Chapter 474: Hagrid Wants to be a Mother
Chapter 474: Hagrid Wants to be a Mother
After being reminded by Albert, Fred, George, and Lee Jordan abandoned the idea of spreading news about what happened in the dungeon. However, this exciting adventure still thrilled them.
The quartet had planned to sneak out to Hogsmeade for a fun day during the Easter holidays, but right after breakfast, Wood cruelly informed them that there would be a Quidditch practice session later.
"Doesn't Wood need to revise?" Lee Jordan asked in sympathy as he watched Fred and George being dragged away by Wood, confusion evident on his face.
The fifth-year students were busy reviewing their lessons and preparing for the upcoming exams.
"Wood intends to join a Quidditch team after graduation, so training his skills is more important to him than exam grades," Albert replied distractedly.
He was surprised that he hadn't received any letters from Hagrid. Hagrid should have obtained the dragon egg by now! Could something have gone wrong?
"I'm going to find Hagrid. Want to come?"
Albert casually invited Lee Jordan to join him for tea at Hagrid's hut in the gamekeeper's cabin.
As expected, Lee Jordan quickly made an excuse, saying he had to go to the library with Sana to work on homework. Albert didn't bother to call out his lie and instead decided to go find Hagrid alone.
A few minutes later, Albert raised his hand and knocked on the wooden door of the gamekeeper's cabin. The sound of Fang scratching at the door could be heard from inside, but it seemed no one was home.
"Hagrid, are you in there?" Albert knocked again, but Hagrid still didn't open the door.
He walked around the cabin and noticed that the windows were all closed.
Left with no choice, Albert took out his wand and opened the door himself.
Although it was impolite, Albert wanted to make sure if Hagrid had obtained the dragon egg, so he took the liberty of entering.
As soon as he opened the door, Fang rushed towards Albert, wanting to lick his face. Albert stopped him and Fang obediently circled around him instead.
Hagrid was still asleep, probably due to drunkenness from the night before.
No wonder he hadn't sent any letters.
The room was filled with a strong, sour smell, and Albert covered his nose and mouth with his hand. He then raised his wand and gently waved it, opening all the windows to clear the air.
As Albert approached the bed, he noticed that Hagrid was holding a basket, and inside it was an egg.
"Looks like Hagrid has successfully gotten his hands on that dragon egg!"
Albert breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing the egg and called out to the sleeping Hagrid, "Hagrid, if you don't get up now, someone might steal the dragon egg!"
The next moment, Hagrid suddenly jolted awake from his slumber. He hastily checked his basket, and upon seeing that the dragon egg was still there, he breathed a sigh of relief. He shot an annoyed glance at the one who had startled him.
"You're awake?" Albert greeted Hagrid with a mischievous smile.
"How did you get here?" Hagrid asked, covering a yawn with his hand and giving Albert a slightly irritated look. The boy had really given him a scare.
"Of course, I came to see if my prediction came true," Albert said, reaching out to scratch Fang's ears. His gaze fell on the dragon egg in the basket, and a faint smile appeared on his lips. "Looks like my prediction was spot on."
"Yeah, it really was. I won this dragon egg from a vendor in a game of cards last night," Hagrid excitedly recounted the previous night's events to Albert.
"Congratulations, I'm glad it worked out for you," Albert said. "So, what's your plan now? Are you going to hatch the dragon?"
"Yes, I want to hatch it," Hagrid said, gently stroking the dragon egg as if it were a precious treasure. "I've even thought of a name. I'm going to call him Norbert."
"That's a good name," Albert said, scratching under Fang's chin and looking up at Hagrid. "But first, you need to figure out what kind of dragon it is. Then, you'll need to research what this particular breed of dragon eats when they're young. You don't want the baby dragon to die because of improper care. Newly hatched dragons are usually very fragile, even if they are dragons."
"Albert, I could use your help," Hagrid paused in his stroking and turned to Albert for assistance, realizing that raising a dragon wouldn't be easy. At the very least, Hagrid had no experience in dragon-rearing.
"You'll need to head to the library to find information on dragon-rearing," Albert suggested, glancing at the new task that had appeared on his task board: 'Norbert's Birth'.
Your good friend Hagrid has obtained a dragon egg, but he has no experience in hatching or caring for a dragon. He seeks your help, and as a friend, you might be able to assist him in hatching the dragon egg.
Reward: 1000 experience, Hagrid's favorability +10.
Although the task reward wasn't substantial, Albert was content. It was much better than the recent 'Leaker' task, and it seemed straightforward.
After Hagrid finished speaking, Albert pulled out a piece of parchment he had prepared earlier from his pocket and handed it to Hagrid. It contained information on dragon-rearing books that Albert had located in the library.
"Here, take this and go borrow the books yourself from the library. You're the expert when it comes to caring for these dangerous magical creatures, and my ability to help you is quite limited."
Hagrid was taken aback and took the parchment to examine it. There were four books listed: European Dragon Species, From Hatchling to Nirvana, A Dragon Keeper's Guide, and Raising Dragons for Pleasure and Profit.
"Of course, these books might be a bit outdated, but the information within should still be useful."
"Thanks, I knew I could count on you." Hagrid moved forward to give Albert a hug, but the latter skillfully dodged it.
Albert had no desire to be hugged by Hagrid, who reeked of sour stench.
"But I need to warn you beforehand, Hagrid," Albert said as he sat back down and looked directly into Hagrid's eyes. "And don't blame me for being blunt."
"What is it?" Hagrid asked.
"No matter the type of dragon, it can grow two to three times its size in just a week. Within a month, it will be nearly impossible to hide it from others." Noting Hagrid's evasive gaze, Albert sighed and continued, "I told you this before, but I guess you didn't want to hear it. Still, I need to make it clear. You won't be able to keep Norbert for long, and you'll have to ask the headmaster for help in sending him away eventually."
Hagrid opened his mouth, knowing Albert was right, but unwilling to accept this reality.
"How long you get to care for Norbert depends entirely on how well you keep this a secret," Albert reminded him. "The more people who know about it, the harder it will be to conceal. The best approach is to quietly hatch the dragon egg and then send away the grown dragon so that you don't cause any trouble for the headmaster. You need to be prepared for that."
Hearing Albert's words, Hagrid, like a child, became sad and tears welled up in his eyes.
Albert shook his head at the sight of Hagrid's sorrow, wondering how he had ended up being the bad guy.
Just then, an owl flew into the cabin through the window and landed on the table in front of Albert, delivering a letter to him.
"A letter for you?" Hagrid noticed the owl as well.
"Yes, it's for me," Albert acknowledged.
He recognized the letter to be from Mr. Broad, insisting that he attend the gathering that evening. It also mentioned that arrangements had been made with Professor McGonagall to use her fireplace for transportation to the venue.
(End of Chapter)
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