[22]
Norberta
"There's something I got to tell you."
Perhaps Merlin had jumped the gun in telling Draco that night, in the dimly lit hallway outside of the festive celebration and sophisticated yet veiled dialogue. As soon as the truth had tumbled from his lips, regret made it's way into his heart and he dashed away before the young Malfoy could supply any word in reply. Was he scared of seeing the fear in Draco's eyes? Was that why he had jumped at the chance to return home when Snape had spotted him making his way nervously through the crowd? Merlin didn't want to articulate it into words – he couldn't.
"I killed the troll on Halloween." Merlin cringed at the memory, at his rushed explanation of how he'd heard something strange on the second floor and had gone to investigate, ending in the death of the magical creature. Draco hadn't interrupted him, the only indication of his surprise the slight widening of his eyes. And Merlin had left him to ponder on his words in the hope that nothing would come of it.
He stood on platform nine-and-three-quarters, running over the conversation in his mind. He would see Draco today and their conversation would arise to be repeated to Hermione, and he would be unable to run away from the fear on her face and the disgruntled one on Draco's. Wafts of steam ruffled Merlin's hair, the vibrant red Hogwarts Express beckoning him forward. But at the moment there was something even more important than returning to Hogwarts, than preparing himself for the long and difficult conversation that waited for him, and that was watching as Silas took all the wonder of a purely magical location for the first time.
"How does this all fit inside one barrier," Silas breathed, glancing back toward the wall they had stepped through.
"Magic." Merlin smiled and put his arm around Silas' shoulder. He glanced up at Professor Snape and nodded his thanks. Snape had been against letting Silas come with them, and Merlin was grateful he'd changed his mind. The sheer look of amazement on his foster brother's face was worth it.
"Unless you wish to miss the train, I suggest you board," Snape said as he glanced up at the enormous clock on the wall. Merlin glanced at it too; he had less than ten minutes to jump on board and find a compartment.
"Okay—okay," he turned Silas to look at him. "Promise you'll write to me everyday, all right?"
Silas nodded eagerly. "I promise. I'll make sure to tell you all about our new fosters."
Merlin glanced back at Snape again. The professor had finally told them earlier that morning that he'd found someone to take the pair of them in. He would be dropping Silas off before traveling back to Hogwarts and Merlin couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. He would have liked to meet the people that were taking them in. Snape hadn't even given a name, only a muttered, "They're wizards," before adding that unless they got a move on, Merlin would miss the train back to school.
Snape must have caught Merlin's apprehensive look because he sighed and said, "Silas will be perfectly safe. He's going to stay with Florean Fortescue."
"Florean?" Merlin repeated, wondering why that name sounded familiar. Snape raised an eyebrow.
"You met him in Diagon Alley, after we were separated? This ringing any bells for you, Evans?"
"Oh!" Merlin brightened up at once. "The ice cream man!"
"You know him?" Silas asked, glancing from Snape to Merlin with increasing interest.
"Yeah," Merlin replied and he smiled. "He'll take care of you." A whistle echoed through the platform, reminding everyone that they needed to board. Merlin saw Silas' smile falter, saw his eyes flicker to the clock and his lip begin to tremble. Merlin wrapped him in a bone-crushing hug; a tsunami of worries threatening to wash over him. "I'll see you soon," he whispered and his brother nodded, his small hands gripping Merlin tightly. As he let go, Merlin noticed how Silas tried to discreetly wipe his eyes on Merlin's shoulder, and his eyelashes shimmered with water when he stepped back. Silas took a deep shaking breath.
"See you soon," he repeated.
Merlin nodded, his hand gripping the strap of his bag a little tighter. He glanced toward Snape and nodded, knowing that he would see the professor again very soon. He heard another whistle blow and he ran for the train, leaping through one of the entry doors just as the shudder of movement coursed through the floorboards. Merlin turned around. Silas furiously fought back tears and Snape stood awkwardly beside him, as though unsure of what he should do. Merlin smiled and waved, but then the train turned and the platform vanished from sight.
Silas will be fine, Merlin told himself. Florean had seemed like a decent enough fellow. He sighed and headed deeper in the train, trying to ignore the tugging on his heart. Well, if Silas really were able to join him at Hogwarts at least they wouldn't have anymore of these awful goodbyes. Merlin shook his head, walking past compartments.
"Merlin?"
He turned around to see Draco poking his head out of a compartment. The memory of their conversation made Merlin uneasy, in spite of the fact that Draco appeared relaxed and even happy. He wore a gentler expression than Merlin was used to, as though Merlin finally being honest with him had alleviated an enormous amount of stress.
"Come on, Hermione and I saved you a seat."
Merlin hesitated, knowing exactly what was coming. He nodded and entered; casting nervous looks between the pair of them. "Have you told her?" he muttered as Draco shut the door behind them.
"I thought you should do it."
"Told me what?" Hermione asked, looking up at them. Merlin grimaced and it was only when Draco nodded that he began.
"I killed that troll on Halloween," he said avoiding eye contact. "I heard something and got curious, and I ran into it on the second floor." He chanced a look toward Hermione, expecting to see shock but she nodded encouragingly, a small smile on her face. "So—so I killed it, and then doubled back to join the crowd heading up to the library. It was in self defense," he added quickly.
"Of course it was," Hermione said. "We know that you were just trying to do the right thing."
Merlin started at her, and then at Draco. "You're both taking this a lot better than I'd expected." He had anticipated some horror in their faces, had expected them to jump to their feet and run away from him. "You're not even surprised," he continued with a chuckle, and then his smile faltered. "You're not even surprised—wait did you—?"
The panicked glance that Hermione shot Draco answered that question. For a second, Merlin gaped at the pair of them, all of his thoughts freezing in place. And then, with a jolt his brain finally accepted the information and he leapt to his feet.
"What? How—when?" he spluttered, looking from one to the other. "Who told you?" he asked, his stomach sinking. The very thought of Snape violating his trust made him feel sick and betrayed.
"Merlin," Hermione squeaked and she glanced at Draco again. "We—uh."
"It's okay," Draco said and he nodded to her.
He took a deep breath and met Merlin's eyes evenly. "We've known since Halloween night," he said. Hermione dropped her head in a solemn nod, and she began to wring her hands together in her lap.
"We wanted to let you tell us when you thought the time was right," she explained nervously. "So we pretended not to know anything."
"But how did you find out? Who told—"
"Oh, Merlin," Hermione whispered and she bit her lip. "We saw you."
Merlin's heart was pounding in his chest, panic invading his mind and numbing his ability to think clearly. "What?" he croaked, his vocal cords refusing to respond normally. "No, you didn't. You can't have—I would've seen you." But he was trying to convince himself, trying to remember that chilling night.
"When Quirrell announced that the troll was in the dungeons, Hermione and I panicked," Draco explained. "We thought you were still down there, and decided to go find you."
Merlin frowned. "But I was on the second floor," he said slowly.
"We got swept up by the crowd," Hermione said. "We snuck away and were heading toward the dungeons when we saw—" she trailed off, gesturing awkwardly.
"Me," Merlin finished and he sagged back into his seat, slumping.
"Well, not exactly."
"Actually, we saw Snape heading up to the third floor," Draco finished and he leaned forward in his seat. "We waited until he'd passed and then tried to take a different stairwell down, which is when that awful smell reached us and sent us into hiding."
Merlin stared at them. This was so much worse than just telling them about the incident. In their imaginations, they might have seen him as the scared little boy struggling for his life. But to have witnessed him, to have seen him wordlessly killed the beast without so much as a finger lifted, how could they not be afraid? But even more terrifying than that—did they know who he was? Had they made the jump to thinking of him as Merlin, the great and powerful enchanter?
But Hermione's eyes were bright with curiosity and admiration. "I've never seen anything so amazing," she said softly.
"You—you're not scared?" Merlin asked, raising his eyebrow.
"Well," and here Hermione sighed. "I'll admit I was at first." She nodded toward Draco. "We were both rather terrified."
"Oh," Merlin said as he glanced toward Draco too. "So, that's why you avoided me that whole week," he said thoughtfully.
"I just needed some time to adjust, okay?" Draco snapped and he folded his arms. "That's a lot to take in at once. I mean, I thought you were awful at magic."
"Yeah," Merlin dropped his head and smiled, the panic ebbing away.
"I'm not sure even Dumbledore could have done what you did," Hermione said and Merlin laughed.
"Oh, I doubt that. That man could probably do anything." Although, in truth he knew that Dumbledore was ignorant to the old druidic spells.
"But why do you hide your abilities?" Hermione asked and she folded her arms. "You're failing your classes, and yet you clearly have the talent to pass them."
Merlin chuckled and shook his head. "I know, but right now it's more advantageous for me if I'm underestimated." He had lived most of his life this way, and it was strange to think that he didn't have to. In Camelot, he'd had no choice. If he had revealed his magic he would have been executed, and yet here he would be admired. Merlin knew that there were certain advantages to working behind the scenes, he was overlooked and it gave him the element of surprise.
"But you're failing!" Hermione protested, clearly not understanding him.
"Grades don't matter, Hermione," Merlin said with a chuckle.
"Yes they do!" Hermione shot back at once, horrified. "How do you expect to go anywhere with poor marks?"
Merlin merely shrugged. It was obvious that Hermione wouldn't understand that grades were meaningless in the grander scheme of things. The world had taught her that everything depended on her scores, and how she would be limited without pristine grades but he had been a part of a world where knowledge had not been readily available. Grades hadn't existed, only the application of learned knowledge and Merlin had a feeling that Hermione would need to learn that before the end.
"Now," Draco said and he glanced toward Hermione. "Tell us why you really don't like Quirrell."
Merlin bit his lip, "Okay," he said slowly and he sighed heavily. "But for that I need to tell you why I went up to the second floor."
They both frowned. "Because of the troll, right?" Draco said furrowing his brow.
"Not exactly," Merlin said. And he explained how he had seen Quirrell heading up to the third floor. How he had tried to follow him before running into the troll. "He let the troll loose," Merlin said and for the first time Draco and Hermione looked horrified. "He used it as a sentry so he could sneak onto the third floor."
"But why?" Hermione whispered, her hand over her mouth. "Quirrell's a teacher."
"So what?" Draco said with a laugh. "Doesn't mean he still can't be evil."
Hermione looked shocked.
"Anyway," Merlin continued, "I went up to the third floor corridor and—well—Snape caught me."
Draco stared at him. "How are you not expelled?" he asked.
"Well, telling him that I killed the troll on Halloween helped."
"You told Snape?" Hermione said aghast. She was gripping the cushions of the seat very tightly now. "But we saw him going up to the third corridor too! What if he and Quirrell are working together for some reason?"
"He's not," Merlin told her and he smiled. "Trust me on that."
Draco folded his arms. "Okay, so what exactly is on the third floor? I'm getting tired of guessing in my head."
Merlin hesitated. "You can't tell anyone, all right?" They both nodded eagerly and Merlin said, "A Philosopher's Stone."
Hermione let out a shriek while Draco only looked more confused. "A what?" he asked and he had to duck as Hermione's hand shot into the air, just like it so often did in class.
"Can I tell him?" she asked, looking like she was trying not to smile.
Merlin shrugged. "Go for it."
After Hermione had clued Draco in, they had to pause the conversation as the plump witch pushing the food trolley came by their compartment. Merlin didn't really want anything, but Draco bought enough for four people and he and Hermione munched on the sweets as they listened to Merlin continue, much like eating popcorn at a theatre.
"By the way, there's an enormous three-headed-dog guarding the stone," Merlin added and Draco nearly choked on a Bertie Bots Every Flavor bean.
"Oh, is that all?" Draco drawled sarcastically after he had stopped coughing. "I thought it was just sitting on a pedestal in the middle of the room."
"But if Snape suspects Quirrell, why hasn't Dumbledore sacked him?" Hermione asked as she unwrapped a pumpkin pasty.
"He doesn't have enough evidence," Merlin said. "Snape said that it was a complicated process to sack a professor, especially in the middle of the year."
"But you realized something was going on," Hermione interjected, and she smiled brightly again.
"Only because I was at the right time at the right place."
But Draco didn't look convinced. "You didn't like Quirrell from the beginning," he pointed out.
"Yeah, well, I thought his teaching methods were awful."
And they dissolved into laughter.
Only A Boy
"Have another drink."
"Ah, I shouldn't," the half-giant replied but there was a twinkle in those dark eyes that said otherwise. With a wave of his hand, another drink was brought to their table and enormous man across him took several long draughts before dropping his tankard to the table. Had a regular man consumed the same amount of alcohol, he would have surely died by now and yet the Gamekeeper was just becoming drunk.
Quirrell had watched Hagrid for several weeks, trying to think of a way to persuade him to tell him about how to get past the enormous three-headed dog on the third floor corridor – but he couldn't just ask him. Even Hagrid, as foolish and blundering as he was would never betray Dumbledore. Not unless he was out of his mind drunk. And so finally, after he had discovered Hagrid's preferred drinking grounds he'd organized a plan that would both give him the information he needed and not tip off the half-giant.
"So what do you do?" Quirrell asked, knowing with confidence that Hagrid would never recognize his voice without the stutter. And with the black cloak obscuring his face, there was no reason Hagrid would realize that it was him.
"I'mma gamekeeper at Hogwarts," Hagrid replied, and he finished his flagon.
"Really?" he said and Quirrell quickly bought him another drink, pushing it toward him before the giant could protest, "What sort of creatures do you look after?" he asked. He could feel the heat of the egg in his pocket, the itching to get rid of it as quickly as possible.
"All sorts," Hagrid said, and Quirrell was relieved to hear his speech starting to acquire a pronounced slur. "And ther' great, but I'd love a dragon," he continued and eyes glazed over. "I 'lways wanted a dragon."
"A dragon?" Quirrell repeated, faking surprise. "Well now, I may be able to help you with that."
Hagrid blinked blankly and stared at him, his eyes sliding in and out of focus. "How?" he asked.
"I deal in rare and unique items," Quirrell said as Hagrid took another giant swig. "And I'm looking for someone who can take this off my hands," and he bent over to show Hagrid a glimpse of the egg that resided in his pocket.
Hagrid made an odd squeaking nose. "Is tha'?" he said pointing toward it with shaking fingers.
"It is," and he added in a conspiratorial whisper, "A Norwegian Ridgeback, that is."
"How did ya get it?"
"Legalities demand I keep that information to myself." He hid the egg once more in his pocket. "Why don't we play cards for it?"
Hagrid nodded vigorously, and he drained his cup once more. "But," Quirrell said as he summoned another drink. "I need to make sure you can handle a creature like this. This isn't like anything you've ever taken care of at Hogwarts."
"Oh, after Fluffy a dragon would be easy!"
Quirrell could feel the soul of his master writhing in anticipation, the eagerness almost painful in his chest. "Fluffy?" he repeated smoothly.
"Yeah, he's beautiful. Bought him off a Greek fella awhile back. Enormous three-headed dog, and just as feisty as a dragon I reckon." He smacked his lips, wiping some butterbeer that had dribbled down his beard. "He's a piece of cake if you know how to calm him down though – just play him a bit of music and he'll go straight to sleep. All creatures have a weakness of some sort."
Success. Quirrell smiled beneath his hood, and he withdrew a pack of cards from his cloak. "Well then," he said and he started dealing them out, "Maybe you'll get lucky."
And being as drunk as he was, Hagrid played a surprisingly good hand. True, Quirrell didn't even try to win. He figured that if Hagrid was too busy trying to take care of this infernal creature he wouldn't spend any time thinking about what he had accidentally let slip. There was also the hope that he'd be too drunk to even remember the details of their conversation, or with any luck the dragon would just eat Hagrid and silence him forever.
Quirrell watched the half-giant swagger off back to the castle, holding the dragon egg in his hands as if it were more precious than all the gold in the world. "The stone is as good as ours," he muttered into the night.
"Yes," spoke the cold high voice of his master. "But we must wait a while longer before acting, the effort of remaining bonded to your soul has tired me and I need to regain some of my strength. And, with that muggle-loving fool watching our every move, we must wait for the opportune moment in which to strike."
Only A Boy
Over the course of the next few weeks, Merlin, Hermione, and Draco spent a lot of time in the back of the library or in an unused classroom discussing Quirrell and what they were going to do about the Philosopher's Stone. They thought up of ways to get the Defense professor sacked, and though none of them would really work, they were fun to talk about.
Merlin hadn't yet told them about his suspicions that Tom Riddle was possessing the professor. He had made it sound like Quirrell desired the stone for his own selfish purposes. He felt a twinge of guilt every time he thought about that, after all, he had promised Silas he would be more honest with his friends. Well, he was more honest with them but he thought too much honesty could do more damage in the end. Hermione and Draco couldn't really do anything to help him. As eleven year old children they were next to useless in this battle against the Dark Lord – and he was terrified of them getting hurt. Already they were in danger. If Quirrell ever realized that his secret had been discovered – well, Merlin wasn't sure what the man would do.
But he was certain he wouldn't like it.
At least now Silas sent weekly letters, updating Merlin on how life with Florean Fortescue was. And much to Merlin's relief Silas sounded like he was living on Cloud Nine. Florean had a flat above his ice cream shop in Diagon Alley, which meant that Silas was living in wizarding world central and he loved it. He told Merlin all about his trips to the other shops, how he'd seen goblins outside of Gringotts, and passed on the amazing stories that Florean told him. Apparently, the man was quite versed in wizard history and always loved an opportunity to spread his knowledge. It was huge weight off Merlin's shoulders to know that at last Silas was safe and happy. He was even going to a local pre-magic school that all wizards attended prior to going to Hogwarts – like a type of muggle primary school except for wizarding folk.
Merlin did his best to keep Silas just as informed about his life, although there just wasn't much to tell. Quirrell seemed to be biding his time and there was no excitement save for constant reminder that exams would be arriving soon. Hermione never missed an opportunity to berate Merlin's dismal grades and to urge him to do at least a little better in class.
"You don't have to be the best," she would quickly add when Merlin opened his mouth to reply. "Just pass, all right? You can't afford to repeat first year." To which Merlin would sigh and promise her that he'd do well enough on his exams to pass. Hermione had difficulty understanding how he could just disregard his homework and intentionally do poorly in class. Especially since how she knew that Merlin had magical capabilities well past the usual first year and it would be easy as breathing for him to complete the simple spell work. Merlin knew that she would pester him about it until the end of term.
At least there were more important things he could distract her with.
They were together at the back of the library again, in a little alcove so that no one would stumble across them. Even though Draco considered Hermione as a "sort of friend" he was still adamant that no one could see them together. And when Hermione got huffy about it, he reminded her that his father could not find out under any circumstances.
"He'd transfer me to Durmstrang, that's if he didn't kill me first," Draco said and he rolled his eyes.
"Oh, all right then," Hermione snapped.
Recently, they had been trying to find all the information they could about the Philosopher's Stone. They couldn't do anything else anyway, so they might as well become experts on the topic. Merlin was just picking out another book to look through when Hermione said, "At last!"
"Found something?" Merlin asked and he got up to look over her shoulder at the passage.
"It says here that Nicolas Flamel is the only known maker of the Philosopher's Stone. So, it must belong to him." Her eyes darted down the page. "I can see why Quirrell would want it."
"Turning any metal into gold?" Draco said and he laughed. "Who wouldn't want it?"
"Do you think we should warn Nicolas Flamel?" Hermione asked and she looked up at Merlin. "I mean, he might want to know that someone is planning to steal it."
Merlin ran a hand through his hair. "I think he already knows. It was almost stolen once already from Gringotts. Dumbledore is guarding the stone for him, so I wouldn't be surprised if the headmaster was keeping him informed."
"Why would he hide the stone in a school?" Draco asked folding his arms. "We're not exactly equipped to stop thieves."
Merlin raised his eyebrow. "Tell that to the three-headed dog standing guard." He shook his head. "It's probably because of Dumbledore. Only an idiot would try to take if from right under his nose."
Hermione nodded. "And there's probably other things guarding it as well, spells, enchantments, that sort of thing." She sighed and shut the book. "Well, why don't we go over our history of magic notes while we're here? We've still got an hour before dinner."
"Can we go for a walk instead?" Merlin groaned. "I think anymore knowledge and my brain will explode."
"Our exams are only a few weeks away," Hermione snapped. "And one can never be too prepared."
"Not today, please," Merlin said getting to his feet and stretching. "I'm all stiff. Let's go for a walk on the grounds."
"Oh—" and Draco looked at Hermione, hesitation written in the lines of his face.
Merlin sighed. "It'll be fine. Everyone knows that she's my friend. If anyone starts coming toward us you two just pretend to have a row or something."
"I don't know—" Draco said still looking reluctant, but Merlin gave him a shove and started walking out of the library.
"Yeah, it'll be fine. Come on," Merlin said, although he felt like he was trying to convince himself more so than Draco. Hermione smiled softly before packing up her bag and racing after them, walking a few feet behind them until they had reached the grounds and then catching up to walk on Merlin's other side.
It was a cool overcast day and save for a few Ravenclaws walking around the lake they were the only ones outside. The sun hung low in the sky, giving them barely an hour before they would need to return inside. Hermione was just suggesting they stop by Hagrid's for a cup of tea when Merlin froze.
On the air he could feel familiar animal magic, and it made his blood run cold. He would recognize that essence anywhere, the way it rang with his core and harmonized with his own magic. For a moment, he didn't move. Hermione and Draco were still walking ahead, now bickering about the Gamekeeper.
"Merlin what do you think—" Draco turned around, and his scowl fell from his face to be replaced with worry. "What's wrong?"
Merlin didn't answer. Words could not convey the sheer panic that wracked his brain. Why would a dragon be this close to the school? He'd told Korrizahar and Aithusa to stay in the heart of the forbidden forest and to hide from any human that was not himself. They were going to be discovered – or had someone already stumbled across them? Without a second thought, Merlin broke into a run toward the magic. Hermione and Draco shouted something after him and followed but Merlin didn't respond to their questions.
He'd never been to Hagrid's hut, but he knew the instant he saw it whose home it must be. He could tell that the dragon was inside the hut, and his heart sank even further. Aithusa wouldn't fit in there so it had to be—
The door burst open before Merlin had even touched it and he stumbled inside, gasping for breath. There was a mighty crash, several loud booming barks, and a horrific guttural screech. Sitting on top of the table, its long thin wings outstretched with hostility, was a light brown dragon. It seemed to be trying to attack the enormous black boarhound opposite it, and Hagrid stood in between them trying to regain control.
"Merlin!" Hermione shouted and she and Draco ran inside too, before skidding to a halt in the doorway. "Oh my—"
The dog let out a pitiful whine and pelted toward the open door, knocking Merlin down as it raced past. The dragon shrieked with fury and smacked Hagrid with its tail, trying to follow the dog outside.
"The door!" Hagrid shouted, but Hermione didn't look like she liked the idea of locking herself in this tiny, wooden house with a dragon. In one smooth movement, Merlin had gotten back to his feet and placed himself between the dragon and the open front door. The creature hissed and smoke curled out of its nostrils, completely ignoring Hagrid's yells of, "Bad Norbert! Stop this!"
"Dragorn!" Merlin shouted and everyone fell silent at once, including the young dragon standing in front of him. He grimaced, knowing that what he had said was clearly not English. Aware that they were all staring at him now, Merlin bent down as the dragon started to growl again and murmured in a tone that would not carry to the others in the room, "Nun de ge dei s'eikein kai emois epe'essin hepesthai."
The dragon, Norbert, blinked and folded its wings, looking curiously up at Merlin. Merlin offered his arm to it, and it climbed onto his shoulder. This dragon was nearly twice the size of Korrizahar and Merlin could feel the extra weight pressing into his shoulder.
"You can shut the door now, Hermione," Merlin called behind him, giving Hagrid a calculating look.
"What're you think yer doin' barging in like that?" Hagrid asked them weakly. He straightened up and attempted a stern expression. "What've you'd gotten hurt?"
"Oh, I see," Draco drawled, though his voice shook slightly. "We should have just let that—that thing eat your dog, is that it?" He couldn't draw his eyes away from the dragon sitting on Merlin's shoulder.
"Well—" Hagrid faltered and Draco sneered at him.
"But Hagrid," Hermione said her voice much higher than usual. "Where did you get it? Dragon breeding was outlawed by the Warlock's Convention of 1709!"
"I won it," Hagrid explained and he smiled at the creature on Merlin's shoulder. "His name's Norbert, and he's a Norwegian Ridgeback. Gorgeous, isn't he?"
"Yeah, sure he is," Draco grumbled and he scratched the back of his neck.
But Merlin smiled and gently rubbed the dragon's cheek scales. "He is," he agreed and Hagrid beamed at him. "But," and here Merlin sighed. "You can't keep him, Hagrid."
"No!" Hagrid cried out and he took an enormous step toward Norbert. "You can't tell anyone."
"We won't have to, pretty soon this thing will be too big for your house," Merlin explained. "And someone will notice the screeching eventually, dragons can't be cooped up in a hut like this Hagrid."
"Especially a wooden one," Hermione sniffed, looking around.
Hagrid looked from Merlin to Hermione with a desperation that tugged on Merlin's heart. The enormous man genuinely cared about the dragon, but Merlin knew that just caring about something wasn't enough. He had to understand them, and recognize that dragons were independent and dangerous.
"I know," Hagrid said, his lip trembling. And he dropped his head as he sank defeated into one of his enormous armchairs. "I'll—I'll think of something," he grumbled.
Merlin looked up at the dragon, noting the black scales that decorated the dragon's boney spine ridge. "I might know a place I can take him," he found himself saying and he glanced at Hagrid, who was staring at him. "I mean, I know someone who can get him to a safe place," Merlin amended smoothly, the half-truth falling from his lips with practiced ease.
"Who do you know like that?" Draco asked Merlin incredulously, he exchanged a glance with Hermione.
"Oh, just a dragon expert," Merlin shrugged. Draco was still staring at him, "Anyway," he said shaking his head and he gently eased Norbert back onto the dinner table. "I'll come back later tonight to take him to someplace safe, all right?"
It took some convincing but with watery eyes Hagrid finally agreed, and they left the hut, the dragon staring curiously after Merlin. Outside, Fang the Boarhound was lying down on the front steps and they carefully stepped over him before making their way back to the castle in the twilight.
For one blissful moment, no one said anything and then both Draco and Hermione pelted Merlin with questions. How had he calmed the dragon down like that? Who was he going to take the dragon to? Why hadn't he mentioned he had some wizarding connections before hand? Merlin did his best to answer them without giving away the real truth. How could he tell them that he was the dragon expert? How could he tell them that he was planning to take Norbert to Aithusa and get a second opinion from Kor on where to take the hatchling? Perhaps they knew he wasn't being completely honest with them because their questions died off quickly, and instead they kept shooting each other significant looks.
Only A Boy
It wasn't until half past midnight that the common room finally emptied, and Merlin was able to slip out of bed, dress, and tiptoe out of the dormitory. When he came to the landing however, he heard footsteps behind him and he turned to see Draco coming behind him.
"You can't come," Merlin groaned in an undertone. "Go back to bed."
Draco folded his arms, "And why not?" he whispered back. "I thought there were no more secrets between us," and he gave Merlin a resentful look. "I don't believe a word of what you told Hermione and me earlier. Why won't you tell us?"
"Because it's not just my secret," Merlin said through gritted teeth. "If it only concerned me, perhaps but I will not jeopardize the safety of someone else." He would not tell Draco and Hermione about Korrizahar and Aithusa on a whim, especially not before talking to them about it. Even though wizards didn't destroy dragons like they used to, they were still feared creatures and Merlin had the nasty feeling that the ministry would put down dragons that were nesting too close to Hogwarts. Or, even worse, study their unique ancient magical properties and turn them into potion ingredients.
Draco didn't say anything for a long moment. "Okay, fine," he said and his shoulders slumped. "Be careful, all right?"
Merlin grinned. "Me?" he said and quickly left the common room, taking care to make sure he didn't run into Snape or Filtch on his way to the grounds. It wasn't that he didn't trust Hermione and Draco – he did trust them. He had told them so much already, but this was something so much closer to home. Dragons weren't just creatures to him, they were kin and that was something his friends could never discover. It was something no one ever could, because it would lead them on the thought path that eventually ended up with the realization of who he truly was.
He went around to the back of Hagrid's hut and knocked, shivering in the chilly air. The temperature dropped phenomenally at night, and he could feel the bite even though his cloak. After a moment, Hagrid opened the door, his beard sparkling with tears.
"He's all ready for the journey," he said in a subdued voice. Norbert was on the floor, trying to rip off what looked like a hand knitted sweater. "And here's his teddy bear," Hagrid said handing Merlin the stuffed animal, "in case he get's homesick."
Merlin worked his jaw so that he didn't snap that Norbert would never get homesick, and instead nodded. When the dragon spotted Merlin it jumped, flapping its wings and settling itself back on Merlin's shoulder. Norbert watched him, as though hoping he would say something else in the dragon language.
As Merlin left Hagrid's hut and started heading into the forest, he heard Hagrid calling after him, "Goodbye Norbert!" in muffled sobs.
"I'm so sorry," Merlin told the dragon when they had vanished from Hagrid's sight. He held his hand over and the sweater that was hanging limply on the dragon's back and it fell away. "That's better, right?"
It was a long walk to the meadow where Korrizahar and Aithusa were. Merlin didn't want to jostle Norbert too much, worried that the dragon would take flight and explore. He knew that unlike Kor, Norbert was a type of Wyvern and possessed a more primitive and violent nature. Finally, Merlin reached the clearing.
"Kor!" Merlin called out, not seeing the dragon on any of the nearby branches. "I've got a surprise for you!"
Within a few minutes, he heard the fast beating of wings and the small red dragon came out of the darkness and landed on a branch, holding a rabbit in his talons. "I—" Kor started to say and then he caught sight of Norbert. The two dragons stared at each other for a moment before simultaneously taking to the air and landing opposite each other on the ground and beginning to circle.
Fascinated, Merlin sat down on a stump to watch. He wanted to ask Kor where Aithusa had gone, but he didn't want to distract him. After several moments Kor sat down and made a series of chirping noises, to which Norbert responded. "She says that you rescued her from a blundering meat suit?" Kor asked sounding confused.
"She?" Merlin repeated. "So, I assume its Norberta then."
Kor nodded. "Yeah, I suppose so. She doesn't mind the name." The dragon paused a moment and then retrieved his rabbit from the tree and ripped it in half with a crunch, giving a part to her before flying over to sit next to Merlin on the stump.
While the two dragons ate, Merlin explained to Kor about how he'd found out about Norberta and convinced Hagrid to let him take her someplace safe. "Said he'd won her, but Hermione said that dragon breeding's illegal."
Kor swallowed the last piece of his rabbit. "I don't know anything about laws," he said shaking his head. "Aithusa went hunting in the mountains but she'll be back by dawn, and I'm sure she wouldn't mind mothering Norberta. I think the two of us can keep an eye on her."
Merlin didn't smile. "I was rather hoping you might just take her to a dragon preserve," he said casting a nervous glance in the dragon's direction. "She's going to be larger than Aithusa when she's matured I think, and she's a Wyvern breed." He shook his head. "I don't think hiding her for very long will be possible, especially if she decides to pay a visit to the castle when you're not looking."
"I don't think a dragon preserve would just let us drop her off," Kor said with a sigh. "We'd have to stay too."
"Ug, I know," Merlin said and he ran a hand through his hair.
"We can take care of her for now," Kor said and he puffed out his chest confidently. "The only city around is Hogsmeade, and it's right next to Hogwarts. There are tons of untouched mountain forest that she can hide in. Aithusa and I can teach her how to stay hidden." He touched Merlin's hand with his cheek and Merlin rubbed his scales.
"All right, and if worst comes to worst I can command her to fly to the sanctuary once she's big enough to make the journey alone." Kor nodded in agreement and they looked over at Norberta, who was exploring the clearing.
"There's something else," Kor said and his tone dropped to almost a growl. "There's something coming into the forest at night."
Merlin blinked. "What?"
Kor lashed his tail. "I think its Quirrell." Aithusa landed in the clearing with a crash and Norberta ran hissing toward Kor, as though asking him what was going on.
"Quirrell?" Merlin repeated. "What's he doing?"
"He's been killing unicorns and drinking their blood."
Only A Boy
Merlin walked back to Hagrid's hut slowly, his mind preoccupied with what Korrizahar had told him. This was the last nail in the coffin, the last piece of evidence Merlin needed. Quirrell was possessed by the Dark Lord. That was the only reason he would drink unicorn blood, and the mere thought of it made him sick to his stomach. At least Norberta had been integrated successfully into the growing pod of dragons.
Just another thing for him to worry about.
Hagrid was sitting on his back doorstep when Merlin came out of the trees and he started crying the instant he saw him. "He's gone?" he asked as Fang padded up to Merlin and sniffed his legs.
"She," Merlin automatically corrected, "and yes."
Hagrid blinked his red eyes and smiled. "He's a she?" he repeated sounding surprised. "Should'a known. Females are more feisty than the males." And he reached behind him for an enormous pink tablecloth and blew his nose with it.
"Hagrid," Merlin said and he sat down next to him, "what were you thinking, getting a dragon?"
Hagrid blew his nose again. "I love 'em," he said tearfully. "It's been mah dream to own one since I was a kid." He sighed miserably, "and I messed it t'all up."
Merlin patted Hagrid's enormous arm. "You sure did," and then he laughed. "But maybe you'll see Norberta again."
Hagrid stopped crying at once and looked at him. "You mean that?" he asked. "I'd jus' love to see her again."
"Not yet of course, she's long gone for now," Merlin said and he glanced up at the sky. "Do some more studying. Understand dragons, and treat them like they should be." He pulled the teddy bear out his cloak and gave it back to him.
"Teddy bears and sweaters?" he asked raising an eyebrow and Hagrid wrung his hands together in an embarrassed sort of way. "Monster's aren't pets," Merlin chided. "But sometimes, they can be wonderful friends."