About ¼ of an hour later Ron and Harry were headed down to lunch. Hermione was refusing to lift the jinx on Ron so there wasn't much talking to do. Mrs Weasley and Hermione were evaporating Ginny's vomit and trying to repack the every-flavour-beans. This task was made very difficult as the boxes kept shooting out the window in search of Harry's head, which they were still under orders to beat to powder. Ginny had been sent for a shower to clean up.

They arrived in the kitchen to find Charlie hoping franticly over the chairs with his robes burning violently. As they stepped through the kitchen doorway Charlie, catching sight of them, yelled "Expelliarmus!" and they were thrown backward, into the hallway.

The door slammed closed on them as they heard Charlie yell, "Stupefy!", this was followed by a long moaning noise and a loud thud.

"Aguamenti", they heard Charlie say a few seconds later.

"Sorry about that" he chuckled, helping them to their feet, "Harry! How are you?"

"I'm, well, great." Harry admitted. "How've you been Charlie?"

"Busy." Replied Charlie, bluntly "What's up with you Ron?"

"Hermione jinxed him." Harry said

"Ah!" sighed Charlie, understandingly. Raising his wand he pointed it at Ron and performed the counter curse, only to hear; "What the hell was that?"

"Now, now we can't have that. Silencio! Watch your language." Charlie reapplied the jinx causing Harry to bust out laughing and Ron to Glare at Charlie with a look which could stand in for about a thousand swear words. "Now, in answer to your question, that would be in the Kitchen."

They followed Charlie into the Kitchen and saw what looked like a dark green snake lying sprawled across the floor.

"What is it?" asked Harry

"That," replied Charlie "would be a common welsh green hatchling!"

"How have you got one of them in the house" Asked Harry, "I thought they were Illegal?"

"I'm training it" answered Charlie

"you're what?" gaped Harry.

"The ministry has hired about twenty dragons to guard the school, there are quite a few being raised at the ministry itself, but this one is a present for-"

"Hagrid?" Harry cut in, assuming that the only person anyone in the building knew who would accept a dragon as a present was the huge half giant who cared for the grounds and creatures of Hogwarts.

"Hagrid." Charlie agreed "This dragon is actually a half breed with another type, a Norwegian ridgeback, in fact."

"Not Nor-"

"Yes! Norbert."

Hagrid had once been the owner of a rather violent but young dragon called Norbert, it was evidently the parent of this dragon lying before them.

"Why are the ministry placing dragons at Hogwarts?" asked Harry

"New security" Charlie replied "There were a lot of Jokes about it being done when Sirius Black was breaking in… but under the current circumstances, with Dumbledor gone… It shows the Ministry are getting desperate…" Charlie tailed off, evidently preoccupied by current events.

Harry was about to ask another question but as he drew breath the house became suddenly filled by a high pitched, blood curdling scream.