Chapter 80: Hatching

"Hermione, what are you doing?" Phoenix asked, watching her friend from her bed.

"I'm making everyone a study schedule."

"Is that really necessary?" She replied, rolling her eyes.

"For Harry and Ron, yes, with all the extra homework we are getting, they need all the help."

"Good point," Phoenix rolled off her bed and joined Hermione, sitting across from her, "So, why are you making four?"

"Oh, one for you and me. We both need it, just not as much as the boys."

"Uh, huh, so what do you think about this dragon business?" Phoenix asked, changing the subject before Hermione went on about the boys' work ethics.

"Hagrid needs to be careful, that's for sure. From what I've read, dragons are difficult to handle."

"You mean if they are real?"

Hermione looked up from her schedules. "I still can't understand how you think dragons are not real, yet you face demons and believe in other creatures?"

Phoenix shrugged. "That's different."

"Uh….. different how?" Hermione arched her brows in question.

Phoenix pondered. "They don't show up in The Book of Shadows. I never bothered looking at the books at Magic School. The only time my mom and aunts had to deal with a dragon was when my cousin Wyatt conjured up one when he was a baby." She thought, then looked at her friend, whose mouth was hanging open. "What?"

"Your cousin conjured up a real dragon. When was just a baby?"

"Yeah."

"And you still don't believe in dragons?"

"The dragon wasn't an actual real dragon. He conjured the dragon up from some TV show."

"But still, it was a dragon!"

Phoenix rolled her eyes, holding out her hands. Blue and white balls formed into a pillow. Hermione was about to say something when she realized whose it belonged to. She reached for her other one before getting side slapped with her own pillow.

The next morning, the four of them were eating breakfast when the morning mail appeared.

"Hey, Harry, isn't that Hedwig?" Phoenix asked, still amazed by the owls.

Harry looked up, seeing his snowy owl coming towards him. She dropped the small note in front of him and landed, looking at him for payment. But Harry wasn't paying attention until she nibbled a little on his finger.

"Sorry, Hedwig." He said, giving her a strip of bacon. She ate it and flew off satisfied.

"What does the note say, Harry?" Ron asked surprisingly, without food in his mouth.

He looked at his three friends with a smile.

"It's Hatching." There was no need to ask who the note was from at that point.

"Well, let's go then!" Ron stated excitingly. "We can skip herbology and go now."

"Ron! We can't do that! We have exams coming up and need all the class time to prepare! We need to stay!"

"Hermione, how many times in our lives are we going to see a dragon hatching?"

"We've got lessons; we'll get into trouble, Phoenix, a little help?"

"Sorry Hermione, but I'm with Ron on this one. And what better way to get me to believe in dragons? Convince me."

Ron looked back and forth between the girls, giving Hermione a triumphant smile.

"But…. we've got lessons, we'll get caught, and that's nothing to what Hagrid's going to be in when someone finds out what he's doing….."

"Shut up!" Harry whispered.

Phoenix looked over to where Harry was looking. Malfoy was in earshot and very well stopped to listen in on their conversation. The look on his face told her everything. 'I wonder what all he heard?' she thought before the four of them packed up and headed to Herbology.

On the way there, Ron and Hermione continued bickering, giving Phoenix a major headache. "Will you both stop? Harry and I will go while you two sort things out. We'll let you know how it went," she said, receiving nothing but glares as they entered the greenhouse. By the end of class, Ron finally convinced Hermione. They had a break between classes in the morning and they were planning ongoing then. The moment the bell rang, the four of them dropped their trowels and hurried to Hagrid's.

"It's nearly out." He said while ushering them inside.

Phoenix saw the egg lying on the table with deep cracks all around it. She heard some odd clicking sounds coming from it, and the egg itself moving. She and the others drew a chair to the table and sat with anticipation. Not long after, the egg opened and a baby dragon flopped onto the table.

Phoenix's mouth hung open. 'I've got to tell everyone at home about this! They will never believe that I saw a real dragon!''

"Isn't he beautiful?" Hagrid murmured, as he reached out to stroke the dragon's head. It snapped at his fingers, showing pointed fangs. "Bless him, look he knows his mommy!"

Phoenix looked at the dragon more carefully. 'Beautiful? This thing is the ugliest thing I have ever seen! It looks like a small jet with a broken umbrella as wings!'

The dragon had wings that were bigger than its body, a snout with wide nostrils, horn stubs and orange, bulging eyes. The dragon sneezed and a couple of sparks flew out of its snout.

'Knows its mommy? Hagrid, he tried to bite your fingers off! Wait, did I just see fangs and sparks? Oh, my! Dragons do exist!'

"Hey Hagrid," Phoenix started waiting for his attention, "how fast do Norwegian Ridgebacks grow exactly?"

Hagrid was about to answer when they noticed his color suddenly draining from his face. He leapt to his feet and ran to the window.

"What's the matter?" Harry asked.

"Someone was lookin' through the gap in the curtains, it's a kid, he's runnin' back up ter the school."

Phoenix and Harry bolted to the door and looked out. They both know who it was immediately.

Malfoy had seen the dragon.