Norbert and the Consequences
Everyone was nervous when they saw Percy sprint off to chase Malfoy, the two of them disappearing into the distance in seconds. It was not until Harry spotted Percy running back toward them that they relaxed even a little, his expression tight with frustration.
"Damn… I didn't catch him," Percy said as he entered the hut. "Snape almost got me," he added, even more annoyed, before quickly explaining everything.
Malfoy had gotten a sudden burst of speed when he saw Percy coming at him like a damn criminal. He reached the castle just in time, and at that exact moment, Snape had also been there. Because of that, Percy had been forced to dive into hiding immediately and then rushed back to warn the others.
"What do we do if he tells Snape?" Hermione asked at once, worried.
Ron and Harry did not look any better. They could clearly imagine Snape with a wide grin twisting his face, a smile he probably never used, but one that would surely appear in a moment this perfect, right as he expelled them and sent Hagrid to Azkaban.
"Hagrid, your only option is to run. As far away as you can," Percy said, as if it were the best plan he could come up with.
"No, of course not. I would never leave Hogwarts," Hagrid replied immediately. After all, he truly owed a lot to Hogwarts and to Professor Dumbledore.
Meanwhile, Ron stood by the window, staring outside and watching for any movement, just in case Snape showed up. Harry was trying to think of a way to help together with Hermione, but after several minutes, nothing happened, which only confused them more.
By then, the newborn dragon was already quite restless.
"We should go back to the castle and see if anything is happening," Hermione said right away, sounding like it was the best idea at the moment. Harry nodded.
So they all returned, leaving Hagrid alone with his dragon.
As the days passed, nothing really happened. The only difference was that Malfoy kept giving them incredibly annoying smiles whenever they crossed paths, which made them all nervous. It even seemed as if the fear he had once felt toward Percy had vanished, as though he now had something to keep him on a leash, which only irritated Percy further.
Even so, they continued spending time in Hagrid's hut.
"Maybe we should just call Dorien and…" Percy said, making a slicing gesture across his neck with his hand.
"He won't do that," Harry said immediately, though his gaze drifted slightly, unfocused. "I think," he added, not entirely convinced.
"Then we ask Mark for something to turn him into, maybe, a ferret," Percy suggested again.
"You want to ask him?" Harry asked, giving him a sideways look.
"Mmm… no. But if you ask him…" Percy replied.
"Can you please stop thinking about nonsense?" Hermione said, pressing a hand to her head with a faint ache. Then she turned back to Hagrid. "Hagrid, you have to set him free," she insisted, trying once more to reason with the stubborn gamekeeper.
"I can't," Hagrid said immediately. "He's too small. He'd die."
Everyone's gaze shifted toward the dragon, which was now almost three times bigger than when it had hatched. Smoke puffed from its nostrils with every breath, even though it seemed relatively calm at the moment. Still, it was easy to see that many objects inside the hut had been completely destroyed or burned. Brandy bottles and chicken feathers were scattered everywhere, turning the place into an absolute mess.
Because of the dragon, Hagrid had also neglected many of his duties as gamekeeper.
"I've decided to call him Norbert," Hagrid said, looking at the dragon with moist eyes. "He already recognizes me, look," he added as he stepped closer. "Norbert, Norbert… where's Mum?"
Percy glanced at Harry again, clearly wanting to say something that would have been deeply offensive at that moment. Just like last time, Harry had stopped him, and now he was doing it again. Percy could practically feel himself about to explode.
But Harry shook his head quickly.
Percy let out an annoyed huff, frustrated at not being allowed to be himself. Even so, this was Hagrid they were talking about, and Harry seemed to have grown genuinely fond of him, especially after learning that Hagrid, worried about Harry, had contacted old colleagues and friends of his parents to ask for photos and give them to him as a Christmas present.
Harry's expression hardened as he raised his voice.
"Hagrid," he said firmly, no longer joking. "If more time passes, in just two weeks that dragon will be as big as your hut, and Malfoy could tell Dumbledore at any moment. I asked Mr. Adrien what happened to the wizard who once let a dragon escape, and he was caught. He said they recently made a deal with the Ministry of Magic and agreed to lock him in Azkaban for a long, unforgiving time. Is that what you want?"
Even though his words sounded harsh, Harry was genuinely worried about the gamekeeper.
"I know I can't keep him forever… but I can't throw him out. I can't," Hagrid said, his voice trembling, on the verge of tears.
Harry could not help letting out a tired sigh. Percy kept looking at him as if he were about to say something. This time, Harry simply gestured for him to say whatever he wanted.
Percy took a deep breath and stepped forward.
"Hagrid… this isn't about whether we like the dragon or not anymore."
He pointed around the hut, at the destruction, at the smoke coming from Norbert's nostrils.
"He's growing way too fast. And you know it already."
He stared at him.
"They're going to come after you. I'm sure Malfoy's father truly hates us for what happened in prison. Maybe we don't know it yet, but do you really want to find out?"
Percy clenched his fists, looking seriously at the man who towered over him.
"I can deal with Malfoy, even with Snape. But I can't fight all of Azkaban. I don't even know where it is, and I don't want to."
"If you want to protect him… letting him go is the only way," he said after a brief pause.
Hagrid fell silent. He seemed to shrink slightly as Percy scolded him, like a child. A very, very tall child. He nodded slowly, lips pushed forward in a small pout.
Harry, Hermione, and Ron looked at Percy in surprise. They had expected him to say something stupid, but this time he had actually said something that helped.
Percy let out a huff when he saw Hagrid nod, knowing he had finally accepted it. Then he turned to look at the others, who were staring at him as if he were a different Percy, or maybe a fake one.
"I guess I woke up inspired today," he said, grinning proudly.
And just like that, they realized he was still the same Percy, since he completely ruined his own moment. Harry shook his head before turning toward Ron and suddenly widening his eyes, as if he had just remembered something.
"Charlie!" he blurted out, startling Ron.
"Are you out of your mind too? I'm Ron, you know," Ron replied, looking at him suspiciously, thinking that maybe Percy's condition had finally rubbed off on Harry. Though, to be fair, maybe he had always been like that and was just good at hiding it.
"No, idiot. I'm talking about Charlie, your brother. The one in Romania, the one who works with dragons," Harry said quickly. "We can send Norbert to him so he can take care of him and then release him."
"That's a good idea," Hermione said, nodding in approval. Hagrid, who had already accepted what Percy had said, neither rejected nor objected to the help, since it was clearly the best option.
So Harry sent Hedwig as fast as he could.
…
The following week passed painfully slowly. In moments like those, both Harry and Percy felt that the magical world could be quite annoying when it came to communication, relying on such a slow system, especially when the Muggle world had things like telephones. Well, they did have one at home, but only their mother used it, since both she and Aunt Mor did not allow them to use it because, supposedly, it would be bad for their development. In any case, it was not like they had anyone to call.
Harry and Hermione were sitting in the common room long after everyone else had gone to bed.
Harry was once again focused on his magical tome, studying it carefully, while Hermione read a large, thick book right in front of him. There was actually someone else there, and that was Percy, though saying he was present was stretching it. He had fallen asleep on the large sofa, a thin line of drool slipping from his mouth as he snored softly.
"Does he know he drools that much when he sleeps?" Hermione asked Harry after glancing at Percy.
"I don't think so. Just in case, I don't tell him. He might get offended," Harry replied, as if it were the most normal thing in the world.
"Mmm… I thought you two always told each other everything," she commented with mild curiosity about their relationship as brothers. After all, everyone knew that Harry, the Boy Who Lived, had been the only one to survive Voldemort's attack, the same one that had taken his parents.
"And that's true. For a long time, it was just Mum, Percy, and me. Well, before Aunt Mor arrived," Harry said, setting his magical tome aside for a moment, as if recalling his past, a genuine smile forming.
"It seems like you really love your family," Hermione said, returning his smile softly.
"Who wouldn't?" Harry replied naturally. "Even if Percy sometimes drives me crazy. He doesn't do it on purpose, he's just impulsive. But we always have fun together. Even those weird duels we have, we enjoy them like they're gold. There's nothing I wouldn't do for my family, and I'm sure it's the same for Percy, even if he tends to take things a bit further."
Hermione looked at Harry, then at Percy, and could not help feeling a small pang of jealousy at a bond like that. After all, she was an only child. The silence lingered for a few seconds until Hermione turned her attention back to Harry's tome.
"Hey, Harry," she said somewhat shyly as she looked at him. "Do you think…?"
She did not get to finish the question, because at that moment Ron entered through the common room entrance, removing Harry's invisibility cloak, his face twisted in pain as he clutched his hand.
"He bit me," Ron said, showing his hand wrapped in a bloodstained cloth. He had been helping Hagrid take care of Norbert.
Harry and Hermione stood up immediately, and at Ron's pained shout, Percy jolted awake.
"And on top of that, Hagrid kicked me out because, according to him, I scared him. I was the one who got bitten!" Ron complained. "I was even singing him a lullaby when I left," he added, clearly annoyed.
"If you keep this up, do you really think he'll let Norbert go when the time comes?" Percy said, rubbing his eyes, still half asleep.
"Let's hope so," Harry replied, before glancing toward the window just in time to see Hedwig arriving with a letter in her talons, which could only be from Charlie.