Disclaimer: One Piece and Harry Potter does not belong to me, each belongs to their respective author.
Challenge by TheBlackSeaReaper.
Beta: TheBlackSeaReaper
-.-Flamel, Fists, and a Flaming Dragon
If Dumbledore expected that Ace listen to him and don't go looking for the Mirror, just because he asked, he was very wrong.
Ace went to the room the next day after lunch, just to find that the mirror was not there. He didn't say anything, he just stood at the door for a moment with Mecha before he went back to the common room, were Ron and the Twins were waiting.
When Hermione and Neville came back, and eventually, the girl asked if someone have found something of Flamel, Ace couldn't help to said that he hasn't found anything in the Restricted Section.
"When did you went there?" ask Ron.
"After you all went to sleep on Christmas."
"And you didn't found anything?"
"Well I found all sort of weird books, I had to leave because Filch came."
"But he didn't catch you, right?" ask Hermione with concern.
"No, I hide in a room with a magic mirror."
Before anyone could say anything else, Fred passes his arm over Ace's shoulder: "Ace, my friend, you really need to stop doing that."
"I can't stop myself, even if I want; it's in my blood, my pirate blood."
George pass his arm over Ace's other shoulder: "What my dear brother meant is: You have to stop going on adventures without us."
"Well it's a shame you haven't found Flamel" said Hermione.
"Ehm... guys?" Spoke Neville. All eyes turned to the young boy. "I found something about Flamel."
"Good job, Neville" exclaimed Ace, as he stand up getting free of the twins arms "I knew you could do it."
"Get your voice down" said Hermione as every single person in the common room turn to look at them.
"Easy, Hermione, is not as if they know" said Ron.
"It is sensitive information, that´s why a three-heads dog is guarding it."
"The dog's name is Fluffy" pointed Neville.
"That's not the point."
"Anyway" continue Ace, turning to Neville "What did you found?"
Neville took his hand to his rob pocket and put a little object on the table. All five head gadder around the little frog card, with Dumbledore face smiling at them. Neville wait a moment before flipping the card and read: "'Dumbledore is particularly famous for his defeat of the dark wizard Grindelwald in 1945, for the discovery of the twelve uses of dragon's blood, and his work on alchemy with his partner, Nicolas Flamel'".
Hermione jumped to her feet. She hadn't looked so excited since they'd gotten back the marks for their very first piece of homework.
"Stay there!" she said, and she sprinted up the stairs to the girls' dormitories. Fred and George barely had time to exchange mystified looks before she was dashing back, an enormous old book in her arms.
"I never thought to look in here!" she whispered excitedly. "I got this out of the library weeks ago for a bit of light reading."
"Light?" said Ron, but Hermione told him to be quiet until she'd looked something up, and started flicking frantically through the pages, muttering to herself.
At last she found what she was looking for.
"I knew it! I knew it!"
"Are we allowed to speak yet?" said Ron grumpily. Hermione ignored him.
"Nicolas Flamel," she whispered dramatically, "is the only known maker of the Sorcerer's Stone!"
This didn't have quite the effect she'd expected.
"The what?" said the five boys.
"Oh, honestly, don't you read? Look - read that, there."
She pushed the book toward them, and they read:
The ancient study of alchemy is concerned with making the Sorcerer's Stone, a legendary substance with astonishing powers. The stone will transform any metal into pure gold. It also produces the Elixir of Life, which will make the drinker immortal.
There have been many reports of the Sorcerer's Stone over the centuries, but the only Stone currently in existence belongs to Mr. Nicolas Flamel, the noted alchemist and opera lover. Mr. Flamel, who celebrated his six hundred and sixty-fifth birthday, last year, enjoys a quiet life in Devon with his wife, Perenelle (six hundred and fifty-eight).
"See?" said Hermione. "Fluffy must be guarding Flamel's Sorcerer's Stone! I bet he asked Dumbledore to keep it safe for him, because they're friends and he knew someone was after it, that's why he wanted the Stone moved out of Gringotts!"
"No wonder Snape's after it! Anyone would want it." said Fred.
"And no wonder we couldn't find Flamel in that Study of Recent Developments in Wizardry," said Ron. "He's not exactly recent if he's six hundred and sixty-five, is he?"
"What's the matter, Ace?" ask Neville.
Ace has a devilish-grin on his face.
"I was wondering, if only Fluffy is guarding the stone."
-.-
Once the second half of the term began, Hogwarts fell into his normal quiet life, a rate that was not bad, but the information of certain stone that some young pirate had, keep him restless. Ace felt that he needed to do something; move, run, fight, and he felt that the only way to stop that anxiety was to go for the stone.
"No, Ace" Hermione said, the first time he voiced his desire "Forget it."
"Come on, don't tell me you don't fell curious" looking at her notes Hermione grimaced in disapproval "Come on, let's go and find the stone."
Hermione and Neville refuse to go to throw the trap door, and made it clear; Ron on the other hand, did not want to go, but did not say it; the twins where considering the risk, not saying 'no' but thinking in every single thing that could be on the other side on the trap door.
And they wonder why Ace went alone.
The only thing that calmed the anxiety was Quidditch practice that had started again, and Wood was working the team harder than ever. Even the endless rain that had replaced the snow couldn't dampen his spirits. The Weasleys complained that Wood was becoming a fanatic, but Ace was on Wood's side, not only because he respect Wood as Captain, and "Captains orders are law", but he had discover that the emotion of the broom was good enough to soothe him down.
Life at Hogwarts, even good and wonderful, had returned to its calm days, Ace knew that as long as he stays in Hogwarts there will be times like this.
One evening when the Quidditch team came back to the common room, they found Ron and Hermione playing chess. Chess was the only thing Hermione ever lost at, something Ron thought was very good for her.
"Don't talk to me for a moment," said Ron when Fred sat down next to him, "I need to concentrate."
Ace just drop himself on a chair. And then notice that something was missing. "Where is Neville?"
Hermione was the one who answer: "He said he would be in the library."
At that moment Neville toppled into the common room. How he had managed to climb through the portrait hole was anyone's guess, because his legs had been stuck together with what they recognized at once as the Leg-Locker Curse. He must have had to bunny hop all the way up to Gryffindor tower.
Everyone fell over laughing and Hermione leapt up and performed the counter curse. Neville's legs sprang apart and he got to his feet, trembling. "What happened?" Hermione asked him, leading him over to sit.
"Malfoy," said Neville shakily. "I met him outside the library. He said he'd been looking for someone to practice that on."
"Go to Professor McGonagall!" Hermione urged Neville. "Report him!"
Neville shook his head.
"I don't want more trouble," he mumbled.
"You've got to stand up to him, Neville!" said Ron. "He's used to walking all over people, but that's no reason to lie down in front of him and make it easier."
"There's no need to tell me I'm not brave enough to be in Gryffindor, Malfoy's already done that," Neville choked out.
"And you believe that?" said Ace, coming forward "Do you truly believe that?"
"No" said Neville in an inaudible wimp, his eyes on the floor.
"Can't hear you."
"Ace..." murmured Hermione in a tone that sounded as a "Stop."
"I can't hear you, Neville."
"No" said the boy louder "I want to be brave."
"Then, what are you doing?"
"Ace..." insist Hermione, but immediately shut up, something in the boy's eyes were different; they didn't look carefree and mischief, the eyes of a child that was ready to play; Ace's eyes were serious and calculate, Hermione had only seen that kind of eyes on adults and they were not as deep as Ace's.
Neville didn't answer, he keep looking at the floor.
"Come with me" said de pirate.
And with that he turned around to leave the common room, Neville following a few steps behind.
As they travelled throw the corridors, Ace not even once spoken to Neville, but still, Neville never felt afraid, on the contrary, he felt safe; although he was always in dangerous situations with Ace, just to be near him Neville could feel calmer. And although, at the moment, they clearly advanced to the door of Fluffy, Neville could feel only a great nervousness.
Upon entering the hall, the three heads of Fluffy rose and looked at the pirate without growling. The right head even looked happy before Ace said: "Today I will not play with you", and before that his ears bend over and the central head growled for a moment.
"So, you want to be brave?" said Ace, not looking at Neville, his eyes fixed on the dog.
Neville took a moment to realize that he was talking to him.
"Y-yes" He said failing in trying not to sound nervous. Ace sounded something different, firm and commanding, imposing respect, as when he told Fluffy to stop, that time before the Quidditch match.
"Why?"
Why? Because he wanted to be brave? He was a Gryffindor by definition they were brave, that was what defined the house.
"I'm a coward, and I'm in Gryffindor..." he said no more, thinking there was no need for further explanation.
"So if you were in Hufflepuff, you would need to be brave.
Ace did not look angry; on the contrary, he looked calm, as he rolls up the sleeves of his shirt.
"No" that was not what he wanted to say "I want to be brave, I'm afraid of many things, I ..." he stopped ... Ace looked at him, his complete attention focused on him... Neville never had sense that someone lend him as much attention to what he said and yet he dared not to continue not knowing what to say, he did not know what Ace expected him to say.
"Why do you want to be brave?"
Neville looked at the floor.
"My father" It was a fortune that he was looking at the floor as Ace's frown deepened. "Gran's always telling I'm not as good as my dad ..." Neville looked up, Ace was still, staring at him, but Neville could not read his expression, a shadow was covering his eyes and stood with his arms on both sides of the body, slightly clenched his fists.
"Gran's is always saying I should uphold the family honor, but I am not as good or brave as dad, so I need to stop being afraid of everything."
"So, in short you want to be like your father?"
"Yes," exclaimed the little one, maybe too excited.
"Just to please your grandmother."
What? From where...? How had Ace come to such idea? "No" said Neville quickly.
"If your father was an evil wizard and your grandmother approve, but not you, could you still want to be like him."
Of course not, where had that idea come from? His father had been a hero; he had fought against the Deatheaters.
"And if it was the enemy of all, hated by everyone, but your grandmother approve, could you still want to be like him."
Enough was enough. Never mind that Ace was his friend. He had passed the limit; he was talking about his father.
Without thinking, as an impulse, Neville closed his small fist and as fast as he could, he went to Ace's face. He never got there. A midway, Ace grab Neville's arm, stopping the blow. The little one try to move, but without success, Neville's arm did not move an inch.
Ace smirk and Neville saw the boy moved his free hand to the fist and curiously settled his fingers.
"The thumb goes here, if you put it where you had it, it'll end up fracturing " then he took his fist and moved slightly down "The little finger should never be the first to make contact, the four fingers should make contact at the same time if not you will break your finger" And with that he leaned on the palm of his free hand the little fist of Neville to prove his point.
Slowly he released the arm of Neville and Neville dropped his eyes to his closed and settled fist.
"Being brave does not mean you do not fear anything, it means you are able to face what you fear" Then Ace smiled openly with his huge smile "Be what you want to be, not what others want you to be, after all it's your life, not theirs."
Neville looked at the ground again.
"I want to be like you."
"Don't be, only be you; I'm not brave, I'm reckless, and that will cost me my life."
Perhaps he had heard wrong, but Neville for a moment thought he heard Ace said. "…Again."
-.-
The next morning in Defense against the Dark Arts, while copying down different ways of treating werewolf bites, Hermione looked sideways at Ace and Neville, everything looked normal.
Neville had returned near midnight to the tower, completely tired as if he had run four times around the lake, and grabbing his hand with his free hand; but looked completely happy and satisfied.
He quickly said that Ace had fallen asleep with Fluffy and without more he went to sleep.
Even now he looked tired but the funny thing that Hermione noticed was that occasionally Neville closed his fist and then leaned against his outstretched palm.
Whatever it was, Hermione was glad that everything was fine, until the day of the Quidditch match came in which Neville opposed Malfoy and tried to take on Crabbe and Goyle single-handed!
When Ace listened to the story he couldn't feel more proud.
-.-
In the weeks that followed Ace continue training Neville, he did seem to be getting a little more confident but he was still Neville.
The twins start spending more time with Fluffy, with the idea that the dog feel lonely in there.
Hermione, however, had more on her mind than the Sorcerer's Stones and three-heads dogs. She had started drawing up study schedules and color-coding all her notes.
Her friends wouldn't have minded, but she kept nagging them to do the same.
"Hermione, the exams are ages away."
"Ten weeks," Hermione snapped. "That's not ages, that's like a second to Nicolas Flamel."
"But we're not six hundred years old," Ron reminded her. "Anyway, what are you studying for, you already know it all."
"What am I studying for? Are you crazy? You realize we need to pass these exams to get into the second year? They're very important; I should have started studying a month ago. I don't know what's gotten into me..."
Ace glance at her.
In his life he had known many responsible people, and thanks to many of them he had lived a long life ... as far as it goes. But Hermione took the prize, nobody was so obsessed with the reports, the times, the precision and accuracy of the reports ... and suddenly Ace reminded certain blond, he could spend hours at a desk, sunk on hundreds of reports of missions, bills, and checklists that never ended.
Staring at the girl, lost in complete concentration on her notes, he could see a clear resemblance between the pirate and the witch, the only difference, besides the obvious, was that the pirate knew how to have fun when he was not in his role of mother-hen.
The girl, feeling observed, looked up to see his friend staring at her in an analytical and thoughtful way. "What?" Hermione asked cautiously.
"I'm noticing what much alike you're to a friend of mine."
"In what sense?" Asked the girl.
"Extremely responsible, perfectionist and planning on what you does … even at being bossy."
Neville had left his notes and watched what unfolded in that remote table in the library they occupied.
"And... that's bad?" Asked the girl.
"No, the only difference, besides the obvious, is that he knew how to have fun."
Ron chuckled.
"Again with the same" Hermione muttered "Ace, we will not go down, you said it yourself; there may be other things."
"This is precisely the difference." Muttered the boy "that's why it's called adventure."
"We're not sure what will we find there. If Fluffy is the first scenario, I don't what to think what will be the second or how many there are next."
"What are you saying? Fluffy is really peaceful."
"Because you already tamed him."
"Hagrid!" exclaim Neville, getting the attention of his friends. "What are you doing in the library?"
Hagrid shuffled into view, hiding something behind his back. He looked very out of place in his moleskin overcoat.
"Jus' lookin'," he said, in a shifty voice that got their interest at once. "An' what're you lot up ter?" He looked suddenly suspicious. "Yer not still lookin' fer Nicolas Flamel, are yeh?"
"Oh, we found out who he is ages ago," said Ron impressively. "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 shoutin' about it, what's the matter with yeh?"
"There are a few things we wanted to ask you, as a matter of fact," said Ace, "about what's guarding the Stone apart from Fluffy…"
"SHHHH!" said Hagrid again. "Listen - come an' see me later, I'm not promisin' I'll tell yeh anythin', mind, but don' go rabbitin' about it in here, students aren' s'pposed ter know. They'll think I've told yeh…"
"See you later, then." said Neville.
Hagrid shuffled off.
"What was he hiding behind his back?" said Hermione thoughtfully.
"Do you think it had anything to do with the Stone?"
"I'm going to see what section he was in," said Ron, who'd had enough of working. He came back a minute later with a pile of books in his arms and slammed them down on the table.
"Dragons!" he whispered. "Hagrid was looking up stuff about dragons! Look at these: Dragon Species of Great Britain and Ireland; From Egg to Inferno, A Dragon Keeper's Guide."
"Hagrid's always wanted a dragon, he told me so the first time I ever met him" said Ace, stone and Fluffly completely forgotten.
"But it's against our laws," said Ron. "Dragon breeding was outlawed by the Warlocks' 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 dragons, it's dangerous. You should see the burns Charlie's got off wild ones in Romania."
"But there aren't wild dragons in Britain?" said Neville.
"Of course there are," said Ron. "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 on earths Hagrid up to?" said Hermione.
When all the group; Ace, Neville, Ron, Hermione and the Twins, knocked on the door of the gamekeeper's hut an hour later, they were surprised to see that all the curtains were closed. Hagrid called "Who is it?" before he let them in, and then shut the door quickly behind them.
It was stifling hot inside. Even though it was such a warm day, there was a blazing fire in the grate. Hagrid made them tea and offered them stoat sandwiches, which they refused.
"So - yeh wanted to ask me somethin'?"
"Yes," said Fred. There was no point beating around the bush. "We were wondering if you could tell us what's guarding the Sorcerer's Stone apart from Fluffy."
Hagrid frowned at him.
"O' course I can't" he said. "Number one, I don' know meself. Number two, yeh know too much already, so I wouldn' tell yeh if I could. That Stone's here fer a good reason. It was almost stolen outta Gringotts - I s'ppose yeh've worked that out an' all? Beats me how yeh even know abou' Fluffy."
"Oh, come on, Hagrid, you might not want to tell us, but you do know, you know everything that goes on round here," said Hermione in a warm, flattering voice. Hagrid's beard twitched and they could tell he was smiling. "We only wondered who had done the guarding, really." Hermione went on. "We wondered who Dumbledore had trusted enough to help him, apart from you."
Hagrid's chest swelled at these last words. And Ace had to remember that women were dangerous creatures.
"Well, I don' s'pose it could hurt ter tell yeh that... let's see... he borrowed Fluffy from me... then some o' the teachers did enchantments... Professor Sprout - Professor Flitwick - Professor McGonagall -" he ticked them off on his fingers, "Professor Quirrell - an' Dumbledore himself did somethin', o' course. Hang on, I've forgotten someone. Oh yeah, Professor Snape."
"Snape?"
"Yeah - yer not still on abou' that, are yeh? Look, Snape helped protect the Stone, he's not about ter steal it."
They all preferred to reserve their conclusion.
"Bit you're the only one who knows how to get past Fluffy, aren't you, Hagrid?" said Neville anxiously. "And you wouldn't tell anyone, would you? Not even one of the teachers?"
"Not a soul knows except me an' Dumbledore," said Hagrid proudly.
"Well, that's something," Ace muttered to the others.
"Hagrid, can we have a window open?" said Fred "I'm boiling."
"Can't, sorry," said Hagrid. Ace noticed him glance at the fire. Ace looked at it, too.
"Hagrid - what's that?"
But he already knew what it was. In the very heart of the fire, underneath the kettle, was a huge, black egg.
"Ah," said Hagrid, fiddling nervously with his beard, "That's er..."
"Where did you get it, Hagrid?" said Ron, crouching over the fire to get a closer look at the egg. "It must've cost you a fortune."
"Won it," said Hagrid. "Las' night. I was down in the village havin' a few drinks an' got into a game o' cards with a stranger. Think he was quite glad ter get rid of it, ter be honest."
"But what are you going to do with it when it's hatched?" said Hermione.
"Well, 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, o' course, but it's all in here. Keep the egg in the fire, 'cause their mothers breathe on I em, see, an' when it hatches, feed it on a bucket o' brandy mixed with chicken blood every half hour. An' see here - how ter recognize diff'rent eggs - what I got there's a Norwegian Ridgeback. They're rare, them."
He looked very pleased with himself, but Hermione didn't.
"Hagrid, you live in a wooden house." she said.
But Hagrid wasn't listening. Hagrid was trying to prevent Ace from taking the egg from the fire.
So now they had something else to worry about: what might happen to Hagrid if anyone found out he was hiding an illegal dragon in his hut.
Then, one breakfast time, Mecha brought Ace another note from Hagrid, before he stole a toast.
He had written only two words: its hatching.
Ron wanted to skip Herbology and go straight down to the hut. Hermione wouldn't hear of it.
"Hermione, how many times in our lives are we going to see a dragon hatching?"
"We've got lessons, we'll get into trouble, and that's nothing to what Hagrid's going to be in when someone finds out what he's doing…"
"Shut up!" George whispered.
Malfoy was only a few feet away and he had stopped dead to listen. How much had he heard? Harry didn't like the look on Malfoy's face at all.
Ron and Hermione argued all the way to Herbology and in the end, Hermione agreed to run down to Hagrid's with the other two during morning break, only to find that Ace was nowhere to be found.
As expected, in the moment when Ron, Hermione and Neville went to Herbology, Ace took the route towards Hagrid's hut. He was received by an excited Hagrid that let him in, the egg was lying on the table, with small marks as a sign that the creature inside was trying to get out.
Ace pulled a chair, placing it next to the one Hagrid had already put there.
And wait...
From time to time, Ace let out words of encouragement to the dragon.
When the bell sounded the end of the class period, the egg had multiple fractures.
It did not take long for Ron, Hermione Neville and the twins to arrive at the hut, they quickly sat down to see how the egg moved from side to side as the creature inside struggling to get out.
Finally after what seemed an eternity, a violent movement in the egg split in half, and while pieces of shell fell everywhere, the little creature was out, it was no bigger than an arm, thin and with large wings, his head was decorated with horns and some orange eyes watched around.
"Isn't he beautiful?" Hagrid murmured. He reached out a hand to stroke the dragon's head. It snapped at his fingers, showing pointed fangs.
"Bless him, look, he knows his mommy!" said Hagrid.
"Hagrid," said Hermione, "how fast do Norwegian Ridgebacks grow, exactly?"
Hagrid was about to answer when the color suddenly drained from his face - he leapt to his feet and ran to the window.
"What's the matter?"
"Someone was lookin' through the gap in the curtains - it's a kid -he's runnin' back up ter the school."
Fred and George bolted to the door and looked out. Even at a distance there was no mistaking him.
Malfoy had seen the dragon.
Something about the smile lurking on Malfoy's face during the next week made Neville, Ron, and Hermione very nervous. They spent most of their free time with Ace, Fred and George in Hagrid's darkened hut, trying to reason with him.
"Just let him go," Hermione urged. "Set him free."
"I can't," said Hagrid. "He's too little. He'd die."
They looked at the dragon. Now it was the size of the children, standing on his hind legs, he was still unable to fly, or at least he had not tried it yet and now, he was in a wrestling match with Ace.
"Look how they play" said Hagrid.
Or more like killing each other, it was thought in general. The dragon was stubbornly and refused to be beaten; and Ace... well, he was Ace, and he neither was going to let himself be beater. Ace was on the dragon's body with his hands holding the jaw, closing the maw.
"I've decided to call him Norbert," said Hagrid, looking at the dragon with misty eyes. While Ace been declared winner, got up and released the dragon. "He really knows me now, watch. Norbert! Norbert! Where's Mommy?"
Norbert ignored him.
"Hagrid," said Hermione loudly, "give it two weeks and Norbert's going to be as long as your house. Malfoy could go to Dumbledore at any moment."
Hagrid bit his lip.
"I - I know I can't keep him forever, but I can't jus' dump him, I can't."
The boys looked at each other, while Ace sitting on the floor in front of Norbert would say, "Just take a deep breath while you accumulate heat and then let it go."
"Do not teach him that kind of things," bellowed Hermione. "And help a little here."
Ace only turned to her, as he stretched his hand to pet Norbert.
"But that's what dragons do" responded in complete calm.
Ace turned to Hagrid, "I agree with Hermione."
"You are?" The girl asked, truly surprised.
"Yes I'm, he is small but he has to be free, also while he is here, safe and secure he will not know fend for himself, he must learn to hunt his own food and survive alone. The longer he stays here, the less he will know what to do when he's free."
"I thought," said Ron "With all that you were fond of the dragon, you either would want him to leave."
"Of course I want him to stay, but what kind of life would it be locked up in this house. These things ..." he said, taking one of the wings of the dragon, which annoyed Norbert "... are made to fly, to see the world and be free."
In the end, Hagrid agreed to release him at the end of the week.
The week that follow passed slowly, it felt like an eternity, when in fact they were only two days. Nobody could concentrate in class; Ace only went because Hermione grabbed him by force there.
It was a Wednesday night, after a Quidditch training, and Ace, Fred and George returned to the Gryffindor common room and just to collapse on a chair next to Neville.
"They're not here?" Fred muttered.
"No" replied Neville.
"They must be with Hagrid" George continued.
"It's almost curfew time."
And with a sigh they slide on the chair.
Ace instead stood up and after a quick "I will go for them" he stepped out of the common room.
He was arriving at the entrance when a voice made him stop for a moment. "Lurking the halls alone, Potter."
It was Malfoy, who was standing alone at the entrance to the stairs that goes to the dungeons. Ace moved on.
"Where did you leave all your troops?" Ace didn't answer, knowing he was referring to Hermione, Ron and Neville "You left them babysitters while you were playing?"
Ace turned his sight to Malfoy and took two decisive steps towards the blond. Malfoy backed toward the stairs, which caused a slight laugh from Ace. "Not so brave without your bodyguards gorillas. What happened? You didn't feed them enough and that's why they left you?" A grimace spread across Malfoy's face, a face that Ace had hit a nerve.
"You think you're so big? But you and your stray cats are in big trouble."
At that time Ace was already right in front of Malfoy. "I don't know what you mean by Stray Cats?"
"Weasley who have no money, Longbottom do not have the guts and Granger who has no friends, think you'll stand out picking rejected..."
He did not finish the sentence, because Ace had knocked the wall just beside the head of the blond.
"Stop right there. What's your problem?"
"Everything, everything is fake, a lies, you think you so superior that you can lie to all of us, perhaps no one saw it that way, but I do, and you do it all the time, but your friend Hagrid is into big problems, he will get fired by this illegal dragon."
"Do you want to elaborate more about that, Draco" Ace immediately recognized the voice of Snape. "Portgas, let Malfoy go."
Ace withdrew his fist from wall, a little of dust fall to the ground, and Malfoy walked down the stairs. Snape did not took away his eyes from the young pirate while Ace refused to do the same, despite the uncomfortable sensation he felt in the depth of his head; finally, Snape was the one who gave up, as he took his hand to his head trying to stop a migraine.
"Five points from Gryffindor for being out of the common room at inappropriate hours, and five more for attacking a fellow student" Ace didn't flinch "Portgas, go back to your common room. Malfoy, you accompany me to my office, I want you to tell me about that dragon."
As they descended the stairs, Ace turned and to run upstairs. Malfoy would tell everything to Snape, and Snape would tell everything to Dumbledore, and then Hagrid would lose his job at Hogwarts.
Hagrid loves Hogwarts, Ace still remembered as the man spoke of the place when he met him, he could not allow him to leave against his will.
He walked quickly into the tower, and entered his room, opened the trunk and began to stir it.
"What's wrong, Ace?" George asked, entering the room, followed by Fred and Neville.
"Snape knows about Norbert."
"What? How?"
"There is no time," he said, taking in his hands the invisibility cloak "In these moments they should be going with Dumbledore, and Ron and Hermione are still with Hagrid."
So he ran out without being told something else, down the stairs without stopping for anything, as he reached the door of the hut he did not wait a moment to open the door, everybody looked at him.
"Ace, what happens?" said Hagrid.
"Snape knows; we have to get Norbert out of here."
"But..."
"Snape will tell Dumbledore," Ron said.
"We have to get out of here before they come" Hermione said, as she began to remove any evidence that there was a dragon there.
Ron quickly began to help her. While Ace, guide the dragon out of the hut.
Once outside, Norbert remained standing at the door of the hut, his eyes traveling from one thing to another, completely blown side; The exterior of the house where he had spent almost a full week was bigger than he imagined, it seemed endless and so high, beneath that immense black cloak with multiple white dots, on one side there was many big forms that emerged from the ground, which created an even darker place, across a large building of stone that stood with multiple holes that let out the light that was inside.
"You two, go too" said Hagrid to Ron and Hermione, "if they find you here you will get in trouble too. I'll take care of the rest" He turned to Norbert "Listen to Uncle Ace, Mommy will see you soon" and not wanting to look back he went back into the house to hide bottles of brandy and chicken feathers.
"I will take Norbert into the forest" said Ace, one hand on the dragon. "You go back to the castle" and handed Ron the cloak.
Mecha came in flying, settling on Ron's shoulder and letting out a paper from his beak, Ace quickly read it: It was from the twins.
Snape and Dumbledore left Dumbledore's office and are going down the stairs.
"Go" command Ace "before they leave the castle."
Ace began to guide the dragon, while Ron covered Hermione and himself with the cloak, and now invisible, they see that once Ace was in the forest, two figures came out of the castle. Ron was going to start walking when Hermione pulled him around the cabin where there was a window, and waved him to keep silent.
They waited a few minutes until they heard someone knocking on the door. "One moment," said Hagrid's voice. "Ah, Professor Dumbledore, excuse the mess."
"No problem Hagrid" replied the professor's voice.
Hermione and Ron looked at each other, Hagrid had just mentioned the name of Professor Dumbledore, and the twins had clearly said that Snape and Dumbledore came down the stairs.
In the forest, the immense space and without the worry of someone seeing them, Norbert had discovered how much he could do. Making use of his strong legs, he impulse himself to jump between the branches of trees, and with his broad wings, although not strong enough to fly, he used them to glide and reach remote branches or gently go down on the ground. All this without departing from Ace-nii.
The boy walked quietly through the woods, with his falcon on his left shoulder and his right hand wrapped in flames.
In the short walk, nothing crossed their path, just a centaur that paused to talk with him and then he left.
It was when Ace suddenly extinguished the flame of his hand and stood alert while Mecha rose to heaven. A man emerged from the bush, clearly with troubles due to lack of practice on that kind of ground.
"Portgas!"
"Professor Snape" greet the boy. "What brings you here tonight?"
"You know why I'm here," said the man. "Hagrid has a dragon."
"Dragon?"
Norbert then chose that moment to come down from his branch and fall beside Ace. Snape took a step backward in reaction to the presence of the dragon, which despite being a baby could still rip someone's head.
"You mean this dragon?" Ace finally said, unable to hide the beast any more.
Retrieving a little dignity, Snape answer, "Yes, that dragon."
"Ah! It's mine, do you likes it?"
"Portgas, much as I'd love to believe it's yours, I can only visualize Hagrid getting such a dangerous thing, and keeping it as a pet."
The image of Fluffy immediately came to Ace's mind.
"Well I ask him..."
"I know you're trying to protect Hagrid, something completely unnecessary" interrupted Snape, while Norbert was distracted by something in the woods. "That dragon need to leave, it is not a pet."
"I know," whispered the child.
"Then why did you hide it?" "To protect Hagrid?" Ace did not respond. "It's not the time or the situation for that; our priority is to get that dragon out of here."
The boy said nothing; his gaze was fixed on the man.
-.-
Oh, gods!
Sorry, first of all, Sorry, I know that I said October, and it is already November. I could said that I got in the way a lot of things, starting with my brother's wedding, and two weeks later my best friend's wedding. Then came HTTYD 2 (which helped with the Norbert part) and then… the chaos that I am dealing right now: The company that I work for is moving to a new location, and as member of the IT Team… you can imaging… we change at the end of this week…