A/N: Another weekend, another update, and another super long chapter. Thanks to the two new users who subscribed to this story (y'all know who you are). Remember, if you want your name up here, please leave a review! Thank you so much to BrightWatcher, Louise Spinster Black, EllaBSinging, and DS2010 for reviewing the last chapter - that's the most reviews I've had on a single chapter since the first one, so I was happy. Let's keep that up for this one, shall we?

The flashbacks are quite substantial in this one, with plenty of Lucius-Lily interactions. Enjoy!

Chapter Eleven: Covert Operations

Draco wasn't quite sure exactly how he managed to keep from losing his self-control that Tuesday after overhearing Harry's conversation with Weasley and Granger during morning break. The idea that the gamekeeper might be getting a dragon was shocking, but what really incensed Draco had been the mention of the three-headed dog — the three-headed dog which Harry had promised not to investigate. Worse, it hadn't been Harry who'd mentioned it, which might have been understandable if he had been telling his friends about it…no, the reference had come from Weasley, in a manner that made it obvious he had prior knowledge. Fluffy indeed. There was no way Harry or Weasley would have learned the beast's name if they hadn't actively been investigating it, which was how Draco knew Harry had broken his promise.

Really, it was nothing short of astonishing how he was able to behave so appropriately in his subsequent lessons, dutifully looking attentive and taking notes despite the fact that nothing was going in — he couldn't even remember which classes he'd had today. His fellow first-year Slytherins were aware that he was in a tiff, though, and they took care to stay out of his way. He'd already snapped viciously at Crabbe and Goyle numerous times, and almost reduced Pansy Parkinson to tears when she tried finding out what was wrong (that girl had an unwholesomely creepy interest in him).

Adrian Pucey, though, was not so easily scared away.

"What the heck is wrong with you, Malfoy?" the third-year demanded. "I knew you could be a stuck-up snob, but I didn't think you were such a pissy prat. What's the matter?"

"Nothing," Draco said sullenly. "Except that people keep sticking their noses into things I don't want to talk about."

Pucey exhaled. "Merlin, you're touchy. I thought teenage angst only begins once you hit thirteen?" he joked. "Seriously, though, Malfoy, what's wrong? You've been acting like someone murdered all your house elves. It's annoying."

Draco wished he could tell him. Pucey was two years older than he was, but he was the only friend (apart from Harry) he had.

And then it hit him. Why couldn't he tell Pucey? He didn't have to mention Harry's name — merely that he was having trouble with another friend.

"I just found out a close friend of mine's broken a promise they made to me."

Pucey looked surprised. "You have another friend?" Immediately he clapped a hand over his mouth. "Oops…that didn't come out right."

Draco glared at him, but it was half-hearted. His aloofness from the vast majority of his Housemates was no secret — most simply assumed that it was his pureblood haughtiness that caused him not to associate with anyone he deemed unworthy. The Malfoy family was very powerful, and Slytherins understood that those in power didn't always want to mix with those lower down on the social ladder. In truth, however, it was just another part to play in a charade that he didn't feel was necessary. His father and godfather believed otherwise, but Draco was pretty certain You-Know-Who was gone. And honestly, he was tired of pretending.

"Sorry," Pucey apologised. "I just meant…"

"I know what you meant."

"Right."

There was an awkward silence before Pucey spoke again.

"So…this promise," he began cautiously, "sounds like it was a really important one."

"It was."

"Are you and your friend still on speaking terms?"

"I'm not entirely sure."

"Did he give you a reason?" Something occurred to Pucey just then. "Oh, wait — is it a she?" he asked, sounding almost incredulous at the prospect.

If Draco had been in a better mood, he would have rolled his eyes. "No, it's a he."

Pucey frowned. "I didn't think you were that friendly with any other first-year boys in Slytherin. Unless it's one of the older students? Is it someone in my year?"

"He's not in Slytherin." Draco was starting to get irritated.

"He's not?" Pucey was amazed. "Draco Malfoy, are you making friends in other Houses?" he asked in a mock-scandalised whisper.

"Salazar's sake!" Draco snapped. This was what he got for blabbing. "I met him before Hogwarts, all right? And we're getting off topic here. You asked why I was mad; I told you."

"Right, right," agreed Pucey, wisely letting the matter drop, though he remained curious about Draco's mysterious friend. "Where was I? Oh, right — have you heard him out? He might have had a good reason."

"I doubt it," Draco muttered darkly.

"You're not giving me much to go on," Pucey complained. "Do you still want to be friends with him?"

Draco sighed. "You know what, forget it." It had been a bad idea to open his mouth in the first place. Maybe it was a good thing he didn't have more friends, if he was willing to skirt the boundaries of the lie for the one he had.

"Malfoy, I'm trying to help you here. No one wants a sulky pureblood snapping at everybody in sight, and to be honest, I like you better when you're less snarky."

"I just need to sort this out with my friend alone, okay?" With that, Draco promptly ended the conversation.

After going about his day feeling like a coiled serpent ready to pounce at any moment, it was a relief for Draco to pelt Harry with his crumpled up message. The parchment didn't necessarily have to be scrunched so thick nor so hard, but it certainly felt good to cause his errant friend a bit of pain. He had made his displeasure clear, and when Harry showed up tonight (which he would — Harry was no coward), Draco might finally be able to get some answers.

"It's going to be epic!"

"Our best prank yet!"

"Okay, we need to make sure that everything goes according to plan…"

Lily paused on the stairs, tuning out the voices as she contemplated whether or not she really wanted to walk into the middle of whatever discussion the Marauders were having. From the sounds of it, they were making plans for their next wildly inappropriate act of mischief, and Lily wanted nothing whatsoever to do with it. Perhaps it would be best if she just turned around and went back upstairs now — her Charms textbook could wait until the morning…

No, she decided with a sigh. She needed that book. Things had a way of disappearing in Gryffindor Tower — particularly anything left in the common room overnight — and with a Charms quiz coming up in a few weeks, she couldn't afford to wait for a new textbook to be delivered if she lost this one.

Leave it to James Potter and Sirius Black to plan a prank when they should have been studying for the upcoming quiz. She had fully expected the lot of them to flunk out after they spent most of their first year goofing around — but surprise, surprise — they had all gotten decent grades, even Peter Pettigrew. Which was a crying shame, because now they had the assurance that they could play all they wanted, whenever they wanted, and still pass their exams. It had made them even more insufferable now that they were in second year, and Lily had the gloomy conviction that they were only going to get worse.

She pulled her shoulders back, straightened her spine, tipped her chin up, and strode into the common room, blithely ignoring the way all four Marauders immediately stopped talking when she entered…actually, she completely ignored them, period.

Potter, unfortunately, did not return the favour.

"What's up, Evans?" he asked casually. "Shouldn't you be in bed by now?"

"I might ask you the same thing," Lily retorted without thinking. Damn, now she'd gone and let him rile her into responding. So much for ignoring them.

"We were just talking," Potter said innocently.

"You don't have to explain. I don't care." Now, where had she left that book?

"Ouch."

"Come on, James, let's continue our discussion upstairs," Lupin suggested.

Yes, do, urged Lily mentally. She had decided that Lupin was the most sensible of the Marauders — though that wasn't saying much.

There were some mild arguments from the other Marauders, but in a short amount of time they had all vacated the common room, to Lily's pleasure. She located her Charms book under a cushion and was just about to go back upstairs when someone else descended from the boys' dorm.

"Oh — good evening, Evans."

"Hello, Stebbins," Lily greeted. "What are you doing down here?"

Stebbins made a face. "Keeping myself far away from whatever trouble the Marauders are plotting."

"Oh."

True to form, Lily realised, the four troublemakers had resumed their planning upstairs. She felt a surge of pity for Stebbins — being the only non-Marauder in their dorm had to be extremely trying.

"Well, hopefully they'll quiet down soon, and then you can go back to bed," she said sympathetically.

"Hopefully," Stebbins agreed. He didn't seem too bothered. Lily supposed he'd built up a tolerance to the Marauders after living with them for over year. "Er…by the way, Evans, you're friends with that bloke from Slytherin, right? Snape?"

"Yes," Lily affirmed cautiously, wondering where this was going. Stebbins looked a little apprehensive.

"Well, you might want to warn him that he's the target of the Marauders' latest prank."

Lily stared. "He is?"

"I'm pretty sure he is. Before I left, I heard Black saying, 'Old Snivellus will never see it coming'. That's what they call Snape, right?"

"Yes," Lily said grimly. Now she wished she'd eavesdropped more earlier. Nothing the Marauders were planning would end well for Severus. "Did you happen to hear any details?" she asked Stebbins.

The chubby boy shook his head. "Sorry, no. With the Marauders, it's usually best to disappear before you can hear anything incriminating. Makes it easier to avoid the detentions later, you know?"

Lily could understand that. The Marauders' pranks had a tendency to draw everyone in the vicinity into trouble with them; it was as if the teachers still couldn't believe that all the ruckus was caused solely by the four of them, and felt that others had to be involved in order for pranks of that magnitude to be successful. However, there were only so many times that they could hear pleas of innocence from everyone but the Marauders (they at least owned up to their acts, Lily admitted grudgingly) before they started believing them and stopped doling out punishments to innocent bystanders whose only crime was to be nearby when a Marauder prank was executed.

Still, if this latest prank was specifically targeting Severus, Lily needed to know what it was so she could stop it. And as talented a witch as she was, she had to admit she was no match for all four Marauders at once. She was going to need help finding out what they were planning, and she was definitely going to need help stopping them.

That night, Draco crept out of the dorm, leaving a carefully positioned bolster under the covers in case anyone happened to look at his bed, and up to the common room. By the time he made his way to the History of Magic classroom on the first floor, it was five past midnight. Harry was already there, waiting just outside the classroom and looking nervously about, likely keeping a watch for Peeves.

Draco decided to give him a little scare.

Imitating Peeves's manic, cackling voice, he intoned, "Ickle firstie hasn't learned — breaking curfew again, you baaad boy."

Harry jumped nearly a foot in the air, snapping his head around so hard it was a wonder he didn't get whiplash. His obvious fright didn't make Draco smirk as it normally would, but it eased his bubbling ire somewhat.

Harry was a little wild around the eyes, poised to run, when he saw Draco standing with crossed arms and realised he'd been tricked.

"Merlin, Draco!" he wheezed, almost giddy with relief. "You almost gave me a heart attack!"

"Good," Draco said callously. "Then you know how it felt when I heard Weasley — Weasley — name the three-headed dog."

Harry flinched. "Draco —" he began.

"You broke your word, Harry!" Draco hissed. As he finally lifted the lid from his pent-up emotions, anger and betrayal — and something he would never admit, fear — warred for control within him, spilling over into his voice. Harry had never heard him so furious. "You promised me you wouldn't get involved in this business!"

"Draco, let me explain…"

"Yes, please do explain," Draco flared. "You've never broken your promises, Harry — ever! Why now, with something so important?"

"I had to, Draco!" Harry defended. "Something's not right — Quirrell's going to steal that thing — and no one knows!"

"Severus does," Draco pointed out. "He has his eye on Quirrell already — and he warned us not to interfere! Why can't you stay out of this?"

"I can't sit by and do nothing when I know something's going on," said Harry. "I can't do that, Draco — that's not who I am."

"You're being unnecessarily reckless!" Draco exclaimed. "Why on earth do you have to investigate when Severus already is? Don't you trust him to handle it? Merlin, Harry — the man's handled Death Eaters, I think he's a match for Quirrell!"

"It's not that. I just…I feel I have to do this, Draco. I trust Snape, you know I do — but he's really busy, he could miss something — and he got hurt on Halloween."

"Are you listening to yourself?" Draco asked in disbelief. "Severus, miss something? You're out of your mind."

"I just want to help," said Harry. "This is important, I know it is, and Hagrid said —"

"Hagrid?" repeated Draco. "You're going to do this because of something that oaf told you?"

"Don't talk about Hagrid like that," Harry said sharply. "He's a great person, and he knows what he's talking about."

"He's thick, Harry — I heard he got expelled from Hogwarts because he did something stupid. The moron's trying to get a bloody dragon, for Salazar's sake!"

"Well, he's not anymore, all right? Ron and Hermione and I managed to talk him out of it," Harry lied.

"I really don't care, Harry," Draco said contemptuously. "The only thing I care about is you sticking your nose in where it doesn't belong."

"I told you, I just want to help!"

"Severus said not to!"

"Snape isn't always right! I know he's got this, but whatever that dog's guarding, it's really important, and I want to help make sure Quirrell doesn't get it."

"Why don't you just go ask Severus to join his investigation, then?" Draco asked scathingly. "I'm sure he'd be delighted to have a first-year's input."

Harry threw him a disgusted look. "Don't be ridiculous, Draco. You know he'd just take steps to ban me — and then I wouldn't be able to investigate at all!"

"So what?" Draco fired back. "You weren't supposed to get involved in the first place! You might be the Boy Who Lived, Harry, but not everything is about you!"

"I never said it was!"

"Right, that explains why you can't trust any of the teachers to keep Quirrell in check," Draco drawled. "No — that thing's only safe if Harry Potter is on the case, 'cause he's the famous, mighty baby who defeated the Dark Lord!"

Now Harry was truly mad. "Shut up, Draco!"

But Draco was beyond listening to him. "You know what? I think you're doing this because you actually enjoy breaking the rules. First the thing with the Remembrall on the broomstick, then the troll on Halloween — and now this. Must be your father's genes showing through."

"Leave my dad out of this!" Harry was furious that Draco would stoop that low; he knew Harry was touchy about what Snape and Lucius claimed about James Potter. No child wanted to believe their parent had been so unkind.

"Well, who else am I supposed to blame for your arrogant stupidity? Unless you're saying it's Weasley who turned you into a mindless Gryffindor — actually, that's more likely —"

"What the hell is your problem with Ron?" demanded Harry. "You've been insulting him since the day we started school!"

"He's a Weasley," Draco sneered. "The whole lot of them are low on money and common sense — and this one seems to be lacking a brain as well."

There was an abrupt, charged silence as both boys stared at each other angrily.

"Take that back," Harry growled dangerously.

"No."

"Take it back!"

"I won't," Draco said defiantly. "You've been hanging out with that Weasel all term, and he's made you into someone unrecognisable. I feel like I don't even know you anymore."

"The feeling's mutual," Harry said coldly. "And since you won't take that back, I'm done with this conversation. You don't get to insult my friends and still expect me to listen to you. And for your information, I was the one who decided to start investigating. Ron just supported me. Right now, he's ten times a better friend than you are."

Without waiting for a reply, Harry turned and resolutely walked away, quickly vanishing out of sight and leaving a still fuming Draco outside the History of Magic classroom.

"You go on ahead to the library, Severus. I'll join you in a bit, but there's someone I need to speak to first." It was the end of the lunch period, and they were just outside the Great Hall.

Severus looked suspicious. "Who is it, and what for?"

"I'm looking for a prefect," Lily explained. "To report the Marauders. I heard them plotting something in the common room last night, and I think someone should know about it."

Severus's lip curled in a sneer. "Potter's causing trouble again, I see. I'll wait with you."

"Oh, no, that's okay — you go first, I know you've got that big essay to do for McGonagall."

"Lily, we barely get to spend time together outside class — I'd rather wait and head to the library together," Severus argued. But he was wavering; his essay was due next period and he'd somehow forgotten all about it until this morning.

"It'll only take a few minutes," Lily promised. "Go on, Sev — that essay's important, and you know how McGonagall is about homework. She'll be mad if you don't turn that in — you might even get detention." Lily greatly respected and admired her Head of House, but there was no denying that the woman was a strict disciplinarian with zero tolerance for laziness or mischief. It was a wonder that the Marauders still dared to pull their stunts after suffering through several of her punishments already — they truly had to be Gryffindors.

Severus sighed. "Fine," he gave in. "But hurry up, will you? I've a feeling I might need your help understanding inanimate to inanimate theory." Transfiguration was his poorest subject.

"I'll be there," Lily assured him.

Without further ado, Severus left — and just a few seconds later, the prefect she'd been waiting for exited the Great Hall, having just finished lunch.

"Excuse me, Malfoy, can I talk to you for a minute?"

Lucius Malfoy stopped in his tracks and frowned at her, deeply suspicious. "What do you want, Evans?" Had she found out about the life debt he owed her and come to demand repayment?

Lily fought the urge to snap at his condescending tone. "It's about the Marauders."

Lucius's face took on a jeering expression. "And why," he questioned, "would I want to hear about them?"

Lily grit her teeth. "It concerns Severus."

Lucius lost some of his hostility. He opened his mouth to speak as a third-year Ravenclaw came out of the Great Hall and looked curiously at them. Lucius glared ferociously until the gulping boy prudently disappeared up the corridor. Glancing from side to side, Lucius ordered, "Follow me."

He led Lily to a quiet, secluded corner and crossed his arms. "I'm listening. Talk."

Lily suppressed a flash of annoyance at Lucius's obvious desire not to be seen talking civilly to her, but she obligingly said, "The Marauders are planning something, and Severus is their victim."

Lucius raised an eyebrow. "How do you know this?"

"Stebbins and I overheard them talking last night."

"What are they planning?"

"I don't know. I didn't catch any details. I was hoping you could help me —" Lucius stiffened. "Oh, stop that!" Lily said irritably. "It's not like I'm asking you to do something for me. This is for Severus. He doesn't deserve to be humiliated by Potter and his gang."

Lucius scowled, but he couldn't deny that he wanted to spare Severus more bullying. "What, exactly, are you asking?"

"Help me find out what the Marauders are up to," Lily said. "And help me stop them."

Lucius was silent for a moment as he considered his answer. "Why did you come to me?" he inquired. "Surely a Gryffindor prefect would be better placed to stop Potter from carrying out his mischief." His tone was indifferent, but he was genuinely curious. Lily knew well what he thought of her; he wanted to know why she would deliberately seek him out at the expense of her pride when there were others who could help.

"You're a prefect and a Slytherin, and the only one I know who wants to protect Severus as much as I do. Not to mention, you're a sixth-year and you know more spells than I do. I can't stop the Marauders on my own," Lily admitted grudgingly.

"Spells?" Lucius was no longer merely mildly interested. "Are you planning revenge against Potter?"

"If we can manage it." Lucius bristled at the implication that they would be working together, but otherwise did not react. Lily sniffed. "I think the Marauders have harassed Severus long enough. Maybe if we give them something to think about, they'll stop targeting him."

Lucius nearly gaped at this display of hitherto hidden Slytherin tendencies in Lily Evans, of all people. Perhaps Severus was influencing her more than he thought.

"The idea…has some merit," he conceded guardedly.

Lily brightened. "So you'll help?"

Lucius pursed his lips. "For Severus's sake, yes, I'll help you," he said, sounding as if the words were choking him. His frown returned in full force. "But Evans, if you breathe a word of this to anyone…"

"Yeah, yeah, I know." Lily rolled her eyes. "'I'm a Slytherin and a Malfoy, I can make your life hell', blah blah blah." She waved her hand dismissively and scoffed. "Don't worry, I don't want to publicise the fact that I'm working with you, either. Half of Gryffindor Tower are already up in arms because I'm friends with Severus. Your reputation is safe."

Lucius gave a barely discernible nod. "As long as we're clear."

"Crystal," Lily said impatiently. "So, how are we going to do this?"

Lucius looked thoughtful. "I might have some ideas…"

The next few days passed slowly. If it hadn't been obvious enough before that Harry and Draco were enemies, it was now. Harry had never been so angry with his foster brother before, and now the Malfoy heir wasn't the only one of the pair practicing the art of avoidance — Harry also took pains to stay away from Draco. When they absolutely had to interact, their typical insults were, for the first time since they'd come to Hogwarts, fully wholehearted. The increase in vitriol from both of them had a noticeable effect on their dynamic, but most of their classmates passed it off as an escalation in their rivalry. Neville cautiously inquired about the new animosity (but quickly dropped the subject), but only Ron and Hermione knew (or thought they knew) that the fresh hostility had been caused by their confrontation about the dragon egg.

As for Draco, who cared what he was telling his Housemates. Harry had bigger things to worry about. The Quirrell conspiracy was temporarily shelved, as he, Ron, and Hermione were spending every minute of their spare time trying to come up with ways to make Hagrid see reason without openly arguing with him again — as they doubted he would take kindly to that — but they were coming up blank. Hagrid was incredibly stubborn, and dead set on raising the dragon. Ron had tentatively suggested stealing the egg away — but as Hermione pointed out, not only was that a breach of Hagrid's trust, but what in Merlin's name would they do with it?

On Saturday morning, they ran out of time. Hedwig brought Harry a note from Hagrid that bore only two words: It's hatching. Harry felt his stomach drop.

"Oh, no," murmured Hermione.

"Let's go see," Ron said eagerly.

Hermione stared at him disapprovingly. "Ron!"

"What? Hermione, come on! I still don't think it's a good idea for him to keep it, sure — but how many times in our lives are we going to see a dragon hatching?"

"We'll get into trouble, and that's nothing to what Hagrid's going to be in when someone finds out what he's doing, especially if that someone is Malfoy."

Ron and Hermione argued for several minutes until Hermione finally gave in when Ron pointed out that Hagrid might need someone to keep a lookout while he was attending to the hatching baby. Until they could figure out a way to get Hagrid to part with his precious dragon, they had to help him keep it hidden.

So it was that the three of them trooped down to Hagrid's hut immediately after breakfast — unknowingly trailed by Draco, who saw them leaving the Great Hall and decided to follow.

Lily crept quietly into the boys' dormitory, surprised by how easy it was. She'd seen how the staircases to the girls' dorm turned into a slide whenever someone with a Y chromosome attempted to climb up them. Apparently the same didn't apply to girls going into the boys' dorm. Lily had to smirk at that. The Founders had clearly well understood the difference between girls and boys.

She took a moment to look around the room; she'd never been in here before (obviously), and she had the time. She was an early riser by nature, but she'd woken up extra early this morning so she could eat breakfast and be out of the Great Hall by the time the Marauders came down for theirs. All four of them — and Stebbins — were currently stuffing their faces with bacon, toast, and pumpkin juice, along with most of Gryffindor Tower, so she had time to do what she needed to do.

Of the five beds in the room, only two — those belonging to Stebbins and Lupin — were neatly made. Peter Pettigrew had haphazardly pulled the outermost blanket over the bundled mess of the other sheets; but Potter's and Black's beds — next to each other, of course — were totally chaotic. To Lily's horror, she thought she spotted the dark grey fabric of a pair of underpants half hidden under the crumpled blanket on Black's bed.

"Of course," Lily muttered sarcastically. "Why bother doing anything to make the bed even remotely presentable when there are house elves to tidy up?"

Gingerly stepping around Black's cubicle, she made her way to Potter's bed, identifiable as such because of the Golden Snitch resting on the bedside table. Merlin only knew how he'd managed to nick it from the last Quidditch match when he wasn't even a Seeker (Potter played Chaser, and was unbearably smug about making the team in his second year), but he'd been proudly showing it off to the common room and boasting about how he stole it. Lily shook her head. Immature jerk.

Without wasting time, she slipped the enchanted Sickle inside Potter's pillowcase and then headed back to her own dorm to collect her books for class.

Hagrid greeted them at the door, looking flushed and excited.

"It's nearly out," he said happily.

The black egg was sitting on the table. Large, deep cracks marred its pristine surface, and bits of shell pulsed as the occupant inside moved. They drew as close as they dared, watching with bated breath.

All of a sudden, the egg split open, its two halves falling to either side of the skinny, flopping baby dragon.

"Oh," gasped Hagrid in unadulterated awe. "He's beautiful."

"Er…yeah," Ron said dubiously.

The tiny creature wasn't exactly pretty. Its black body was still wet from the membrane that had protected it in the egg, and its skin was wrinkled from being curled in its narrow hatchery. The spiny ridge along its back looked razor sharp and fairly impressive, but its effect was rather spoilt by its overlong limbs, huge nostrils, stubby horns, and bulging orange eyes.

Hagrid was blissfully oblivious to the children's lack of enthusiasm for his new pet as he reached out a hand and clucked his tongue affectionately. "Norbert! Here, Norbert!"

"Norbert?" Hermione repeated faintly, as the dragon sneezed and caused sparks to fly out its nose.

"Yeah, that's what I've decided to call him," Hagrid said fondly. "Norbert!" He moved his hand closer; the dragon snapped at him, revealing pointed, needle-like fangs. "Oh, bless him, he knows his mummy!"

"Hagrid," Harry said apprehensively — noting how Norbert, though newly hatched, was already bigger than Hagrid's large hand — "how fast do Norwegian Ridgebacks grow, exactly?"

Before Hagrid could answer, Ron jumped to his feet. "Hey!"

The others whipped their faces towards the window in time to see a flash of blond hair. Harry quickly crossed the room to look outside, and saw his foster brother's rapidly disappearing back.

Hermione instantly panicked. "Oh no, oh no, what are we going to do? He's seen it, Malfoy's seen it! — he's on his way to tell a teacher, I'm sure — we're going to be expelled, he'll be sure to tell them we were here…"

"Stay here," Harry ordered, yanking open the door.

Ron all but flew across the room, but was too slow to prevent Harry from darting after Draco.

"Harry!" he yelled after his insane friend. "Are you bloody mental?!" When Harry totally ignored him, he turned incredulous, horrified eyes to Hermione. "Is he bloody mental?"

"He's completely mad!" Hermione affirmed weakly, staring at the door as if she couldn't believe what had just happened.

Hagrid had gone very white, and didn't even seem to notice that Norbert was trying to attack his fingers. He finally snapped out of it when the dragon succeeded in sinking its teeth into his thumb.

"Ow!" He snatched his hand away, regaining a tiny bit of colour as Ron and Hermione startled. "S'okay, s'okay, it was jus' a nibble…he didn' mean ter hurt me…" He glanced seriously at the two students. "Yeh two'd better go — Malfoy might not have seen yeh — an' I don' think yeh should come visit me for a while, neither…can't have yeh gettin' expelled." He looked absolutely miserable.

"It wouldn't make a difference, Hagrid," Ron said glumly. "Harry's gone out there — Malfoy will know me and Hermione were here too. We might as well stay until Harry comes back."

"If he comes back," Hermione said in a muffled voice.

"Come off it," scoffed Ron, though his expression was also concerned. "Malfoy's scum, but he won't kill Harry."

"Of course he won't, Ron," huffed Hermione, sounding irritated that he'd even suggested it. "But he could drag Harry with him to report to the teachers and Harry could be expelled before we even knew what was happening."

"Oh." Ron was suddenly subdued.

"I'm sorry I got yeh into this mess," sniffed Hagrid. He looked like he was about to cry, though that could be because the bite on his thumb was turning a sickly shade of green.

"It's okay, Hagrid," Hermione sighed. It wasn't really, but there was nothing they could do about it now. They could only hope that Harry would be able to strike a bargain with Malfoy. "Let's stay positive," she said brightly, though it sounded forced. "Maybe Malfoy will act like a decent human being for once."

"Not bloody likely," muttered Ron.

"Draco! Wait!" Harry raced to catch up with the blond boy. He'd always been the faster runner — probably because of all the times he'd had to escape Dudley — but Draco was more elusive. Nonetheless, he was able to catch up to the Slytherin student at around the halfway point between the school and Hagrid's hut.

"Let go of me, Potter," Draco said in a deadly quiet voice.

The use of his surname was like a slap in Harry's face, and he instantly retorted, "Only if you promise not to run off before I get to talk to you, Malfoy."

"Whatever."

Harry gave him a wary look — Draco's voice was surprisingly calm, but he could feel the turmoil bubbling within the other boy — but slowly released his arm. Draco didn't run, but he looked like he could bolt at any minute. Harry started talking very quickly.

"Draco, please don't report Hagrid. He didn't do anything illegal, I swear — he got the egg off someone in a pub who offered it to him, what was he supposed to do? He's always wanted a dragon, so he thought he could try and raise it…"

"Oh, and I suppose that makes it all right that he's got a dangerous, illegal pet that could burn down the school and was outlawed almost three hundred years ago," Draco interjected cuttingly. "Yes, let's let someone who was expelled from Hogwarts keep a dragon because he's always wanted one."

"He didn't do anything wrong! I told you, he got the egg from a stranger —"

"He's keeping the bloody dragon!"

"He won't keep it," Harry said with more conviction than he felt. "I'll talk to him, convince him to give it up — send it to a dragon sanctuary, or something…"

"I told you to tell him not to get a dragon," Draco hissed. "Did you think I said that for the fun of it? Why are you breaking the rules again?"

"I'm not!" Harry said hotly. "I did tell Hagrid he shouldn't keep a dragon, but he'd already got the egg. But it's okay, we can fix it, we'll get rid of it — if you just don't tell anyone."

"You're asking me to break international wizarding law!"

"I wouldn't ask if it were just me at stake here, Draco — but it's Hagrid, he's already got a bad track record since he was expelled — they'll send him to Azkaban and he doesn't deserve that! And there's Ron and Hermione — if this came out they'd get in trouble, too! Draco, please, you may hate me right now, but if our friendship — our brotherhood — means anything to you, please don't say anything."

Draco gave him a long, solemn look. "Harry, it's because I care for you that I have to report this," he said.

"How the bloody hell does that make any sense?" Harry demanded in frustration.

Draco stepped away from him. "Do what you have to do, Harry," he said without looking at the Gryffindor. "I'll do the same."

He disappeared up the path without a second glance.

Lucius hadn't told Lily exactly what enchantments he'd cast on the Sickle, only that they would ensure that any conversations taking place in the dorm would be 'imprinted' on the coin. Frankly, Lily had no idea what he meant, and — as she had a feeling that he'd used, if not exactly Dark Arts, then something close to it — she didn't really want to know. She'd tried to find out once, but he'd just quirked his eyebrow and stared her down.

"You were the one who asked for my help," he told her. "Don't complain about my methods."

Dark Arts or not, she had to admit it was effective. When she retrieved the Sickle from Potter's pillowcase two days later, Lucius muttered an incantation that was utterly alien to her, and when he waved his wand, the Sickle glowed and they were both suddenly able to hear voices.

"Oi, Sirius, get your shampoo off my table. Stick to your side, why don't you." That was unmistakably James Potter.

Someone sniggered. "He can't," said the reedy voice of Peter Pettigrew. "He hasn't got any free space left."

"Honestly, Sirius," came Remus Lupin's weary tone, "how do you plan to sleep on that bed with all your homework on it?"

"I'll just shove it all to the floor," Black replied indifferently.

"I don't care where you put your stuff." Potter, again. "Just keep it away from my space."

"Ow!" It sounded as though Potter had just hurled Black's shampoo bottle at his head. "Argh, James! You've got it all over the floor!"

"Quick, clean it up before Stebbins comes in!" squeaked Pettigrew.

There was a pause as the Marauders presumably attempted to wipe the shampoo off the floor, and then Lupin said in a rather choked voice, "Er, Sirius…d'you actually put this stuff in your hair?"

"Yeah, what's wrong with it?"

"Sirius, mate, it smells like my mother's perfume." Potter sounded pained. "I didn't think you used something so girlish to wash your hair."

"It is not!"

"It so is," Pettigrew giggled.

"Laugh all you want, but it's the best brand to keep my hair soft. You think these shiny locks happen naturally? And if you run out of soap, this shampoo's really good for your —"

"SIRIUS!" the other three exclaimed as one.

Lily gagged. Lucius looked revolted.

"I think we'd better brace ourselves," he warned. "This may take some time, and I've no doubt it will be highly unpleasant."

Over the next two and a half hours, Lily and Lucius learned more than they ever wanted to about the Marauders' wardrobes, bathroom habits, and nighttime rituals. Sometimes the topics they spoke about went deeper, such as Black's discord with his family or Pettigrew's struggles to fit in, but for the most part their conversations remained light-hearted and inconsequential.

"Oh, Merlin, just kill me now," Lily muttered during a particularly torturous segment in which the Marauders discussed which girl they'd date and why. She felt like throwing up when she heard Potter say, without any hesitation, "Evans, of course!" when Pettigrew asked whom he'd like to take to Hogsmeade next year. "Isn't there a way to skip to the part where they're talking about their prank?" she almost pleaded.

"Regrettably, no." Lucius wasn't enjoying this either; in fact, he actually looked as though he'd willingly associate with Muggleborns rather than listen to the Marauders talk.

"What if they didn't discuss the prank over the last two days?" Lily inquired worriedly.

"Then you'll have to plant the Sickle in Potter's bed again, and we will just have to sit through another session of auditory torment."

Lily shuddered.

"Indeed," Lucius agreed.

Thankfully, after 150 minutes of agony, they finally heard Potter say, "All right, let's go over the plan one more time."

There was a groan they couldn't identify, and Pettigrew said, "What is there left to go over? We have it all perfect! Snape won't be able to escape it."

"It never hurts to be sure," Potter said soothingly.

"Yeah, Snivellus is one slimy git," Black put in. Lily felt her temper rise at his obvious disdain for her best friend.

"I have an idea," Lupin spoke up. "Let's alter the prank a bit."

"How?" inquired a curious Pettigrew.

"Instead of using pumpkin juice, let's use Siriuis's shampoo."

There was a brief pause, and then:

"Brilliant!" exclaimed Potter. "The number of times we've told Snivellus to wash his hair…"

"If you think I'm going to use my quality shampoo on that greasy bat —"

"But think of the possibilities, Sirius," Potter urged. "This way we get to kill two birds with one stone! Snivellus gets humiliated, and we don't have to put up with his oily head for at least a week. That is, if your shampoo is as good as you say it is."

"Of course it is!"

"But how are we going to make baby pumpkins sprout on his head without pumpkin juice?" questioned Pettigrew.

"Not pumpkins, bubbles," Lupin said. "Big, colourful bubbles."

"And we can cast a Voluminous Charm on the shampoo, so it'll perpetually lather his head…"

"Good one, James, but let's do one better," said Black. "Link the creation of the bubbles to our wand movements, like we were planning with the pumpkins, so we can make bubbles of any shape we want."

"So ol' Snivellus would go about the day with his entire head covered with white, sickly sweet shampoo —"

"Oi!"

"— while we can make bubbles of any shape and size rise from his head any time we desire. I like it!"

"And maybe," interjected Pettigrew, "every once in a while, the shampoo could get into his mouth and wash it out?"

"Nice!" Black said appreciatively.

"Isn't that just a bit extreme?" Lupin asked cautiously.

"No, not really," said Potter dismissively. "You heard how he ripped into that shy Hufflepuff first year — what was her name?"

"Ella Rowland," Pettigrew supplied.

"Right, Rowland. Poor girl was a blubbering mess by the time he was done. His tongue is vicious."

Lily winced. She hadn't been present when Severus verbally eviscerated the first-year who was just trying to make friends, but she'd heard tales of the encounter from others. She made a mental note to speak to Severus about that.

The four Marauders moved on to another topic after a few more minutes, but Lily and Lucius listened to the very end of the recording in case they said anything more. By the time the Sickle stopped glowing, they had a pretty good idea what the Marauders were planning to do.

"Right," said Lucius, pocketing the Sickle. "I believe it's time to make our plans."

Harry's nerves were stretched thin over the next week. Despite having given every inclination of going straight to Dumbledore to report Hagrid's dragon, Draco made no move to talk to the Headmaster, or even Severus, about it. Harry's didn't know what to make of it. Had Draco relented? Or was he merely giving him time to talk Hagrid out of the mad idea before he approached Dumbledore? Hagrid probably wouldn't go to Azkaban — not that Harry could imagine the kindly Headmaster sending the gamekeeper there under any circumstance — if this affair came to light after the dragon was gone.

Whatever the reason for Draco's reticence, Harry wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth. After putting up with Ron's and Hermione's berating him for being stupid enough to try to talk to Malfoy, he'd quickly told them his plan for Norbert.

"Your brother Charlie works with dragons, right?" he asked Ron.

"Yeah, why? Oh…"

Harry nodded. "Exactly. We could send Norbert to him. Charlie can take care of him and put him back in the wild!"

"Harry, that's genius!" Hermione enthused.

Persuading Hagrid was another story.

"I can't jus' let him go," the gamekeeper said with a slight quaver. "He's too little. He'd die."

"Charlie can take care of him," said Ron.

"Charlie?"

"Charlie Weasley," Harry replied. "Ron's brother. He works with dragons, remember?"

Hagrid stared. "But he's in Romania!"

"I'm sure there's a way to send Norbert to him," said Hermione reasonably. "Muggles send animals to other places all the time. Magical animals can't be that much different."

They all looked at Norbert, who was methodically ripping long strips of wood from Hagrid's table with frightening efficiency. Hagrid firmly shook his head.

"I can't, Hermione," he said again. "Romania's too far away, an' Norbert's too young ter travel. He'd be all alone, an' scared."

"He'll be in good hands," Harry said as persuasively as he could. He hadn't grown up in a Slytherin household for nothing.

Hagrid, however, was too occupied to hear him. The large man was gazing at Norbert lovingly. "Look at him," he said fondly. "He really knows me now, watch. Norbert! Norbert! Where's Mummy?"

"He's lost his marbles," Ron muttered to Harry. The redhead was gloomily convinced that Hagrid was never going to give in, and when Malfoy told on them, they would all be evicted from the school.

"Hagrid," said Harry loudly, "give it a fortnight and Norbert's going to be as long as your house. By then it won't matter if Malfoy decides to tell or not, people are going to notice."

Hagrid sighed mournfully and bit his lip. "I — I know I can't keep him forever, but I can't jus' ship him off ter Romania like…like a package. You've got ter be real gentle with dragons, 'specially this young."

"I understand completely, Hagrid," Harry assured him, while Norbert happily slammed his horned head into the pot over the fire — he seemed to like the heat. "What if we wrote to Charlie and asked if he could come fetch Norbert? That way you could be sure Norbert will be safe."

And, finally, Hagrid agreed that they could owl Charlie to ask.

Charlie Weasley, mercifully, was prompt with his reply. Four days after they sent Hedwig off with the letter, she rapped on the window of the Gryffindor common room with his answer. Her feathers were ruffled and she looked exhausted, but triumphant, as if she knew how important the swift correspondence was and was pleased to have played her part. Harry gave her a handful of her favourite treats and sent her off to the Owlery for a well-deserved rest. Ron and Hermione crowded around Harry to read Charlie's letter.

Dear Ron,

How are you? Thanks for the letter — I'd be glad to take the Norwegian Ridgeback, but it won't be easy getting him here. Hagrid's right — one-week-old dragons really shouldn't be travelling unsupervised. I think the best thing would be for me to come over with a couple of friends and fetch him (I was planning on a brief visit soon, anyway, to pick up some things from Diagon Alley).

Could you get the Ridgeback up to the tallest tower at midnight on Saturday? I can meet you there and take him away while it's still dark.

Send me an answer as soon as possible.

Love,
Charlie

The trio exchanged glances. Charlie's answer was everything they'd hoped it'd be, but it would be tricky getting a squirming baby dragon up to the tallest tower without being seen.

"We've got the Invisibility Cloak," said Harry. "I think it's big enough to cover two of us and Norbert."

The other two nodded. Saturday couldn't come fast enough.

A/N: I have a feeling the next weekend can't come fast enough for you all, either. Please drop a review on your way out - they are really very encouraging!