Following Newt's instructions, Richie smoothly gave Norbert a massage.
Even though it was his first time, he had a natural knack for it. As he worked the dragon's scales, Richie walked Hagrid through the key points of the technique. Before long, Norbert slowly closed his eyes, and a soft purring rumble filled the wooden hut.
Seeing this, Richie carefully pried the rock cake out of the baby dragon's mouth and tossed it aside.
"That is... absolutely incredible!" Hagrid whispered, overjoyed. "Seriously, thank you, Richie!"
Richie placed Norbert on the sofa and looked at Hagrid. A thought clicked into place: I need to use this opening to talk some sense into him.
Collecting his thoughts, Richie started, "Hagrid, now that Norbert's calmed down, we need to have a serious talk about your situation."
Not giving the half-giant time to process, Richie pressed on. "It's obvious you can't properly care for Norbert here. Dragons aren't human babies. They grow exponentially fast."
"As he gets bigger, his appetite is going to skyrocket. Even putting aside whether you can afford to feed him, the sheer volume of food coming in and out of this hut is going to raise massive red flags. Not to mention, Malfoy already knows. Ministry investigators could kick that door down at any moment."
Seeing Hagrid looking stubborn and unmoved, Richie pivoted his approach. "Besides, don't you think keeping him cooped up in here is just wrong?"
Richie seamlessly recycled the lecture Newt had just given him.
"Dragons aren't like wizards. They have their own way of living. If we force them into our world, it backfires. It creates disasters that nobody can fix. If you actually want Norbert to grow up healthy and happy, he needs to be where he belongs. He needs space to unleash his instincts and just be a dragon."
Hearing that, Hagrid nervously rubbed his nose. "Once he's a bit bigger, I'll let him loose in the Forbidden Forest! I told you, Aragog will be a great friend to him!"
Richie just sighed and flipped the copy of From Egg to Inferno back a few pages.
"Hagrid, I need to remind you: dragons are omnivores. And spiders are absolutely on the menu. To Norbert, your Acromantula isn't a friend. It's a snack."
Richie spun the book around, sliding it across the table toward Hagrid. "Would you try to be best friends with a rock cake? Plus, dragons are not forest dwellers."
Hagrid froze. He looked down and read the highlighted text confirming a dragon's varied diet.
"Oh. Well... um..." Hagrid stared blankly for a second, but then his stubborn streak flared up again. "I know... but under my guidance, Norbert will learn to hold back... he'll control it..."
But Hagrid was terrible at lying to himself, and even worse at lying to others. As a Magizoology enthusiast, he fundamentally knew that a dragon couldn't suppress its basic nature. They operated purely on primal instinct. Just like Fang couldn't help chewing on garbage, Norbert wouldn't be able to ignore a walking buffet.
He was going to eat Aragog.
As the realization set in, a heavy, suffocating weight settled in Hagrid's chest.
"Hagrid, Norbert is a Norwegian Ridgeback. He just doesn't belong here," Richie pressed firmly.
"No, I just want to try..."
In reality, Richie had already won the argument. Logic dictated that Hagrid had absolutely no way to raise a dragon. If Norbert stayed in the hut, he'd be isolated with zero friends, and keeping him hidden meant a constantly unstable food supply. If he released Norbert into the forest, his predatory nature guaranteed he wouldn't befriend Aragog. It would just trigger a bloodbath and draw massive, unwanted attention.
But emotionally, Hagrid just couldn't let go.
Right then, a terrifying thought slammed into Hagrid's mind: They're going to fight to the absolute death.
The intrusive thought took root like a weed, rapidly spiraling out of control. He started vividly hallucinating worst-case scenarios: Norbert starving to death in the woods; Norbert and Aragog locked in a brutal, bloody deathmatch; Ministry officials dragging two mangled corpses out of the Forbidden Forest.
"Oh, Merlin's beard!" Hagrid clutched his chest, muttering frantically. "Poor Aragog... poor Norbert. I'm a terrible friend. I'm a terrible mother. Why... why is this happening..."
Overwhelmed by the horrific mental imagery, Hagrid broke down into heavy, gasping sobs.
"Whoa, hey!"
Watching the giant of a man suddenly bawling his eyes out, Richie completely panicked. He honestly hadn't expected Hagrid to be this emotionally fragile. Catching sight of the peacefully sleeping baby dragon out of the corner of his eye, Richie frantically improvised.
"Hagrid, quiet! Norbert just fell asleep, don't wake him up!"
That worked instantly. Hagrid choked back his tears, but the crushing wave of grief was too strong to bottle up. Needing an outlet, he took massive strides and bolted for the front door.
Richie immediately chased after him.
The second he cleared the doorway, Hagrid collapsed into a crouch in the dirt, buried his face in his hands, and sobbed uncontrollably. Richie stepped outside and quietly sat down on the wooden steps.
Watching the half-giant's shoulders heave with every sob, Richie scratched the back of his head. Man, look at this mess, he thought. I feel like I just tore a family apart.
But keeping a live dragon in a wooden shack was genuinely insane. Richie only pushed so hard because he respected Hagrid's genuine, kind-hearted nature. He didn't want to see the guy end up in Azkaban. Plus, as an accessory to the secret, Richie needed to shut this down before it blew up in all their faces.
But wow... the reality check hit way harder than he expected.
After what felt like an eternity, Hagrid finally stood up. Richie, who had been resting his chin in his hands, dusted off his pants and stood up with him.
Hagrid turned to face Richie. His eyes were bloodshot and swollen.
"Thank you, Richie. I get it now. Once Norbert gets a little bigger... I'll... I'll send him away."
Richie let out a long, heavy exhale. "It's for the best. I remember Ron mentioning his older brother, Charlie Weasley, works at a dragon sanctuary in Romania. You should definitely talk to Ron about it."
"And obviously, if you need help pulling it off, you can come to me."
Hagrid gave a firm, heavy nod.
Having said what needed to be said and done what needed to be done, Richie felt a clean conscience. He headed back up to Hogwarts Castle. After wasting half the day dealing with the dragon crisis, Richie buried himself back in his massive pile of homework.
What Richie didn't know was that the second he walked away, Hagrid burst into tears all over again.
---
The days steadily ticked by. The Easter holidays officially ended, and the Hogwarts student body dragged themselves back to class.
On the first Saturday after the break, the opening Quidditch match of the term finally kicked off.
The matchup: Ravenclaw versus Slytherin.
Facing down a Ravenclaw team that had become completely unpredictable and terrifyingly strategic, the Slytherins were feeling massive pressure. Predictably, a few of the more desperate Slytherins started plotting, reverting to their usual dirty playbook: bribery, blackmail, and outright intimidation.
But thanks to the Ravenclaw prefects and the Quidditch captain running a completely airtight defense, none of the Slytherin schemes worked.
Frustrated and out of options, the Slytherins shifted their crosshairs to a new target: Ravenclaw's undisputed MVP, the Seven-Pointed Star himself.