In the common room, Hermione looked utterly incredulous. "You mean Professor McGonagall didn't punish you? Instead, she invited you to join the Quidditch team?"
"Yup! Now I can openly use my Nimbus 2000!" Harry beamed.
"But the school rules clearly state..."
"Clearly, Professor McGonagall prefers Quidditch," Harry said smugly, holding out his hand for the Nimbus 2000. Hermione still seemed a bit disbelieving, but she went back to the dorm and retrieved the broom for Harry.
"Oh, right, I forgot to tell you, Hagrid got himself a dragon egg," Harry mumbled, idly toying with his new broom.
"Oh, congratulations to Hagrid—" Hermione was still mulling over the fact that Professor McGonagall was leading the charge in breaking school rules, so she hadn't quite caught what Harry said.
"A dragon egg?!" Hermione shrieked, finally registering his words. Everyone else in the common room turned to look.
Thinking quickly, Hermione blurted, "D-egg! I was saying D-egg! It's a fantastic dessert shop in London!" After managing to fool the little Gryffindor lions, Hermione whispered, "You mean Hagrid got a dragon egg?"
"Actually, he's already trying to hatch it. He's got the egg right in the fire... it's all sealed up... basically, Hagrid's hut is a sauna now."
Knock, knock, knock.
"Who's there?"
"Hagrid, it's me and Hermione. She wants to see the dragon egg."
Hagrid cautiously opened the door, and after confirming who it was, he let them in.
"You've come at just the right time! I borrowed some books from the library and confirmed it's a Norwegian Ridgeback egg!"
Harry, a bit confused, asked, "Didn't Uncle Fried Chicken tell you?"
"Uncle Fried Chicken rarely sells dragon eggs, 'cause the pure-blood families have pretty much cornered the market on 'em. This one was a lucky find," Hagrid said, poking at the fireplace.
"Hold on, who's Uncle Fried Chicken?"
Harry quickly introduced "Uncle Fried Chicken" to Hermione, then excitedly mentioned how he wanted to buy a Horned Serpent next time he had the chance. Harry and Hagrid then launched into a debate about whether Horned Serpents or Occamys were prettier.
Hermione had to interrupt their conversation. "Aren't you worried about magical creatures harming the students? This is Hogwarts, after all!"
"Actually, I've got a Cerberus, a Hippogriff, Thestrals, Sea Serpents, Acromantulas... all living in the Forbidden Forest," Hagrid whispered, looking a bit sheepish and avoiding Hermione's gaze.
Before Hermione could fully register her shock at Hagrid's revelations, she heard Harry state matter-of-factly, "Not worried at all. Because I'm confident I can control Humphrey."
"Harry James Potter!" Hermione exclaimed.
Hagrid's hut was incredibly hot. Hermione was sweating after just a little while and quickly headed back to the dorm for a shower. Harry, having detention later that evening, decided to stay with Hagrid.
Time quickly sped to eleven o'clock that night when Malfoy finally sauntered in.
"I thought the great Malfoy wouldn't bother showing up."
"If you dare come, what makes you think I wouldn't!"
"Alright, let's go. Hagrid's waiting for us at the edge of the Forbidden Forest."
As Malfoy got closer, he noticed Harry was drenched in sweat. He eyed the tightly curtained hut suspiciously. "Does your appearance have something to do with that 'treasure' the lanky oaf mentioned this afternoon? Some kind of fire-loving magical creature?"
Harry hadn't expected Malfoy to be so clever; he'd thought Malfoy's brain was full of gillywater. Harry's gaze stung Malfoy, who roared in anger, "Don't treat me like an idiot! What 'treasure' could a big oaf possibly like besides magical creatures?!"
The next morning.
"Hermione, first we... then..."
"Will this work?"
"Or should I just Obliviate Malfoy?"
"Let's try this first."
The Great Hall was mostly empty. Harry was vividly recounting the previous night's events to Hermione. "Malfoy's such a coward! It was just a dog, and he bolted. Hagrid and I had a real time finding him afterwards." Harry noticed Malfoy standing up and immediately raised his voice. "Hermione, I'm taking you to Hagrid's this afternoon. He said he wants to introduce you to Fluffy."
"No problem! I'm not like some people, I'm not scared of dogs at all," Hermione chimed in, playing along.
Malfoy strode over, gritting his teeth. "Do you think I'm a softie, Potter?!"
"I found that out last night, you scaredy-pants, Malfoy." Harry deliberately raised an eyebrow.
After glaring at each other for a moment, Malfoy suddenly lowered his voice. "Tonight, in the Trophy Room, a wizard's duel. Just the two of us, no seconds. Do you dare?!"
"Why would I agree to that?"
"You wouldn't stand up for Longbottom, but you'll certainly stand up for Hagrid. That three-headed dog he's got, is it called Fluffy? If I tell my father, what do you think will happen?"
"I don't trust you, especially since you know you wouldn't be a match for me."
Malfoy gnashed his teeth, but then, remembering a powerful Dark Arts spell he'd just learned, he made up his mind. "I swear on Malfoy honour! If you win, I'll keep Hagrid's illegal creature-keeping to myself."
"And if I lose?"
"Then you'll stand in the Great Hall, in front of everyone, and say, 'I, Harry Potter, am no match for Draco Malfoy.'"
"It's a deal."
"Then tonight at midnight. Don't you dare not show up."
Just then, Ron entered the Great Hall and immediately spotted Malfoy standing near the Gryffindor table. "Malfoy! What do you want now? Get back to Slytherin!" Draco, surprisingly, ignored Ron's provocation and hurried out of the Great Hall.
During Potions class, both Harry and Malfoy were unusually quiet. Even when Snape, with a straight face, only gave Harry's potion an "Acceptable," Harry showed no reaction. As soon as class ended, Malfoy rushed off to find Snape, asking him to help practice a powerful Dark Arts spell again.
Hermione, meanwhile, had borrowed a book on wizard duelling from the library, which detailed the procedures for such encounters. "I can't believe wizarding law is so barbaric! What do you mean, 'death in a duel is a perfectly normal occurrence'?" Hermione began to regret their plan. Perhaps it would have been better for Harry to just Obliviate Malfoy after all.
Eleven-thirty PM, Gryffindor Tower.
Harry quietly left his dormitory and entered the common room, as expected, finding Hermione already sitting there. Hermione was looking at him with deep concern. Since there were other people in the common room, Hermione spoke in a very low voice.
"Harry, are you sure you don't want me to come with you?"
"Don't worry, Hermione, I've memorized the duel procedures, and dealing with Malfoy will be easy."
"What if he brings backup?"
"Then I'll bite him to death!" Humphrey's head poked out from Harry's collar, his tongue flicking.
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