Diclaimer: If you think i own the characters of harry potter then you are daft. This is my silly fangirl indulgences so shhh.
Harry smiled as he saw Luna skipping across the path with Neville trailing behind her at a hurried pace, trying to keep up.
"Hey mate, you coming too?" Harry clapped Neville on the back as soon as they reached him.
Before Neville had a chance to even open his mouth Luna spoke up for him, "Neville has been having troubles with farlly-wappers lately so I suggested a trip outside to clear his mind." Luna smiled oblivious to the fact that neither Harry nor Neville were sure what a farlly-wapper was.
"Yeah, that." Neville grinned sheepishly. He had matured a lot of the past few years and certainly wasn't the awkward little boy from first year, but he still had his shy moments. That would probably never change about him.
"Okay. Should we head down then?" Harry grinned. All though he had a lot to think about lately it was hard not to smile around Luna and Neville.
"Yeah, let's get going." Neville nodded his head and Luna spun in a gentle circle, her ravenclaw skirt billowing around her small waist.
The three headed down the well worn foot path that lead from the stone ring to the foot of Hagrid's hut. The dirt path had been stamped smooth from years of Hagrid's feet trudging the same road. Harry wondered in the back of his mind how long it took the half-giant to kill the grass that once grew there.
As they got closer to the familiar hut, Harry's stomach did a little jump of anticipation. He loved visiting Hagrid and he had so many fond (and some not so fond) memories of the quaint little hut. Hagrid must have seen them approaching because they were not but two feet from the door when it swung open and Hagrid swooped the three into a large hug all at once.
"Harry! Luna! Neville! So good to see ya! It's been far too long the lot of you! I was thinking you kids were outgrownin' this old groundskeeper." Hagrid smiled widely as he set them down.
"We'd never outgrow you Hagrid. You're one of our best friends!" Harry smiled up at the towering man. Luna and Neville nodded the affirmative and Hagrid smiled wider.
"Well come in! Luna said you might be coming to see the pups. They're just playing by the fireplace right now. It's not lit thank heavens otherwise there would be soot and coals everywhere," Hagrid led them into the hut where four three-headed dogs were nipping each other's tails and various ears. There were so many heads that Harry wasn't sure which heads belonged to which body.
They were black like Fluffy was but they had distinct white speckling on their fur, "Hagrid why do they have white splotches on them?" Harry thought for sure they would be identical to the beastly Fluffy who still resided on the third floor.
"Cross-breedin' Harry. The mum was white." Hagrid said gently.
Harry nodded his head as the pups began to take notice of the new comers. One of the pups looked over excitedly at Harry. Or at least one of its heads did. Harry seemed to take notice that all heads worked separately as if part of another animal entirely. The one that had looked over promptly bit the ears of the head beside it. The middle head yelped and looked over to wear the first head had been looking. Harry noted the pain in the ear seemed only to register in the brain of the middle head. The middle head, by then intrigued by Harry as well bit the head to its left. Once all three heads were focused on the same thing, the legs began to move as the pup bounded over to Harry and began to jump up on his leg, the three separate heads attempting to nip at his fingertips.
Harry laughed and sat down to pet the pup. He started by scratching the middle head first, but then the left one whimpered. So he went to pet the left head, but then the right head whimpered. Harry laughed as he reached out to scratch their shared back and the three heads snorted in delight.
Out of the corner of his eye he could see Luna talking to one of the pups about something or other as though the dog fully understood the nature of what she was saying. Neville on the other hand was attempting to get the other two pups to stop humping his school bag that he had placed on the floor.
"It's like having three dogs in one. They must be an absolute handful!" Harry looked up at Hagrid with a grin as the pup he was petting started to doze off in his lap.
"Oh they're a handful alright. Good thing they won't get much bigger than a common horse. Thank heavens the mum was a smaller breed than fluffy. Don't think I could handle another four of him." Hagrid huffed a little as he picked up the pups that were furiously humping Neville's bag and moved them to the side before sitting down in his half-giant sized chair. Neville sighed gratefully and placed his bag on the table and out of doggy distance.
"Did I really just hear the Hagrid say he couldn't handle a magical creature?" Harry laughed.
"Well I'm not as young as I used to be Harry. Besides, these pups are only with me for another few weeks then they're off to Durmstrang. Cerberus pups have to drink milk for the first eight weeks like any pup, but Cerberus females abandon their pups after birth so only professionals can handle them the first eight weeks till they can be feed solid food. Right now the little ones gotta be hand feed. It's trickier than you'd think for such cute little things. But they get a little aggressive when they're hungry." Hagrid turned up the edge of his pant leg to reveal a large bruise running up his calf.
Harry winced, "Wow. That must have hurt. So why are they going to Durmstrang?"
"Well only three of them are. Karkaroff was going to have them as extra protection on the edge of the grounds. Not that there's much need, but the war has made us all a bit fearful hasn't it?" Hagrid frowned sadly.
Harry nodded. He understood what it was like to be afraid even after all immediate danger was gone. "Which one is staying then?"
"The one in your lap there. It's the least aggressive. But it's not staying, It's being sold in the stockyards at the wizards market," Hagrid sounded a little upset about it and Harry was reminded of Norbert and Buckbeak who had also been taken from his old friend.
It was a split second decision but Harry was sure he wouldn't regret it too much, "How much?"
"How much what, Harry?" Luna asked as she chimed into the conversation.
"How much for the pup? I'll pay full asking price. Plus I'll need to board it as I can't possibly keep it in the dorms; so I'll pay for that as well if you'd be willing to board it Hagrid." Harry smiled as a grin spread across Hagrid's face.
"I'm so glad you like her that much Harry! But I wouldn't want you doing this just because of me." Hagrid smiled.
"I'm not. Actually, okay I am just a little. But she's awfully sweet and I would hate not to know where she goes almost as much as you seem to care about her leaving. I know you Hagrid."
Hagrid chuckled lowly, "Well if you're set on buying her we were gonna start her at 500 galleons."
"500 galleons! Surely you can't have that much money Harry!" Neville had been listening to the exchange as well, only giving his two cents now.
"Actually with everything that Sirius and my Parents left me I have more than enough to buy her and a manor if I wished." Harry smiled at Neville's face of astonishment.
"I think it's a lovely idea Harry. What will you name her?" Luna smiled wistfully at Harry as she crawled to sit beside him and the pup on his lap. The other pups had lost interest in the guests and had gone back to playing amongst themselves in a pile of heads.
Harry thought for a moment but couldn't think of anything, " I think I'd like to get to know them better before I name them."
"Them Harry?" Hagrid questioned.
Harry nodded slightly, "They seem to have separate minds and personalities, I guess I just said them."
"I suppose. I never thought of it like that. Maybe you should be doing research for magical creatures Harry. You've always been good with em." Hagrid smiled.
Harry felt as if right that very second everything seemed to click into place. Why had he never thought of magical creatures before? As a researcher he could travel the world documenting them as well as updating that book that Hermione always complained was 'unfair to the magical races'.
"Actually Hagrid," Harry looked up at him with a blindingly bright smile, "I think that's a perfect idea."
Hagrid beamed down at him from his seat, "Harry! I can't tell ya how happy that makes me! I—"
Hagrid was cut off by a knock on the door. "Now who could that be? COME IN!" Hagrid bellowed out.
The door creaked open and Harry's breathe caught in his throat as Snape walked through the door of Hagrid's hut.
A/N: Any name Ideas? Boy or girl! Leave suggestion in my inbox or in a review!