was Hagrid's face turn stone white.
