Chapter 8: Crossing the line

Hermione had never been more right, somehow their lessons seemed harder then they did before Christmas. One late evening, while Kiba was helping Ron and Harry with their Transfigureation homework, Hedwig came swooping through the window onto the table. "it's from Hagrid" Harry said and before Kiba knew it, the homework was pushed aside. "the egg is hatching!" Harry said excitedly

"egg?" Kiba asked

"Hagrid got himself a Dragon egg, Norwegian Rideback" Ron whispered "no time to waste, let's go"

"a dragon egg? How do i always miss these things?" Kiba said to himself as he followed the other three "wait, doesn't Hagrid live in a wooden hut?"

"that's what i said" Hermione replied

"get moving you two!" Ron pushed them "this is a once in a lifetime opportunity"

"we should be studying" Hermione complained "especially you, Ron. You need some good grades" they reached Hagrids hut and saw him waiting outside. He couldn't hide the happiness from his gigantic, beard covered face and he seemed almost childlike giddy. Hagrid really did love magical creatures, and he really did want to care for them.

"come on in, come on in" he said with glee "i think he's ready" he retrieved three charred black egg from the cauldron above the fire and placed it on the middle of the high table. It cracked and paces began to fall of as a small set of talons came into view, meanwhile Hotaru clambered onto Kiba's shoulder to watch as well. The egg cracked once more and then the shell burst into a puff of smoke, sending pieces everywhere. Ron had a gigantic grin on his face while Hermione turned her head away and gagged

"disgusting" she said, Harry rubbed his eye because it had caught a bit of smoke. Kiba however, remained still.

"look at 'im, ain't beau'iful? Jus' look" Hagrid sniffed when tears threatened to flow. The small creature kicked off the remnants of the egg shell and turned to face Hagrid. It let out a little shriek and the faced the others.

"he recognises you as his parent, Hagrid" Kiba whispered

"does he now?" he asked turning to face Kiba. But when he did, he saw the creature on Kiba's shoulder "blimey Kiba, this beau'y yers?"

"huh?" Kiba looked at Hagrid only now realizing that Hotaru was sat on his shoulder "Hotaru, i told you-" before Kiba could even finish the blue-ish Dragon was back hidden inside his shirt

"does Dumbledore know?" the half-giant asked, Kiba simply nodded and smiled

"Hagrid you do know that this-" Hermione began

"Norbert" Hagrid intervened

"-that Norbert" Hermione continued "is not like Kiba's Dragon. he's going to be bigger then your hut.. Twice as big, probably"

"my brother, Charlie, works with theses kind of dragons, in Romania. Maybe you can send him there" Ron suggested

"But wha' of he don' like Romania?" Hagrid asked "wha' if the other Dragons are mean too 'im?"

"you can't keep him here either" Hermione stated

"oh, alrigh'! S'pose Norbert is betta of with 'is kind" Hagrid said "now, off to bed yeh kids, I'll send Charlie a letter meself"

Harry was suddenly fixed on a point behind Kiba, the window to be exact but Hagrid was fast with shooeing the four out.

The days passed and the risk of Norbert being discovered grew with each passing one; worst of all, Harry had spotted Draco Malfoy in the window the day he hatched, question was: How much had he seen? Enough apparently, he smirked at the quartet every time they crossed paths.

But the Dragon grew in size with each passing day, and the exchange plan went from being a seemingly easy task to a near impossible mission. The idea was that Ron would go up to the astronomy tower and clear the path, so that Kiba could lure Norbert to Harry and Hermione where they would cover him with the invisibility cloak as much as possible to take him to the tower as well. But Ron's part had to be scratched, Norbert had accidentally whipped Ron's arm with its tail, sending him straight to the hospital wing. Everything went smoothly until they found the hallway leading to the tower blocked by a cat. "it's Mrs. Norris" Harry whispered "what do we do?"

"only one way to get past" Kiba said "let's pray that i don't run into McGonagall like Draco did, or worse Filch. Wait until you are sure Filch and that stupid cat are past" Kiba ran out of their cover and dashed into the next corridor with the cat close behind, and soon Filch.

"let's go" Hermione whispered.

Kiba ran through the vast hallways trying to escape from that blasted cat. He had finally created some distance as he turned another corner only to crash right into Neville. "Blimey, Neville" Kiba said "what are you doing here?"

"i was going to distract Filch so that you could reach the tower" he replied getting to his feet. He loud meow echoed from the hall walls

"to late, i have Mrs. Norris on my tail already" Kiba explained and right he was, as the cat came into view with another meow.

'found you' Kiba heard her hiss, he looked around as saw a seemingly unlocked for further down the hall.

"this is a bad idea" Kiba whispered as he took out his wand "but there is no other way" her pointed it at the Cat that was fast approaching them. Filch's footsteps could now be heard too. "Locomotor Mortis" Kiba whispered, and next they knew Mrs. Norris' paws were stuck together as she fell and rolled over the stone floor. "Neville run, through there" the two boys ran as fast as their legs could take them, the way back to the Astronomy tower and up the stairs where they saw Norbert being taken away.

"you made it back, i was beginning to worry" Hermione said once she spotted Kiba

"yeah but we better hurry before Filch catches us" he said as the four proceeded down the stairs "if he finds out i Cursed Mrs. Norris then I'm in real-" he stopped when they reached the bottom of the stairs "Trouble" he finished

"look here my sweet," Filch said to the cat that was cradled in his arms like a baby "oh dear they are in trouble"

"outrageous!" McGonagall spat "such disgusting behaviour, from my own house no less"

The four Gryffindor had been delivered into Professor McGonagall's study by the Caretaker Mr. Filch without a second of hesitation, to receive a scolding beyond measure. After McGonagall had undone the Leg-locker Curse from the Cat Filch had even requested that Kiba be expelled for his actions, but McGonagall denied. But nonetheless, her nostrils flared with anger and her eyes pierced through all of them, ready to detect a lie. "what were you even doing? Trying to get some pretty revenge on Draco Malfoy i presume?"

"no professor, we were helping Hagrid-" Neville began but he flinched under McGonagalls angered gaze

"it's true –"

"Silence Scamander" McGonagall interrupted "I'm disgusted by you most of all" she said "attacking the caretakers Cat was crossing the line" she looked toward the other two for answers but Harry and Hermione stayed silent, they knew that they couldn't talk themselves out of it without ratting out the gamekeeper. "very well, of there is nothing more to say. Fifty points will be taken" she said. Kiba could see a smile form on Harry's face, but he didn't feel the same, had they really gotten off this easily? "each" McGonagall added and Harry's smile disappeared.

"each?" Harry repeated "but professor that is two hundred points, we'll lose the lead"

"you all need to understand the seriousness of your actions, especially you Kiba" McGonagall said "you will also receive detention, details on which will be delivered to you" she stared at them in silence for a minute before speaking once more "Leave. Off to Bed. I can't look at you any longer, my own students… i am absolutely appalled. I expected better of all of you, my own Gryffindors" The four hung their heads low as they left the study as McGonagall continued with her tutting. Two hundred points. Gone, just like that. The house cup was definitely lost; and all because they did what they believed to be right. And what would the other Gryffindors do when they found out that the golden boy and his friends were to blame?

After that night Kiba felt more isolated then ever before. He felt that he didn't belong in Gryffindor, that he didn't belong with Harry, Hagrid, Ron, Neville and Hermione. 'had i been in Slytherin or Hufflepuff, then none of this would have happened' Kiba thought 'all this because of an oaf that had to have a Dragon, and Potter who dragged me… woah slow down there Kiba, get your shit together. They are your friends, and it was you that attacked Mrs. Norris not them, the punishment is mostly your doing' he told himself 'McGonagall wouldn't take two hundred points for simply being out of bed after hours. But you had to curse the Cat' Kiba entered the common room and headed straight for bed without another word, he didn't even check on Hotaru.

Neville didn't take long to get into bed either but he ended up crying for several hours, so long in fact that sleep had escaped from Harry who constantly rolled from side to side. Kiba refused to close his eyes, he felt like he would be plagued by another nightmare anyways. He knew that before noon the next day he would be hated by Gryffindors of all ages. 'do i even belong here at all?"

The following days had been a disaster for Kiba, Neville and Hermione. But none of them were hit as hard as Harry, who wasn't only hated by Gryffindor but by Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw as well. Kiba had returned to his pre-Hogwarts state, he would go where ever he could be alone, mostly to study with Hotaru somewhere near him or to simply sit and think. Somehow it helped the young wizard, he felt closer to home then he had ever felt in Hogwarts before. Kiba was convinced that it was his fault that they were caught that day, and felt that he was responsible for the punishment they received even though Harry claimed it was his. Classes had changed as well, whenever Kiba was picked to answer a question the others wound groan or shout something at him. Snape had become insufferable as soon as Slytherin took the lead in house points, and Quirrell had become an even bigger bumbling idiot. But something else was happening, something Kiba had never paid attention to. More and more Girls had seemingly found an interest in the wizard, among which where the Patil sisters and Lavender Brown.

"Hey, Kiba" a voice said from beside him one day while he sat in the library, Kiba jumped a little at the unexpected voice. It seemed that even in the short time it had been that the hate for the loss of points was dieing down. Kiba turned to face the red haired girl beside him, she had a wide grin on her face and gazed at Kiba with her blue eyes "sorry, I'm Lara. Can i ask you something?"

"yeah sure, go ahead" Kiba replied looking back at his Defence Against the Dark Arts book.

"do you have a girlfriend?" Kiba slammed his book shut and stared at the girl beside him, from the corner of his eyes he saw Hermione, Ron and Harry look at them. "I'm asking for a friend" she added

"what kind of question is that anyways?" he replied quietly

"well, my friend Fay constantly talks about you, even though currently she kinda hates you, but she doesn't mean it" the girl said, talking very fast "she keeps saying that you are acting rude by ignoring everybody. But i think she loves you and –" she clapped her hand onto her mouth and widened her eyes.

"WHAT?!"

"i wasn't supposed to tell you that" Lara said, she got up and ran out of the library without another word. Kiba remained seated and dumbfounded for a while before he gathered his books and got up to leave. When someone tapped his shoulder.

"uhm Kiba?" it was Padma Patil with Parvati close behind

"Padma. I'm not in the mood for this, don't say anything" Kiba said

"we just wanted to ask for your help" Padma replied

"i don't feel like helping anyone"

"it's just Astronomy, it'll be quick" Parvati said, she widened her eyes and looked at Kiba with her best puppy eyes "please?" she pleaded. Kiba sighed and placed his books back onto the table

"Fine" he said, knowing well that giving in was a bad idea "But only if you promise not to follow me around anymore, don't think i haven't noticed you and Lavender these past days"

The other two nodded and sat down beside Kiba. The embarrassed boy quickly began helping them with their notes. Kiba had never really cared about what he looked like to others, he wasn't vain, in his appearance at least. But the boy couldn't understand why the girls suddenly had an interest in him, especially after he had lost Gryffindor two hundred points. There were more boys like Kiba all over Hogwarts, most of which probably looked better then him anyways. Even in the orphanage Kiba had caught the younger girls stareing at him, even if they pretended he didn't exist most of the time.

In the end Kiba studied with the girls longer then he wanted to but left the library finally at lunchtime. But instead of heading for the great hall Kiba took a stroll outside the castle. He walked aimlessly along the paths avoiding anyone that crossed his path until he reached the Care of Magical Creatures Reservoir. He saw the gate had been left open a tiny bit as so he snuck inside. It was silent as far as anyone could hear. Most of creatures were asleep or playing quietly. Kiba could see a group of fairies flying in the crown of a tree, and a Kneazel sleeping with its young. 'Kiba! You came to visit' he heard barking from behind him. He averted his eyes from the sleeping wompus cat and turned to greet Lancelot.

"i said i would right" Kiba replied, he let the dog lick his hand before patting him.

'i thought you weren't allowed in here' Lancelot said

"that is true, and I'm in big trouble if I'm caught" Kiba replied

'then you should hide, someone is coming' and indeed Kiba now heard it to. The gate opened and closed in the distance, Kiba quickly dashed behind a tree and moved through the thicket as quietly as possible, in hopes of not being caught. He slipped past the disfigured and scarred teacher and began increasing his speed.

"back Lancelot, you shouldn't be out of your cage. How do you escape anyways?" he heard the man in the distance.

'Watch it!' Kiba froze in place when he heard a hiss in his closer proximity. His foot was still raised in the air and underneath lay a dark green looking Snake curled into a small circle.

"sorry, I'm not supposed to be here" Kiba replied. The Snake quickly uncurled and showed it's length. It rose it's head high into the air and stared at the boy

'a parselmouth?' it hissed quietly. Another snake slithered from the tree above Kiba onto his shoulder, Kiba jumped at the sudden cold contact but let the snake slither along his arm. Unlike the other it's skin had a light green, almost grass like colour.

'did i hear correctly?' it asked

'yes, it's a Parsel'

"Excuse me?" Kiba replied. The snake slithered off of his arm and landed next to the other

'but he's a Gryffindor' it said

'and? He speaks our language, it must be the heir' the other added. Pain struck Kiba's head as he was reminded of the nightmares he had, and the man that spoke to him. He ran, through the gate and out of the reservoir.

'Slytherin's tongue' the words echoed through his mind, had he really just spoken Parsel? Was he actually 'the heir'? but how could he speak a language he doesn't know. He stopped once he had reached a secluded room. It was a unused classroom, and the desks and chairs were stacked against the wall. He sat down on one of the steps that led from the window side into the classroom. 'the heir' he heard a faint whisper say. He clapped his hands onto his ears and shut his eyes tightly.

'get out! Leave me ALONE!' he shouted in his mind. He slowly opened his eyes and looked around. It was quiet and calm, and Kiba remained still for a few minutes. He proceeded down to the great hall for dinner, since he had skipped lunch his stomach was now growling in the craving of some food. Kiba sat at the table though there was space between him and the other students. Only Hermione, Harry and Ron were seated fairly close to him. As Kiba was finishing his ice cream a Owl swooped past and dropped a letter. It did the same by Hermione and Harry and then circled from Neville to the Slytherin table and dropped the last envelope by Draco Malfoy. The letter was to remind them that they were serving detention near midnight that day, and that they would meet with Filch by the great hall, who would take them to Hagrid for their detention. Kiba could see that Neville hung his head low while Harry tugged the letter away in his pocket. Hermione left hers unopened and Draco crumpled his into a small ball and tossed it away but it flew right back into his lap. The Slytherin crossed his arms and looked meaner then ever. Kiba realized that he hadn't spoken to Draco for a while, and that any hope of friendship was probably gone. From Draco's view atleast. It was no secret that Harry add Draco didn't like each other, and since Kiba had befriended Harry, Draco probably felt equally about him 'had i been in Slytherin… we would have been good friends' Kiba thought.

A/n: So... School is starting again for me, which means less frequent updates. But that won't stop me from writing in my free time. I'm probably releasing the next chapter tomorrow, but Ch10 might take a while.Ps: Moe! NG is coming back baby! yeah I've been writing a bit on that when i ran out of ideas for this one.K that's all... Review! Peace!