Chapter 16: Norbert the Norwegian Ridgeback
When Christmas vacation was over classes began again and soon students found themselves preparing for the end of the year exams. On one such study occasion, Hermione, Ron, Harry, Erin, Lexine and Kay sat in the library. Erin was the only one actually studying for exams just for the heck of it. Going to Hogwarts had improved her magical education and she wanted to see how much she'd learned. "I can't believe you're taking the exam," Kay scoffed as Erin flipped through 1,000 Magical Herbs and Fungi for Herbology.
"I'm a witch, aren't I?" she asked. "And I'm in a school for wizardry, right?"
"Whatever."
"Look at you!" cried Hermione as she looked at Ron who sat across from her playing with his chocolate frog cards. "Playing with your cards. Pathetic! We've got final exams coming up soon!"
Ron tossed his card of Agrippa on the table. "I'm ready. Ask me ANY question."
Hermione nodded. "All right. What are the three most crucial ingredients in a forgetfulness potion?"
Ron looked at Harry who shrugged. "Forgot."
Lexine spit out a mouthful of the milk she had been drinking while reading QUIDDITCH THROUGH THE AGES, spraying it all over the table.
"Ugh!" said Ron as he wiped off his robe. Hermione glared at the wild mage and snatched the glass of milk away from her.
"I don't trust you with milk anymore. Not after you nearly ruined my uniform with it earlier!" she set it down at her elbow before turning to Ron, ignoring the shocked expression on Lexine's face. "And just WHAT are you going to do if that question comes up on the exam?"
"Copy off you?" Ron snapped.
"No you WON'T." Hermione snapped. "According to Professor McGonagall we're to be given anti-cheating quills."
Ron's cheeks reddened. "Anti-cheating quills? That's insulting! It's as if they don't trust us!"
Suddenly the doors to the Great Hall opened and all heads turned to see Neville Longbottom hopping in. "What's up with him?" asked Kay, noticing how both of the boys' legs were stuck together.
"Leg-locker curse." Sighed Hermione.
"Huh?"
"Never mind. Wizard stuff. Mages wouldn't understand it."
"Malfoy." Growled Harry and Ron nodded.
Neville hopped all the way over to them, steadying himself against the table panting. "You have GOT to start standing up to people, Neville." Said Ron, shaking his head.
"Malfoy, eh?" asked Kay. "All right, Neville. Where did he go?"
"Malfoy?"
"No, Winnie the Pooh. Yes of COURSE Malfoy!"
"I dunno."
Seamus Finnigan stood up, holding his wand. "I know the counter-curse!" he shouted eagerly.
"No!" Neville cried. "That's all I need. You'll just set my bloody kneecaps on fire!"
Kay jumped when Seamus slammed his wand down onto the table, his brown eyes blazing. "I don't APPRECIATE your insinuation, Longbottom." He snapped. "And in case any of you cared to notice my eyebrows have completely grown BACK!" He stalked off and Kay began laughing when she saw a bald spot on the back of his head.
"Sounds like you, Er." She teased and got an elbow in the side. "Ow!"
When Seamus left, Hermione gasped. "Wait a minute. I've just thought of something!"
"What?" asked Kay.
"Come with me. We have to see Hagrid. And fast!" The six of them gathered their books and bolted out of the Great Hall and outside towards the gamekeeper's hut. Harry stepped forward and banged a few times on the door. When it opened, Kay tried very hard not to laugh. Hagrid was wearing a light pink apron and pink oven mitts. "I'm sorry," he apologized in his usual gruff voice. "But I'm in no fit state to entertain today." He started to close the door.
"We know about the Sorcerer's Stone!" Harry, Ron and Hermione cried at once. The door immediately opened again and Hagrid gave them the once over.
"Oh." He let them in and offered them seats. Kay noticed that he had a large pot over the fire and wondered what on Earth the half-giant could be using that for.
'Probably knew I was coming down here. Probably wants to cook me,' she thought with a shudder. Hermione sat down in one of the cushioned chairs before speaking: "We think Professor Snape is trying to steal the stone," she began.
"Nonsense!" said Hagrid. "Why would he do a thing like that?"
Lexine grimaced when she felt something cold and wet against her ear and realized that she had sat down next to a big black dog. "I've never seen such a big dog!" the mage cried as the dog continued sniffing her in curiosity.
"His name's Fang," Hagrid explained. "An' he's really jus a big baby. He won' hurt yeh."
Lexine began giggling as the dog licked her on the cheek. From her seat Kay rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Well, we saw him limping. Therefore we knew he must have tried to get past Fluffy."
"Still beats me how you all found out about 'im." Hagrid pondered as he handed them each mugs of tea. Suddenly Kay heard the sound of something cracking and looked towards the fire where she saw a large iron pot. Hagrid heard it too and hurried over to the pot putting on his pink oven mitts. Nobody spoke when the half-giant pulled out an object that was very round and looked like. "It's an egg!" Kay gasped.
"Hagrid!" Harry cried. "What exactly is that?"
Hagrid's cheeks turned a bright shade of crimson. "That? Oh...that's um...that's."
Then Ron spoke up. "I know what that is! But Hagrid, How'd you get one?"
"Get one what?" asked Kay.
"Shhhh!" Hagrid shushed her and they held their breaths as the egg began to open. Erin leaned back against her chair and SNAP the egg broke apart and the pieces flew everywhere.
"Wow!" said Kay when she got a good look at the creature that had come out of the egg. Hermione blinked.
"Hagrid! Is that a dragon?"
"Isn't he beautiful?" asked Hagrid, tears in his eyes. "Oh bless 'im. He knows his Mommy!"
Kay raised an eyebrow and scotched her chair back.
"Are you gonna name him?" asked Lexine once the initial shock of seeing a baby dragon wore off.
"Norbert. Had the name picked out already."
Kay sniggered. "Norbert?"
Hermione gave Hagrid a serious look. "Norbert may be cute now," she began. "But what are you going to do when he grows up? He'll probably take up the whole house!"
Kay continued to watch the creature in awe. She had never seen a dragon up close before. Ron suddenly heard something and turned towards the window. "Who's that?" Hagrid asked quietly.
"Malfoy."
Kay hopped up knocking over her chair as she went out of the hut and chased after the fleeing boy. "Get back here you bastard!" she yelled and ZAP a bolt of light shot out of her finger and engulfed Malfoy. "OWWW!" he yelped, falling over to the ground on all fours. Kay took the light away and pinned him to the ground. "What the hell were you doing there?" she snarled angrily, pleased to see Malfoy's terrified eyes.
"I.I."
"Spying on Harry, weren't you? You were trying to get him into trouble, weren't you?" She pulled Malfoy up by the collar. "If I EVER see you sneaking around again you'll suffer a fate worse than one being attacked by." she smiled evilly. "Voldemort."
Malfoy stumbled a bit when Kay thrust him off and he took off towards the castle. When Kay returned to Hagrid's hut, the others were silent and staring. "You didn't hurt him, did you?" Lexine asked.
"What do you mean?" asked Kay.
Erin stood. "We'd better get back." She told the others and they made their way back to the school.
When Christmas vacation was over classes began again and soon students found themselves preparing for the end of the year exams. On one such study occasion, Hermione, Ron, Harry, Erin, Lexine and Kay sat in the library. Erin was the only one actually studying for exams just for the heck of it. Going to Hogwarts had improved her magical education and she wanted to see how much she'd learned. "I can't believe you're taking the exam," Kay scoffed as Erin flipped through 1,000 Magical Herbs and Fungi for Herbology.
"I'm a witch, aren't I?" she asked. "And I'm in a school for wizardry, right?"
"Whatever."
"Look at you!" cried Hermione as she looked at Ron who sat across from her playing with his chocolate frog cards. "Playing with your cards. Pathetic! We've got final exams coming up soon!"
Ron tossed his card of Agrippa on the table. "I'm ready. Ask me ANY question."
Hermione nodded. "All right. What are the three most crucial ingredients in a forgetfulness potion?"
Ron looked at Harry who shrugged. "Forgot."
Lexine spit out a mouthful of the milk she had been drinking while reading QUIDDITCH THROUGH THE AGES, spraying it all over the table.
"Ugh!" said Ron as he wiped off his robe. Hermione glared at the wild mage and snatched the glass of milk away from her.
"I don't trust you with milk anymore. Not after you nearly ruined my uniform with it earlier!" she set it down at her elbow before turning to Ron, ignoring the shocked expression on Lexine's face. "And just WHAT are you going to do if that question comes up on the exam?"
"Copy off you?" Ron snapped.
"No you WON'T." Hermione snapped. "According to Professor McGonagall we're to be given anti-cheating quills."
Ron's cheeks reddened. "Anti-cheating quills? That's insulting! It's as if they don't trust us!"
Suddenly the doors to the Great Hall opened and all heads turned to see Neville Longbottom hopping in. "What's up with him?" asked Kay, noticing how both of the boys' legs were stuck together.
"Leg-locker curse." Sighed Hermione.
"Huh?"
"Never mind. Wizard stuff. Mages wouldn't understand it."
"Malfoy." Growled Harry and Ron nodded.
Neville hopped all the way over to them, steadying himself against the table panting. "You have GOT to start standing up to people, Neville." Said Ron, shaking his head.
"Malfoy, eh?" asked Kay. "All right, Neville. Where did he go?"
"Malfoy?"
"No, Winnie the Pooh. Yes of COURSE Malfoy!"
"I dunno."
Seamus Finnigan stood up, holding his wand. "I know the counter-curse!" he shouted eagerly.
"No!" Neville cried. "That's all I need. You'll just set my bloody kneecaps on fire!"
Kay jumped when Seamus slammed his wand down onto the table, his brown eyes blazing. "I don't APPRECIATE your insinuation, Longbottom." He snapped. "And in case any of you cared to notice my eyebrows have completely grown BACK!" He stalked off and Kay began laughing when she saw a bald spot on the back of his head.
"Sounds like you, Er." She teased and got an elbow in the side. "Ow!"
When Seamus left, Hermione gasped. "Wait a minute. I've just thought of something!"
"What?" asked Kay.
"Come with me. We have to see Hagrid. And fast!" The six of them gathered their books and bolted out of the Great Hall and outside towards the gamekeeper's hut. Harry stepped forward and banged a few times on the door. When it opened, Kay tried very hard not to laugh. Hagrid was wearing a light pink apron and pink oven mitts. "I'm sorry," he apologized in his usual gruff voice. "But I'm in no fit state to entertain today." He started to close the door.
"We know about the Sorcerer's Stone!" Harry, Ron and Hermione cried at once. The door immediately opened again and Hagrid gave them the once over.
"Oh." He let them in and offered them seats. Kay noticed that he had a large pot over the fire and wondered what on Earth the half-giant could be using that for.
'Probably knew I was coming down here. Probably wants to cook me,' she thought with a shudder. Hermione sat down in one of the cushioned chairs before speaking: "We think Professor Snape is trying to steal the stone," she began.
"Nonsense!" said Hagrid. "Why would he do a thing like that?"
Lexine grimaced when she felt something cold and wet against her ear and realized that she had sat down next to a big black dog. "I've never seen such a big dog!" the mage cried as the dog continued sniffing her in curiosity.
"His name's Fang," Hagrid explained. "An' he's really jus a big baby. He won' hurt yeh."
Lexine began giggling as the dog licked her on the cheek. From her seat Kay rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Well, we saw him limping. Therefore we knew he must have tried to get past Fluffy."
"Still beats me how you all found out about 'im." Hagrid pondered as he handed them each mugs of tea. Suddenly Kay heard the sound of something cracking and looked towards the fire where she saw a large iron pot. Hagrid heard it too and hurried over to the pot putting on his pink oven mitts. Nobody spoke when the half-giant pulled out an object that was very round and looked like. "It's an egg!" Kay gasped.
"Hagrid!" Harry cried. "What exactly is that?"
Hagrid's cheeks turned a bright shade of crimson. "That? Oh...that's um...that's."
Then Ron spoke up. "I know what that is! But Hagrid, How'd you get one?"
"Get one what?" asked Kay.
"Shhhh!" Hagrid shushed her and they held their breaths as the egg began to open. Erin leaned back against her chair and SNAP the egg broke apart and the pieces flew everywhere.
"Wow!" said Kay when she got a good look at the creature that had come out of the egg. Hermione blinked.
"Hagrid! Is that a dragon?"
"Isn't he beautiful?" asked Hagrid, tears in his eyes. "Oh bless 'im. He knows his Mommy!"
Kay raised an eyebrow and scotched her chair back.
"Are you gonna name him?" asked Lexine once the initial shock of seeing a baby dragon wore off.
"Norbert. Had the name picked out already."
Kay sniggered. "Norbert?"
Hermione gave Hagrid a serious look. "Norbert may be cute now," she began. "But what are you going to do when he grows up? He'll probably take up the whole house!"
Kay continued to watch the creature in awe. She had never seen a dragon up close before. Ron suddenly heard something and turned towards the window. "Who's that?" Hagrid asked quietly.
"Malfoy."
Kay hopped up knocking over her chair as she went out of the hut and chased after the fleeing boy. "Get back here you bastard!" she yelled and ZAP a bolt of light shot out of her finger and engulfed Malfoy. "OWWW!" he yelped, falling over to the ground on all fours. Kay took the light away and pinned him to the ground. "What the hell were you doing there?" she snarled angrily, pleased to see Malfoy's terrified eyes.
"I.I."
"Spying on Harry, weren't you? You were trying to get him into trouble, weren't you?" She pulled Malfoy up by the collar. "If I EVER see you sneaking around again you'll suffer a fate worse than one being attacked by." she smiled evilly. "Voldemort."
Malfoy stumbled a bit when Kay thrust him off and he took off towards the castle. When Kay returned to Hagrid's hut, the others were silent and staring. "You didn't hurt him, did you?" Lexine asked.
"What do you mean?" asked Kay.
Erin stood. "We'd better get back." She told the others and they made their way back to the school.