I do not own nor possess any right over Harry Potter, all rights belongs to J.K. Rowling.
Chapter 20
Only a day passed before Dumbledore called for Hermione and Hagrid to visit his office to discuss Norberta's future. Shimmer was here too, of course, but Dumbledore wasn't able to call him in any way, and Shimmer simply followed Hermione when she told him where they were going.
"Thank you for coming." Started Dumbledore, sitting behind his large desk as Hagrid and Hermione stood before him, with Shimmer resting next to Fawkes' perch, void of the phoenix's presence. "Before we begin, Hagrid, how is Norberta doing?"
"She's well sir, thanks for asking. It's been a bit harder to heal since dragons are magic resistant, but both Professor Snape and Madam Pomfrey says that she won't have any after-effects." Replied Hagrid with a small smile.
"Good, good. Now, Miss Granger, have you managed to explain our little friend what he did wrong?"
"I'm sorry sir, but I can't." Sighed Hermione, both a bit disappointed at Shimmer and at herself for not succeeding. "No matter what I say, he doesn't want to accept he's wrong."
"Hmm... that is slightly troublesome." Hummed Dumbledore. "Shimmer, can you tell me what you did that was wrong?"
"Shimmer good dragon! Not bad." Instantly replied Shimmer, understanding where this might be going.
"We know, Shimmer. You're not a bad dragon, far from it. But, do you understand why we are upset with you?"
"Upset?"
"Not happy." Briefly explained Hermione.
Shimmer stopped for a few seconds at he understood. And he truly did. He should have left Norberta alone, left her to the care of Hagrid even if he found his methods lacking and not efficient for the hatchling. But he was certain that what he did, meaning trying to teach her how to hunt and fly, was the right thing to do.
"Shimmer understand. Norberta is Hagrid dragon. Shimmer not help Norberta. Again." He concluded.
"Now, now, Shimmer, we are not saying that we don't appreciate your help. Only that what you did was wrong." Continued Dumbledore.
"No! Shimmer help Norberta fly. Good. Norberta not fly. Bad Norberta." He countered.
"You hurt her, Shimmer." Hagrid replied in a slow tone, missing some of his usual jolliness. "That was bad."
"Shimmer sorry Norberta hurt. But Shimmer want help, help Norberta. Shimmer understand not help Norberta." Explained Shimmer, agreeing again to not help Norberta. He would never do it again since it was costing him precious coins.
"I don't think we are going to get much more from him." Dumbledore said as he shook his head.
"Professor Dumbledore, what's going to happen to Norberta?" Asked Hermione, giving a small annoyed glance at Shimmer.
"Ah, excellent question miss Granger!" Cheered the old man a bit.
"Sir, you're not going to send her away. Right, sir?" Pleaded Hagrid.
"I'm sorry, Hagrid, but even without taking into account what happened with Shimmer, Norberta can't stay at Hogwarts. She will soon be too dangerous to be around humans and the Hospital Wing is no place for a dragon." Replied Dumbledore with a saddened voice. As much as he would like to have another dragon in the school, Norberta wasn't docile and unique like Shimmer. He knew that she would soon become a very serious problem and wanted to avoid any regrettable incident.
"But, sir, she's just a baby. I can't let her go now." Continued the half-giant, ready to say anything to keep his precious dragon.
"I understand how much she means to you, Hagrid. You've told me so many times how much you wanted to own a dragon that I can see how hard it is for you. But it sadly has to be done. I contacted the Romanian dragon reserve; they will send some of their handlers tomorrow morning and take Norberta with them."
"Sir... I- please." Begged Hagrid.
"It has to be done, Hagrid. And truthfully, I'm certain that she will prefer staying in the dragon reserve. She will have plenty of space, other dragons to be with and many handlers to take care of her." Tried Dumbledore with a soft smile.
"Yes, Hagrid. I'm sure Norberta will love it there. And I'm sure Professor Dumbledore could help you see her again." Added Hermione with her own smile.
"Could I?" Asked Hagrid, unsure yet a bit calmer.
"Of course, my old friend. I don't see any reason why you shouldn't be allowed to go see her again. As long you don't try to bring her back here." Playfully assured Dumbledore.
"Norberta?" Asked Shimmer, not sure if he understood what they were saying.
"Ah, another challenge. Young Shimmer, Norberta cannot stay at Hogwarts. She will leave tomorrow morning."
"Norberta bye-bye? Why?" He asked, surprised, not getting why she couldn't stay.
"Norberta is dangerous, she could bite and injure anyone. And if that happens, she will be put down by the ministry." Added Dumbledore.
That made Shimmer think a bit more than usual. Norberta was dangerous, as she should since she was a dragon, but so was he. He was even more dangerous than her, so did it meant that he would have to leave too?
"Shimmer dangerous. Shimmer bye-bye?" The golden dragon asked, jumping from his perch to land on Dumbledore's office.
"There is a difference between you and Norberta, Shimmer. She is not sapient like you, not capable to be taught what is right and what is wrong. I'm sure that with time, it could be possible to make sure she would never attack anyone, but it won't be before a long time." Continued Dumbledore.
"Shimmer smart, Shimmer not bye-bye?"
"That is one way to say it, yes."
He wasn't sure what to think about that. It meant that, should he try to attack someone, he would have to leave. He had already been told such a thing not too long ago, but it was a reminder that humans apparently didn't like to have dragons around them. Perhaps Hagrid was an exception then.
"Norberta where?" He wished to know.
"May I?" Asked Hermione.
"Of course, go ahead miss Granger." Welcomed Dumbledore with a wave of his hand.
"Thank you. Shimmer, Norberta is going to a dragon reserve. It's a place where all dragons are being taken care of, fed, healed, where they can fly and live freely." Explained Hermione.
That didn't sound bad at all to the ears of Shimmer. A place with free food? Perfect! Though the idea of being around other dragons bothered him a bit, it meant sharing coins and food, and that's something that he had absolutely no interest in. Though it did bring one question.
"Re-zer-ve. Coins?"
"Reserve. And no, I don't think they have any coins there." Replied Hermione with a slightly pensive look.
That one sentence crushed all the will he might have had to go there. No coins? He'd rather leave on his own.
"No! No coins not good! Shimmer not go." He warned.
"We're not going to send you there, that's silly." Smiled Hermione as she petted his head, much to his pleasure.
"Sir?" Interrupted them Hagrid.
"Yes?" Replied Dumbledore.
"I understand that Shimmer and Norberta are different dragons, that he's the only dragon like him that we know of, but do you think there might be others like him? I mean, a dragon that I could keep?" He asked hopefully.
"That is a question which bears no answers for now." Sighed Dumbledore, sharing a similar desire.
"Shimmer, do you know other dragons like you? Smart? That like coins?" Asked Hermione.
"No. Shimmer one dragon. Not know. Only Norberta." He answered while he kept purring.
"I see. May I go see Norberta?" Requested Hagrid.
"You're free to go, my friend. I believe that we are done for today." Assured Dumbledore.
"Thank you, sir." Said Hagrid as he turned to leave.
"Can I go too, Professor?" Asked Hermione.
"Of course. I just would like you to bring Shimmer tomorrow morning, at Hagrid's hut around nine AM if that's alright." Agreed Dumbledore with a smile.
"Thank you. Have a good day."
"You too, miss Granger."
"Dumb Door." Added Shimmer as he jumped in the air to follow Hermione out of the headmaster's office.
"You need to stop saying that, Shimmer, that's very rude." Hermione scolded him.
"Shimmer like Dumb Door!" He protested.
"His name is Dumbledore. You know this." Hermione rolled her eyes.
"Shimmer like." He replied stuborn.
"Urgh."
"Hermione?"
The young girl turned around at Hagrid's voice, seeing the gamekeeper who had apparently waited for them.
"Yes Hagrid?"
"I just wanted to say a few things to Shimmer."
Oh." Said Hermione as she let Shimmer hover on the spot, right in front of Hagrid's face.
"Hagrid? Shimmer sorry Norberta hurt." Said Shimmer, knowing that his actions didn't please the giant human.
"I understand Shimmer, I know you wanted to help. And whatever you did that injured Norberta, I know you did it with good intentions. But you disobeyed me when I asked you to not help me with Norberta." Explained Hagrid before taking a big breath. "That's to say, I'm not mad at you. I know you're a good dragon, but I don't want you to come to my hut for some time. I need time for myself."
Before even giving time for Shimmer to reply, Hagrid turned around and left him and Hermione standing in the corridor. Shimmer wasn't quite sure of what just happened, but he got that Hagrid didn't want him at his nest. Which was fine with him, he wouldn't have many reasons to go there anymore since Norberta was leaving.
"Hermione?" He asked.
"Yes?"
"Shimmer understand Hagrid not happy. Shimmer understand Norberta hurt not good. Shimmer not understand why help not good." He was still slightly stuck on that.
"I- helping others is a very good thing to do Shimmer, but sometimes, people don't want help. For example, Ron doesn't like me helping him with magic because he wants to do it himself, even if he is terrible at it. Hagrid wanted to raise Norberta himself, without your help. I know it's not easy to understand, but sometimes, help is bad. That's why you should ask before helping, so that you know if your help can be appreciated or not." Hermione tried to say, understanding that the concept of help being bad could be hard to grasp.
"Help bad. Help good. Shimmer ask?" He continued.
"Yes. It will help you understand people." She said as she started walking toward the Gryffindor tower to get her class books.
Shimmer was stuck for a few seconds, trying to get his head around what Hermione just explained, with some difficulties.
"Shimmer? Are you coming?" She called for him after a few seconds.
"Humans hard understand." He said this to himself before flying after her.
"So we won't see Norberta again?" Asked Neville as he took a plate full of mash potato and a slice of ham.
"No, she will leave tomorrow for a dragon reserve, in Romania, apparently." Replied Hermione.
"Really?! My brother works there!" Exclaimed Ron, devouring a steak with terrifying efficiency.
"Please don't speak while you're eating, it's disgusting." Said Hermione as she looked away, only to see Shimmer crunching on a bone. And once again, she was surprised to see that Shimmer was the less messy eater of the two.
"What about Shimmer? They won't take him, right?" Asked Neville.
"No! Shimmer not go no coins!" Shimmer snarled, scaring a few of the other students sitting around.
"Huh... what did he say?"
"He doesn't want to leave because there are no coins in the dragon reserve. And no, Professor Dumbledore said that Shimmer didn't have to go since he can be reasoned with." Translated Hermione as she planted her fork into a slice of potato.
"Oh."
A loud snarl from Shimmer interrupted them, and they were surprised to see Shimmer snarling at Hermione and Neville. And Ron, who was sitting on the other side of the table, looked up before scowling.
"What do you want, Malfoy?" He asked.
Turning around so fast that they might have broken their neck, Hermione and Neville finally noticed Draco and his two bodyguards standing right there, with the blond boy wearing a satisfied smirk on his lips.
"I just wanted to see your dear dragon for the last time, since it will be removed soon." Draco said, his voice filled with mirth.
"What are you talking about?" Asked Hermione.
"Silence, mudblood. I am not talking to you." He sneered for a moment, glaring at Hermione who looked about to burst into tears, before focusing on Ron. "And I'm saying that I sent a letter to my father about what you're doing here. He will be calling for the removing of this illegal dragon breeding grounds."
"Breeding grounds?" Repeated Ron incredulous.
"Indeed, Weasley. I saw how you and Hagrid started hatching dragon eggs, which is highly illegal. My father will soon have both the aurors and the Department of Magical Creature Regulation on you." He added in his very pompous way, gathering many glares from the Gryffindors around the table. The other students may not know what this was all about, but they weren't happy to have the Slytherin boy parade like this so close to them.
But no matter who might have answered him, or the words that might have been spoken, the very loud growl that Shimmer gave at him made it extremely clear that he wasn't appreciating his presence.
"Rein your dragon, mudblood. Or else he might have to be removed definitely." Sneered Draco, even though it was clear from his posture and tone that he wasn't as sure of himself as he had been barely a few seconds ago.
Hermione's sob broke through the tension in the air and from the way that Shimmer was standing up, read to pounce, it was clear that Draco wouldn't escape unarmed.
"Shimmer kill bad boy." Growled Shimmer ever harder.
Draco took a sudden step back, finally understanding the danger he was in.
But before anything could happen, a boom echoed in the hall, taking everyone by surprise, with many students shouting in fear and ducking at the sound that was similar to thunder. Shimmer too was taken by surprise, and he whirled around only to find Professor Snape standing close to their table, wand out.
"What is going on here?" Asked a very irate Snape coldly.
"Professor Snape, I was just reminding them that their dragon would be-" Started Draco.
"This wouldn't have angered Shimmer that much. And I recall telling you to never antagonise him again. Was I not clear the first time?" Towered Snape as he walked up to them.
"No- I- yes, sir." Stammered Draco.
"I see. Go back to your seat, mister Malfoy."
With but a glance at the Gryffindor, Draco turned around and went back to the Slytherin table, silent and ignoring the glares from his own table.
"Now, I trust Shimmer wasn't about to act on his words?" Asked Snape toward the golden dragon.
"Bad boys!" Snarled Shimmer, glaring at Draco.
"Mister Malfoy has indeed been a rather constant source of worry recently, but calling someone names isn't worth death." Snape glared at Shimmer, which didn't do anything to him.
"Sir, m-may I?" Asked Hermione, still a bit emotive but not wanting to see Shimmer reprimanded or punished.
"Go ahead, miss Granger."
"Thank you for standing up to me, Shimmer, but I don't want you to harm them." Told Hermione after taking a big breath.
Shimmer only growled in reply, before lying down again, still glaring at Draco.
"That will be enough. Now, would you please explain what prompted all of this?" Asked Snape, satisfied with not having to humiliate his own house further and stopping the probable rampage that would have ensued if he hadn't intervened to stop Shimmer.
"Draco came to us, saying that Norberta and Shimmer would be removed from the school by his father." Replied Hermione, trying to avoid the teacher's gaze.
"Did he now? Well, I suppose a rectification is in order." Replied Snape before walking to the teacher's table, only to turn toward the students. "Children, since the Headmaster decided not to disclose it, it is my duty to inform you that a second dragon has been found on Hogwarts's grounds. Unlike Shimmer, it is unable to talk and hasn't shown any unusual behaviour. The Romanian Dragon Reserve has been called, and they will take away this dragon tomorrow morning. However, the Headmaster also decided to keep Shimmer around as he can be reasoned with, in addition to Shimmer's own displeasure of leaving." Explained Snape as he glared at everyone in the room, before focusing a little bit longer on Draco. "I would also like to recall you all to not anger Shimmer, for only a teacher could save you from him."
With that said, Snape took his seat at the teacher's table, keeping an eye on the students in the hall, who all went into furious whispers.
"What say?" Asked Shimmer, having heard too many words for him to process everything.
"Nothing bad Shimmer, only good things." Assured Hermione calmly, petting his head.
That's all that mattered to Shimmer right now. In addition to glaring at the bad boys.
"I hope nothing bad will happen with Draco's dad." Mumbled Neville.
"Why?" Asked Hermione.
"His father, Lucius Malfoy, used to be a follower of You-Know-Who, and he still has a lot of power at the Wizengamot. And he'll use anything to take down Dumbledore. Like a dragon inside his precious son's school." Replied Ron, frowning. "I actually thought we would hear about him when Draco was bitten on the train."
"Is he dangerous for Shimmer?" Continued Hermione, now looking worriedly at Shimmer.
"Very. I'm sure he'll at least try something to get Shimmer out of Hogwarts. Or, he could just say that Shimmer is too dangerous, ask his supporters to agree with him, and have him condemned to death on the grounds of being a dangerous dark creature." Explained Ron.
"That's horrible!"
By now, Hermione was almost hugging Shimmer, much to the dragon's dismay.
"Yeah." Simply added Ron.
Their talks continued on the same track for a few minutes before they had to go to their afternoon's classes.
The next morning, Hermione was up early and quickly prepared herself for what would take place soon. Norberta would be given to the dragon handler's, who would bring her to the reserve. She knew that Hagrid would most certainly cry heavy tears, but she knew it was too dangerous to have her around any longer.
In a way, she felt lucky that Shimmer was so smart and sapient, since it was saving him the same fate. But now she was also aware that he was in danger of suffering the same fate, or worse. It was a very concerning thought for the small, bushy brown hair girl, to know that her best friend might be taken away or killed if Draco's father decided to act against Shimmer. She was hoping that Dumbledore wouldn't let that happen.
But right now, she was making her way to the common room of the Gryffindor tower and found only Neville waiting for her.
"Good morning Neville." She greeted him.
"Good morning." He replied with a yawn.
"Where's Ron?"
"I tried to wake him up, but he says it's too early." Shrugged apologetically Neville.
"Oh." She simply replied, quickly putting it aside. "Well, we should go. The dragon handlers won't wait for us otherwise."
They started to leave, opening the fat lady's door, that they were stopped by a small, quick shout.
"Wait!"
They both turned around to find Ron, precipitately putting on his robes, rushing toward them.
"I forgot that Charlie would be here today." Ron said as he reached them.
"That's all it took to get you out of bed?" Asked Neville surprised.
"Well, yeah, he's my brother. We don't get to see him often, since he's in Romania most of the time."
"Thanks for joining us, Ron, but could we please go now? I don't want to be late." Interrupted then Hermione, frowning slightly.
"Sure." Shrugged Ron.
The trio reunited, they quickly made their way to the Great Hall, quite empty that early in the morning. A couple of older students were already there, along with Professor Pomona Sprout watching over them all. Pressed by Hermione, breakfast was a quick affair much to Ron's dismay, all three of them talking about what might happen to Norberta and how the dragon handlers would react to Shimmer, and she took the two boys with her to go to Hagrid's hut.
They reached the half-giant's hut not long after and knocked on the door, only to be greeted by a Hagrid with slightly red eyes.
"Good morning, please, come in." He welcomed them, missing some of his usual jolliness.
"Thank you, Hagrid." "Hi." Politely replied Neville and Hermione, Ron only giving a smaller, shorter greeting.
"How are you doing?" Asked Neville.
"Am' alright. I know it's better for her this way, but... I still want to keep her with me." Replied Hagrid as he sank into his large couch.
"Where is Norberta?" Asked Hermione.
"Asleep in my shed. Professor Dumbledore said it would be safer that way." He explained, not without pain.
"I'm sorry Hagrid." Sympathized Hermione.
"We know that you like Norberta a lot." Continued Neville.
"At least Shimmer will still be here." Added Ron, instantly getting a glare from Hermione and making Hagrid frown a bit.
"Ron!" Hermione admonished him.
"What? It's true." Replied the young boy, not getting what he said that angered her so much.
"Shimmer is why Norberta has to leave." She explained curtly.
"Ts'alright, Hermione. Even if I don't like what Shimmer did, I can't hate the little guy. He thought he was doing the right thing." Stopped her Hagrid, gently placing his large hand on her shoulder.
"I-" She started.
THUNK!
All four of them turned toward the windows, with one of them having a golden dragon waiting on the other side.
"Speaking of the dragon." Sighed Hermione as she made her way toward him.
Opening the window, Hermione stepped aside for Shimmer to come in.
"Hello." Greeted them Shimmer, stopping to give a brief nuzzle to Hermione's hand.
"Good morning Shimmer." She still welcomed him warmly, not managing to stay mad at him.
"Coin?" Asked Shimmer.
"No. We told you that you wouldn't get any coins before next week." Reminded him Hermione.
He let out a small whine at that. At least he tried.
"Shimmer? Could you come here, please?" Asked Hagrid.
Not seeing any reason to refuse, Shimmer briefly flapped his wings and landed on the armrest of Hagrid's chair, looking at the troubled giant.
"Do you know what's happening today?" Continued Hagrid.
"Norberta bye-bye?" He guessed, recalling what they told him yesterday.
"Yes, because of you. I'm not saying that it's what you wanted, but it's still your fault. Do you understand what I'm saying?" Hagrid really tried to press, wanting to make sure Shimmer understood his mistake.
"Shimmer not help. Ask." Shimmer replied with confidently.
"What? No, no." Stopped him Hagrid.
"Sorry Hagrid, what Shimmer means is that he'll ask before helping, right, Shimmer?" Intervened Hermione, seeing the misunderstanding.
"Yes. Shimmer ask. Shimmer help." Replied the little dragon, not knowing what he said that was unclear.
"Oh. That's good." Sighed Hagrid before focusing again on Hermione. "That's probably the best we'll get, ain't it?"
"Yes." Agreed Hermione
A few knocks on the door stopped them from restarting the conversation. Hagrid stood up, letting Shimmer jump from the armrest to the table, and went to open the door, which revealed a happy Professor Dumbledore and an ever stern-looking Professor Snape.
"Good morning Hagrid. And you as well, children. I wasn't expecting you to be ready so soon." Greeted Dumbledore.
"Dumb door! Shimmer is!" Squawked angrily Shimmer.
"My bad, dear Shimmer. Good morning to you, too." Continued Dumbledore, still smiling, not disturbed in the least by Shimmer's small outburst.
"Good morning, Professor Dumbledore. Good morning, professor Snape." Said all three children dutifully.
"Good morning Professors. Please, come in." Waved them Hagrid.
"Thank you, old friend." Replied Dumbledore as he and Professor Snape stepped in, with the potion teacher closing the door behind him.
"Now, I trust that Norberta is ready to leave?" Continued the old headmaster.
"She's sleeping in my shed, just like you said." Assured Hagrid, losing a bit of his happiness.
"Again, I'm sorry for you. I know how much she means to you."
"I brought a few Sleeping Draughts, in case the handlers needs it." Added Snape.
"I- thank you, Severus." Said Hagrid as he returned to his sofa chair.
"Good, good. Then we only have to wait." Cheerfully said Dumbledore as he sat on one of the chairs available for guests.
They made small talks for a few minutes, the three students a little less than the adults as they were careful of what they said in front of Professor Snape, that looked like he would scowl at them for any reason. Hermione kept close to Shimmer, petting him gently as he simply enjoyed it.
Soon though, Dumbledore's head stood up sharply as a smile returned to his lips.
"I can feel Hogwarts' wards warning me of an incoming group. It appears that our handlers have arrived." He explained.
They quickly filled out the small cottage, with Hagrid grabbing his large coat before leaving, and watched as a team of four wizards flew in the air, flying above their heads at high speed before landing right in front of the small group.
Three of them were completely unknown to them, but one with very recognizable red hair was instantly called out.
"Charlie!" Shouted Ron.
"Hey, Ron!" Grinned the now identified Charlie, who was coming toward them quickly before stopping at the sight of Shimmer hovering above the little group. "Is that the dragon you want us to take?" He asked more seriously.
The angry squawk of indignation that Shimmer gave him instantly prompted him to take out his wand. Shimmer would never go to a place where there were no coins.
The other dragon handlers were on their guards as well, wands out, which was quite normal since dragons were not known to be the friendly type.
"Ah, mister Weasley! Good to see you again." Welcomed them Dumbledore, a hand in the air as a sign to be peaceful, wanting to disarm the situation quickly. "And I'm afraid there is a small confusion. This dragon is Shimmer, and he will be staying at Hogwarts in the foreseeable future."
"Really?" Asked Charlie, eyebrows raised high at the headmaster's declaration. The surprise of allowing a dragon on Hogwarts' grounds was something he would have liked to have years ago. "Could you tell us what kind of dragon he is? I don't recall ever seeing this species of dragon before."
"That can wait. We're here to secure a dragon, aren't we?" Intervened another dragon handler, who spoke with a heavy Romanian accent.
"Oh, sorry. Headmaster, Professor Snape, Hagrid, let me introduce you to my colleagues. This is Anton Nedelcu," He started, pointing at the man who just spoke. "Next you have Doina Silaghi and finally Liviu Enescu. Both of them only speaks Romanian." He finished, pointing at the only female handler and then to another man slightly older than the rest.
The three either nodded or waved as they recognised their names, before Charlie turned toward Dumbledore again.
"And Anton's right. We'd rather secure the other dragon first if that's not an issue."
"Of course. Hagrid?" Called Dumbledore.
"Yes sir." Sighed Hagrid as he started to walk toward his shed. "She's sleeping right there."
"Sedated?" Asked Charlie as he and his team followed the half-giant.
"No, I just put her to bed last night."
"And it's a female Norwegian Ridgeback, not a month old yet, correct?" Continued Charlie.
"That she is." Hagrid stopped right before the door. "You won't hurt her, right?" He asked.
"Of course not. We're here to take care of her. You have my word that she'll fit right in at the reserve. Plenty of other dragons, food and territory in abundance." Smiled Charlie as he tried to cheer up Hagrid.
"Alright. Ya ready?"
"A moment." Stopped Charlie, turning to his teammates. "Ești Gata?" He asked, getting three nods in return as well as raised wands. "We're ready."
With a last small sigh, stopping a moment in doubt with the handle in hand, Hagrid finally made his decision and opened the shed.
A small squeak came out, and the four dragon handlers stood ready, watching Norberta slowly coming out of the shed, giving careful glances at all the surrounding humans. Shimmer could understand her wariness, he would be quite angry should any human come to wake him up in his nest.
With just a flick of their wands, ropes gathered in a flash around Norberta and immobilised her in a matter of seconds, bounding her wings to her back and her legs together. A third rope took care of her muzzle just as she had started to open it, and lastly a blindfold covered her eyes, cutting out her sight.
It left for a very angry dragon furiously shacking on the ground, trashing around and growling loudly despite the rope tightened around her muzzle.
"Perfect!" Exclaimed Charlie, happily lowering his wand as his teammates walked to stand next to Norberta, casting a few other spells on her.
On the other hand, Hagrid was watching with a heavy heart as he took a small step toward Norberta, only to force himself to stop. As sad and guilty as he was, he knew it was better like this.
"What are they doing?" Asked Hermione, watching the spells flying from the handler's wands to Norberta.
"Casting a few scanning spells, to give us an idea of her health and a few other information like that." He replied. A few words spoken by Doina distracted him for a second before he looked again at Hagrid, translating his colleague's question. "Was she hurt? Her right wing show signs of being mended recently."
"A most unfortunate incident, of which we sadly do not have much information." Started Dumbledore. "Our young friend Shimmer took her to the nearby woods, wanting to help her learn how to fly. It somehow ended up with her breaking her wing, and Shimmer carrying her back to us."
"That's a lot of information. How do you know so much? Was someone watching over them?" Anton asked impressed.
"No, Shimmer went against Hagrid's wishes of letting Norberta grow by herself." Added the old wizard.
"I can't help but wonder what species of dragon he belongs to, I can't recall ever seeing one like him before." Continued Charlie, staring at Shimmer in an attempt to identify what species he belonged to.
"We were hoping that you knew." Said Hermione, a bit disappointed as she had been quite eager to know too.
"There is something about Shimmer that makes him quite different from any other breed of dragon." Added Dumbledore, who's eyes were twinkling as a mirthful smile appeared on his lips.
"And that is?" Asked Charlie, recognising the face the old headmaster had whenever he knew something that you didn't and was definitely amused of what your reaction would be.
"Miss Granger? If you could do us the honour?" Asked Dumbledore.
"I- of course." Assured Hermione, briefly taken by surprise but recovering quickly. "Shimmer? Can you say hello?"
"Hello." He repeated.
Four gobsmacked expression, a dropped wand, and a gapping Charlie were the result of that simple word. Shimmer didn't know how saying hello could have them react like that, but he found it funny.
"I- did he?" Stammered Charlie.
"Dragonul a vorbit!" Nearly shouted Anton, switching back to his native language.
"Indeed." Confirmed Dumbledore. "And make no mistake, Shimmer is no parrot. He is completely sapient and can answer various questions, even if miss Granger is still teaching him how to talk."
"Y-you taught him how to talk?!" Charlie asked, incredulous.
"I- it took some time, and he still makes lots of mistakes, but he is starting to be good enough for small conversations." She explained, blushing a bit as she was the centre of attention.
"Shimmer good dragon." Confirmed Shimmer, further impressing and shocking the dragon handlers.
"Merlin..."
"We wanted to profit of you being here to confirm a few things about Shimmer. That is, if you have the time?" Said Dumbledore, still smiling brightly.
"If- of course! I have so many questions!" He exclaimed just as the Romanian handlers started to talk between themselves, just as frantically as Charlie. They said a few things, and seeing how Charlie frowned, it wasn't what he wanted to hear. "Ugh, right. We can stay a couple of minutes, but we will have to leave soon. Picking up Norberta is already messing up a bit with our schedule, and we have other dragons that needs to be checked on."
"You are welcome to come back anytime to study him. As long as miss Granger doesn't have to miss classes." Quickly added Dumbledore.
"Of course." Promptly swore Charlie.
"Perfect! Then, perhaps you can guess how Norberta ended up injured? I have the feeling you have a few ideas of your own."
"You said he took her out to teach her how to fly? Correct?" Asked Charlie, giving a brief glance at Norberta who was still under the careful watch of two of the handlers.
"That's what he said." Replied Hermione.
"It does match some dragon's behaviour, though, not exactly like this. First, Shimmer is a male, right?"
"Yes."
"Then it doesn't fit most dragon species. The female is the one to take care of the hatchlings, including teaching them how to fly."
"What does that mean?" Asked Ron.
"Not much, just that he has different instincts than most dragons. The Peruvian Vipertooth is a good example. It's actually a pretty small breed of dragon, like Shimmer. Does he have venom?" Continued Charlie, summoning a feather and a quill that started to take notes by itself.
"Huh... no, I don't think so." Replied Hermione, unsure, as she never tried to find out if Shimmer had venom.
"May I have a look at his teeth?"
"You need to ask Shimmer." She replied, pointing at Shimmer who was still hovering in the air and watching the humans speak with curiosity, wondering what this was all about as well as being confused by the unknown words being used.
"I- right. That's going to take some time to get used to." Started Charlie before looking straight at Shimmer, a bit confused about what to do. "Shimmer, could I have a look at your teeth?"
Shimmer simply looked back at him, a bit confused about the question. He knew what teeth were, but he didn't understand why that human that looked a lot like the smaller red-headed one wanted to look at his teeth. Why would you look at teeth? Was he wishing to be bitten?
"Shimmer not understand. Why?" He asked, flying to Hermione and about to land on her shoulder.
"No, Shimmer, you can't sit on my shoulders. You're too heavy. And Charlie only wants to see if you have venom." Said Hermione as she pushed him away.
With a bit of frustration, he left Hermione alone and took everyone by surprise by attempting to sit on Professor Snape's shoulder, who glared at the little dragon. And cast a small Flipendo that sent Shimmer backward, squawking angrily.
"I am not a piece of furniture for you to stay on." Coldly warned Snape.
"Come here, Shimmer." Invited him Dumbledore, patting his own shoulder.
Finally being offered a perch, Shimmer flew to the headmaster and dug his talons a little in the thick robes, not harming the old man but definitely adding quite a weight on his back.
"What venom?" Shimmer asked as soon as he was comfortably resting on Dumbledore's shoulders, much to the continuous shock of the dragon handlers.
"Venom is something that snakes have, it kills their preys quickly and is located in their fangs." Explained Dumbledore.
"Shimmer venom?" He asked in surprise.
"That's what mister Weasley wants to find out."
"Okay." Agreed Shimmer, opening his maw wide, eager to know if he could have a new way to kill prey.
"Good." Said Charlie, both for Shimmer and for himself.
Stepping closer, Charlie warily got in reach of Shimmer's teeth and started looking at the teeth. And it barely took a few seconds for him to recognise the teeth, or rather, recognising if these teeth were poisonous or not.
"No risk of being poisoned here." Declared Charlie slightly relieved.
"Shimmer no venom?" Asked Shimmer disappointed.
"No. May I have a look at you? I don't think I've ever seen a dragon smaller than you before. Are you an adult?" Charlie continued his interrogation, even as he kept writing more details about Shimmer's appearance.
"Shimmer ten." Proudly replied Shimmer.
"Strange. Most dragons of that age are already adult since a couple of years already. He still has a young body, the way his horns grow indicates that he hasn't finished growing, his body mass isn't fully developed either. That's both very confusing and very exciting."
"Can you guess how much bigger he will get?" Asked Dumbledore.
"Hard to estimate without any scale of time, but not that much. Perhaps he'll gain another meter in length." Vaguely replied Charlie.
"How does he talk? Why is he so smart?" Asked Anton, far more preoccupied with this aspect of Shimmer than his biology.
"Shimmer smart!" Affirmed Shimmer.
"Yes you are." Instantly replied Hermione. "And I don't think we've found an explanation of why he's so smart, but I'm still teaching him how to speak."
"Right. And where does he come from?" Continued Charlie.
"I don't know." Realised Hermione. "Shimmer, where do you come from?"
Shimmer frowned a bit, not understanding what she was talking about.
"Not understand."
"Hmm... You live here now, where were you living before?" She tried to explain.
"Shimmer live big human nest. Many, many humans. Many car." He replied, recalling his life in the small forest in the heart of London.
"In a muggle city?" Guessed Dumbledore.
"Then it's a miracle he's never been discovered before. Most dragons have a passive magic that makes them hard to detect by muggles, but it isn't perfect." Stated Charlie.
"Ah!" Recalled Hermione, shouting for a moment before quickly calming down. "Shimmer also reacts strangely to magic. Do you know why?"
"Dragons are naturally resistant to magic. Some spells simply do not work on them. It doesn't help that the bigger and older they are, the more resistant they'll get." Expertly explained Anton.
"Indeed, but miss Granger was referring to another unique ability of our dear Shimmer. Have you ever heard of a dragon capable of eating magic?" Asked Dumbledore, who was genuinely without answer on this particular point.
"Eating magic?" Frowned Charlie, staring again at Shimmer, who was trying to follow the conversation. "How so?"
"If someone cast a direct spell at him, he sometimes eats it." Described Hermione.
"It doesn't ring a bell." Mumbled Charlie, looking at Anton who shook his head in answer, lost too. "Can he show us how he does it?"
"We never tried, but it shouldn't be too hard." She almost shrugged.
"Shimmer, could you please stand over there?" Asked Dumbledore, pointing at the grass next to him.
"No." Instantly replied Shimmer, taking them all by surprise.
"No? Why?" Questioned Hermione.
"Shimmer not go no coin." He replied, glaring at Hermione and Dumbledore, even if he was on the latter's shoulder.
"Is there a problem?" Asked Anton.
"Urgh! You're still stuck on that." Groaned Hermione. "It's only until next week, Shimmer. You will get coins after."
"What's this about coins?"
"He likes everything precious, much like dragons in muggles books." Answered Dumbledore.
"Really? Do you want coins now?" Asked Charlie, amused by the comparison and how ludicrous it sounded. Sure, a few dragons liked shiny things, but it was always an unusual behaviour not repeated by the rest of their species.
"Yes! No! Shimmer want coins. Reserve no coins. Shimmer not want go reserve." Angrily replied Shimmer, glaring at the dragon handlers.
"You're not going with them, we just want to make you eat magic." Chided Hermione.
"Shimmer not go no coin?" He truly wanted to be certain.
"No."
"Good. Shimmer like eat magic." Shimmer added, jumping from Dumbledore's shoulder to gently land on the ground.
"May I?" Asked Charlie, taking his wand out.
"Go ahead, mister Weasley. A simple stupefy charm would probably be enough and won't harm him should it affect him." Agreed Dumbledore, taking a step away from Shimmer.
Wand raised, Charlie stared at Shimmer who was expectantly waiting for the magic, licking his chops. Shimmer really liked its taste, strong and slightly sweet with some slight variations that he couldn't explain. Some magic tasted different from others.
"Stupefy!" Cast Charlie, waving his wand with the correct motions, sending a red wine coloured shot of magic straight at Shimmer.
Reacting with lots of skills and instincts, Shimmer almost instantly placed his head in the path of the spell and opened his mouth, eating the spell in but a moment. Appreciating the tingle that ran in his mouth, a light taste of something akin to spices but not too strong. It also filled him up a bit, not in a hungry way, but something slightly different. He stared at Charlie some more, waiting for another.
At the same time, Charlie and most of those who watched this happen, were processing this nearly unbelievable sight. It made Shimmer appear even more dangerous to some, as it would make it far harder to cast spells on him if he could simply eat them in mid-air. But to others, it also made him an incredible creature that they couldn't wait to figure out.
"Is good. Again." Asked Shimmer.
"Stupefy." Cast again Charlie, not really knowing what to do beside trying to please the dragon.
With as much dexterity, he gobbled the red spell with a snap of his jaw, happily absorbing the magic. It also filled him up further, so much so that he felt the magic coursing through him and an undesired sensation of being too full.
"Stupefy." Unexpectedly continued Charlie, taking Shimmer by surprise.
He still had the same reaction, and ate it all the same, but it was a bit too much magic for him. Where he felt full just a few seconds ago, he felt almost bloated and about to explode, along with a small sensation of lightheadedness. He didn't understand why though, feeling a bit sick.
Tilting his head to the side, he felt his stomach rebel and started retching, gagging for a few seconds before vomiting on the grass.
"Eww! Shimmer, that's disgusting!" She complained, looking away from the gross gooey mess.
"What's that?" Asked Ron, far less disturbed and rather curious of the shiny, slimy pile of blue goo that Shimmer just threw up.
"Do not. Touch that. Mister Weasley." Instantly warned Snape, already using his wand to gather the liquid in a flask. He even had to take a second one to get everything, but once it was safely gathered inside the vials, he gave it a good look.
"How strange." Mused Dumbledore.
"Do you know what this is, headmaster?" Asked the potion teacher.
"Not at all. I'm afraid that I've never seen such a thing before. And yet, I can feel some powerful magic in this."
"Ruugh." Groaned Shimmer, shacking his head before focusing on what just happened. And the first thing he noticed was that the feeling of being full vanished, leaving him just as he had been before eating the magic, with a slightly upset stomach in addition. "Where magic?" He asked.
"Headmaster." Called Snape, flicking his wand at the blue stuff. "I believe that your statement is incorrect about magic being in this goo. This is magic, only that it isn't around us like usual but rather somewhat solidified."
This brought down an absolute silence on the group, most simply freezing at this revelation. Only Ron, Shimmer, and the two handlers who didn't speak English didn't understand what this was about or didn't understand the implications.
"That's impossible!" Nearly shouted Hermione, frantically looking between the vials of blue magic and Shimmer. "The book of Magic, Environments, and Planes states that magic cannot take a physical form." She recited perfectly.
"Magic?" Asked Shimmer, looking at the vials.
"Another mystery to add to Shimmer's unique nature." Sighed Dumbledore with a soft smile. "How are you feeling, Shimmer?"
"Shimmer good. Good magic. Like. Big big magic, not like." He tried to explain, not really disgusted by what just happened. He could feel just how much magic was gathered in the greasy human's hands, and it made him hungry again. Even though he now knew he couldn't eat as much magic as he wanted.
"That's relieving to hear." Agreed Hermione.
"I'm so confused." Said Charlie, just as lost as the other dragon handlers, who couldn't understand how the little dragon before them did so many incredible or even impossible things.
"You're not the only one." Added Ron.
"Charlie, we have to go. We're already starting to be a little late." Called Anton.
"Ah bollocks." Swore Charlie, shacking his head for a second. "Sorry, but it looks like we have to go. I'd love to give Shimmer a full examination, but it will have to wait."
"As I said earlier, you're more than welcome to come back to talk with Shimmer." Reminded the headmaster.
"Thank you. We'll be sure to come back with a whole team. This is ground-breaking, it might change how we understand dragons as a whole!" He got excited again.
"That it is."
The other dragon handlers used their wands together and summoned a rather large metallic box, in which they levitated Norberta inside. The green dragon was still angrily trying to get out of her bonds, but there was nothing she could have done as the lid of the box closed above her.
"My sweet Norberta." Cried a bit Hagrid, reminding the others that it wasn't a happy moment for everyone.
"We'll take good care of her, Hagrid. As soon as she will be settled in, I'll send you an owl so that you can come see her. Alright?" Offered Charlie.
"You're a good lad." Replied Hagrid as he stepped forward and trapped Charlie in a near literal bear-hug, with the Weasley boy tapping his back in reply as he endured the hug until he was released.
"Bye-bye Norberta." Added Shimmer, understanding that it was the thing to say.
"Before we leave, would it be safe to pet Shimmer? We don't really get the chance to pet dragons when they're not sedated." Asked Charlie hopeful.
"Shimmer like. Good." Said Shimmer before anyone else could reply.
"Well, here I go."
Crouching down to be at Shimmer's height, Charlie very cautiously brought his hand above Shimmer's head, who was waiting for it. Then it made contact, and the hand slowly brushed against his scales. A small smile graced Charlie's lips, aware of the chance he had right now, and he gave a brief look at the other dragon handlers.
In a few seconds, it wasn't just one but four hands that fought to pet Shimmer's head and back. And while Shimmer preened at being the centre of attention, he didn't really like being touched so much.
"Stop." He warned, not ready to attack but a bit wary.
And then the four hands simply pulled back, giving him the space needed to take flight. He almost went for Dumbledore but since Hagrid was closer, in addition to having broader shoulders, he settled for the half-giant. Perched there, he had a very nice view of everyone.
He didn't notice, but Hagrid wasn't frowning at him any more. Instead, he was pleased to know the little dragon trusted him enough to think of him as a suitable perch.
"I guess we will be on our way. I will have a formal request sent to you as soon as possible." Continued Charlie, looking at the headmaster.
"Very well." Agreed the headmaster.
"And I will make sure to have a report for you about this... magic goo." Added Snape, very interested in the blue stuff and all the possible tests and uses that came to his mind.
"That would be nice, Professor Snape." Respectfully replied Charlie, before turning to the rest of the group. "Thank you all for your warm welcome, we will send news of Norberta shortly."
With that said, the four dragon handlers climbed on their brooms and used their wands once more to summon ropes that tied themselves around the box and linked to their brooms. With a small, coordinated jump, the box was smoothly lifted in the air.
"Bye Charlie!" Waved Ron with a big smile.
"Goodbye Norberta! Daddy will come see you soon!" Shouted Hagrid, bringing his large hands to his mouth, too loudly for Shimmer's taste who gave an angry squawk, using his wings so stabilise himself.
Above the waving hands of the children, Hagrid and Dumbledore, the four dragon handlers started to fly in formation, doing a large turn in the air with the box barely shacking thanks to their coordination. In a few seconds, the handlers and their charge disappeared above the tree line, on their way back to Romania.
Hagrid kept looking at the sky a little longer, with sorrowful eyes, as he was already missing Norberta's presence. He was still seeing her being gagged and roped, taken away from him. He had wanted a dragon for so very long, he had one for a few days, and now she was already gone.
A little shift from Shimmer brought Hagrid back to the present, and a small smile appeared on his lips, simply happy to have Shimmer standing so close to him. He was no Norberta, he couldn't replace her, but he would never be able to stay mad at such a wonderful creature. He also knew that, despite being far smarter than other dragons, Shimmer wasn't wise or capable of thinking like a human. Shimmer thought he was doing the right thing, not that he was wrong, but he went against Hagrid's command of leaving Norberta's education to him. That was something he could work on, help the dragon grow and understand that other's wishes and needs had to be respected.
It made sense, after all, since Shimmer appeared to have lived his whole life alone. How could he know how to respect others, when he simply followed his instincts of being a predator. He never had any reason to care about anyone else before.
"Shimmer." Called Hagrid.
"Yes?" Replied Shimmer, angling his long neck toward Hagrid's face.
"I would like you to stay with me today. I think there are a few things that I could teach you." Offered Hagrid.
"Meat?" Asked Shimmer.
"Of course." Grinned Hagrid.
"Then I believe we all have activities to resume. Miss Granger, mister Weasley, I believe your next class should begin shortly." Gently nudged Dumbledore.
"Of course, Professor." Nodded Hermione, walking up to Hagrid and then looking up at Shimmer. "Have a good day, Shimmer. Be nice with Hagrid."
"Shimmer good dragon." Reminded her Shimmer.
"That you are." She fondly agreed, trying to reach up to him but falling up short. Much to Shimmer's amusement.
"Thank you, Hermione. You're a very special girl." Thanked Hagrid, bending down so that she could pet Shimmer's head, which she quickly did.
With a last look at the half-giant and the dragon on his shoulder, Hermione, Ron, and Neville, that remained silent during the whole encounter, returned to the school to get their books for their first class of the day.
Snape pocketed the vials into his robes, eager to experiment with them.
"I have students that await for me, too." Said Snape.
"I'm coming Severus. Are you alright, old friend?" Asked Dumbledore, turning to face Hagrid.
"Still hurts a bit, but I think I'll be alright. And I have a few ideas for our little friend." Smiled brightly Hagrid in reply.
"Good. Then I'll see you for lunch. Have a good day."
Dumbledore and Snape walked back to toward the castle, starting a new conversation about the vials filled with magic, leaving Shimmer and Hagrid alone in front of the man's hut.
"So? Want to have a second breakfast?" Invited Hagrid.
"Meat!" Agreed Shimmer.
"I hear ya, I hear ya. And I have a few things to teach you." Smiled Hagrid, walking back to his house.
"Meat first?" Still asked Shimmer, enjoying the balancing movement on Hagrid's shoulder.
"Yes."
AN:
Hi! Valexto at the Keyboard!
Thank you for waiting. As you can see, that chapter is quite heavier than usual and took me more time to write. It sort of closes the Norberta phase, and we will be going back to the Voldemort issues shortly.
Shimmer don't know it yet, but I'm certain that he won't enjoy the examination the dragon handlers will give him in the future.
Just a little question: I've noticed far fewer views/reviews in the last weeks. I, for some reason, can't see any notifications on my email despite trying to reconnect Fanfiction with it, meaning that I don't know when new chapters are out. Are you having the same issues?
I also found a spell checking app, so this chapter should be cleaner than the previous ones. Tell me if it worked.
I hope you enjoyed this chapter.
See you soon!