Chapter 14: Norbert Part 2

For the next week, Malfoy's smug and sneaky face had the three of us on edge. We knew he had seen the dragon, and we knew it was only a matter of time until he told someone. We were actually surprised the prat didn't run off and tell someone that day. We spent the whole bloody week trying to convince Hagrid to do the right thing. For himself, as well as the dragon.

"Just let him go." Harry pleaded. "Set him free."

"I can't." said Hagrid. "He's too little. He'd die."

The dragon was now three times bigger than it had started out and was starting to be able to blow small flames, with smoke swirling out of its nose. Hagrid hasn't been keeping to his duties at all as groundskeeper. All his focus was on the dragon. His hut looked a bloody mess, with chicken feathers lying around.

"I've decided to call him Norbert." said Hagrid, looking at the dragon as if it were a kitten."He really knows me now, watch. Norbert! Norbert! Where's Mummy?"

"He's gone mental, he has." I whispered in Harry's ear.

"Hagrid." said Harry loudly, "give it two weeks and Norbert's going to be as long as your house. Malfoy could go to Dumbledore at any moment."

"I - I know I can't keep him forever, but I can't jus' dump him, I can't."

Harry turned to me, an idea etched on his face. "Charlie." he said.

I gave Harry a strange look. "Oi mate. You're losing it too." I said, feeling his forehead. "I'm Ron, remember?"

"No, you git, Charlie! Your brother, Charlie. In Romania. Studying dragons." he said, smacking my hand away. "We could send Norbert to him. Charlie can take care of him and then put him back in the wild!"

"Brilliant!" I said. "Why did i not think of that before? How about it, Hagrid?"

It took some convincing, but eventually Hagrid agreed, so I wrote a letter to Charlie, explaining everything, and urging him to write back quickly.

Another week passed. That Wednesday, since Harry had bombed a test in Charms and Hermione insisted on making him study harder, i elected myself to go and check in on Hagrid and Norbert. I borrowed Harry's invisibility cloak so I could go and come without being seen.

When I had gotten there, both Norbert and Hagrid were napping, as I opened the door, holding a dead rat by the tail. I groaned. I really wished Hagrid was awake to help me, but he needed some rest. He had been over exhausting himself playing catch up with his duties and taking care of Norbert.

I walked over to where Norbert (who had grown an extra foot) was sleeping. I reached over, hand shaking, and placed the rat in front of his head. No need for me to wake him. He would eat it later.

Suddenly, I heard a great snore from Hagrid, so I turned to face him. The snore must have woken Norbert up in the process, because next thing I knew, I was feeling knife like fangs closing onto my hand.

"BLOODY FUCK!" I screamed at the top of my lungs, waking up Hagrid and exciting Norbert. Hagrid ran up to me as I screamed in agony. It felt like someone had taken a thousand daggers that were on fire and stuck them in my bloody hand. Hagrid even had the nerve to get on me for scaring the bloody menace!

I had no words to say. I snatched up the cloak, not even bothering to put it on until I got into the castle. My head was throbbing with intense pain. I wanted to chop it off, it hurt so bad.

I managed to throw the cloak over me and made my way as quietly as my burn hand would allow me to be to Gryffindor tower. I barked out the password and stomped painfully and angrily through the hole. Harry and Hermione were still in the same spot I had left them.

"It fucking bit me!" I yelled as I ripped the cloak off of me and showed them my hand, which I had wrapped in a handkerchief that was now soaked with my blood. "I'm not going to be able to hold a quill for a week! I tell you, that dragon's the most horrible animal I've ever met! But the way Hagrid goes on about it, you'd think it was a fluffy little bunny rabbit. When it bit me he told me off for frightening it. And when I left, he was singing it a lullaby."

Hermione took the hankie off and took a look at my hand. She grimaced at the sight of the fang marks, it was already starting to swell a bit.

Suddenly we heard a tap at the window.

"It's Hedwig!" said Harry, hurrying to let her in. "She'll have Charlie's answer!"

We put our heads together to read the note.

Dear Ron,

How are you? Thanks for the letter! I'd be glad to take the Norwegian Ridgeback, but it won't be easy getting him here. I think the best thing will be to send him over with some friends of mine who are coming to visit me next week. Trouble is, they mustn't be seen carrying an illegal dragon.

Could you get the Ridgeback up the tallest tower at midnight on Saturday? They can meet you there and take him away while it's still dark.

Send me an answer as soon as possible.

Love,

Charlie

We looked at one another.

"We've got the invisibility cloak," said Harry. "It shouldn't be too difficult. I think the cloaks big enough to cover two of us and Norbert."

"Fine. I truly don't care what we do, as long as we are rid of the bloody savage." I hissed through the pain.

"That's a right nasty bite." said Harry.

"Ya think?!"

Harry chuckled. "I'm going to bed. You coming up, Ron?"

"He will be up in a second." said Hermione, answering for me. Though I had no clue how she knew I wasn't ready to go to bed yet, I was in way too much pain to even respond to Harry's question. Harry just shrugged and went up the stairs.

Hermione took me by my good hand and led me over to the sofa, making me sit. She then conjured up bandages, a rag, and a basin with water, and took my sore hand, her light touch making it hurt.

"Bloody hell!" I yelled.

"Be quiet and let me clean this Ronald!"said Hermione, gently snatching my hand back.

She dipped the rag in the warm water and then began to wipe the blood off of my hand. My had had started to turn a light purple.

"That does not look good." said Hermione. "Do you think that you should go see Madam Pomfrey?"

"Absolutely not." I snapped. "This isn't a normal bite, Hermione. She will ask what bit be, and then more questions after that."

"You're right, that could be potentially bad." she said as she started to wrap the bandages around my hand. We got quiet again as I watched her work on my hand. She was brilliant. Oh what, was she a junior healer too?

"Did you learn this from a book?" I asked.

Hermione shrugged. "I used to pretend my dolls were injured all the time. So I have had a lot of practice."

"What? You mean you didn't read about wrapping a bandage? You learned from actually having fun?" I joked.

Hermione grinned as she finished her work. "Oh shut up." she said.

By the next morning, my hand had swollen to twice its normal size. I was still certain that it wasn't safe to go to Pomfrey, but by the afternoon, I didn't have much of a choice, as the bite had turned a nasty shade of green, and I started to feel sick.. Apparently, Norbert's fangs were poisonous.

Harry and Hermione had to almost drag my weak ass yo the hospital wing. When I got there and she saw my hand, she rushed them out immediately.

"What in the world did you get bit by, boy?" exclaimed Madam Pomfrey, frantically. Madam Pomfrey was usually able to be calm under pressure. So what was going on with me must have been extremely serious.

I racked my brain trying to think of something to say that wouldn't get me in trouble. "It...it was a...a dog." I managed to utter out.

'Brilliant, Weasley. She would totally go for that.' I thought to myself

"A dog you say? Are you sure? questioned Pomfrey.

I nodded my head shamefully. Pomfrey sighed, clearly not believing me, but not in the mood to inquire any further.

She gave me a potion to stop my growing fever, and then began to apply a few different creams to the wound of my hand. A few minutes later, Malfoy popped in,.

"Madam Pomfrey, I was wondering if I could speak to Ron? He has a textbook that I need to borrow." said Malfoy in fake innocence.

Madam Pomfrey, who had no idea of the politics of school, let him come and talk to me. I scowled at his idiot face.

"Jesus Weasley, your hand is the size of a quaffle." laughed the bloody git. "You should sell tickets to see it so your miserable family can get a few sickles."

I growled. As much as I wanted to beat his ass again, I knew it wouldn't be the right thing to do.

"Maybe I should tell Pomfrey what really bit you, shall I? No way you told her what it was." said Malfoy, smugly.

"Did you explain that shiner, tosser?" I said. "Did you tell you admirers that a Weasley gave it to you?"

Malfoy narrowed his eyes.

"I'd be careful what I'd say if I were you, Weasley." Malfoy threatened. "You never know what can happen."

"You don't scare me, Malfoy." I growled, snatching my book off the table and rushing off before I could do anything.

Later on, Harry and Hermione came to check on me. I didn't look any better, and they wondered what was wrong.

"It's not just my hand." I whispered. "Although that feels like it's about to fall off. Malfoy told Madam Pomfrey he wanted to borrow one of my books so he could come and have a go at me. He kept threatening to tell her what really bit me. I've told her it was a dog, but I don't think she believes me. I shouldn't have hit him at the Quidditch match, that's why he's doing this."

I was starting to get scared. For all of us. I really should have kept my hands and words to myself.

"It'll all be over at midnight on Saturday," said Hermione, thinking her words would calm me down.

"Midnight on Saturday! Oh no oh no! I've just remembered! Charlie's letter was in that book Malfoy took, he's going to know we're getting rid of Norbert." I felt completely stupid. How could I let him take my book like that?

Madam Pomfrey shooed them off, saying that I needed sleep. I laid there on the bed, looking at the ceiling.

If anything happened, I knew it would be my fault. I had allowed that pasty faced prat to get under my skin. And now I knew he would blab Hagrid's secret to Snape and Dumbledore. Hagrid would probably be fired. And Harry, Hermione, and I would be expelled.

Some friend I was.