CHAPTER 12: Dragons of a Different Sort
The days were passing faster and faster. Before they knew it the exams where only ten week away as Hermione put it.
"You of all people shouldn't be worrying." Dante soothed the frazzled female. "You're best in class. Did you know that?" He asked. She shook her head, stunned. "Yep, Harry's tied with Draco for second. Ron's holding third and Shamus's got fourth. Dean's hanging at fifth. You've got nothing to worry about." He assured her with a hug to seal the deal. She still dragged them off to the library to study.
Harry, bored and tempted by the warming air outside that floated through the windows, was making his and Draco's quill tango across Dante's Hogwarts, A History. Seeing this, Draco added a second couple and he and Harry began to bash them into each other making Ron laugh while Dante and Hermione shared a look saying "children" in a knowing way.
Harry lost the dance off only because he spotted Hagrid shuffling around the shelves.
"Hagrid!" Ron called in a hushed whisper.
"What are you doing here?" Dante asked pleased but surprised to see the large man there.
"Checking out some books. You'll be studying for exams now, won't you? I best be leaving then." He shuffled from the library, awkwardly squeezing through the doors.
"I'll go see what he was looking at." Ron offered, too pleased at the chance to leave the table to let it pass bye.
Harry and Draco began an argument over whether or not Harry had forfeited when Ron slammed a few books down on the quills that were boxing in response to their owners' spat.
"Dragons!" He exclaimed in a hushed whisper. "I found all these books on the table back there." He explained as he revealed Dragon Species of Great Britain and Ireland, From Egg to Inferno, A Dragon Keeper's Guide and a few more. Harry looked up at Draco then Dante who turned to Hermione and then Ron. "You don't think…." Dante started.
"It's something Hagrid would do. He told Uncle Remus that he wanted a Dragon." Draco sighed, head flopping onto his crossed arms. "Not only do we have to watch our own arses, now we have to watch his!"
The five of them made their way down to Hagrid's hut an hour latter, being unable to convince Hermione to leave any earlier. They knocked on his door and heard the usual scrapping as Fang slid into the door, his booming barks resounding through the night.
"'Ello there." He said happily. "Sorry, not quiet in the mood to entertain ternight. Come back again termorrow." He smiled and began to shut the door when Harry shouted, "We know about the Philosopher's Stone!" Looking at him surprised, the rest where just as shocked when the door opened back up for them.
They explained everything they knew, about the brake in, about Fluffy, about the stone and finally about the dragon egg in his fire. Hagrid was more than willing to show his young friends the egg, happy to tell someone his joy. "Hagrid. You can't keep a Norwegian Ridgeback in a wooden house." Hermione cried worried for her oversized friend.
Hagrid did a giant's imitation of a pout. "Well I know that, but…I can't just let 'im go now! Once he hatches and get big enough to take care of himself I send him to Romania to be with other dragons." Harry and Draco shared a look. They left more worried then they were when they first visited the half-giant.
A couple days latter, at breakfast, Dante received a note from Hagrid with two words scrawled crudely across the surface. It's hatching! Despite their lessons, all five rushed down to the hut, after persuading Hermione- "How many times are you going to see a dragon hatch?"- they joined Hagrid around his wooden table, the black egg sitting in the middle, large cracks running along the surface already.
"It's nearly out." Hagrid beamed excitedly. A loud cracking noise heralded the arrival of a small lizard like creature as it burst out of the egg and onto the table. It was already fairly big. Worriedly, Harry shared a look with Ron. "Charlie!" Harry suddenly exclaimed shaking Ron.
"Have you finally lost it?" Ron asked a bit nervously. "I'm Ron remember, or is that eye of yours in need of a tune up?" Harry glared at him but let it slide in the heat of the situation. "No, your brother. He takes care of dragons in Romania. He could take it now, and take care of it until it can fend for itself."
"What do you say Hagrid?" Hermione cried hopping the man would say yes. Hagrid seemed to think about it but the color drained from his face and he rushed out the front door making Harry draw his gun while Dante pulled a pair of knives and Draco a sword.
They raced out after him and spotted Balise Zabini running up to the school. "He saw!" Hagrid panicked. "Please say yes." Ron pleaded. Hagrid nodded and the five hurried off to the owelry to send Hedwig with the message to Charlie as quick as they could.
The next week dragged by. They had received Charlie's okay and had arranged for the dragon pickup to occur in the astronomy tower at midnight on Saturday. It was a mark of how bad they wanted the dragon gone that Harry agreed to hall the thing up so many flights of stairs with one other person.
As the date approached Draco and Harry noticed a flaw in the plan. They had originally planned that Dante would accompany Harry up to the astronomy tower to see off the dragon. However, three days before they where going to send the dragon off, Dante landed himself in the hospital wing, having forgotten the full moon the night of the transfer. Meaning that not only could Dante not help Harry but nether could Draco. Harry had to go because Charlie was expecting him. But Draco needed to be with his cousin on the full moon.
Ron was also taken out of the picture by a particularly nasty bit he'd received while helping Hagrid with the stubborn hatchling. He landed himself a bed next to Dante in the hospital wing and the two played chess interrupted only by the occasional potions that were shoved down Ron's throat.
In the end, Harry was climbing the stairs to the top of the astronomy tower on his own. Dante had forbidden him to take Hermione with him. He had been freaked out by the rickety create Hagrid had shown them a well as the fact that the invisibility cloak wouldn't fit quiet right with the bulky cage.
Harry didn't mind doing it on his own. He had time to think and if he messed up no one would get in trouble but him. That's how he found himself wandlessly the disillusioned dragon up the stairs through the shadows he was surfing. The transfer went off without a hitch and Harry even made good friends with Charlie. It was afterwards that the problem started.