"Yo, Granger, why do you like to meddle so much?" Draco sneered, finally getting a chance to cause trouble for the two people he hated the most. But Hermione was determined to stop him from having his fun.
She didn't respond to Draco, instead turning to look at Solim. She knew that if Solim spoke, Draco would listen to him.
Solim, observing both Draco and Hermione staring at him, scratched his chin thoughtfully. "Why don't you see if it works?" he said. "Hermione, you can help those two troublemakers. How can you help them? It's your business to get them out of this mess."
Then he looked at Draco. "Draco, you can do whatever you want. If you can get them fired, I'll count on you."
From Solim's point of view, Hermione could help if she wanted, Draco could act freely, and he would simply watch the outcome. Even if Hagrid were arrested by the Ministry, it wouldn't be a huge problem for Dumbledore. When the time came, he could reveal that this was part of the plan to protect the Philosopher's Stone and uncover the dark wizard lurking in Hogwarts. The Ministry would have no choice but to accept it.
Malfoy left excitedly, eager to cause trouble. Hermione, meanwhile, was increasingly uneasy. She remembered what Weasley had said last time. Solim was right: the two of them would have to deal with the consequences themselves. But if these two dull boys didn't act quickly, it might already be too late.
Hermione struggled with the decision but ultimately decided to go to Harry and Ronald first to settle the matter.
At that moment, Harry and Ronald were in the infirmary. Ronald's hand was so badly swollen that there was nothing to do but seek Madam Pomfrey's help. When they returned to the Gryffindor common room, Hermione was waiting on the sofa.
"You two!" she exclaimed, dragging them into a secluded corner. "Do you realize you're in serious trouble?"
Harry and Ronald exchanged glances.
"Malfoy already knows that Hagrid has been raising dragons," Hermione said quickly. "He followed you and saw the dragon."
"So what?" Ronald replied impatiently, still irritated from having medicine applied to his hand.
"Are you an idiot?!" Hermione snapped. "Do you think Malfoy will just let this slide? You'll get Hagrid in trouble!"
"We got him involved? If it weren't for his dragon, my hand wouldn't be like this!" Ronald retorted. "Madam Pomfrey even said that if treatment had been delayed, my hand might have required amputation!"
Harry saw the two arguing again and quickly asked, "Hermione, how did you find out about this?"
"I was there when Malfoy went to Solim," she said bluntly. "And Malfoy said he was going to report you. Private dragon breeding is a serious offense. If the Ministry finds out, Hagrid will be tried and convicted."
"Those nasty poisonous snakes!" Ronald cursed. "I knew Slytherins were trouble!"
Hermione gave him an annoyed look. He hadn't even noticed he was being followed, which led to the entire problem, yet he still had the audacity to complain.
Hagrid's hut was at the edge of the Forbidden Forest. To get there, one had to cross a large open lawn. If someone was following them, a simple glance back would have revealed it. Clearly, the two had paid little attention to Hagrid's dragon.
"If Malfoy is really going to report us, we need to act fast," Harry said.
"What else can I do?!" Hermione exclaimed. "Tell Hagrid to get rid of the dragon! Without evidence, there will be no conviction."
"But Hagrid loves that dragon. He even gave it a name. I don't think he'll let it go easily," Harry said, hesitating. Bo Dilong clearly had a strong bond with Hagrid.
"Then we just wait for the Ministry to arrest all three of us? Hagrid will be the main criminal, and we'll be accessories!" Hermione's frustration was mounting. "Why can't you understand how serious this is?"
"How could we be accomplices?!" Ronald protested. "It's not our dragon, and we didn't raise it. This has nothing to do with us!"
"You knew it existed and didn't report it. That counts as covering up…" Hermione shook her head. "Forget it. I already told you Malfoy is going to report you. Do what you want." With that, she left.
From Hermione's point of view, the two were hopelessly slow. If they didn't act fast, it would be too late.
Harry and Ronald finally seemed to grasp the seriousness of the situation.
"Ronald, let's go find Hagrid," Harry said. "We have to convince him to let the dragon go, or we'll all be in trouble."
"No, 'we' are all in trouble," Ronald added grimly.
By the time Harry and Ronald reached Hagrid's hut, Draco had already posted the letter. It had been sent to his father, Lucius Malfoy, who had strong connections in the Ministry of Magic—and with the current Minister, Cornelius Fudge. Draco was confident that Dumbledore would face serious trouble once the letter was delivered.
Just as Draco was imagining the chaos to come, Harry and Ronald arrived at Hagrid's hut.
"Listen to me, Hagrid," Harry said, anxiety making him speak rapidly. "Malfoy knows you're raising dragons. You have to release it immediately!"
"Right now? No, no, Noble is too young. He'll die in the wild," Hagrid protested, patting his still-smoking beard.
"But if you don't let him go, we'll all be in serious trouble!" Harry raised his voice.
"Harry's right, Hagrid," Ronald added. "You'll have to let him go. We can help." He looked at Hagrid meaningfully. "Don't you remember Charlie? He works at a Romanian dragon farm. We can contact him."
During the Christmas holiday, Ronald had visited his brother in Romania and remembered the dragon farm.
"Yeah, I forgot about Charlie," Hagrid said, realization dawning on him. "That could work. I can visit him when I have free time later."
"Then we'll write to him when we get back," Ronald said. He glanced at Harry. "Can you use Hedwig? I don't think we should use the school owl for this."
"No problem," Harry said.
Even with the crisis temporarily resolved, their relief was short-lived. On the way back to the castle, Harry and Ronald's mood lifted slightly—they had a solution, and now they only had to wait for Charlie's reply.
But their brief happiness vanished as a shadowy figure emerged from the trees, followed by two large-armed attendants.
"Hey, it looks like you're very happy. Excited, are you? Knowing you're heading to Azkaban to meet the dementors?" The voice was unmistakable.
Harry and Ronald's stomachs sank. They recognized the three figures immediately.
"What are you doing here, you bloody snake!" Ronald yelled, feeling his patience snap. But he knew that the three were too strong for just him and Harry to handle alone.
"Me?" Draco sneered. "Of course I came to see you." He turned to Goyle and Crabbe. "Take a good look. Remember their faces. I doubt we'll see them again soon." Then he laughed, full of malicious satisfaction.
Draco was confident. Even if Harry and Ronald weren't expelled, this incident alone would be enough to make their lives miserable. There was nothing more satisfying to him than seeing his enemies suffer.
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