Norbert part 3 - bye bye
"Snape knows?" Hermione asked, surprised.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snitch," Harry said guiltily.
"No. No. It's okay. I mean, honest, I'm glad somebody knows, but what did Professor Snape say?"
"He said that we have to inform him as soon as we get know about the date of transferring and he also said it's up to the teachers to help Hagrid and we should stay in bed."
"You know, I'm really relieved that the adults will do the job. I'm scared of Norbert. Nobody knows what he can do. I mean look at Hagrid's hut. Or at Ron's hand. Norbert isn't a sweet little pet."
"Yeah, I know, but what are we going to tell Ron? He won't like the idea that Snape is helping us."
"Ron will be in the infirmary for a while. He doesn't have to know now," Hermione suggested.
"Okay. We will tell him afterwards," Harry agreed.
-xox-
Charlie's letter arrived the next day. The transfer was to take place on Saturday at midnight. Ron felt sorry he couldn't go with Harry and Hermione.
"Will you two be able to get Norbert to the tower?" he asked, worried.
Hermione assured him there would be no problem.
"You'll have to tell me every detail, okay?"
"Yes, of course!" Harry said, and Hermione wondered how Harry could sound that convincing.
-oxo-
After his potions class, Harry stayed back to talk with Professor Snape.
"Sir?" Harry pulled Charlie's letter out of his bag.
"What is it, Potter?" Snape asked a little grumpily.
"The transfer. It's on for this coming Saturday at midni-" Harry blurted out.
"Shhhhhhhhhhh!" An angry hiss silenced the boy.
"But Sir, you told me-" Harry was confused.
"I know perfectly well what I told you. But this is neither the time nor the place to talk about it. Go to your next class."
Harry stared at him, mouth agape. Then he hung his head and sadly said, "Yes, Sir!" Was it impossible to him to please this man?
"See me in my office after your classes are done for the day. We can talk there."
"Yes, Sir!" Harry said again and hurried to his next class.
-x-
"Mr Malfoy, come out. I know you are here," Snape snapped and a red-faced Draco Malfoy came out from his hiding place behind the open classroom door.
"The same goes for you as for Potter. I don't want to see a single strand of your hair out of your dormitory on Saturday night. I know you love dragons, but this is none of your business. Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes, Sir!" the blonde boy said with a disappointed look.
-xox-
"Harry? What are you going to do with that?" Hermoine asked as Harry came down to the common room with his invisibility cloak under his arm.
"Don't worry, Hermione. I'm just going to watch so I can tell Ron every detail."
"But what about Professor Snape? If he catches you, he'll kill you!" the girl gasped, concerned.
"That's not going to happen. I have my cloak. He can't see me as long as I stay underneath."
"Harry, I don't think this is a good idea…"
"Hermione, it was our idea, our plan. I don't want to sit here doing nothing! At least I want to be able to watch."
"Why? Don't you think Professor Snape will be true to his word?"
"It's not that. I just really want to watch. Aren't you curious, too?"
Hermione bit her under lip. "Well, a little bit," she finally admitted. "But what if they catch us?"
Harry rolled his eyes. "They won't! We'll be invisible."
-oxo-
Half an hour before midnight, Harry and Hermione tiptoed through the corridors under Harry's invisibility cloak. An astonishing number of professors were on patrol, and the two children had to be very careful not to bump into someone.
"We should turn back," Hermione whispered worriedly after a near-collision with Professor McGonagall.
"Going back is as dangerous as going ahead", Harry argued, and so they went on.
Finally they reached the castle doors and slid outside into the cold, clear night air.
There was a strong wind, and they struggled not to lose their grip at the cloak. Out of harm's way, they watched Professors Snape and Quirrell taking a large basket from Hagrid.
"Bye bye, Norbert. Be careful, Mummy won't forget you!" Hagrid sobbed like a child. But Norbert didn't respond as he was sound asleep in his basket.
"Get a grip, Hagrid. You know better than to try and keep a dragon," Professor Snape grumbled.
"The children… they aren't in any trouble because of me, are they?" Hagrid asked, worried.
"Not yet. Luckily I learned about the plan in time. But it was very stupid of you to involve the children, without telling anybody else."
"Well, it wasn't my idea at first. But somehow the three got involved."
Professor Snape shook his head and rolled his eyes. As if Hagrid really tried hard to hide the dragon from the children.
"Still, it was very irresponsible of you. The exams are close and the children don't need any distractions," he scolded.
Hagrid looked guiltily but then he patted the basket once more. "I'll miss you, Norbert!"
Professor Quirrell didn't talk much. He looked very pale in the moonlight.
-oxo-
"What's Quirrell doing there?" Harry asked confused.
"He is our DADA Professor," Hermione answered logically. "It's natural that he'd help Professor Snape deal with a dark creature like a dragon."
"But Snape hates Quirrell!" Harry pointed out.
"Obviously Professor Snape knows it was important to set his personal feelings aside to complete the dangerous job."
"No, you don't understand. Quirrell is a danger."
"What are you talking about, Harry?" Hermione looked at Harry in puzzlement.
"He let the troll inside the castle, and it was him who hexed my broom" Harry told her angrily.
"Who told you that? Professor Snape?" Hermione was skeptical. She still suspected Snape as the one who had jinxed the broom, and it made sense that he would try to put the blame on someone else.
"Yes, and I believe him. I trust him, but I don't trust Quirrell. There is something wrong with him."
"Harry, just because he stutters doesn't mean-"
"It's not because of that," Harry cut in. "It's because of my scar. It tingles whenever he turns his back on me."
Hermione grew silent for a while but then she asked, "Why didn't you mention anything about that before?"
"Shh," Harry hissed, looking frantically in the direction of Hagrid's hut. "Damn, where are they?"
"Shh!" Now it was Hermione's turn to hiss. "Listen!"
Harry and Hermione pricked up their ears and could hear the sound of gravel underfoot.
"They're invisible!" Hermione whispered nearly soundlessly.
"What are we going to do?" Harry whispered back.
"We'll wait until they pass us; otherwise we could collide with them. Then we can take a short cut to the Astronomy Tower. The basket is too big for that route, so we'll be up there first and can hide in the corner."
Harry nodded his agreement.
-x-
It was strange to wait for someone you cannot see. But eventually they saw the door to the Entrance Hall open and close again. Harry and Hermione sprinted back inside the castle and up the numerous staircases to the Astronomy Tower. As they reached their destination everything was silent.
It was close to midnight, but all was still. No one could be seen or heard.
Harry got nervous. What if Snape and Quirrell didn't reach the tower in time? But then his worries evaporated as he heard Quirrell's stutter.
"N… n… nobody… is he… he… here!"
"It's time to lift the camouflage charm, otherwise how will they see us?" Snape sneered.
"R… r… right!" Quirrell gulped, and almost immediately Quirrell, Snape and the basket were visible again.
"Do you th… th… think they will c… c… come?"
"Why do you ask? Are you afraid of a baby dragon, after your experience with the full grown mountain trolls? Aren't you the teacher of Defense Against the Dark Arts?" Snape taunted.
"But the t… t… troll was unconscious!"
"And the dragon is sleeping. What's the difference?"
Harry thought it was weird to listen to this conversation. It was obvious that Professor Snape enjoyed Professor Quirrell's fear.
"He is so mean!" Hermione whispered, shocked, but Harry kind of enjoyed it. He was sure Snape had a purpose behind all his snide comments. Did he suspect Quirrell was somehow involved with Hagrid's obtaining the dragon?
Harry decided to ask Hagrid more about the stranger who gave him the dragon's egg.
Two minutes past midnight a rushing noise drowned out the noise of the wind. Grinning, Charlie's friends landed their brooms next to the professors. The transfer went smoothly, and shortly thereafter Norbert was sailing away in his improvised sling.
"Bye, Norbert," Harry whispered. He wondered why he felt a little bit sad.
After the professors vanished, Hermione said. "We'd better head back, too."
"Yes!" Harry agreed with her and carefully they stepped down the spiral staircase.
-x-
At the bottom of the stairs, they bumped into someone. It wasn't a professor, but Neville, who promptly fell down and screamed in panic.
"Shhhh, Neville, be quiet! It's just us," Harry ordered as loudly as he dared.
Frantically, Neville looked around "Harry? Is that you?"
Harry pulled the invisibility cloak down so that Neville could see him and Hermione. "Yes! Now be quiet!"
"How did you do that?" Neville asked, still shocked.
"Later. Now come here," Harry gestured for Neville to join them under the cloak.
But Neville didn't get up "Malfoy said you have a dragon?"
"We did. Norbert was picked up a few minutes ago. We just said goodbye," Harry told him.
"But-" Neville started again.
"Later! Come here before someone sees us!" Harry said impatiently.
But it was too late. The minute Neville stood up, Professor McGonagall rounded the corner and fixed all three students with a furious gaze.
"After all that, you still disobeyed!" she said, and her voice dripped with anger and disappointment.
"Follow me!" she said and spun away without another word.
With their heads hanging low, the children followed. Harry noticed with a sinking feeling that they were not heading to McGonagall's office but to Snape's. As they reached the office, they saw that Professor Dumbledore, Professor Snape and Draco Malfoy were waiting there.
Harry felt awful. He had promised Snape that he would stay in bed, and now here he was standing, his disobedience obvious to all. He felt Snape's eyes boring into his head, but he could not bring himself to look up.
And then Professor McGonagall started to lecture them. With every sentence Harry shrank more and more, fighting hard not to cry. Finally she ran out of more words and took fifty points from each of the students, regardless of the fact that it drastically dropped Gryffindor in the running for the house cup.
"Fifty?" Hermione repeated in disbelief. "Each?"
"Yes, Miss Granger. And the four of you will have detentions. You'll receive an owl in the coming days with the time when it will take place. And if all of you don't go straight to your beds right now, it will be even more!" Professor McGonagall glared at her students, and they turned to leave.
"The same goes for you, Mr Malfoy! We will talk tomorrow after breakfast," Professor Snape said awfully, and soon the three Professors were alone.
"I must say I'm astonished at your actions, my dear Minerva," Albus said mildly as soon as the door closed behind the students.
"Why?" Minerva asked, still breathing hard because of her anger.
"You just ceded your position in the battle of the house cup to Slytherin" Albus told her, eyes twinkling. In return, he received a look that should have killed him on the spot.
"The house cup? Is the house cup more important than the security of our students? What if something had happened and the dragon got loose? All of the children would have been in great danger!"
"Well, the risk wasn't that great. The dragon was asleep and his basket magically locked," Severus informed her.
"And that justifies the children being out of bed and lurking through the halls under an invisibility cloak?" Minerva ranted.
Albus smiled softly. "Of course not. But it was the children's plan after all. I'm certain they just wanted to be sure everything went as planned. Children don't like it when adults handle their tasks."
"Ohhhh… I'm sorry - I didn't think of that! No wonder the little darlings were wandering around, violating curfew," Minerva mocked. "Shall I give the points back?"
"No!" Severus said in a tone of finality. "Albus, Mr Potter and his friends were warned, as was Mr Malfoy. They knew perfectly well that they would be breaking not only the school rules but also their promises to stay in bed."
"Whatever you say," Albus said, still smiling, "I will not interfere. I'm glad the dragon is on his way to his new home. Now everything can go back to normal!"
-oxo-
The next day was very hard for the three Gryffindors, as everyone immediately noticed their loss of house points. It didn't take long before rumors started flying about how it was possible to lose so many points in a single night.
Hermione hung her head and Neville whimpered as the angry looks of the rest of their House raked over them. Harry wished the earth would open up and swallow him. He felt so ashamed.
But there was no time to sink into the ground because Harry got a note that Professor Snape wanted to see him.
-x-
"I'm curious to hear your explanation, Harry," Professor Snape began ominously. "I thought I was clear when I told you to stay in bed during the transfer."
Harry sighed. "I'm sorry."
"I don't want to hear that. I want to hear why!"
Harry studied his fingers nervously. But then he felt a hand under his chin, lifting his head until he had eye contact with his professor.
"Why did you disobey me?" Severus asked in an unusually calm voice.
"I couldn't just go to bed. I had to see Norbert handed over to Charlie's friends. I had to be sure that everything went fine." Harry finally admitted, embarrassed at having to reveal his lack of faith in Snape.
"So you still don't trust me" Severus concluded, releasing Harry's chin.
Immediately Harry hung his head again. His eyes started to sting. But then he frowned to himself and looked up. "It's not that," he protested, "I do trust you, but…" Harry was at a loss for words. He didn't know why he had felt such a strong desire to watch the transfer, especially after defending Snape when Hermione raised that very question. "I- I don't know," he finally said, frustrated.
Severus studied Harry for a while. The boy looked back at him, still searching for words. Finally Severus broke eye contact as he pulled something out of the drawer of his desk.
"I want to give you something," he said and opened a small black box.
Harry watched as Professor Snape took out something that looked like a stone with a string. The professor handled the stone very carefully, closed his hand around it and squeezed it for a second before he held it out to Harry.
"What is it?" Harry asked as he automatically looked at the stone.
The stone shimmered in a beautiful green. It wasn't a Slytherin green; it was more like the color of Harry's eyes.
"This emerald was a present from your mother to me," Severus said in a low voice.
Harry now stared openmouthed at the stone. "From my mother?" he whispered.
"Yes. She gave it to me as a reminder of her. But it's more than that. This stone isn't a normal stone. If you are in danger and you grip the stone and think hard about the person who gave it to you, then the person will receive an alarm and immediately know that you are in danger. In our case it allows you to send me a warning if you are ever in any danger."
Harry tore his eyes away of the stone and looked at Snape. "You want to give it to me?"
"Yes. I want to give it to you and I want you to use it! If you don't trust me enough to prevent you from getting yourself into any dangerous situations, then I at least want to know as fast as possible when you need help."
"But… what if you need it?"
"Do you think your mother will come and help me, if I put myself in any danger?" Snape snapped.
Harry remained silent.
"I can't use this stone any longer, but I can give it to you."
Harry didn't know what to say. He looked again at the stone and felt an uncontrollable urge to touch it. Slowly he stretched out his hand and closed his fingers around it. The emerald felt surprisingly warm.
"What if I call you accidently?" Harry wondered while he still held the stone in his hand.
"This will not happen. The stone knows somehow if you are truly in danger or not. So you can touch the stone whenever you wish."
Slowly Harry opened his hand again. Severus stood up and went behind the boy. He tied the string around Harry's neck, placing the stone right over Harry's heart.
Harry looked down, still not believing that he received such a special present. He touched the stone once more while Severus took his seat again.
"What if the string breaks? It looks so thin."
"It won't break. It's dragon leather."
"Then it won't break even if a curse hits it?" Harry remembered Severus' words.
"Exactly. Nice to know, that you are listening sometimes," Snape smirked.
"I always listen," Harry protested, indignant.
"Perhaps, but what about obeying?"
"I promise I'll be better," Harry said, eager to let Severus know that he would try his best to behave.
"I'm sure you will try your best." Severus said. The corners of his mouth twitched and he nearly smiled. "Now, don't you have any essays to attend?"
Harry sighed and hung his head, "Yes," he whispered and stood up and went to the door. But he hesitated before opening it. He didn't want to leave Snape's office. He was safe here from all the disappointed and annoyed faces. As soon as he opened the door waves of shame would again wash over him. It hurt him to know that he had let so many people down at once.
Severus noticed Harry's indecision.
"Even heroes suffer injuries and setbacks, Harry. You cannot always do what people expect you to do. Gryffindor may have lost its chance for the house cup but that's not the most important thing. Now it's time to concentrate on the coming exams, and you and your friends can try to win back as many points as possible. If you help others who may have troubles with one or the other subject, I'm sure soon your class mates will eventually forget what happened."
Harry turned around to look at Severus. "Thank you for everything, Professor. For the stone and for not hating me because I disobeyed you. I promise I'll try harder from now on. I just hope you're right about my classmates."
"I will never hate you. You should know that by now," Severus pointed out.
A small smile spread over Harry's face. "I know and I'm very grateful for that."
Severus stood up and went to Harry. For a moment Harry looked up at the professor in astonishment, and then he felt his head pressed against Severus' torso. Harry's arms automatically closed around the professor and they stayed that way for a while.
Harry listened to his professor's heartbeat and marveled at how good it felt to be held like that. If it was up to him they could have stayed in this position forever, but finally Severus loosened his hold on Harry, and the boy stepped back.
Once more Harry felt Severus' fingers under his chin lifting up his head.
"Be careful," the professor said in a warm tone.
"I will," Harry whispered and smiled.