Norberta barely reacted to the three humans. She just rolled over with a lazy rumble, eyes half-closed in the sun.
"She's adapted really well," Charlie said, leading them closer. He reached out and gave her back a solid pat. "Out of all the juveniles, she's the liveliest—and the most aggressive. When she first got here, she bit several handlers. The wounds swelled up like cucumbers and turned this ugly yellow-green. One time during a cleaning she torched a keeper's hair clean off. We started calling her Little Chili Pepper."
"Right now she's sunbathing and feeling lazy, so it's safe to get close and even pet her a bit."
Hagrid's grin was impossible to hide as he listened to Charlie's stories. "Hey there, Little Chili Pepper."
He stepped up to her head and started the massage technique Richie had taught him. The second his big hands went to work, Norberta melted even deeper into relaxation. White puffs of steam snorted from her nostrils.
"Blimey, Hagrid, where'd you learn that?" Charlie asked, genuinely surprised. The technique perfectly mimicked how mother dragons groomed their young. It made the hatchling feel safe. Most people never figured it out unless they studied dragons for a living.
Hagrid glanced over at Richie.
Charlie followed his gaze and raised an eyebrow.
Richie shrugged. "Newt Scamander showed me. I just passed it on to Hagrid."
"Ah," Charlie nodded, relaxing. "If it came from Advisor Scamander, that explains it. He's on our consultant list, but the sanctuary's methods are pretty solid so he doesn't interfere much. Still, we should probably ask the old master to teach us that trick."
While the three of them chatted, Norberta's eyes suddenly snapped open. Her vertical pupils narrowed to slits.
"Grrrrr…"
"Easy, Little Chili, easy," Hagrid cooed, still happily massaging away.
Charlie's smile faded. He tilted his head, listening. The dragon's low, lazy rumble had changed pitch. He stepped sideways to see past Hagrid and noticed the steam had stopped puffing from her nostrils.
"Hey, Hagrid—stop."
Hagrid froze immediately. "Oh, right."
Charlie studied Norberta closely. Hagrid and Richie both sensed something was wrong.
"What's going on, Charlie?" Hagrid asked, voice uneasy. "She was fine a second ago…"
"Yeah, she was fine," Charlie said, keeping his tone light. "Now she's too fine."
Suddenly Norberta rolled to her feet, all four legs planted, head up.
"Hey, Norb—Norberta!" Hagrid lit up and started forward, but Charlie's arm shot out and stopped him.
Charlie drew his wand and motioned for them to back up slowly. "She's dangerous right now. Do exactly what I say. Don't turn your backs. Nice and slow—don't startle her."
Richie and Hagrid obeyed, confused but trusting him.
As they retreated, Charlie explained under his breath, "She just triggered her anti-addiction instinct. Right now she wants to attack whatever made her feel too comfortable."
Richie and Hagrid both blinked. "Anti-addiction… instinct?"
"Exactly." Charlie nodded. "Dragons evolved in a brutal world. Everything wanted their eggs or their young. Comfort meant letting your guard down—comfort meant death. So they developed a built-in system that keeps them from getting too relaxed. It's hard-wired after millions of years. Even though the world is safer now and most of their predators are gone, the instinct is still there."
Richie's face went strangely thoughtful.
So cats have the same thing. You're petting them, they're purring like crazy, then—CHOMP. Same principle.
Muggles pet cats. Wizards pet dragons.
Cats have anti-addiction mode. Dragons have anti-addiction mode.
Very magical.
They backed all the way into the wooden shelter and stepped behind the barrier. Once the target disappeared, Norberta reared up and blasted a fireball into the air. It exploded overhead, scattering flames across the grass. Charlie flicked his wand; rain immediately poured down over Paddock 109, dousing the fire and leaving a perfect rainbow.
Norberta stomped once, then flopped back onto her rock.
"No harm done, right?" Charlie wiped imaginary sweat from his forehead and grinned at them.
Hagrid looked sheepishly at the dragon under the rainbow and scratched his head. "Sorry about that… Norberta's been a bit of trouble."
"Not at all," Charlie said with a chuckle. "That's just her. That's a dragon. We're the ones keeping her locked up."
He pointed toward the rest of the facility. "Come on, I'll show you the other areas. We'll check on her again once she's not quite so comfortable."
Charlie's little joke finally made Hagrid laugh. "Haha, you Weasleys are always good for a laugh."
"Oh, right—I brought her a present…"