The Count's flying speed had limits.
Unfortunately, Ethan had no way to accelerate the process of:
Selling Acromantula venom.
Receiving payment.
Purchasing Occamy feathers.
So during the nearly week-long waiting period, Ethan and the others watched Norbert grow from the size of Hagrid's fist into something nearly as large as Fang.
By Wednesday afternoon, the situation had already become alarming.
When Ethan and the others arrived outside Hagrid's hut, the entire wooden cabin visibly shook every few seconds.
Bang.
Bang.
Bang.
"That thing is growing way too fast," Ron muttered nervously while refusing to approach the door. "At this rate it'll be bigger than the whole hut next week."
Even from outside, they could tell the interior had become a disaster zone.
"It's fine," Harry reassured him with the confidence of experience. "Norbert always calms down when Ethan shows up."
"Yeah," Ron agreed uneasily. "I have no idea why."
"Maybe he's just scared of me," Ethan suggested thoughtfully. "Cracking open his eggshell probably left permanent psychological trauma."
"Honestly, imagine being born and immediately seeing some giant monster trying to rip you out of your egg," Ron said dramatically while clawing at the air with both hands like some kind of demonic creature.
Hermione wrinkled her nose.
"I just hope Norbert doesn't burn Hagrid's house down."
Something nearby definitely smelled burnt.
Possibly Hagrid's beard.
Possibly the house itself.
Ethan walked forward and knocked on the door.
Immediately, loud roaring erupted from inside alongside Fang's miserable whining.
"Easy now—don't get excited, Norbert—behave!"
Hagrid sounded like he was wrestling a crocodile.
After several violent crashing noises, the door finally opened slightly.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione all instinctively stepped backward.
Clearly, they intended to let Ethan enter first and absorb any potential dragon-related violence.
The moment Ethan pushed the door open, he saw Hagrid struggling to hold Norbert like an oversized baby.
The dragon's body bent into an angry C-shape while thrashing violently in Hagrid's arms.
Sparks constantly burst from Norbert's nostrils.
Several fresh burn marks decorated Hagrid's beard.
Then Norbert saw Ethan.
Instantly, all resistance vanished.
The dragon slid out of Hagrid's arms like a giant lizard before happily rubbing itself around Ethan's legs.
At this point, Norbert already stood nearly waist-high.
"When humans behave like this, it's called Stockholm Syndrome," Ethan observed thoughtfully while staring down at the dragon.
At first, Norbert had been terrified of him.
Now, however, the dragon became overwhelmingly happy whenever Ethan approached.
And after Ethan touched its head, those emotions intensified even further.
What exactly was this?
Masochism?
The moment Norbert calmed down, the entire world suddenly became peaceful again.
Fortunately, Hagrid's hut contained enormous amounts of fire-resistant magical animal furs and blankets.
Otherwise Norbert probably would've burned the entire building down already.
As it stood, the dragon had merely scorched tables, chairs, walls…
…and Hagrid's beard.
"He's adorable…" Hagrid whispered emotionally while watching Norbert curl happily around Ethan's legs.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione remained completely silent.
None of them found the black dragon particularly cute.
Especially while sitting inside the wreckage Norbert had created.
Shredded cloth and magical creature fur littered the floor everywhere.
Hagrid's unicorn-fur blanket had been torn apart completely and appeared to have served as Norbert's teething toy at some point.
Now the dragon chewed enthusiastically on a rough wooden dragon statue Hagrid had carved for him instead.
Fresh bite marks covered the carving.
Presumably it had been made from some especially fire-resistant wand wood.
"Honestly, I think he's fine," Ethan commented neutrally.
From certain angles, Norbert actually did look relatively cute.
When quiet.
If he maintained this oversized-puppy personality permanently, he'd make an unexpectedly useful pet.
"Should we move him into the Room of Requirement soon?" Harry asked cautiously.
"Actually," Ethan replied, "that's what I wanted to discuss today."
He glanced toward Hagrid.
"We can't keep him inside Hogwarts anymore."
"What?!" Hermione nearly shrieked. "But by the end of term he'll be the size of a house!"
"So maybe I could hide him in the Forbidden Forest?" Hagrid asked hopefully.
"No," Ethan answered immediately. "Once his wing membranes finish thickening, he'll start flying."
"And the moment students spot a dragon flying around the forest, the school governors will intervene."
Then Ethan spoke very bluntly.
"The Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures will either kill him or capture him."
"They can't do that!" Hagrid roared in horror. "That's cruel!"
Norbert seemed to understand enough of the conversation to become anxious.
The dragon immediately began rubbing its head desperately against Ethan's stomach in what appeared to be an attempt at looking cute enough to avoid execution.
If a less adorable creature tried this behaviour, it would probably feel considerably more disturbing.
"Why can't we keep him in that magical room?" Hermione asked worriedly. "Maybe Ron should just write to Charlie now."
"But Charlie's dragons eventually become potion ingredients too, don't they?" Harry pointed out soberly. "That's basically the same ending."
"Because Dumbledore wrote to me," Ethan explained.
"He explicitly forbade keeping dragons inside Hogwarts Castle."
Then he added honestly:
"And he's right. It's too dangerous."
The moment Hagrid heard Dumbledore already knew about Norbert, all colour drained from his face.
"P-Professor Dumbledore knows?" he whispered weakly. "O' course he does… nothin' stays hidden from him…"
"Don't blame yourself too much," Ethan said calmly. "Dumbledore didn't punish us. Despite the laws involved, he isn't reporting anyone."
"And he's trying to help."
Hagrid immediately covered his face.
"Oh, Merlin… Dumbledore really… I…"
He sounded genuinely emotional.
"He trusted me so much…"
"What's the plan then?" Ron asked carefully. "If necessary, I can write to Charlie immediately."
"We keep him in a box," Ethan answered.
Everyone stared at him.
"An expanded magical container," Ethan clarified. "I'm working on one now."
"Dumbledore gave me a reference book."
"Once the Count returns with the last materials I need, I'll be able to create a box large enough to permanently house a dragon."
....
Join my P@treon FOR FREE and get 5 advanced chapters.
Paid members can get upto 60+ chapters ahead of the public release.
Link : [email protected]/thebookaddict