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It was two days later when Harry and Dudley decided to make a last run for information before they were ready to head off to try to rescue the philosopher's stone. They went to visit Hagrid.
"The Dursley boys! Come on in with ye! Good ter see ye," said Hagrid, ushering them into his hut for tea. Harry and Dudley looked around with interest. There were so many different animal pelts and feed bags inside the room. They couldn't help but be curious. They also had a gift for Hagrid, to grease the wheels of conversation. It was boiling hot inside the place.
"How are you, Mr. Hagrid. We appreciate the invitation to tea. We've been hoping to stop by for some time," said Dudley, flatteringly. Hagrid grinned.
"Ye don't need ter call me Mister. I prefer ter just be called by my last name. It's what me Da called me. He said I was his mini me," Hagrid remembered with a laugh. Harry and Dudley stared in awe. How big was Hagrid's dad?
"We can do that, Hagrid. Please, when we're in private, call us Harry and Dudley. We're friendly, so that would be appropriate, wouldn't it?" Harry asked, giving the man the authority in the situation to make him feel good. Hagrid puffed up in pride.
"I'd like that, I would. I think it'd be fine, if we did," Hagrid said, grinning at the boys. His teeth could be seen just as a glimmer through his wild beard.
"We brought you a gift, to show our appreciation of your friendship," said Dudley, grinning back. Harry took the small egg out of his pocket. He showed it to Hagrid, then pulled his hand back.
"I want to make sure you'll be able to properly raise this, Hagrid. It's a Komodo Dragon egg. Do you know what a Komodo Dragon is?" asked Harry.
Hagrid gasped. "Dragon? Another real dragon's egg?" Hagrid asked, excitedly. He realized what he'd said and looked shifty. Harry and Dudley exchanged a glance. They didn't miss the slip. They also didn't miss the fact that it was so hot in Hagrid's hut that it was stifling.
"Well, it's a Komodo Dragon, not a fire breathing dragon. It's the largest land lizard on Earth. They can grow up to three meters long, have a venomous bite, and are very protective of their territory. No one wanted this egg and we immediately thought of you," said Harry, earnestly. It was true. The Komodo Dragon was the first thing they thought of for Hagrid. Everyone knew of Hagrid's love for monstrous beats. This was the most monstrous beast they could think to give him from the Muggle world.
Hagrid looked at the egg like it was a fluffy kitten instead of a monstrous animal that might eat you, if it had the chance.
"We wanted to make sure you have experience with such large animals before we gave it to you," said Dudley, cunningly.
"Yes, have you ever cared for a large animal before, Hagrid?" asked Harry, trying to sound innocent.
Hagrid's hands itched to take the egg. "I've taken care o' lots o' large animals, I have. I was just telling a bloke the other day about Fluffy. If I can take care o' a little ol' three headed dog, a baby dragon should be nothing," said Hagrid. "It's all about knowing how to calm 'em down. Take Fluffy. Play him a little song and he'll fall right ter sleep."
Dudley and Harry exchanged a triumphant look.
"Fluffy? The adorable dog on the third floor?" Harry practically choked out. Hagrid nodded enthusiastically.
"He likes ter play with the devil's snare, he does. I shouldn't have told ye that," Hagrid said, catching up to what he was saying.
"Fluffy's a guard dog, isn't he?" asked Dudley.
"He sure is, so don't ye boys be snoopin' around his den. Cerberuses are right territorial. No, what he's guardin' is between the Headmaster and Nicolas Flamel," Hagrid chided, then realized what he'd said. "I shouldn't have told ye that," he said, starting to look nervous.
The boy's realized they'd pushed as far as they could. "Enough of that," said Harry, airily. "Dudley, do you have the owner's manual for the egg?"
"I do. In large print," said Dudley, handing the book over to Hagrid. Hagrid brightened right back up and started asking all kinds of questions about the Komodo Dragon. Harry and Dudley were glad they'd read the book themselves before coming.
The boys got a little more information out of Hagrid before it was time to go; they learned that many teachers had used their expertise to protect the stone.
"It's time," said Harry, the next Friday night. All his friends looked up at him, questioningly. "We have to save the stone."
"But the Flamels haven't responded yet," said Hermione, distressed.
"It doesn't matter," said Dudley. "The Flamels won't return until the first week in June, anyway. We need to get it out of the castle and safe before anyone else steals it. The Flamels will die if we don't."
Everyone was silent for just a moment. There really wasn't any way to argue. They made plans to sneak into the third-floor corridor the following morning. The teachers were having a staff meeting that would last half the day. Tracy had heard the Head Boy and Head Girl talking about the added patrols they would need to arrange due to the decreased staff supervision.
The day passed quickly, and before they knew it, it was the last Saturday in April, the day they would steal the philosopher's stone.
The group went down to breakfast, like they usually did. Blaise received an interesting letter.
A large raven glided silently through the air and landed soft as a feather on the back of Blaise's chair.
"Hello, Nera. It's good to see you again. I hope grandfather and the rest of the roost are well?" asked Blaise. Nera cawed softly and held out her leg.
"Buona. I'm glad all is well," Blaise took the letter from the bird. He started to read. He looked at the group, excitedly.
"My grandfather was able to reach the Flamels' granddaughter. She said they would be sure to contact us right away upon their return!" Blaise said, quietly. The rest of the group felt great relief from this news. "She says they'll likely want to set up arrangements to meet, if the issue is as important as we've suggested. She'll give the Flamels our sealed letter, so they can make arrangements as best suit them!"
Everyone was excited about the possibility of meeting the Flamels. They were legends.
The group started talking loudly about completing their potions project in Harry's rooms for the rest of the afternoon. Their projects were already complete, but no one knew that.
After breakfast, the group went to Harry's room to prepare. They grabbed Harry's invisibility cloak and snuck in groups of three to the third-floor corridor. Harry had to make several trips but it was worth it. They were almost caught.
"I know he's up to something, that giant oaf. I'm going to spy on him tonight and catch him in the act!" said a voice that they were fairly sure belonged to Theodore Nott. The group lined up against the wall and stretched the invisibility cloak over all of them. They dare not move or breathe until the group of Slytherin's passed.
Theodore Nott, Pansy Parkinson, and Millicent Bulstrode walked by, obviously plotting something. Harry and Dudley were worried. Theodore Nott only called Hagrid a giant oaf. The Dursley boys decided to go see what Hagrid might be sticking his foot in this time after they were done with their current adventure.
The Slytherin's left and Harry's group let the invisibility cloak fall.
"That was close," said a nervous Neville.
"No time to waste," said Daphne, pulling out her music box and starting it up. Harry nodded and opened the door, slowly. The sound of the music wafted over the room, lulling the huge, slightly growling, dog to sleep. In just a few moments, it was done.
The students slipped into the room. It took Harry, Dudley, Blaise and Tracy to move the huge thing's paw off the trap door.
"How do we get down?" asked a concerned Hermione. Heights weren't her favorite thing. Harry cast a Lumos in the form of a light ball that sunk slowly down into the dark, empty space below.
"It's probably 20 meters down," said Dudley, watching the small light finally touch something. Something that recoiled away from the light.
"That's Devil's Snare!" said Neville, recognizing the plant below. "We'll need to cast a strong Lumos or Bluebell Flame spell when we get to the bottom. Devil's Snare doesn't like light."
Harry quickly conjured a magical rope. Dudley cast a spell to tie the rope around one of the dog's legs. They slowly started down. Neville went first.
He arrived at the Devil's Snare and cast the required Charm. The plant looked like snakes recoiling as its vines pulled away from the light. Neville had created a hole. He kept climbing down.
When Neville reached the bottom, he looked all around. There were pretty, vivid pink and purple flowers all around him. Poppies.
Neville shouted up to the others. "Hurry! Cast a Bubblehead Charm! There are Poisonous Poppies down here!" Neville tried to follow his own advice but it was too late. The pollen was already floating on the air. Neville started giggling.
Harry came down next. He dropped down beside Neville, quickly casting the Charm on his friend. Neville kept trying to lay down.
"I'm sleepy. Sleepy weepy. Weepy meepy. Meep Meep," the drugged boy said, laughing. Harry looked at Neville in concern. The other students hurried down the rope.
"What's wrong with him?" asked Blaise, watching Neville yawn and try to dance and lay down at the same time.
"He's inhaled spores from a Poisonous Poppy. It's like being on a hallucinogenic drug, until it exits your system," said Daphne.
"How long does that take?" asked Tracy in dread.
"About three days," said Hermione, grimly.
"It'll be alright, rockabye. Rockabye!" Neville sang, loudly. Harry shook his head and started rummaging around in the emergency pack he'd brought with him. Harry and Dudley had brainstormed any possible items they might need during their research into possible traps. He pulled out a potions vial.
"Here. This is Hogmanay seed extract. It'll help absorb the spores," Harry said, helping Neville drink. Neville drank about half and sputtered the other half out of his mouth while he was laughing and drinking at the same time.
"Let's go, buddo. We need to hurry," said Dudley, putting an arm around Neville and guiding him forward.
"Ugh! I don't feel so good," said Neville, grabbing his head.
"None of that. We need to keep moving," said Harry, leading the way forward.
They came to a door after a long hallway. Harry listened at the door, then slowly opened it. He peeked inside.
"It's a forest. Looks like the trees are made of candy or have some kind of crystals on them," Harry said, opening the door a little wider.
"Everyone, be ready," Dudley said, pulling out his wand and wielding it awkwardly with Neville hanging off of his other arm.
The students started walking through the forest, with their eyes peeled. They reached the end of the path and found another door. It had a large, old fashioned style of door handle. The one's shaped like eggs that creek and refuse to turn until you've jiggled them just right.
"It's locked," said Hermione, disturbed. They tried every spell they knew for unlocking. Then, the students started looking around for keys. That's when Neville, of all people, noticed something.
"Shiny, shiny, in the tree. I think that might be what we need," Neville sang and laid his head against Dudley's shoulder. He was so tired. Dudley rolled his eyes but looked where Neville was pointing.
"Look! The crystals in the trees. They're not crystals, they're different shades of keys!" said Dudley, excitedly.
"How will we ever find the right one?" asked Tracy in dismay. She looked around at the dozen or so trees lining the walkway they had just come down.
Dudley reached into his bag. He pulled out his broom. Harry did the same.
"We'll catch it. It'll be easy. We just need to look for a big, old fashioned bronze key to match the doorknob. Stand back," Harry said, taking off into the air. Dudley was fast behind him. They sailed through the trees, looking at the keys hanging from the branches, glinting in the candle light.
It took almost 15 minutes before Harry shouted, "I've found it!"
Dudley soared over to watch as Harry reached out and grasped the key, pulling it loose from the branch. The trees went wild.
Dudley and Harry reared their brooms back, sailing through the suddenly violently flailing branches. Keys were flinging every which way, pelting them with the small metal objects.
Hermione and Daphne screamed and tried to run forward but Blaise grabbed them and pulled them back, flat against the door, the only place the branches couldn't reach.
Harry ducked and wove, flying high against the ceiling, so only the longest branches could reach them. Dudley's broom was smacked. He gave a yell as he lost control for just a moment.
Harry saw his brother in trouble and soared as fast as possible over to him, grabbing his broom and jerked it into proper position. Dudley held on by the skin of his fingertips.
They flew faster and finally slammed to a halt just before their friends. They jumped off their brooms and slammed their backs against the wall just as a whip-like branch snapped by. Harry got a small cut on his cheek. It was a close call.
Harry panted for breath but still slammed the key into the lock and ran into the next room. The New Marauders quickly followed. The door slammed shut behind them and melted into a pure rock wall.
"What's this?" asked Blaise, panicked. They turned around and saw a checkerboard patterned floor stretching out in front of them. The floor was completely bare and stretched the length of a quidditch pitch.
Harry walked forward cautiously and examined the floor. Hermione and Daphne followed.
"There, the black one's. They're slightly raised. See that?" asked Hermione. Harry nodded.
"They're an uneven pattern but there are black one's connecting this side of the room and the other," said Daphne.
"It's hot in here," said Dudley. "Like, steamy." Harry nodded.
"Let's press on one of the black one's from here," said Harry. Dudley held Harry's opposite hand and braced himself while Harry leaned forward and pressed down on the first black tile that he saw. A portion of the white tiles in front of him fell away, exposing boiling hot lava below. Dudley pulled Harry back so fast, Harry's arm popped in its socket.
"It's a puzzle!" cried Hermione. Daphne and Hermione started walking around the floor muttering rapidly to one another. After about 10 minutes, they nodded to one another and turned back to the group.
"We need to carefully step only the black tiles. Follow my lead," said Daphne, seriously. She stepped forward with Hermione right behind her. The girls spoke quickly to one another and walked on their tiptoes as if that would make their step more delicate.
"Almost there," said Hermione encouragingly, almost a half of an hour later. Daphne stepped on the final tile and was across the now gaping chasm of lava with a thin bridge of black tile zigzagging across what used to be a floor. The others followed slowly, careful to keep their balance and their distance from one another as they walked. Neville was being floated by Harry, in a body bind.
Finally, they all made it across. They sat down for just a moment to catch their breath from the stressful situation.
"How many more?" asked Neville in dread.
"I don't know for sure. Probably at least two or three more," answered Harry, grimly.
The group got up. There was no time to waste.
They went up to the next door and listened closely.
"Do you hear anything?" Blaise asked Harry and Dudley, who had their ears against the door.
"No. But," Dudley said, suddenly sniffing deeply. Then, he gagged. "I smell something. Something rotten."
Suddenly, the suddenly shivered under the force of a blow. A loud boom echoed around the room. Harry and Dudley jumped back away from the door that still wobbled a little from the first blow.
"What was that!?" exclaimed Tracy.
Hermione and Daphne hurried forward. They both inhaled deeply, then took turns peeking through the doorhole.
"A troll," they said together. Harry groaned.
"Not another one!" he cried.
"Seems so, little bro," said Dudley. Harry rolled his eyes. Dudley was a month older than him.
"Everyone, against the wall. Pull the invisibility cloak over yourselves. Dudley and I will trick it into falling into the lava," said Harry, pulling his broom out once again. It was only as he stared at the broom that he realized he and Dudley could have just flown everyone over the lava. He shook his head and slapped the broom between his thighs. Dudley seemed to be thinking the same thing. He rolled his eyes at his broom. Harry couldn't agree more.
The group hurriedly moved to hide under the invisibility cloak. Harry cast an alohomora on the door. It crashed open violently as the troll's club smacked into the door once more.
The troll tumbled onto the narrow ledge that surrounded the door into the next room. Harry and Dudley flew forward, like annoying little flies. They wove closer and farther away from the troll as it swung its club wildly, trying to bat them out of the air.
The troll made one particularly long reach, to try to reach Dudley, when its foot slipped on the edge and it fell, face first, into the depths of the open lava pit. The troll would have screamed but its mouth was too full of molten lava for all that.
They thought the thing smelled bad before. Burning troll flesh was no picnic. The girls flung the cloak off and ran into the next room, gagging. Harry and Dudley cast Bubblehead Charms, then landed and hurried to follow the girls.
They did not linger in the troll room. They hurried for the other door, barely keeping their lunches down, in spite of the Bubblehead Charms they all wore.
As soon as the last of them came through the door, the door slammed shut and melted into the stone wall. There wasn't even a crease where the door used to be.
The students weren't surprised by the present state of affairs but that didn't mean they liked it.
This room was large, stone, and bare other than a small table filled with potions vials. A gas slowly started seeping into the room. The Bubblehead charm failed as the students panicked.
They ran to the opposite door but a dark flame whooshed into existence over the door before it could be opened. Hermione and Daphne started casting every spell they knew to put out flames. Nothing was working!
"What do we do!" wailed Hermione. Blaise had run over to the table, to see if anything might help.
"There's a riddle here!" he called. The other students hurried over.
"Flame of darkness, ever grows. Gas that penetrates, defeats my foes. Drink the elixir that follows or ending up dead will be the least of your woes. I am tiny but I pack a punch. If you drink either beside me, you'll only drink it once. My largest enemy will only get you drunk. If you drink the one behind me, you'll get drunk more than once. Don't deny me, my cup overflows. If you don't find me, you'll be the one that goes," Blaise read.
"What does that mean?" asked a panicking Neville.
"It means if we don't solve this riddle, and fast, we'll probably die from whatever's in that gas," said Harry, ominously.
"On the bright side, the antidote refills itself. It's cup overflows," said Daphne, looking at the bottles, her eyes moving rapidly.
She and Hermione started talking in partial sentences.
"Largest one by volume is here, largest one by height is there," said Hermione.
"Smallest bottle has more liquid in it than this bottle. Looks like the inside of this bottle is smaller than the other," said Daphne. Hermione took off the lids of each bottle. She sniffed them all. Daphne did the same.
"Cyanide," said Hermione, setting one bottle aside.
"Nettle wine," said Daphne, setting another bottle aside.
They kept pulling bottles away until only one remained.
"This one," they said together. Harry hurried forward and was the first to drink, in case it wasn't the right one.
"Wait just a minute to see if it kills me," said Harry, seriously. The gas was slinking over, above their heads now. Harry seemed fine a few seconds later.
"Okay, no more time to waste," said Dudley, chugging the next batch. The girls went next, then Blaise, and finally Neville, who was almost too afraid to drink at all.
An icy cold sensation flowed through their veins.
"What now?" asked Dudley.
"We walk through the fire," said Daphne, gazing at the wall of black flames. The group collectively gulped.
"I'll go first," said Harry, being the leader he always was.
"No, I'll go first," said Blaise. "I'm the only one amongst you that isn't an heir."
"You don't know that yet. Your grandfather hasn't chosen," said Tracy, heatedly.
"He will have others to choose. I insist," Blaise said, his eyes steely in their determination. Tracy started crying. She jumped forward and hugged him. Blaise whispered something to her and pulled away. He took a deep breath and walked to the door.
He stuck his arm through and opened the door. He pulled his arm back quickly, but it was fine. He smiled and stepped through. The others all cheered. They hurried to follow him. Soon, they were in a large, ornately carved chamber. It was completely ordinary. There were chairs, side tables, and a comfortable sofa. Paintings and a large, ornate mirror hung on the wall. There were two large bookcases filled with books, boxes, and trinkets. The group didn't know where to look.
"It could be anywhere in here," Dudley said, dismayed as he looked around the large room.
"We know what it looks like and what it feels like. Everyone, start on this side of the room and work your way across. Work in teams, so that you can double check after each other," Harry said, directing everyone what to do. The group began searching.
It was almost two hours later when they were checking the room for the third time that Dudley found something.
Harry and Dudley were working together, examining a set of side tables and chairs that had several drawers and pockets between them. Dudley was checking under the cushions of one of the chairs when he glanced up and noticed the mirror.
"Wait, Harry. Isn't that the Mirror of Desire, or whatever? The one we saw in that room?" Dudley asked, staring at the mirror. Harry looked over.
"I think so," Harry said, stepping forward to examine the mirror. Hermione and Daphne heard them talking; they walked over to listen.
Dudley explained. "We saw this mirror before. It shows you your heart's desire, or some such rot. It ensnared me. Harry had to drag me away from it."
"Too right," said Harry, stepping in front of the mirror and looking in. Last time he saw just himself. He wasn't surprised that was all he saw this time. He just wanted to find the stone so badly. He wanted to save the Flamels before it was too late.
Mirror-Harry winked at Harry and put his hand in his pocket. Harry's mouth dropped open.
"What the?" Harry asked. The mirror-Harry pulled a bright red stone out of his pocket. Harry instantly recognized it. It was the philosopher's stone. The mirror-Harry put his hand back in his pocket and dropped the stone. Real-Harry felt something heavy thunk against his thigh. He reached his hand into his pocket and pulled out the philosopher's stone.
The group started chattering excitedly to see Harry with the stone in his hand.
"Is that it?" "How did you do that?" "It's so pretty!" "You did it!" "Finally!"
"I don't know how I did it, but this is the philosopher's stone! Someone take it. Let me try to put the fake into the mirror," Harry said, hurriedly. He pulled the fake stone out of his mokeskin pouch while Dudley put the real stone into his.
Harry turned back to the mirror and concentrated with all his might on how much he wanted the fake stone in the mirror for the thief to find. Mirror-Harry laughed. And put his hand into his pocket. Real-Harry did the same. He left the fake stone in his pocket and pulled his hand out. Mirror-Harry pulled his hand out of his pocket with the fake stone in his hand. He winked and put it back in his pocket. Real-Harry felt the fake stone disappear. He checked his pockets and cheered.
"It worked!" Harry cheered. The other students joined his excitement.
"Let's get out of here," said Dudley. Even though they dreaded the trip back through the traps, they were ready for this adventure to be over.
In less than an hour, the group was back in Harry's rooms. They had some snacks and then planned to call it an early night. Eventually, only Harry and Dudley were left in Harry's rooms once again.
"Shall we go see what our big friend is hiding before he gets his hide in it?" asked Harry. Dudley agreed. They slipped on the invisibility cloak and hurried out to Hagrid's hut. The giant man's door and windows were shut. The curtains were drawn. Most suspicious of all, the smoke stack was chugging out thick black smoke. At the end of April, when it was warm and spring was obviously in the air.
Harry knocked on the door. Hagrid opened it a gap and peeked outside.
"Who's there?" asked Hagrid, suspiciously.
"It's Dudley and Harry, the Dursley boys," said Dudley. Hagrid opened the door slightly wider.
"Sorry boys. I'm not fit for comp'ny right now," he coughed in an obviously fake manner. "I've got ter bit of a cold. Come back next week, yeah?"
Harry and Dudley exchanged a glance.
"We know what you're up to, Hagrid," said Dudley, sternly.
"Ye do? I mean, what do ye mean? I'm not up ter nothin'," said the big man.
"Don't play games, Hagrid. Let us help you. Theodore Nott, Pansy Parkinson, and Millicent Bullstrode know, too. They're coming out here tonight to catch you in the act!" said Dudley.
"No!" cried Hagrid, opening the door even wider. "He's too little! They'll take him or kill him!"
"Let us help," said Dudley, seriously. Harry and Dudley had no idea what Hagrid was up to but it was easy to see why Theordore would know. Hagrid was terrible at subterfuge.
Hagrid looked indecisive for a minute then let the boys in. Harry and Dudley walked into the absolutely sweltering room. Sweat instantly beaded and rolled down their faces and backs.
Hagrid hurried over to the fire and threw some more wood on, causing the flames to rise even higher. Harry almost choked on the heat.
"It's hatching! Come, watch!" Hagrid cried, moving so close to the flames, he signed his beard.
A black ball that stood out like white cat hair on black clothes sat in the middle of the flames. Hagrid used a heavy-duty pair of log grabbers to pick the egg up and set it on the kitchen table. A large black mark singed onto the table instantly. Harry was afraid the egg would burn through. Red cracks started to spread over the shell, until a big piece popped out, along with a slimy little black head. A tiny flame popped out of the beast's mouth and it gave its birth cry.
Hagrid started crying. He watched as the little dragon worked to free itself of the egg. It looked straight into Hagrid's eyes and the two instantly bonded. Harry thought he heard the little thing say mama. He shook his head.
Hagrid hurried to warm the baby Norwegian Ridgeback and feed it some brandy mixed with fresh chicken blood. Dudley and Harry had to admit the little thing was adorable.
"Norbert! That's what I'll call ye," Hagrid said, cuddling the little dragon that burped a belch of bloody blue flame that singed even more of Hagrid's beard and hair.
"He's adorable. Congratulations," said Dudley.
"He is a marvel. So precious," agreed Harry. Hagrid puffed up like any proud new mother would. The two boys sat with Hagrid for another hour while he gently bathed the baby dragon in boiling hot water. Then the man pulled a red-hot stone from the fire and set the baby on it with a fire-retardant blanket wrapped around his little body. It was so sweet to the little boys and the big man; it might as well have been a newborn puppy instead of a fire breathing death machine.
"'Is brother will be hatching any day now. I've not forgotten me other dragon," said Hagrid, happy as a lark.
"We really are happy for you Hagrid, but where will you keep him?" asked Dudley. Hagrid looked uncomfortable.
"I wish I could keep him here with me," said Hagrid. Harry stared at the man.
"You live in a wooden house," said Harry. Hagrid shifted again. Harry looked thoughtful.
"What about a custom-made habitat in a travel trunk? You could customize the best environment for him and keep him here with you," said Harry, excitedly.
Hagrid looked crestfallen. "That'd be a might expensive, lad. I'd love ter get something like that for little Norby. I just dunna think I could."
Dudley looked shrewdly at the man. "What if we invested in this little adventure. We'll provide you with the habitat and you seek a mate for Norbert. We'll be glad to help purchase a mate, if one is found. We'll split the profits from harvesting scales, blood, and the like three-ways. What do you say?"
Harry thought it was a grand idea. "You can even get the habitat made of materials that can be seen through. Then, you could show it to your classes. Even the egg shell you have here is worth money!"
"I dunna think the Ministry would like that," said Hagrid, looking chagrined. "I'm not technically allowed to have a dragon, ya see."
"Pish posh. We can get permits for that. We'll speak with our Regent about it. She's a solicitor, you know," Harry said, waving the issue away. "What do you say? Partners?"
Hagrid looked like thinking was slightly painful for him but he thought hard just the same. He couldn't see a downside.
"I'm game! Thank ye boys, for helping me. Oh no!" Hagrid suddenly exclaimed. "What about Nott?"
"Don't worry about him. It's already taken care of," said Dudley, with an evil grin. He and Harry had stopped by with a special gift for Mr. Filch and Mrs. Norris this evening, too. They brought a bushel of fresh catnip for Mrs. Norris and a battery-operated drill and a solar battery recharging station for Mr. Filch. They were both most appreciative of the gifts and heartfelt thanks they received for all their hard work. No one ever thanked Mr. Filch or Mrs. Norris, no one at all. Harry was glad to gift the man with a stack of rune disks that could be used with just a passphrase, too. That way the man would have some magic at his fingertips, if not unlimited magic. Harry swore he saw tears in the man's eyes.
As Harry and Dudley snuck back to the school, they saw Mr. Filch again. He had taken the warning Harry and Dudley passed along about Nott, Parkinson, and Bulstrode to heart. He had the three students frozen in place with one of the rune disks Harry had gifted him. He was lecturing them quite fiercely.
"When Mrs. Norris gets back with Professor Snape, you'll all see the error of your ways, you will. He appreciates the old punishments for insubordination. I might get to use the thumb screws on the lot of you," Filch hissed at the frozen students. Harry and Dudley had to put their hands over their mouths to keep in their sniggers as they hurried by. It would be a great story for their friends tomorrow.
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