Time flew by, and soon it was April. The arrival of the Easter holidays made things at Hogwarts much more relaxed. The quartet went together to visit Hagrid today.
"The shadow of the Lonely Mountain is drawing near."
Rove sat in Hagrid's hut, muttering to himself as he stared into the center of the fireplace.
There, lying amidst the roaring flames, was a black egg.
> [WARNING! Precursor to World-Ending Calamity Detected.]
> [Item Identification: Spawn of Smaug / Residue of Ancalagon.]
> [Current Status: Incubating (Progress 98%).]
> [Danger Level: SSS Class.]
"Hagrid," Rove said. "Take my advice. While there's still time, let's boil it. For the peace of Middle-earth."
Hagrid was busy adding wood to the fire. Hearing this, he spun around, his bearded face full of shock and confusion.
"Boil it? Oh, Rove, stop joking!" Hagrid blocked the fireplace protectively. "It's a Norwegian Ridgeback! How rare, how beautiful! I checked the books; this kind of dragon needs high temperatures to hatch, just like their mothers breathing fire on them."
"You know it breathes fire too," Rove pointed at the egg. "Once it breaks out of its shell, it will turn this place into a second desolate Erebor! It will steal our gold and burn our villages!"
"Don't be silly, it's just a baby," Hagrid looked at the egg lovingly. "I'm going to call him Norbert. Listen, what a nice name."
Harry, Ron, and Hermione sat to the side. Although they felt Rove's reaction was a bit excessive, they were also deeply worried about raising a dragon in a wooden hut.
"Rove is right, Hagrid," Hermione tried to reason. "You can't raise a dragon in a wooden house. Raising dragons is banned at Hogwarts. And they grow fast; in a few days, it will burst out of your house."
"I'll take good care of him," Hagrid hummed a tune stubbornly, continuing to stoke the fire.
The temperature inside the hut was already ridiculously high. Ron's face was beet red, wiping sweat constantly; Harry felt like his glasses lenses were about to melt.
But in Rove's perception, this wasn't just heat.
This was the residual warmth from Mount Doom. It was the scorching wave before the Gates of Hell opened.
Suddenly, a cracking sound broke the stifling silence.
Crack.
Everyone went instantly silent. Hagrid excitedly threw himself in front of the fireplace, and Harry and the others leaned in curiously.
Only Rove reacted like a startled rabbit, springing from his chair with amazing agility and diving under the wooden table.
"Get back! Get back!" Rove shouted from under the table. "That's the roar of the evil dragon! It's coming out!"
The crack on the eggshell grew larger. Accompanied by a harsh scraping sound, the eggshell burst open.
A small black dragon wobbled out. It had spiny wings that looked like sharp obsidian daggers; its snout was long, white smoke puffing from its nostrils; its orange-red eyes glinted in the firelight.
In Hagrid's eyes, this was a cute baby dragon.
In Rove's eyes, this was a miniature Smaug, coiled atop a pile of gold coins, roaring at the world.
> [System Alert! Boss-Level Juvenile Has Descended!]
> [Unit Name: Norbert]
> [Race: Ancient Evil Dragon]
> [Skill Detection: Hellfire / Dragon Fear.]
"Oh, goodness, look how beautiful he is!" Hagrid reached out a rough, massive hand to stroke the baby dragon's head. "He knows his mummy!"
"Don't touch it!" Rove shrieked from under the table. "It will bite your hand off! Just like Carcharoth the Wolf bit off Beren's hand!"
The little dragon seemed to understand Rove. It snapped its head around and opened its mouth at Hagrid's fingers.
Whoosh!
A ball of orange-red flame shot from the little dragon's mouth, setting Hagrid's beard on fire.
"Damn it! Fire! Fire!"
Rove burst out from under the table, sprinted to the kitchen, and returned instantly with a bucket of water. He splashed it violently over Hagrid's face and the little dragon in the fireplace.
Splash!
The cold water extinguished the fire in Hagrid's beard and drenched the newborn dragon like a drowned rat.
The little dragon let out an angry hiss, shrank its neck, and sneezed, spraying a few wet sparks.
"Oh! Rove!" Hagrid wiped the water from his face, looking at the shivering little dragon with heartache. "You scared him! He was just sneezing!"
"It was a test fire!" Rove held the empty bucket in front of him like a shield. "That was the first wave of Dragon Breath attacks! If I hadn't acted, this whole hut would be ashes by now!"
Harry looked at Hagrid's dripping face and Rove's combat-ready stance, and couldn't help laughing out loud.
"Well, at least Hagrid's beard is saved," Ron shrugged.
Suddenly, Hermione pointed out the window, her face changing color.
"Someone's there! Someone's watching through the gap in the curtains!"
Harry spun around, just in time to see a flash of a platinum-blond head.
"It's Malfoy!"
> [WARNING! Enemy Scout Detected.]
> [Mission Objective: Prevent Intelligence Leak.]
"Damned spy!"
Rove threw down the bucket, drew his wand from his waist with a backhand grip, and turned into a blur as he charged for the door.
"Don't let him get away! He'll take the news back to Isengard!"
Rove slammed through the wooden door, rushing into the night. But he only saw Malfoy's retreating back. The Slytherin boy ran faster than a rabbit.
Rove stood in the darkness, chest heaving.
"We are exposed."
He turned back to look at Harry and the others who had hurried out.
"The Eye has turned toward this place. The war is about to begin."
Hagrid held the sneezing Norbert, looking bewildered: "What war? Rove, can you get me a towel first? Norbert's caught a cold."
Rove looked at the "World-Ending Demon Dragon" cradled in Hagrid's arms, then at the helpless trio of Harry, Ron, and Hermione, and sighed deeply.
> [System Settlement:]
> [Successfully Suppressed Boss-Level Juvenile (Once).]
> [Repelled Enemy Scout (Failed to Capture).]
> [Achievement Unlocked: How to Train Your Dragon (Fake).]
> [Reward: [Fire Resistance] Lv1 (Passive Skill, acquired from close contact with Dragon Breath).]
In the following weeks, Norbert grew at a terrifying rate.
Worst of all, his existence was no longer a secret.
Ever since Malfoy peered through the window, Hagrid had become neurotic.
"We can't keep him anymore, Hagrid," Harry pleaded earnestly. "Malfoy could tell on us at any moment."
"But he's so small..." Hagrid looked teary-eyed at Norbert, who was chewing on a table leg.
"He nearly bit Ron's finger off yesterday!" Hermione said indignantly. "Ron is still lying in the Hospital Wing! Madam Pomfrey asked if he was bitten by a dog, and he had to say he cut himself slicing sausages. Merlin, who would believe that excuse?"
"Charlie wrote back," Harry said suddenly, waving a piece of parchment. "This Saturday at midnight, top of the Astronomy Tower. His friends will come to pick up Norbert."
Rove nodded, his gaze deep.
"Good. Operation: Banish Smaug is officially a go."