Chapter 483: This Dragon is Poisonous
Chapter 483: This Dragon is Poisonous
"Hermione, do you really think that will work?"
Harry and Hermione were still discussing what had just happened as they walked out of the infirmary.
If word got out that someone was going to the Astronomy Tower on Saturday night to send off the little dragon, there would likely be a crowd gathering to watch, and they would have to change their plans.
"Harry, we have to take this risk. Don't forget, we have the Invisibility Cloaks, and Malfoy and the others don't know about them," Hermione whispered, making sure they were alone. "We can also tell Filch about this. I doubt anyone else would dare come at that time unless they want to be caught and punished by him."
"You're right. It's too late to change the plan now," Harry agreed, taking a deep breath.
This might be their only chance to get rid of Norbert. They had the invisibility advantage that no one else knew about.
Soon, the news spread around the school that Filch would be patrolling the Astronomy Tower on Saturday night, and that he would punish any students found wandering around after hours.
With Filch's threat looming, students who had planned to sneak out to the tower that night quickly changed their minds. Being caught by Filch would be a miserable fate.
That morning, Harry and Hermione paid a visit to Hagrid's hut to inform him about their plan. When they saw the gamekeeper, they noticed he looked exhausted. The little dragon was clearly more trouble than they had imagined.
"You can't come in. Norbert's really hard to handle now," Hagrid said, his eyes filling with tears. It was unclear if he was regretting his decision to raise the dragon or if he was saddened by the impending separation from Norbert.
"Hagrid, Fang looks unwell," Hermione said, trying to divert Hagrid's attention to the lethargic boarhound.
"Did Norbert bite Fang's tail?"
"Hagrid, I have to remind you that Norbert's teeth are poisonous. Ron had to be hospitalized because of it," Harry said anxiously, looking at the listless Fang. He feared that Hagrid's dog might have been poisoned.
"Don't worry, Fang will be fine," Hagrid said dismissively.
Harry and Hermione exchanged glances, both thinking that Hagrid had become a bit abnormal due to the dragon.
Their worries were justified.
When they visited Hagrid again, they found that Fang had disappeared.
"Hagrid, where's Fang?"
Harry frowned and called out from outside the hut after circling it and not finding the boarhound.
"Fang's been poisoned. I asked Professor Kettleburn to help take care of him for a few days," Hagrid explained casually. In the past, he would never have been so nonchalant, but now all his attention was on the dragon, and he didn't even seem to care about his boarhound, whom he had raised for several years.
"Norbert's biting your feet," Hermione warned Hagrid anxiously. The dragon was venomous, and being bitten was too dangerous.
"It's alright. Norbert's just biting my boots. He's playing," Hagrid said, reaching out to pat the dragon's head, only to be bitten on his leather glove. He didn't seem concerned as he said to Harry and Hermione outside the hut, "The book says Norwegian Ridgebacks are exceptionally aggressive."
...
"Dragons are definitely one of the most dangerous creatures. They're nearly impossible to tame!" Hermione whispered to Harry. "I really can't understand how Hagrid has been raising it like a fluffy little rabbit."
"Me neither," Harry smiled bitterly.
Ever since seeing Ron's plight, he had made sure to stay as far away from Norbert as possible.
He certainly didn't want to get bitten.
Norbert was very active now, and like a puppy, he seemed to want to bite everything in sight. However, the worst part was that Norwegian Ridgebacks had venomous teeth, and a bite could be disastrous.
"Hagrid, perhaps we can cast a Stunning Spell on it to calm it down." Hermione suggested, feeling a bit sorry for Hagrid, who was being tormented by the dragon.
"That's a good idea." Harry agreed with Hermione. "By the way, what is a Stunning Spell?"
"I found it in the library," Hermione explained. "The spell knocks the target unconscious. I read in a book that dragon tamers often use Stunning Spells to calm down their dragons."
"You can't do that! He's just a baby!" Hagrid shouted, stopping Hermione's cruel plan in its tracks.
"I'm afraid Hagrid is heading for trouble if he continues like this." Harry didn't want to get involved in these matters. All he wanted was for Saturday to come sooner.
Not long after Harry and Hermione left, Albert returned with Fang.
The boarhound's tail had been bandaged, but the dog still looked listless and its tail hung limp.
"Professor Kettleburn might have guessed." Albert sat on a chair outside the hunting lodge and spoke to Hagrid inside. "You know, the news about you raising a dragon has spread throughout the school."
"Harry and Hermione just came by, and they said they'll send Norbert away on Saturday." Hagrid's voice was thick with emotion, and he sounded quite sad.
"Oh, so that letter was real. You should thank them properly." Albert took out some dog food from his pocket and fed it to Fang, scratching the dog's ears as he spoke to Hagrid inside the room.
"They're taking a big risk. If Filch catches them, they'll surely be in detention."
Hagrid fell silent.
In fact, his mind was so occupied with the dragon that he couldn't focus on anything else, or perhaps the clanging sounds coming from the room drowned out Albert's voice.
Albert didn't mind Hagrid's thoughts. As long as he had tasks to do and experience to gain, he was content.
After checking on Fang's condition, Albert headed back to the castle. As he passed through the entrance hall, Fred and George approached him.
"Is it true that Hagrid is raising a dragon?" Fred pulled Albert to a secluded spot and asked in a low voice.
"Ron's injury was indeed caused by a dragon bite." George added.
"Evidence?"
"This letter."
George took out a piece of parchment and waved it in front of Albert.
"Malfoy took this from Ron," Fred added.
"The handwriting does belong to Charlie, so we believe the story is true." George continued.
"Don't cause any trouble."
"We can help." Fred and George said in unison.
"You can't help with this!" Albert said helplessly. "Even the professors probably know by now. If they start patrolling, your Disillusionment Charms won't fool them."
"Actually, we just want to see what the little dragon looks like." Fred said reluctantly.
"I have photos that I can show you after this is over." Albert directly refused to let the twins cause trouble for Hagrid.
If they ruined the upcoming events, what would happen to his identity as a prophet?
"...How do they plan to..."
"Potter seems to have a pretty good Invisibility Cloak." Albert noticed someone approaching and changed the topic. "Heading to the library? I think you haven't finished your homework yet."
"Oh, alright!"
Seeing how impenetrable Albert was, Fred and George felt disappointed.
They could go and see the dragon themselves, but that might bring big trouble to Hagrid.
So, for now, it was better to keep quiet and pretend they knew nothing.
(End of Chapter)
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