Harry Potter and the Girl Who Never Died

Chapter Twenty-Nine: Trouble Arises

"Wonder what it's like to have a peaceful life," Ron sighed, as evening after evening they struggled through all the extra homework they were getting. Hermione had now started making study schedules for the rest too. It was driving them nuts. Camellia and Neville were the only ones who did the revision without complaint, well, they had nothing to complain about, since it was easy for them. 

Though the next breakfast, they noticed Hedwig with a ruffed up note. She landed on Harry's shoulder, and after he read it, he grabbed Dean, Seamus and Lavender with him, and they all went running out. Camellia's bunch left as well, as she cast the invisibility charm on them again. 

They hurried through the grounds to the edge of the forest. Hagrid greeted them, looking flushed and excited.

"It's nearly out." He ushered them inside. This time, Camellia couldn't get in, so they could only look inside through a window. 

The egg was lying on the table. There were deep cracks in it. Something was moving inside; a funny clicking noise was coming from it.

They all drew their chairs up to the table and watched with bated breath.

All at once there was a scraping noise and the egg split open. The baby dragon flopped onto the table. It wasn't exactly pretty; Harry thought it looked like a crumpled, black umbrella. Its spiny wings were huge compared to its skinny jet body, it had a long snout with wide nostrils, the stubs of horns and bulging, orange eyes.

It sneezed. A couple of sparks flew out of its snout.

"Isn't he beautiful ?" Hagrid murmured. He reached out a hand to stroke the dragon's head. It snapped at his fingers, showing pointed fangs.

"Bless him, look, he knows his mommy!" said Hagrid.

"Hagrid," said Lavender, "how fast do Norwegian Ridgebacks grow, exactly?"

Hagrid was about to answer when the colour suddenly drained from his face -- he leapt to his feet and ran to the window. Camellia gasped and noticed Isolt on her shoulder, looking in as well. She cast the same spell on Isolt as well, turning invisible in hopes of Hagrid thinking it was the trick of the light. 

"What's the matter?"

"Somethin' was lookin' through the gap in the curtains -- it's a cat -- it's gone now though."

''What did it look like?''

''I don' know. It had a weird mix'ure of three colours though.''

Harry bolted to the door and looked out. The cat was nowhere to be seen, though only one cat existed to have three colours on its face.

Camellia's cat had seen the dragon.

''What can a cat do? It's just a cat Harry!'' Dean tried to reason with the worried boy. 

''I don't know, but I'm worried.''

~oOo~

Something about the smile lurking on Malfoy's and Weasley's face during the next week made Harry, Dean, Seamus and Lavender very nervous. They spent most of their free time in Hagrid's darkened hut, trying to reason with him.

"Just let him go," Harry urged. "Set him free."

"I can't," said Hagrid. "He's too little. He'd die."

They looked at the dragon. It had grown three times in length in just a week. Smoke kept furling out of its nostrils. Hagrid hadn't been doing his gamekeeping duties because the dragon was keeping him so busy. There were empty brandy bottles and chicken feathers all over the floor.