Chapter 480: Scheming
Chapter 480: Scheming
Over the next few days, Harry's mood remained agitated. He had wanted to discuss Hagrid's dragon with Albert, but he hadn't seen him for several days.
Draco Malfoy kept shooting them unfriendly smiles, making Harry, Ron, and Hermione feel uneasy, as if something bad was about to happen.
"We really can't wait any longer. In just three days, that dragon has doubled in size. If this continues, it won't be long... remember, dragons have wings and can fly."
Harry tried to keep his voice low, but he couldn't hide his restlessness and anxiety.
"We must talk to Albert. We have to convince Hagrid to give up that dragon, no matter what. I suspect Malfoy is up to something big."
However, what they didn't know was that even when they were discussing this matter privately, their conversation was overheard by Quirinus Quirrell who happened to be passing by.
Quirrell, of course, knew about Hagrid keeping a dragon, after all, he was the one who had given Hagrid the dragon egg. But hearing Potter's suspicion made him wonder if Malfoy had also seen the baby dragon that had hatched.
"A big conspiracy?"
A cold smile tugged at the corner of Quirrell's mouth as he quietly turned and walked away.
It had cost Quirrell six hundred galleons to buy information about all the obstacles and their solutions from the mysterious seller, but the most troublesome issue for him now was the magical trap set by Dumbledore to protect the Philosopher's Stone.
According to the letter, Dumbledore had hidden the stone inside the Mirror of Erised. To retrieve the stone from the mirror, one would have to fulfill a certain condition.
The solution provided by the seller was: "Steal the mirror along with the stone."
Yes, steal the mirror and the stone would be yours.
What a scam! Quirrell wanted to dig up the galleons he had buried, but considering the possibility of the seller reporting him to Dumbledore, he gave up on the idea.
While the suggestion was not entirely wrong, it caused Quirrell a lot of frustration.
However, the question remained: how to distract Dumbledore?
So, Quirrell spent another two hundred galleons to buy a solution for distracting Dumbledore from the "seller of everything."
With these successive expenses, Quirrell's pocket was almost empty.
Nevertheless, he didn't hesitate and promptly paid the money.
After all, once he obtained the Philosopher's Stone, he wouldn't have to worry about galleons ever again.
Back in his office, Quirrell read the letter several times and suddenly felt a shiver down his spine.
That mysterious person knew about Malfoy discovering the baby dragon! If he followed the plan provided, there was no guarantee that the seller wouldn't betray him at the last moment.
Who was he?
Given his familiarity with Hogwarts, he must be a student or teacher at the school.
Albert Anderson?
The name that had been causing Quirrell a stomachache came to mind.
Could it be him?
No, impossible! Albert was just a third-year student. How could he possibly keep this from me?
Quirrell quickly dismissed the possibility! That very day, Malfoy fell under Quirrell's control as he secretly cast the Imperius Curse on him. From Malfoy's memory, Quirrell confirmed that what he had heard from Harry was true—Malfoy had indeed witnessed the birth of the baby dragon.
While writing a letter to his family, Malfoy casually mentioned Hagrid's illegal dragon-keeping to them.
Then, Quirrell sent an anonymous report to the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge.
The content of the letter was a report from a Hogwarts professor about Hagrid, the gamekeeper, illegally keeping a dragon.
After that, he had Malfoy anonymously report it to the Daily Prophet.
The previous incident with the dragon egg had caused quite a stir.
Now, if the Ministry of Magic discovered that Hagrid was keeping a dragon, things would get interesting.
After carrying out these tasks, Quirrell instructed Malfoy to inform Severus Snape about it and then modified Malfoy's memory to make him aware of his actions.
As for the anonymous report to the Ministry of Magic, who could it be?
Of course, it had to be Snape! Aside from him, which professor at Hogwarts knew about Hagrid's dragon?
Me?
No, no, I know nothing about it.
Although there were still many loopholes in this plan, it didn't affect Quirrell's scheme at all.
It would be great if he could also expose Dumbledore for keeping a three-headed dog in the castle and really give that person a hard time.
As for who would ultimately be suspected, Quirrell didn't care.
Once he got the Philosopher's Stone, he would be long gone.
At that moment, Snape, who had just received Malfoy's report, was a little dazed.
Hagrid had somehow obtained a dragon egg and even hatched it? Snape could tell that Malfoy wasn't lying.
If this was true, the situation needed to be addressed. He should inform Dumbledore about it.
Snape hadn't forgotten how he had been bitten by the large dog Hagrid had been raising.
Although it might seem like a personal grudge, Snape didn't think he was doing anything wrong.
After all, keeping a dragon was against the law.
Keeping a dragon at Hogwarts was even more inappropriate. What if a student got hurt by the dragon?
The next day, the Daily Prophet was filled with headlines about Hagrid, the gamekeeper of Hogwarts, keeping a dragon.
Harry's hands shook as he held the newspaper, especially after seeing the strange smile on Malfoy's face. He knew exactly what was going on.
That jerk! At that moment, Harry wanted to punch Malfoy in the nose.
"Harry, what should we do?" Hermione asked worriedly, closing the Daily Prophet.
"We have to talk to Hagrid. Bring my Invisibility Cloak."
The three of them hurried toward Hagrid's hut and saw that Dumbledore was talking to a short, plump man outside the hut.
"That's the Minister of Magic," Ron whispered, pointing at the man next to Dumbledore. "What's he doing here?"
Harry nudged Ron's ribs with his elbow, signaling him to be quiet. They didn't dare to approach, so they just watched from a distance until Fudge and his wizards were sent away by Dumbledore.
"Hagrid, are you alright?"
After Dumbledore left, Harry entered Hagrid's hut and asked with concern, seeing the dejected look on Hagrid's face. "What about the dragon?"
"What dragon?"
Hagrid asked in confusion.
Harry opened his mouth but didn't know what to say.
"Is it taken care of?" Hermione asked softly.
"That Malfoy brat is deliberately slandering me. I heard that a professor at Hogwarts sent a letter to the Ministry of Magic, claiming that I'm keeping a dragon in secret," Hagrid said indignantly. "How could I not know that keeping a dragon is against the law?"
Harry, Ron, and Hermione looked at each other, confused by what Hagrid was saying.
(End of Chapter)
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