Disclaimer: JK Rowling is the rightful owner of any and all Harry Potter related content, and I am but a bored muse attempting to make the best of the current shelter-in-place situation
Chapter 4
Ron took Harry's words to heart. It turns out that being labeled a bully by one's friend is just about the best wake-up call there is. He no longer made spiteful comments towards Hermione. Rather, he befriended her, and there was now an easy camaraderie between all of the first-year Gryffindors. Harry, however, was still closest with Hermione, which is why he told her and only her about the three-headed dog he encountered in the third-floor corridor and that it was standing on a trapdoor. It did not take long for the pair to deduce that the dog was guarding something, nor did it take long for them to conclude that whatever it was guarding had to have been whatever Hagrid took from Gringotts the day he brought Harry to Diagon Alley.
When the pair asked the Gamekeeper about it one day, however, he refused to reveal any details with the exception of the name of the dog - Fluffy - and the involvement of someone named Nicolas Flamel. Thus, Harry and Hermione took it upon themselves to pore over the Hogwarts library to try and discover just who Nicolas Flamel was. Their efforts were largely unsuccessful until Hermione slammed a book down in front of Harry and caused him to jump.
"What's that monster?" He smirked at the tome, which easily exceeded a thousand pages. Hermione simply opened the book to a page she had marked and pointed to a section titled Nicolas Flamel. "Blimey, Hermione, you've found him!" Harry grinned, eliciting a warm smile and a blush from Hermione. The pair read through the section quickly, learning that Flamel was the only known maker of the Sorcerer's Stone, a legendary substance of granting immortality.
"No wonder they have Fluffy guarding that thing," Harry whispered. "I bet loads of people would try to steal something like that."
The two students then shared a nervous look. As their search for whatever entity was held in the third floor continued, their suspicions of Professor Snape had multiplied. On top of tormenting the duo during Potions class with every opportunity he got, the rest of the Gryffindors revealed that on their way to the girls' bathroom on Halloween they had seen him walking towards the forbidden corridor. Later, Harry had witnessed him treating an injured leg while mumbling about three heads. He had also tried jinxing Harry's broom during a Quidditch match, which was only unsuccessful because Hermione had taken it upon herself to set Snape's robes on fire. If the Gryffindors had any lingering thoughts that the bushy-haired witch was nothing but a know-it-all and a stickler for rules, that incident vanquished them entirely.
"Could Snape be trying to steal the Sorcerer's Stone?" Harry asked quietly. "Why?"
"I don't know," Hermione admitted. "Do you think we should talk to Hagrid? Maybe we can coax some more information out of him?"
They agreed to visit him the following day and pry for more information, especially considering that they now were certain that they knew what Fluffy was guarding. Unfortunately, their plan flew out the window when Hagrid ushered the youngsters into his hut and pointed at his fireplace with pride. Harry and Hermione cautiously edged forward until they spotted it: a huge, black egg.
Hagrid quickly sat them down and explained that he was planning to hatch a dragon egg, to significant protests from the two of them.
"Hagrid, you live in a wooden house!" cried Hermione, but Hagrid kept speaking as if he didn't hear her.
"Don't dragons kill people?" Harry eyed the egg warily, but Hagrid continued to ramble about how excited he was to have gotten it from a bloke in a pub.
"When is it supposed to hatch, anyway?" Hermione cut in, and Hagrid finally paused.
"Tomorrow nigh'!" He beamed. "If the two of yeh can get out here withou' bein' seen, well, it'd mean a lot teh me if yeh came," he added. After an uncomfortable silence, the pair agreed to visit Hagrid's hut using Harry's mysterious new Invisibility Cloak.
The next night came, and the Gryffindor common room eventually emptied out, except for Harry and Hermione. The two easily managed to cover themselves with the cloak and began tip-toeing down the corridors.
"We better not get lost," Harry murmured at one point. Hermione began to mutter some reassurances that they were fine when none other than Severus Snape appeared from around a corner. Hermione squeaked and reflexively clung to Harry, who had involuntarily gasped. Snape's eyes turned to where the three were standing, searching the scene. After an agonizing minute, he continued on his patrol.
The two of them exhaled as soon as he disappeared from sight, but Hermione refused to let go of Harry, who did not mind. Finally, they had arrived at Hagrid's hut and witnessed the birth of Norbert, a Norwegian Ridgeback Dragon. Even though they were deathly afraid of the creature, they could not help but smile at Hagrid's playful interactions with his new pet.
Until of course, they saw a flash of pale skin and blonde hair at the window. Draco Malfoy had spotted them, and he had seen Hagrid's dragon. Hagrid's very dangerous, very illegal dragon.
Forgoing the cloak and opting to retreat back to Gryffindor Tower as fast as possible, Harry and Hermione eventually collapsed onto their usual couch the moment they entered the common room. Hermione used her Bluebell Flames to light a fire in the nearby fireplace as they caught their breath.
"The good thing is," Hermione began once she caught her breath, "that Malfoy can't tell anyone anything without admitting that he was out past curfew as well. We shouldn't have to worry about him telling on us to any teachers."
"Right," Harry nodded, sighing in relief. "But we do have to worry about Hagrid. There's no way Malfoy did not see that dragon, and considering how much he hates me and anybody I'm friends with, he'll probably try and get Hagrid arrested the first chance he gets." Hermione nodded in agreement. "So what do we do?"
The plan was simple: Ron had mentioned during one of his 'Quidditch 101' lessons with Harry that his brother Charlie - the former Seeker - was now a dragon tamer in Romania. The pair would ask Ron if he could write to his brother and ask if he or any of his friends could pick Norbert up from Hogwarts without being seen. With any luck, they would grab Norbert, disappear into the night, and nobody would be none the wiser that Hagrid was keeping an illegal creature on school grounds.
Ron agreed to the plan, writing to his brother the next morning. Charlie wrote back that some of his friends would love to pick Norbert up from the top of the Astronomy Tower - the tallest tower at Hogwarts - in exactly one week. The trio agreed to go down to Hagrid's that night and perform the extraction as a unit.
"Ron, you go down to Hagrid's after breakfast and explain the plan, alright?" Harry asked on the morning of the scheduled date. "Charlie is your brother and Hagrid probably knew him well considering how much he loves magical creatures. Just explain the plan and tell him to have Norbert ready to be picked up tonight," Harry whispered to his redheaded friend, throwing a glare at the Slytherin table as they entered the Great Hall.
"Alright, I will," Ron nodded, blanching as they sat down at the Gryffindor table. "Blimey, I can't even eat I'm so nervous!" He moaned. Harry and Hermione exchanged smirks.
"If a dragon was all it took to get you to stop eating like a pig…" Hermione began.
"…we would have gotten one of those months ago!" Harry grinned, and the two shared a laugh as Ron turned pink and reluctantly grabbed a piece of toast.
Harry and Hermione were waiting in Charms for Ron to come back from Hagrid's, but grew wary as class wore on and Ron had yet to arrive. The moment Professor Flitwick dismissed the class, the two of them took off, worried that Hagrid and Ron had been caught.
"Hermione! Hermione, wait!" A voice called from behind them. Both Harry and Hermione stopped to see Neville Longbottom jogging up to meet them. "You…you forgot this. You left so fast you ditched it on your desk. Malfoy grabbed it, but he threw it on the ground when he saw your name in it I reckon. Here you go!" Neville offered, holding out Hermione's copy of The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 1. The color drained from Hermione's face instantly.
"Oh, thanks Neville…" she managed in a small voice as she glumly dropped it in her bag. Their friend grinned in response and shuffled off to his next class. Hermione turned to face Harry, her face still white as a sheet.
"The parchment from last week was in there!" Hermione hissed. "The paper that we drafted our plan on in the common room!" She began frantically looking through her textbook once Neville was out of sight. "It's gone! What if Malfoy has it?" She panicked. Harry tried to say something that would appease her when he was cut off.
"Miss Granger! Mr. Potter!" The two students whirled around. A rather severe-looking woman was marching down the corridor in their direction.
"Madam Pomfrey!" Hermione exclaimed.
"Your friend Ronald is currently in the Hospital Wing and is insistent on seeing the two of you. Come with me," She grumbled, whisking the two of them towards the school's infirmary. When the two of them arrived, their hearts somehow sank even further. Ron's hand was a sickening shade of green, and he explained in a hushed voice that Norbert had bitten him.
"OK, well, Step 1 was to inform Hagrid without causing too much of a ruckus," Hermione whispered.
'Failed Step 1,' Harry thought glumly.
"Also, Malfoy knows about the plan…" Hermione added, and Ron's face began turning the color of his hand and he began spewing profanities. Hermione slumped in her chair in despair, burying her face in her hands.
"OK, so it seems like the situation may be spiraling right now…" Harry tried to offer encouragingly. Hermione simply rolled her eyes at his brilliant intuition. Her dismay quickly vanished when Harry stood and grabbed her hand. "So how's this for a new plan: the two of us will use the cloak to transport Norbert ourselves. There's not enough time to send Ron's brother an owl to call it off. We'll get the dragon after curfew and bring him to the Astronomy Tower, just the two of us. Sound good?" he said, looking only at Hermione, not Ron.
Hermione only offered a small squeak in response, her eyes locked onto her and Harry's intertwined fingers. Harry noticed and nervously pulled away once he'd helped her up, not noticing the disappointment on his friend's face.
Getting to Hagrid's that night was easy enough. The difficulty began when they laid eyes on an enormous crate with holes poked in the top.
"Blimey, Hagrid, the thing's a week old! How heavy is this thing?" Harry griped as he tried to pick it up himself. Hermione quickly grabbed the other end while Hagrid threw the cloak over them.
"Oh, he's still jus' a baby. Barely over 30 pounds!" Hagrid laughed. Harry and Hermione groaned as they began the agonizing trek back up to the castle.
The duo had to move at a frustratingly slow speed. Between not slipping on the dew-covered grass of the Hogwarts grounds, the weight of the dragon and his makeshift cage, and remaining underneath the Invisibility Cloak meant for only one person, they shuffled at a rate that had Harry wondering if they'd make it before sunrise. Mercifully, they reached the castle, but their journey featured about as much stealth as one would expect from children their age.
"Ow!" Harry groaned as he walked into a suit of armor, pausing to massage his foot. His embarrassment was exacerbated by his friend unsuccessfully trying to hide her giggles at his misfortune. "Oh, quiet you!" He hissed, but Hermione's laughter was infectious, and soon the two of them were chuckling amongst themselves as they progressed through the otherwise silent castle.
The pair turned a corner and Hermione let out a sharp gasp, her eyes widening at the sight of a figure approaching them. This time, it was Harry's turn to laugh as the ghost of Nearly Headless Nick floated past them, oblivious to the invisible students in front of him. Hermione narrowed her eyes as her friend snickered.
"Gasp a little louder next time, I don't think they heard you in France," He teased. Hermione sighed in disapproval, but even in the darkness Harry could see his partner in crime blushing. A few minutes after they began walking again, the two of them mercifully arrived at the bottom of the Astronomy Tower and began ascending.
The two paused halfway up the staircase when they heard voices beneath them. Forgetting that they were invisible, they dashed into the shadows and listened intently.
"Professor! I'm telling you! Potter, Granger, and Weasley will be here any second! They've got a dragon!" Cried the voice of Draco Malfoy.
"Mister Malfoy, I've never heard such rubbish in my life before. How dare you make such pathetic excuses?" The sharp voice o Professor McGonagall rang out. "Ronald Weasley is in the Hospital Wing at this very moment, and I have yet to see Mister Potter or Miss Granger. I'm sure Professor Snape will have a few choice words for you when I bring you to his office!" Professor McGonagall reprimanded, dragging Malfoy away by the ear. Harry and Hermione barely stifled their giggles and continued up the stairs. By the time they reached the top of the Tower Hermione ripped the cloak off and broke into a dance.
"Malfoy's got detention! Malfoy's got detention!" She exclaimed with glee. "Oh, I could sing!" She continued, prancing around the tower. Harry didn't even attempt to hide his smile as he watched his friend's antics. Seeing Malfoy get reamed by McGonagall put him in a great mood, but he felt himself grow happier by just watching her jumping for joy. She turned towards him and he saw her deep brown eyes reflect her jubilation and he felt his heart swell even more.
After a few minutes of laughing at Malfoy and admiring the view, Harry and Hermione spotted Charlie's friends flying in. The dragon-keepers surreptitiously landed on the Astronomy Tower and grabbed the crate. Both parties exchanged thanks and the impromptu extraction team took off.
The moment the men on broomsticks disappeared from sight, Hermione threw her arms around Harry in excitement. Gingerly returning the favor, Harry fought the urge to wince as he was certain she'd bruised a few of his ribs. After a few seconds, he couldn't help but lean into Hermione's incredibly enthusiastic hug, resting his chin on her shoulder as he stared at the endless sea of stars above them.
The pair stood in silence for a few moments, and out of nowhere, Harry became painfully aware that he was on top of the Astronomy Tower, with a girl, hugging her under the starriest sky he'd ever seen. The realization hit him like a freight train, and he felt his temperature skyrocket. His stomach felt as if it was being turned inside-out, and his heart began hammering against his ribcage so hard he was certain Hermione would hear it. Suddenly he was desperate to put as much space between him and his bushy-haired friend as possible.
"Hermione, listen –"
"We did it!" Hermione suddenly exclaimed, tuning out Harry's stammer as she pulled away. He barely managed to nod in agreement, trying to pretend he hadn't spent the last five seconds panicking. She was grinning from ear to ear, and Harry found her teeth dazzling more than he usually did. "And we didn't get caught!" Harry nodded again, forming a smile of his own. "And Malfoy's got detention! What a night!" She jumped up and down and wrapped Harry in another hug.
"Bloody hell, Hermione!" Harry sputtered, still smiling as she squeezed the oxygen out of him.
"Language, Mister Potter!"
Harry and Hermione froze. Slowly turning their heads, they met the impervious stare of Professor McGonagall. "Do I want to know why the two of you are embracing at the top of the Astronomy Tower well past curfew?" She hissed. Too shocked to defend themselves, the pair quickly bolted down the stairs and to McGonagall's office. They heard a distinct "Hmph!" from their instructor as they ran past her. What they didn't see was the faintest of smiles pull at the corners of her mouth until she resumed her tight-lipped scowl.
"Well then, welcome to detention, lads! Yeh all righ', Harry? Hermione?" Hagrid asked as he shuffled out of his hut, his dog Fang hot on his heels. Harry couldn't offer much of a response. He'd been having the time of his life at Hogwarts, feeling practically on top of the world. Then, he and Hermione had been caught sneaking about the castle at night by their own Head of House. Each had lost fifty points for Gryffindor, and not even Malfoy losing Slytherin fifty points could make up for the shame that they'd felt.
"Hagrid, are we really going into the Forbidden Forest?" Hermione asked meekly as they began walking down the path towards the forest. "It's called the Forbidden Forest for a reason, isn't it?"
"Of course we're goin' in there. I'm not thrilled that yeh lot have to do this, but it has to be done. Come on now, we'll pair off once we're in there," Hagrid said, turning to the Forest and marching towards it. The three miserable students followed him, their path only lit by Hagrid's lantern and the pale moonlight illuminating the eerily silent Hogwarts grounds.
"At least I didn't put my house in last place, Potter!" Malfoy smirked as they made their way down the hill. Harry almost lunged at him but Hermione grabbed his arm.
"I seem to remember you whimpering like a baby when McGonagall grabbed you by the ear, Malfoy," She retorted, and even Harry was taken aback at her sharp remark. Malfoy's pale face flushed red and he scowled, asking how they knew about that in a sputtering voice.
"That's enough, all of yeh!" Hagrid grunted, not even bothering to turn around. They'd reached the entrance to the Forest, a wall of trees so thick that the acres of land in front of them seemed cloaked in permanent darkness. The path they were on forked left and right at the start of the trees. "Tonigh' we're searchin' to see what's killin' all the unicorns here in the Forest. I'll be takin' Malfoy to the left side, Harry, you take Hermione and Fang to the righ' side. Be careful, and send up red sparks if anythin' happens to either of yeh." Hagrid instructed, grabbing Malfoy by the back of his robes and dragging him to the left. Harry swore he heard the Slytherin moan in fear as he disappeared from sight.
Harry and Hermione began walking, staying close to one another. Fang sniffed the ground slightly ahead of them, but even he began whining in fear as they went deeper into the trees. At the sudden sound of an owl's hoot, Hermione hastily slid her hand into Harry's and kept it there. Harry felt significantly warmer and more confident as they held hands, but he did not exactly feel brave enough to say so. The two of them walked for half an hour, the fog and suspense thickening the further they proceeded, but they made sure to never leave the path. The occasional sight of blood-stained leaves and non-human bones littering the path did nothing to assuage the students' unease.
Suddenly, Harry heard a rustling and held a finger to his lips. He and Hermione flattened themselves against a tree, listening intently. The sound grew louder and stopped, and Hermione buried her face into the back of Harry's robes in fear.
Slowly, Harry peered around the tree trunk towards the noise. Something bright white lay gleaming on the ground about thirty yards ahead of them, the most beautiful horse Harry had ever seen.
Then Harry saw that it was not a horse, but a unicorn. As he tried in vain to steady his breathing, his fear multiplied when he saw what was next to the unicorn – a hooded figure, wearing a shadowy black cloak that obscured its head entirely. The figure was crouched over the unicorn like it was whispering to it.
Fang yelped suddenly, and Harry and Hermione both fell backwards in surprise, with Hermione letting out a cry of her own. The figure slowly lifted its head up, and even though neither of them could see its face, the pair knew its eyes were locked onto them. Harry quickly got to his feet and dragged Hermione up with him. The figure rose, a silvery liquid dripping from where its mouth should have been.
"Unicorn blood!" Hermione whispered as their feet remained glued to the forest floor in fear. "Harry, that's what's killing all the unicorns!"
Harry couldn't even bring himself to nod in acknowledgment. Out of nowhere, a blistering pain emitted from the scar on his forehead, as if he had been branded with a hot poker. He staggered backwards, one hand on his head, the other fumbling for his wand. The figure advanced, gliding as if it had no feet to touch the ground.
"Vermillious!" Hermione cried, brandishing her wand towards the sky. Red sparks shot upwards like fireworks, and the advancing figure paused, wary of the witch. Even in immense pain, Harry felt his heart soar the way it did every time Hermione brewed a perfect potion or cast the perfect Charm in class. Clutching a hand to his forehead, he managed to get to his feet and aim his wand at the cloaked being.
The figure redirected its focus on Harry and began moving towards him once again. Harry automatically stepped in front of Hermione, but he involuntarily yelled out as the pain in his scar worsened.
"Harry, no!" Hermione yelled defiantly, shoving her friend out of the way and pointing her wand at the ground in front of their adversary. "Incendio!" She hollered, and suddenly the darkness that blanketed the Forest was repelled by a burst of flame, catching the twigs and kindling that littered the path in front of her. Harry lay on the ground a few feet to the side, his eyes locked onto his best friend in awe. Instinctively she had thrown him out of harm's way and conjured a wall of flames powerful enough to ward off their mysterious attacker. She stared at the figure, daring it to cross her boundary and to attack her friend once again. The fire in her eyes was a thousand times brighter than the fire she had conjured, and Harry would have beamed in admiration if his scar weren't causing him so much pain.
Harry he heard a faint hissing noise as the figure suddenly retreated, disappearing into the night. The two students nearly collapsed the moment it was out of sight. Harry leaned against a tree and Hermione fell to the ground on her back, panting. Harry held a hand to his forehead, the pain in his scar gradually ebbing away. Hermione was steadily regaining control of her breath, but still had not said a word. Loud footfalls behind them signaled the arrival of Hagrid and Malfoy. Hagrid quickly put out the flames with his pink umbrella and rushed to the exhausted students.
"Blimey, are you two all righ'?" The half-giant asked in a panic, lifting Hermione to her feet. The witch simply nodded while Harry groaned in response. Then, suddenly, the sound of hooves came thundering upon them and half a dozen centaurs quickly surrounded the group.
Hagrid had marched up to one of the centaurs, and Harry and Hermione did their best to eavesdrop on their intense conversation, only picking up bits and pieces about "drinking unicorn blood!" and "cursed life," followed by Hagrid muttering "the Sorcerer's Stone!" in frustration. Harry and Hermione suddenly felt all of their fatigue vanish and they sprinted over.
"What's this about the Sorcerer's Stone?" Hermione demanded, crossing her arms.
"Never yeh mind, Hermione. The lot of yeh know too much anyway," Hagrid grumbled.
"Hagrid, you know he'll go for the Stone next!" The centaur spoke matter-of-factly, but with a frantic emphasis on the last word. The two students bristled.
"Who?" Harry asked. "Snape?"
"Oh for cryin' out loud, Snape is not after the ruddy Stone!" Hagrid groaned, and Harry backed off. Hermione, on the other hand, wasn't as easily deterred.
"Then who is after it? Who would be willing to curse themselves by drinking unicorn blood in hopes of reaching the Sorcerer's Stone?" She asked, her brows scrunched together in concentration, as if she were looking to answer her own question before her listeners could.
"The stars were correct. You are quite insightful, Miss Granger," the centaur mused, "but can you think of nobody who has waited many years to return to power, who has clung to life, awaiting their chance?" Harry felt his legs buckle as the realization hit him.
"You-Know-Who?" Hermione whispered. She instinctively grabbed Harry's arm as she heard him stumble.
"That'll be enough, Firenze. Thank yeh for your help tonigh'. Now I believe I should be gettin' this lot here back teh safety before any other…incidents," Hagrid mumbled as he grabbed Harry, Hermione, and Malfoy. The pale boy had fearfully kept his distance from the centaurs, unintentionally keeping himself out of earshot of the hushed conversations.
When the four of them, guided by Fang, had arrived at the entrance to the castle, Hagrid bid Malfoy good night. The Slytherin dashed into the castle, eager to put as much space between himself and the Forbidden Forest as possible. Harry and Hermione turned expectantly to the gamekeeper.
"Don't be doin' anythin' rash because of what some bloody centaur tells yeh, all righ'?" Hagrid warned, then turned and trudged back to his hut.
The two best friends stood outside in the dark just outside the doors to the castle, accompanied only by an uncomfortable silence.
"Thanks for saving me back there." Harry finally managed. "I don't know what came over me and my scar…" he muttered, absentmindedly rubbing his forehead.
"Happy to do it," Hermione smiled, and the two fell into a much less awkward silence, opting to enjoy their view of the stars and the pleasant scenery around them.
"I guess you did owe me. You know, for the troll, and what not…" Harry smirked.
"I guess we deserve each other, don't we?" Hermione giggled.
"I guess we do," Harry shrugged, now grinning. He saw Hermione's cheeks flush in the moonlight before she ducked her head and began walking back into the castle, mumbling something along the lines of "my hero".
A/N: If you're reading this, you're reading an edited version of this chapter. The original version paled in comparison and looking back on it, I wanted to bash my brains out with a baseball bat for writing it. I suppose it wasn't terrible, but I was not proud of it. This, however, I am proud of. I hope you enjoyed it.