The moon hung high, the night breeze cool. The path across the grounds stood out in the hazy moonlight.
The weather had turned comfortable. Charlie thought back to the nights he used to sleep under the open sky.
When he was still about ten meters from Hagrid's hut, a low roar reached his ears.
Fiona startled and ducked her head. "Is that the dragon?" she asked quickly.
"If my guess is right, yeah," Charlie nodded.
"It doesn't sound very friendly."
Charlie smiled without a sound. "Friendly is putting it mildly."
When he reached the hut, Fang's doghouse had already been moved outside. Just like Harry had said, his tail was wrapped in a strip of white cloth.
The moment the boarhound caught the new scent, he shot out of his doghouse, ears pricked and eyes wary as he scanned the darkness.
A few seconds later he picked up the familiar smell. His tail started wagging furiously and he came trotting over, tongue lolling, heading straight for the spot where Charlie stood under the Invisibility Cloak.
"Looks like he's already picked up our scent," Charlie said with a quiet laugh. He pulled off the cloak and stuffed it into his bag.
"Hey, Fang. Good boy." Charlie walked over and rubbed the big dog's face. "Your tail got bit by that little monster, didn't it?"
Whine…
Fang lowered his head and gave a soft, pitiful whimper.
"It's alright." Charlie patted his head, then knocked on the door.
Knock knock knock.
Inside, Norbert's roars were loud enough to shake the walls, mixed with the sound of wings slapping against wood.
Knock knock knock.
Charlie knocked harder. A moment later the door finally opened.
Hagrid peered out through the crack first, cautious. The second he saw Charlie, the wariness vanished and was replaced by surprise.
"Oh, Charlie! You came? Bit late for a visit, isn't it? You're breaking curfew."
Charlie just smiled and said nothing. What was he supposed to say? He was here to talk Hagrid into giving up the dragon.
He stepped inside. Norbert, who had been crouched on a crate chewing on a dead rat, lifted his long serpentine neck. Amber eyes locked onto the newcomer.
The next second the dragon spread his wings. A rush of air stirred everything in the room. He launched himself up to the beam above the fireplace and let out a low, threatening growl at Charlie.
Charlie glanced at the sofa he usually sat on. Two large tears had been ripped into the cushions. Stuffing was scattered across the floor.
"He's growing fast," Charlie said with a small laugh.
"Yeah," Hagrid nodded quickly. "One minute he's a little hatchling, next thing you know he's a cheeky teenager."
Charlie nodded. He looked at Fang still standing in the doorway and waved him inside.
"Hagrid, what are you going to do when he gets even bigger?"
Hagrid's eyes flicked away. "We'll figure it out when the time comes. There's always a way."
"There is no 'when the time comes,' Hagrid. Look at him. He can already fly. Are you planning to keep him locked in this tiny hut forever?"
"What? No, of course not—" Hagrid stammered, then added, "I can put him in the Forbidden Forest."
"The Forbidden Forest?" Charlie raised an eyebrow. "He can fly. The second he takes off, the whole of Hogwarts will see a dragon circling above the trees. What if he flies out of the forest and hurts someone?"
"He won't! He absolutely won't!" Hagrid denied it at once, looking up at Norbert on the beam with soft, adoring eyes.
"He's a good boy. He wouldn't hurt anyone!"
"Oh really? Take a look at the way he's staring at me," Charlie said. "He wants to bite me. Can't you see that?"
"He's just trying to play," Hagrid said with complete certainty, though his voice had taken on an edge of impatience.
"It's time to let him go. He doesn't belong here. Don't you see that? Or are you planning to put him on a leash like a dog?"
"I would never do that!"
Hagrid was getting angry now. His huge frame trembled as he stared at Charlie. "You're biased against him, Charlie. I can see it. All of you are. You've decided he's some dangerous, bad kid."
"A wolf can't be tamed, and a dragon will never be as obedient as Fang!"
"He's just a little playful!" Hagrid's voice was almost a shout.
Charlie went quiet. He took a slow breath and lowered his head.
"Alright, that's enough. We're not talking about this anymore." Hagrid's voice dropped, carrying a hint of apology. "Sorry, Charlie. I shouldn't have snapped at you."
"What about Dumbledore?"
"What about him?" Hagrid asked, frowning.
"You respect him, don't you?"
Hagrid nodded without hesitation, eyes full of admiration. "Of course. That's not even a question. He saved my life. He gave me this job."
"Then you should think about whether what you're doing right now is going to cause him trouble," Charlie said firmly.
"This is going to come out eventually. Do you want someone to report that there's a dragon being kept at Hogwarts and that Dumbledore is turning a blind eye? Do you want Ministry officials showing up to investigate him?"
"That won't happen!" Hagrid insisted. "Norbert's a good boy. He won't cause trouble for anyone."
"Oh really?
Have you seen Ron lying in the hospital wing? Have you seen the bandages on Fang's tail? He's been kicked out of the hut because of Norbert. Did you even notice?
Come on. Look."
Charlie rolled up his sleeve.
"Go on. Tell him not to bite me. Let's see if he listens to you."
Hagrid looked up at Norbert on the beam. "Listen to Mummy. You're a good boy, aren't you?"
The next instant, without the slightest hesitation, Norbert launched himself at Charlie. His wings beat hard and in the blink of an eye he was right in front of him, jaws open, sharp teeth stained with rat blood aimed straight at Charlie's wrist.
Norbert's teeth sank into Charlie's arm.
"Charlie!" Hagrid roared. He grabbed Norbert by the tail and hurled him away. The dragon hit the wall with a dull thud and immediately started roaring again in frustration.
Hagrid's face was full of panic. He grabbed Charlie's wrist.
"Are you hurt? Let me see—"
There was no gushing blood, just a few red marks and some rat blood from Norbert's teeth.
"I told you," Charlie said calmly, meeting Hagrid's eyes. "He's not cute."
"You need to understand something. The creatures you think are adorable aren't like that to everyone else. If you keep lying to yourself, you're going to get hurt one day, Hagrid.
You should have learned this lesson already. I'm sure something like this has happened to you before, but you didn't take anything away from it.
If you're going to keep lying to yourself, then I've got nothing left to say.
If you really respect Dumbledore, you should stop making trouble for him."
Charlie stood up and brushed off his trousers.
"Honestly, Hagrid, this doesn't cause me any trouble at all. But I'm worried it's going to cause you trouble sooner or later.
You know that. I don't want the whole school finding out you're keeping an illegal dragon.
I won't interfere with your decision—as long as you stop lying to yourself. He's not cute. He's dangerous."
He adjusted his collar, opened the door, then paused.
"I only came out here this late because I didn't want to cause you problems. Goodnight."
The door shut behind him. Inside, Norbert's furious roars started up again.
Hagrid sank down onto the floor, wiping at his eyes with a shaking hand. Fang trotted over to the sofa, picked up a handkerchief in his mouth, and carried it over, tail wagging.
"Fang…" Hagrid looked at the boarhound with tear-filled eyes.
He turned his head toward Norbert. The dragon's tail was thumping against the floor. His teeth were sharp now, his claws too. He was tearing into the dead rats in the crate with wild, hungry energy.
Hagrid kept replaying the moment Norbert had bitten Charlie's wrist.
For one terrible second, he had truly believed Charlie's hand was going to be ripped off—that there would be blood everywhere—and that he wouldn't be able to do a single thing to stop it.