Standard disclaimers apply.
The first potions class was nothing like I expected. The intensity between Professor Snape and Harry nearly made me puke. As it was, my hands were clasped so tightly beneath the table that they were becoming slick with nervous sweat. I knew some stuff about potions but the questions Professor Snape was asking were hard. And there was Harry, sitting rock-still, only his eyes following Snape's movements. He reminded me of a jungle cat hunting prey. After that initial contest they both seemed to come to a temporary truce.
But that he could resist the pressure, and tell Snape the answers… that was, wow.
The class passed in a blur, even the notes I took were disjointed and vague. After class Dean Thomas asked the question I was dying to ask Harry since his little contest with Professor Snape. "Harry, how did you know the answers?"
"Quite simple really," Harry said in a drawl, imitating someone I hadn't met "Harry merely read Ms. Granger's mind. Thank you Ms. Granger, for providing the answers."
Dean Thomas drew away. In fact everyone took a step back then pretended that they had to hurry to wherever they were going next. "Cor, Harry," I said "Can you really read minds?" I knew he was special as the Boy-Who-Lived, but I hadn't thought he would have special powers too. In response Harry raised an eyebrow as if asking if I was really stupid enough to believe that.
"No," he said in Snape's sarcastic voice, "Harry has read the book as well."
"Good," I jumped at the sudden voice behind me. It turned out that Ms. Granger had also stayed behind. "Because I was going to say that you shouldn't cheat."
"Harry shouldn't have made that joke." Harry said apologetically in Seamus Finnegan's voice. "Harry assumed that everyone knew mind reading isn't actually possible."
My subsequent potions classes weren't much better. That Harry never needed to study, and Granger did nothing but revise didn't help me at all either. Harry just wanted to explore, and make friends with all manner of creatures he met. Granger just gave me a subject, then basically told me to get out of her hair. But one especially bad day in potions ended with me trudging down the hall toward the stairs that would lead me to the Great Hall. Everyone else, at least the Griffindors, were hurrying away. One, to escape Snape's lesson and two, to get to lunch. I wasn't walking quite so fast. I had no idea how to tell Gran what happened. I melted a cauldron in potions. Melted it! I couldn't imagine how I did it. I didn't think any of the ingredients could combine to make anything so dangerous. I must have missed something when I did the assigned reading. But you would think the author would say something if a step could create something so horrible. A little word of warning would have been appreciated.
"Hagrid's got a baby dragon."
"No I don't think that's what went wrong with my potion… Wait, what?" I hadn't noticed Harry walking with me to the Great Hall. Honestly I wasn't all that used to anyone noticing that I was around. Gran was too old to play with me, and none of our guests ever wanted to play either, except Uncle Alfie. And he was the main reason I stayed out of sight whenever Gran invited anyone over.
"Hagrid's got a baby dragon," Harry said again, "In his hut" he clarified. He was using his usual voice. It was the voice of a boy about our age, but that was about all I could tell about the person, other than the fact that I'd never met him.
"Is that a good idea? His hut is wood, isn't it?"
Harry shrugged "It's not hatched yet, He's got time. He's naming him Norbert." Harry sounded insulted. Odd, Norbert is a good strong name, And Hagrid could have done worse – named it Patches, or Spot, or something equally ridiculous, for a dragon, that is.
"Does he know what kind of dragon?"
Harry shrugged again, but went on in Lavander's voice "It's got the most gorgeous shell though! It's all pebbled and speckled. It's about this big," Harry held his hands bout fifteen centimeters apart, "And sometimes when the light hits it just right it sparkles like diamond! Want to see it?" Harry squealed. I was glad I hadn't been looking at him at him that moment. It was disturbing enough when Lavender did it. Harry's imitation was spot-on.
"'Course I want to see it! Are you kidding?" I noticed more and more that the phrase 'are you mad?' was disappearing from my speech. Every time I used it, I felt guilty, because as odd as it was to use someone else's voice for everything you wanted to say, Harry wasn't crazy. Not that anyone else cared to find out. All they did was talk about him like he couldn't hear or understand. And most of the time it was only to say something about wards in St. Mungoes.
"Come on then." Harry sounded like Ron Weasley.
"What, now?"
"When else?"
"What about lunch?"
"We'll be back"
"Alright," I said a little dubiously, "It's not going to hatch soon is it?"
"No, come on!" And he ran off. I sighed and followed panting pretty heavily before I caught up. Hagrid let us in right away and had a smile for Harry, who smiled back delightedly before saying in a stage whisper "We've come to see the dragon."
Hagrid laughed so loudly it nearly scared me out of my pants. "Alright 'Arry, Neville" I was surprised to know Hagrid knew my name, but I guess he must have heard it around somewhere. Hagrid took some oven mitts I mistook for Christmas stockings and lifted the cover of the stew pot hanging over the fire. The egg was just like Harry described, which was what was afraid of, and why I stayed well away.
"Hagrid," I heard my voice go high and squeaky, "That's a Norwegian Ridgeback's egg."
"That's right!" Hagrid said, missing the point completely "Isn't he beautiful?"
"But Hagrid, they're the most vicious dragons ever! Even the newborns are deadly! They can breathe fire the moment they're born." The only reason I new so much about dragons was because, like most young wizards, I had a slight dragon-obsession in my youth. But it was apparent that my words fell on deaf ears. I suppose Harry was listening, he always listened. But he didn't bother to do anything about it.
I stayed away from Hagrid and his hut from then on. Dragons were wicked on paper, but an actual live one was quite a bit different. Not to mention Gran would be really disappointed and angry at me for getting involved with the illegal dragon trade. But fears aside, I really didn't want her to talk about my father, and how such a great Auror would be so upset with me. Whenever Gran brought up Mother or Father, it was always about how they would be so disappointed to have me for a son. More than once I wanted to say 'Well it's a good thing they're in St. Mungoes then isn't it?' It was those moments – when I wanted nothing more than to hurt her – that I scared myself. In those moments I couldn't help but thing that parents would really be sad to have given me birth.
A week or so later I asked Harry how Hagrid's egg was coming along. Harry indicated that it seemed fine. It was rocking occasionally, which was normal in this stage of development. That was what the books in the library said, and Hagrid corroborated it, according to Harry. The dragon would hatch in two to two and a half weeks.
"Did you try talking to Ron?" I asked "His brother works in Romania with dragons." But Harry just smiled shyly. Sometimes Harry was shy around people, worse than I was. So I talked to Ron for him, but I didn't get very far. He was more interested in going around with Dean and Seamus, and I wasn't good enough at chess to ask him more than a few questions at a time. Anyway, two weeks wasn't all that long to get information.
Norbert was late in being born. It was only two days late, so I guess it shouldn't even count as being late. I suppose I was just a bit disgruntled at being woken up just minutes after I had fallen asleep. Harry shushed me and dragged me out of bed. Before I even knew what was going on we were at Hagrid's hut staring at the egg as it rocked back and forth. Then there was a tapping from within the egg and suddenly I was as far away as I could possibly get from the central table. "Why would you bring me here?" I gasped out, my voice shrilly from fear and gravely from just waking up. Immediately Hagrid's face darkened and he started saying "Now see here…" but that was as much as I listened to because I was staring at Harry, who looked humanly hurt. Harry didn't say anything to me, but to Hagrid, in Hagrid's voice said "Neville wakes up slow, it's ok."
There was no censure, no disappointment, at least none that I could see. He turned back to the egg, and I doubt it was by accident that in doing so, he turned his back on me. Hagrid, I think he might have seen how upset I was because he wasn't so closed, and he kept some room between Harry and himself, so that I could fit in if I wanted.
"Harry" I tried, but I couldn't think of anything to say. I sat down miserably by Fang and watched from a distance as the most vicious dragon known to Man hatched on Hagrid's wooden all-purpose table. It was then that I saw a face pressed up against the window. In a second, after I froze in fear, I realized it was Malfoy. How he found out about the dragon I'll never know, but what I did know was that he was watching that egg, paying no attention to me, and he could ruin everything. Only Fang noticed as I got up, but he did nothing as I went to the backdoor and snuck up behind Malfoy.
With a great deal more confidence than I felt I said "You don't have to stand so far away Malfoy!" He jumped and yelped, which would have made me smile except I was trying to make sure he didn't run off to tell on us. I clamped one sweaty hand on his shoulder – he was pretty small, funny how people seem larger than they are. I was ready to fist my hand around his robes but it wasn't necessary. Malfoy came willingly enough, though he was saying how he'd tell his father about the dragon.
"Why Malfoy, we knew you wanted to see the dragon hatch." I wasn't quite sure where the words were coming from "After all, why else would you be here, in Hagrid's home, with us, watching it hatch?" Malfoy frowned at me, about to say something scathing about my intelligence when he looked around. His eyes widened a little.
To my utter shock he said haughtily "Very well Longbottom, let's see the dragon hatch." It took me a minute, but as I realized I won, Norbert hatched, and he was just as dangerous as I said he would be. Malfoy and I kept our distance, but Hagrid and Harry cooed to it as it looked around. Well, Hagrid crooned, Harry make low sounds in the back of his throat whenever Norbert looked his way. For being such a vicious beast, Norbert seemed pretty easy-going and happy. Then it hiccupped and belched fire right at Hagrid, whose beard caught fire. I jumped grabbing my wand, not that I thought I could do anything. But Hagrid smiled, chuckled and said "Aw look at that, what a good dragon, good Norbert." Hagrid looked at us, proudly saying "He knows his mommy, that he does."
I heard Malfoy whisper 'madness' beside me and even Harry looked at Hagrid as if he were crazy.
"Well, I never said it'd be easy, now did I" Hagrid said as he patted out the smoldering flames in his beard. Norbert gurgled happily then took a deep breath. Before Norbert could do anything Harry roared with such volume I felt it vibrate in my bones. I heard Malfoy whimper beside me, but it sounded muffled, like I had been listening to music too loud again. Norbert looked cowed and he crept forward with his head down and tilted, exposing his throat, as he nudged Harrys's hand with his head.
"Harry, what did you say?"
Harry looked guilty as he met Hagrid's eyes. "Told him not to burn down your hut, didn't I." He said in Hagrid's voice. Norbert, seeing that Harry hadn't responded to Norbert, the dragon started climbing up Harry's arm. In that instant we all reacted predictably. Harry opened his mouth. I stepped forward – to do what I don't know, and Malfoy started running for the door.
"Don't!" Hagrid said with such urgency that even Malfoy froze in place. "Harry, is he threatening you?" Harry shook his head. "He's decided you're his boss. I think you know what to do." By this time Norbert had crawled to Harry's shoulder and was rubbing his head gently against Harry's cheek, making purring noises as he did so. Finally Harry made a grumbling sound and Norbert stopped nuzzling Harry, though he did remain on Harry's shoulder, and looked around curiously. Hagrid looked so proud of Harry. He wasn't at all upset that Harry practically stole Norbert from him. The only time I had ever seen a look like that directed at me was when Uncle Alfie threw me out a window, and I bounced to a stop. I felt… cold. And I wanted to go back to bed.
"We should go back to the castle I said quietly. Both Norbert and Harry swiveled around to look at me, but Harry nodded then seemed to notice Malfoy for the first time.
"Malfoy, what did we do tonight?" I asked quietly.
"I don't know what you did, you fat lump, but I was asleep. Goodnight." And he left. I looked back at Harry with a forced smile, only to meet his eyes to see them shining at me. He looked impressed, though I wasn't sure what was so impressive. But I suppose all was forgiven then.
Norbert wouldn't leave Harry that night, nor the morning after. They had bonded so tightly that Norbert could barely be separated from Harry for an hour. Everyone asked Harry where the dragon came from, but Harry's only response was "I found him." Malfoy didn't say anything either, going so far as to say his father to get him a baby dragon if he wanted one. Ron, at Headmaster Dumbledore's urging contacted his brother. Since Dumbledore had also indicated that Ron's brother was to come to pick up Norbert, Ron's brother came to Hogwarts within a week of getting Ron's letter, along with two others. But it took another two weeks to convince Norbert that he would be happier in the dragon reserve, and another week to get Norbert used to Ron's brother so that Norbert had someone 'soft' to cuddle when he missed Harry. It was pretty obvious that Harry missed Norbert as much as Norbert missed Harry. But neither of them was as heart-broken as Hagrid to see the little dragon go.