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Chapter 216: I Have a Better Option
Chapter 216: I Have a Better Option
Ron was truly terrified. After learning that Hagrid had kept an Acromantula as a pet, he no longer cared about the fire dragon. All he wanted was to get back to the castle.
He would gladly write a whole... well, half a day's worth of homework if it meant he could return safely.
However, this small request fell on deaf ears.
Harry and Hermione were still trying to persuade Hagrid to let Norbert go, and they certainly weren't leaving without a fight.
The idea of leaving Harry and Hermione behind while he returned to the castle alone had crossed Ron's mind, but he quickly dismissed it as it would make him seem cowardly.
Unable to leave and too scared to move, Ron could only stand there, his heart pounding and his fear of spiders overwhelming him.
"The Forbidden Forest is too small, Hagrid," Hermione said, trying to reason with him. "It might be able to hide a three-headed dog, but it can't hide a dragon. Remember, Norbert can fly. With just a slight flap of his wings, he can reach heights of fifty feet. Those trees won't be much use."
"But... I've only just gotten him," Hagrid said, hesitating.
"Do you want him to stay in the Forbidden Forest forever and never fly?" Hermione continued. "Norbert is a dragon, Hagrid. He belongs in the sky."
"I... I know I can't keep him forever," Hagrid said, biting his lip. "But he rubbed against my hand when he was eating yesterday. He must think of me as his mother... I can't just abandon him like that."
Huh?
Kyle looked up, puzzled, at Norbert, who was pretending to be dead on his arm.
What's going on? How did I become a dragon mom without even realizing it...
And he had never heard of fire dragons having a tradition of "rubbing hands to recognize family." How did Hagrid come to that conclusion?
"Charlie!"
At that moment, Harry suddenly shouted, catching everyone's attention.
Excitedly, he said, "Ron, I remember your brother, Charlie, studying dragons in Romania. Why don't we send Norbert to him?"
Ron didn't say a word, only nodding stiffly.
"That's a great idea!" exclaimed Hermione. "What do you think, Hagrid?"
"I'm sure Charlie will take good care of him!"
Hagrid remained silent for a moment, not immediately agreeing. He only said that he would consider it.
After that, no matter what Harry and Hermione said, he didn't budge.
It was only after the trio had left that Hagrid slumped into a chair and tugged at his hair, asking, "Kyle, do you think I should have agreed to send Norbert to Romania? Maybe that would've been the best option."
"To be honest, it's not necessary," Kyle said once he was sure the trio was out of earshot. "Charlie is indeed trustworthy, but I have a better option..."
Kyle stayed in Hagrid's cabin for a long time, not leaving until noon.
...
The next day, when Harry and Hermione returned to persuade Hagrid to give Norbert to Charlie, they received unexpected news.
"You've found a solution?" Harry asked, incredulous.
"Yes," Hagrid said, looking much more relaxed as he gutted a fish. "You're right; we can't keep a dragon here. So, once he gets a little bigger, he'll be on his way."
Hearing this, Harry breathed a sigh of relief.
Although he didn't know where Hagrid planned to send Norbert, he was just glad it wouldn't be at Hogwarts.
Ever since Ron had found out about their plans to visit Hagrid's hut again, he had left the common room and hadn't returned. Harry had no idea where he was.
...
"Hermione, don't you find this a bit strange?" Harry asked as they made their way back, glancing back at the direction of the hut. "It's only been a day, and suddenly Hagrid agrees to send Norbert away. Don't you think something might have happened that we don't know about?"
"There's nothing strange about it," Hermione replied. "Hagrid probably just realized that he can't possibly keep a dragon at Hogwarts."
"And besides, we have more important things to worry about right now," Hermione said anxiously, her eyes darting between the two boys. "Our end-of-term exams are coming up, and we need to make up for lost time and cram as much as we can!"
"Exams? They're ages away," said Harry carelessly.
"Twenty days!" Hermione countered. "Or, to be precise, next month is exam week. Do you still think it's early?"
"Twenty... days?" Harry stopped in his tracks, staring at Hermione in disbelief.
The last time they talked about exams, they had ten weeks left. How had it suddenly become twenty days?
It felt like only a few days had passed... Had someone stolen his time? Moreover, Harry felt utterly clueless about the lessons they had covered. His mind drew a complete blank.
When they returned to the castle and shared this newfound information with Ron, who was waiting for them at the entrance of the Great Hall, he wore an identical expression of dismay.
In that instant, the exams no longer seemed like a distant concern.
For the following days, Harry and Ron had no time to spare thinking about Hagrid and his fire dragon.
Night after night, after finishing the piles of homework assigned by their teachers, they had to force themselves to follow the review plan Hermione had meticulously crafted, driving themselves to the brink of madness.
"This is terrifying..."
In the library, Ron stared at the towering stack of thick books before him, on the verge of a breakdown. "I'm even dreaming about automatic stirring cauldrons now."
"So, did you dream of the answers?" Hermione looked up, her tone laced with annoyance. "Can you name the wizards who invented them?"
She had even more books stacked in front of her, nearly filling the entire table.
"I only remember those cauldrons lining up to smash my head..." Ron's face was etched with misery. "But Hermione, why do you need to review? You already know everything."
"Have those cauldrons smashed you silly?" Hermione snapped, her frustration evident. "Just knowing the material won't get me an 'Outstanding' on the O.W.L.s. What if the questions are extremely difficult? I can't even imagine getting an 'Exceeds Expectations'—it would be a disaster!"
Harry and Ron exchanged glances, silently agreeing that they would be overjoyed to even get an 'Exceeds Expectations.'
"But you're already the best in our year," Ron whispered. "You're always the first one to finish the tasks set by our professors."
"Lots of people can do that..." Hermione shook her head. "For example, Kyle in our year. And I heard he got full marks last year."
(End of Chapter)
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