"This is… a dragon egg?!"
Aside from Lewis, Hermione also recognized what it was.
Hagrid froze for a moment, then broke into a delighted grin. "Miss Granger, you actually know it!"
Hermione nodded. "I've only seen illustrations in books."
Hagrid looked like he had found a kindred spirit, beaming like an overgrown child.
"Yes, yes! A dragon egg! A Norwegian Ridgeback—very rare!"
The moment he started talking about it, he turned into a rambling expectant mother.
"Oh, I've been reading everything! The books say you have to keep it in fire, because their mothers breathe on them. Look, it says so right here—once it hatches, you feed it a bucket of brandy mixed with chicken blood every half hour!"
As he spoke, he pulled out a massive book from under his pillow.
Nearby, more books were stacked on the shelves:
Dragon Species of Britain and Ireland
Raising Dragons for Pleasure and Profit
From Egg to Inferno: A Dragon-Keeping Guide
Dragon Lovers Anonymous
The group stared at the egg nestled in the glowing coals, stunned.
Ron hesitated. "Hagrid… isn't keeping a dragon illegal? What if someone finds out?"
Harry added, "Does Dumbledore know about this?"
Hermione went straight for the weak point. "And Hagrid—don't forget—you live in a wooden house."
"…Uh…"
Hagrid opened his mouth but had no answer.
Lewis shook his head. Do you people even know how to talk?
Hagrid had invited them to share his joy, and they were just raining on his parade.
He cleared his throat and stepped in. "It's true, raising a dragon here is risky. But at least until it outgrows the house, Hagrid can keep it for a few days."
"Exactly! That's right!" Hagrid said quickly, latching onto the support.
And so, in the days that followed, visiting the dragon egg became Harry and Ron's rare moment of relaxation.
Hermione also realized she had been a bit harsh. Truthfully, she wanted to see the egg too—but couldn't quite admit it, so she dragged Lewis along each time.
Before long, visiting the egg became a shared pastime.
Meanwhile, Lewis noticed something else.
Every time he approached Hagrid's hut, the Scholar's Moonstone in his pouch would glow.
Once he returned to the castle, it dimmed again.
After some thought, he concluded—it must be connected to the Forbidden Forest.
When I get the chance, I'll have to investigate.
Then one day, Harry received a note with just four words:
It's about to hatch.
The group immediately rushed to Hagrid's hut during lunch break.
"Knock, knock, knock—"
Hagrid opened the door, his face flushed with excitement.
"This morning I noticed it shaking—more and more! I think it's about to hatch!"
He lifted the lid of the fireplace.
Inside the glowing coals, the egg trembled every few seconds, as if something inside was trying to break free.
"It's moving!" Ron exclaimed.
"It's coming out," Harry said, eyes fixed on it.
"Let me take it out," Hagrid said, pulling on a pair of thick dragon-hide gloves—so large they could've doubled as hats for Lewis.
He carefully lifted the egg and placed it on the table.
A deep crack had already formed across the shell. From within came a faint clicking sound—like something nibbling.
Everyone pulled their chairs closer, holding their breath.
Then—
With a sharp scraping sound, the egg split open.
A hard, pointed snout poked out.
"It's hatching! It's hatching! Oh, Merlin!"
Hagrid was practically sobbing with joy, like a proud parent.
More of the shell broke away, and the hatchling emerged.
The newborn dragon wasn't exactly beautiful. It looked like a crumpled black umbrella—its wings oversized compared to its thin, dark body.
It had a long snout with pale nostrils, small horn-like bumps on its head, and bulging orange eyes.
But Hagrid thought it was perfect.
"It's beautiful, isn't it?" he murmured.
He reached out and gently stroked its head.
The dragon promptly bit his finger with sharp little teeth.
Hagrid, however, only became more excited. "Look! It knows its mother!"
At that moment, Lewis glanced at the broken shell and said, "Hagrid, could I take some of the eggshell?"
Hagrid waved a hand generously. "Of course! Take as much as you need."
From Lewis's perspective, Hagrid was practically a hidden tycoon. Living near the Forbidden Forest, he had access to countless rare materials.
Even the cushions in his hut were stuffed with acromantula silk and unicorn hair—materials that could be used to craft top-tier enchanted cloaks. Madam Malkin would lose her mind if she saw them.
Lewis happily stored the eggshell. Dragon eggshells could serve as optional ingredients for permanent enhancement potions.
Watching the hatchling stumble around and occasionally spit sparks was amusing—but there were more pressing concerns.
"Hagrid," Hermione asked, "how fast do Norwegian Ridgebacks grow?"
"In about a week, it'll triple in size," Lewis answered. "In three weeks, this house won't be able to contain it. And if it breathes fire…"
Everyone immediately imagined Hagrid's hut going up in flames.
"…Uh…"
Hagrid fell silent again.
In the end, he agreed to their demand—
He would keep the dragon for only two weeks.
After that, it would be sent away.
Ron would contact his brother Charlie, a dragon keeper, to take it to Romania.
After playing with the hatchling for a while, the group left Hagrid's hut.
Lewis chose not to mention that he had already sensed Draco Malfoy lurking nearby earlier.
Heh. Without Malfoy's snitching, how would Harry and Ron get punished?
And without that punishment, how would they end up in the Forbidden Forest?
And without that… how would he get his potion materials?
So let Harry and Ron suffer a bit.
Malfoy can take the blame.
Sure enough, in the days that followed, the sly smile on Malfoy's face made Harry and Ron realize—the secret had been exposed.
They grew increasingly desperate to get rid of the dragon before he could produce evidence.
In the end, the transfer was scheduled for Saturday at midnight.
They planned to see Norbert off one last time.
Soon enough, Saturday arrived.
It was a dark, cloud-covered night.
Outside Hagrid's hut, Ron hung his head and confessed to Lewis that, due to his mistake, Malfoy had seen Charlie's letter.
"He must know we're moving Norbert," Ron said, face red, unable to meet Lewis's gaze.
"It's fine," Harry said quickly. "We have the Invisibility Cloak—Malfoy doesn't know that."
"But… it can't cover all of us," Ron muttered.
"Don't worry," Lewis said, exchanging a glance with Hermione.
She nodded. "Mr. Green and I have other ways to avoid Malfoy."
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