Hermione finished to tie the scarf on Hugo who was squirming like a worm, and then let him go.
- "All right, you can play", she said, giving him a pat on the back.
Screaming in joy, the boy ran off to the others.
Ginny giggled.
- "He's just as quiet as his father at the same age."
- "I thought so", said her sister-in-law with a dramatic sigh before joining her in laughter.
The sun was high in the blue sky, glittering on the stalactites fringed on the roof of the house, the ice that covered the wooden fence and the immaculate cream on the branches of the trees in the garden.
The children were throwing snowballs that were bursting into brilliant powder. Their excited and joyful shrieks echoed in the cold air. The small black dragon capered around them, his wings half open, his thick hair flecked with white. His tiny pink tongue appeared from time to time when he let out a strange hoarse cry that sounded like a chuckle.
Ginny pulled her chin in her fur collar and tapped her gloves against each other for warmth.
- "He looks like a puppy or huge kitten", Hermione commented while giving a swinging motion to their padded seat. "I wonder if it's really a dragon. I mean, it has nothing to do with the monstrous creatures Hagrid was raising at the time."
- "This is why I'd like to talk to Charlie", Ginny said with a wince. "But he's in Romania at the moment and won't be back before the end of the month."
- "HUGO! If I see you do that again, we're off! Is that understood?" Hermione shouted fiercely, suddenly getting up. She waited for her son to nod sheepishly to sit down. "And with Grawp's wedding, it's not like you could ask Hagrid, he's too busy," she added.
Ginny snorted mockingly.
- "And I already know his answer, whether this beast is dangerous or not : "Aww, keep it!"
The two women laughed together.
- "What's so funny?" asked Mr. Weasley, coming from behind them, walking slowly with a tray on which were smoking cups.
Ginny took out her wand and pulled closer the little garden iron table. Hermione cleared away the frozen snow with a light motion of her wrist. They moved aside to leave room for the old man on the swing.
- "Memories", answered the young redhead woman. "What do you think of Albus' new friend, Dad?"
- "That nothing should be decided before a good cuppa", her father said happily. "There's nothing better to help you sort out your thoughts."
He took a few sips of tea then pushed up his cap on his broad forehead dotted with freckles. His gaze went to the children who were now building a snow troll. His eyes became very serious.
- "I wonder if ..."
- "If?" Ginny repeated anxiously.
- "Could it just be a manifestation of Albus' magic?" suggested the old man slowly. "In the cold, overwhelmed by emotion, the fear from being alone in the dark ... maybe this beast is Toothless. Suddenly pulled to life by a frightened child who was facing a pain too big for him."
Hermione bit her lip and arranged a lock escaped from her bun.
- "I had thought so too, but ... it's just too much. Well, maybe Albus does really have this kind of capacity, but still ... it doesn't make sense. It's a living creature."
Ginny's eyes filled with tears.
- "When James showed his magic for the first time, he just turned his locomotive into a rocket! It wasn't a problem for him to let go of his teddy bear. I never thought it would turn into this mess, it was only a toy and Albus is already six..."
Her father put his arm around her shoulders.
- "Don't you start feeling guilty. Nothing tells us this is indeed the case, anyway. Perhaps it's a real dragon, but I reckon it's a magical creature we don't know, or even a poor cat that's got himself into troubles with a very stupid wizard."
Ginny wiped her cheeks the back of her wrist.
- "Harry tried to disenchant it before going to the Ministry of Magic, but it didn't work", she stammered. "I ..."
- "GRANDDADDYYYYYY, ARE YOU COMIIIIIIING?"
Rose and Lily were yelling from their lungs on the other side of the garden, standing on tiptoe. Hugo had climbed on the back of James who was running in circles, neighing wildly, his cheeks red and his brown hair messy and sticky with perspiration.
Mr. Weasley waved his hand to answer.
- "I'm coming, I'm coming!"
He finished his cup of tea in one go and put it back on the tray, just in time to receive in his arms Albus who was running towards him, closely tailed by the leaping little black dragon.
- "Granddaddy, look! Toothless can almost fly when he jumps high enough."
The old man kissed the child snuggled against him and reached for the animal. The dragon tilted his head and chewed the inside of his mouth as he often did. His golden and green eyes stared at the man for a while, then he came closer in dancing steps, his tail like an Ace of Spades sweeping in shining powder snow.
He sniffed the fingers, licked the sugar on the old thumb.
- "He likes you", Albus said proudly.
- "I see that. Hello, Toothless. Are you having fun?"
- Yeaaaah.
Mr. Weasley tousled the black curls of the little boy.
- "I wasn't talking to you! Hey, Al. Would you let me take a picture of him?"
He exchanged a glance with his daughter and daughter-in-law, above the head of the child.
- "I'd like to send it to your Uncle Charlie."
Albus nodded.
- "'Kay. But can you take one with me, too?"
- "Of course."
- "GRAAAAAND-DAAAAADDYYYY!"
He laughed and stood up, taking Albus' hand.
- "Let's go before your sister and your cousin scare all the birds in the neighborhood."
Ginny watched them go, then accepted the steaming cup of tea Hermione was giving her.
- "When's Harry coming back?" she sighed. "Al is getting more and more attached to that thing. If we need to send it away, it'll be an even worse tragedy ..."
Hermione twirled her wand to help herself with milk and sugar, and to turn her spoon in the blue porcelain cup.
- "If it doesn't grow bigger, it'll be fine", she said thoughtfully. "It doesn't bite, neither spit fire ..."
- "And what if it becomes huge? What will happen the day Albus goes to Hogwarts?" Ginny cut in a sharp tone. "Charlie once said some dragons live to be a hundred! Do you picture it, sitting on the roof of the train, trying to make smoke rings? Do you really believe they'd let him sleep in a dormitory or attend the classes with Al? Even if the teachers would agree, the students will surely be afraid of it. I don't want my son to be left aside like Hagrid was! Hermione, I thought at least you would get the point! It's just crazy to adopt it!"
Hermione put her hand on Ginny's shoulder.
- "We'll find a solution", she said firmly. "One thing at a time. Don't worry."
In the garden, Mr. Weasley had knelt on one knee in front of the five children clinging to each other by the shoulders and the little dragon sitting in the snow, his dark wings hanging on each side of his chubby belly.
- "Say "cheeeeese" ... James, stop. Hugo, don't move anymore..."
The flash crackled with sparks when he pressed the button.
Toothless' green and golden eyes widened and he jumped, opening his mouth wide.
There was a short muffled sound, an orange glow like a flash, and the camera caught fire.
Mr. Weasley immediately dropped it and covered it with snow he pushed with his shoes, quickly imitated by James and Hugo. The little girls had covered their faces with their gloves and trembled in their velvet overcoats.
Rosie finally looked from under her pink fur toque.
- "What happened, Granddaddy?" she asked nervously.
Lily pulled on the red braids that came out her pistachio wool cap.
- "It sounded just like a fart", she said.
Mr. Weasley took off his cap and scratched his balding head.
- "I wonder ..."
- "It's because your camera is an antic", James said, shrugging. "You ought to buy another ..."
- "Where's the picture?" asked Hugo who had managed to put snow mixed with soot on his dotted with freckles face.
- "What happened? Why the smoke?" called the mothers from the swing.
Since they did not get an answer, they got up and walked towards the group.
- "Toothless ..."
Albus' plaintive voice got the attention of the old man. The back of the boy was turned to them as he crouched in front of something.
- "Toothless, you okay?"
Mr. Weasley walked over and leaned over the head of his grandson. He suppressed a smile and put his hand on the child's shoulder.
- "I think he's fine", he said gently.
On the white snow, the head of the stunned and motionless little dragon was drawn out perfectly, bristled like a cartoon character, his black hair stiff and his muzzle covered with dark powder.
James and Hugo burst in laughter, but the little girls knelt aside him worriedly.
- "Poor Toothless", Rosie said, patting his head.
- "Here, Toothless, take this", Lily added with compassion, handing him a chocolate candy wrapped in silver.
- "Don't give him that, you'll make him sick", protested Albus, his eyes full of tears.
He leaned over and took the animal in his arms, combed the dark fur without paying attention to the low growl trembling down the creature's spine.
- " Be careful ..." whispered Mr. Weasley, a little worried. "Since he got scared, he may scratch you without doing it on purpose."
The little dragon sneezed and squirmed to escape the child. He climbed on his shoulder, sniffed and cocked his head to one side.
- "What happened, Dad?" Ginny asked.
- "Was that a New Year's eve firecracker?" Hermione asked. "Children, is anyone hurt?"
- "Toothless did pshiiit and – boom", Lily told them.
Her aunt raised an eyebrow.
- "What?"
- "James, what have you done again?" Ginny started, turning to her son.
- "Nothing, Mum!" the boy protested, offended. "It was Granddad!"
- "Well, well, well" exclaimed a mocking voice behind them. "If it's Granddad who misbehaves, now, what will happen to the world we live in?"
Everyone turned around.
Ron was there, his hands on his hips, his red hair gleaming in the winter sun, a wide smile on his face.
Behind him came Harry, with a stack of books so high he couldn't see anything in front of him, and Neville who was wearing his herbalist white coat on top of his school robes.
To be continued…