A Secret in Hagrid's Hut
As the weeks went by, the boys truly seemed to have turned into some kind of protective cult around Quirrell, with Percy even glaring threateningly at anyone who dared to make fun of his stutter. Obviously, Harry realized that he was doing it simply because he felt guilty about having attacked him by accident, when in reality he had meant to attack Snape.
Even so, Harry did not say much about it, since he genuinely felt that, at the very least, Percy was doing something good.
Another thing Harry noticed about Percy was that he seemed constantly distracted, and that he stayed very close to Grover. But no longer with the suspicion he had before. Instead, it felt more like he truly wanted to uncover Grover's secrets for some specific reason. However, even when Harry asked him about it, Percy never said much, always giving the same answer.
"Don't worry, leave it to me."
That caused Percy to be somewhat distant from Harry at times, to the point where Harry would occasionally lose sight of him. Still, as long as Percy did not get into trouble, Harry believed it was fine. At the very least, he had sent Neville to stay close to Percy at all times. Although, to be honest, it was far more likely that Neville would end up being dragged into something problematic by Percy himself. But at least he would not be alone.
Right now, Harry, Hermione, and Ron were pressing their ears against the door on the third floor, making sure that Fluffy was still there, guarding the Philosopher's Stone.
"Fuuu," Ron sighed in relief. "He's still there," he said after hearing Fluffy's growl from inside.
"Now that we've confirmed that, like every day, it's time to get back to studying," Hermione said. She had already prepared a rather extensive study schedule in advance. They were already getting ready for the exams.
It would have been truly great, if it were not for the fact that there were still at least ten weeks left before them.
Ron made a rather cryptic face when he heard that. More than anyone else, he hated that part of Hermione. Or rather, he hated studying in general. Something he shared with Percy, who was managing to avoid all of that simply by being too busy.
Harry, on the other hand, did not seem to care much. After all, back home, when they attended a Muggle school, they also had private lessons with Professor Gema. When she found out that Hogwarts did not teach what she considered truly necessary things for the future, she seemed to have created even worse schedules for both of them. And Sally, worried about their future and about the fact that universities did not exist in the magical world, had not been able to refuse.
At least Professor Gema did not interfere while they were studying at Hogwarts, allowing them to focus on their magical homework while in the magical world, and on their non magical work when they were in the Muggle world.
"Harry doesn't even complain," Hermione said in disbelief, looking at Ron with that slightly superior air she sometimes had.
"That's because he's just like you and spends all his time reading that weird book," Ron replied immediately.
The noise the two of them made caused the door next to them to suddenly shake violently, followed by loud barking from inside. All three fell silent at once, their eyes wide with nervousness.
"I think it'd be better if we leave," Harry said, as the other two quickly nodded and hurried away.
…
"With how many times you read that book, you should know it by heart by now," Ron said, trying to divert his attention while they studied. Every so often, he became genuinely exhausted.
The three of them were in the library, surrounded by other students. Even so, an almost absolute silence filled the place, something quite common there. Perhaps it was due to the presence of Madam Pince, the librarian, who was extremely strict and severe. Almost as much as Professor McGonagall.
"That's not how it works," Harry replied without lifting his gaze, going over the same page several times with a serious expression.
Ron leaned slightly closer, trying to see what Harry was reading, only to find that the page he had been staring at was completely blank, which left him rather confused.
"What a weird book," he repeated, as he always did whenever he tried to snoop into whatever it was that interested Harry so much.
Hermione, who had been studying, could not help but look up. It was obvious how interested she was in Harry's book, how much she wanted to read it. But she also knew how carefully Harry guarded it, and that he never left it unattended. Because of that, she never dared to ask to borrow it, afraid of being rejected.
At least she knew, based on what Harry had explained, that it was a special kind of magic, something only certain people could use or even see.
That left her somewhat dissatisfied. She believed that such magic should not exist, or that it would be extremely rare, especially if only a few people could learn it. And according to Harry, even if someone could see it, that did not mean they could learn it.
Harry seemed to feel Hermione's gaze on him, so he lifted his eyes from the book and met hers. Hermione quickly looked away, returning to her work as if nothing had happened.
Harry merely made a slightly confused expression before continuing to read the spell in his book.
"Harry!" Percy shouted as he hurried in through the entrance, instantly earning a severe glare from Madam Pince, along with a sharp shushing sound that made him stop in his tracks.
"Sorry," Percy said immediately, looking at her. She stared at him intently, as if giving him a single chance before throwing him out.
Something that had, in fact, already happened before, so Percy was fairly sure she would not hesitate to do it again.
Harry set his book aside for a moment, looking at his brother.
"I discovered something really impressive about Hagrid," Percy said in a low voice, glancing once more at Madam Pince, who was still watching him with narrowed eyes, forcing him to lower his voice even further. "You have to come," he added, clearly excited.
Harry, Hermione, and Ron exchanged glances when they saw Percy's expression, and they could not help but follow him, leaving their work behind for the moment. They knew Percy had been investigating something related to Grover and the Forbidden Forest, but… what did Hagrid have to do with any of that?
Percy, above all, seemed unwilling to say anything as he guided them quickly through the corridors, until they reached Hagrid's hut. However, what truly caught Harry's attention was that, as soon as they arrived, it was obvious that all the curtains of the hut were completely closed.
Something truly strange.
Even so, Percy knocked on the door with enthusiasm, while Harry watched with a hint of suspicion.
"Who is it?" Hagrid asked immediately from the other side.
"Percy," he replied, saying his name without hesitation.
Upon hearing that, Hagrid opened the door. As soon as he stuck his head out, his eyes widened when he realized Percy was not alone. He barely had time to react before Percy pushed the door open and pulled the others inside, leaving Hagrid with no choice but to close the door hurriedly behind them, clearly nervous.
"W what… why are you all here?" Hagrid asked, looking at Percy with a nervous tone, though at the same time he seemed happy to see them.
"I brought them so they could see the egg," Percy said immediately.
"An egg?" Harry asked.
"What kind of egg?" Hermione added.
Hagrid seemed to panic instantly.
"What egg are you talking about? I don't have any egg. In fact, I don't even know what an egg is," he said in rapid succession.
"Don't play dumb, Hagrid. I'm sure I saw you come in with one hidden under your clothes," Percy said with interest, looking around as if searching for something. "It was while I was following Grover into… well, that doesn't matter. Where is it?" he asked. "And why is it so hot in here?" he added, already feeling like he was melting.
Harry's gaze, after hearing his brother, also wandered around the room, until it locked directly onto the pot over the fire, which was burning at an exaggerated intensity, packed with logs feeding the flames.
"N no, there's no egg. It's just me, and I was making tea with some stoat snacks. Would you like some?" Hagrid said, trembling slightly. However, his eyes kept drifting toward the fireplace again and again, something both Harry and Percy immediately noticed.
"Aha," Percy exclaimed. "I'll stop him, Harry," he said at once, moving almost in sync with his brother.
Percy planted himself in front of Hagrid with his arms spread wide, blocking his path. The difference in size was enormous, but everyone knew that Hagrid would never hurt a student, not even by accident.
Meanwhile, Harry ran toward the pot.
"Wait!" Hagrid shouted immediately, trying to rush after him, but Percy stepped in his way, forcing him to stop so he would not crush him. "That… that's my soufflé," he said quickly. "If you open it now, it'll collapse."
"A soufflé doesn't cook at this temperature," Harry replied, refusing to be fooled. He grabbed a nearby cloth and lifted the lid of the pot.
The moment he did, a massive amount of steam burst out from the heat inside, forcing him to jump back immediately.
Hagrid, realizing there was nothing more he could do, gave up and moved closer to the others, who leaned in to look inside. There, amid the suffocating heat, lay an enormous, striking, completely black egg.
"Ah…" Hagrid tugged at his beard nervously, trying to come up with an excuse. "That… uh…"
"Where did you get it, Hagrid?" Ron interrupted, his eyes shining with interest. He seemed to recognize exactly what it was, stepping closer to inspect it more carefully so as not to be mistaken. "It must have cost you a fortune," he added.
"No. I won it," Hagrid replied. The others still did not seem to understand what kind of egg it was. "At the pub, the night before. I went to have a couple of drinks and play some cards. The bloke who lost it didn't look too happy about it," he explained, no longer having a better excuse.
"What is it?" Hermione asked. After all, she had never seen an egg like that.
"It's a dragon egg," Ron said confidently. "Charlie showed me some pictures," he explained.
That made Hermione's eyes widen.
"But… aren't they illegal?" she said immediately, with surprise and a slight hint of panic.
"Well, yeah. There are lots of laws, because dragons are dangerous, especially when they get loose," Ron replied. "Last time, my dad said they had to wipe the memories of more than ten Muggles who saw one. Though I heard the Aurors arrived late and…", he looked at Percy and Harry. "The Knights took it away," he added.
"Yes, Grandpa Vincent was really furious back then," Harry said with a serious expression. "He said he would arrest whoever was responsible for a long time for putting so many people in danger."
Everyone's gaze slowly turned toward Hagrid.
"What are you going to do when it hatches?" Hermione asked seriously.
"Well, I've been reading a bit," Hagrid said, pulling a book out from under his pillow. The title read, Dragon Breeding for Pleasure and Profit. "I borrowed it from the library," he added.
"It's a bit old fashioned, but it's all in there. How to keep the egg in the fire, since the mother breathes fire on them, and then, when they hatch, feed them brandy and chicken blood every half hour. It also explains how to tell them apart. Look, the one I've got shows up here. It's a Norwegian Ridgeback," Hagrid said, clearly excited and proud of himself.
But that was not what Hermione had asked. She was looking at him with a clearly dissatisfied expression.
"That's not what I asked, Hagrid. And besides… you live in a wooden house…", she said, though Hagrid did not seem to be listening to her at all.
He was softly humming a lullaby while gently rocking the egg inside the pot.
That made Hermione feel even more worried about what would happen if someone discovered Hagrid keeping an illegal dragon in his hut. She sent a glance toward Harry, thinking that at least he would share her concerns.
But Harry was looking at the boy who had grown up as the brother of worry itself. Percy was standing next to Hagrid, watching the dragon egg with clear interest, most likely already thinking up unsafe and rather foolish ideas.
When Hermione caught Harry's eye, he looked back at her and simply shrugged, as if to say there was nothing that could be done, that the only option was to go along with it.
Something that, of course, did not help Hermione at all.