Hagrid teased the newly hatched Norbert, but his eyes kept drifting toward Abei, who was crunching on eggshells. His gaze was full of curiosity.
He dearly wished Abei would walk over on her own so he could take a closer look. Better still, he wanted to reach out and pet her.
But with Hermione watching him so sternly, that wish was nothing but a fantasy.
Harry and Ron, meanwhile, were enthusiastically admiring Norbert. Unlike Hagrid, they had spent days racking their brains over how to steal Abei the cat.
They had long since experienced Hagrid's desire to observe and pet Abei up close. By comparison, Norbert the Norwegian Ridgeback was far more appealing to them.
Abei might have been an unknown magical creature, but she could not possibly surpass the pinnacle of magical creatures: dragons.
Meanwhile, Crabbe and Goyle finally arrived at the Slytherin Common Room.
"Pure-blood!"
They entered the password and went through the door.
Without wasting a moment, the two hurried straight into the dormitory.
"Aaron, something big has happened. Something really big," Crabbe panted.
"What is it?" Aaron looked at them calmly. "Where's Draco? It's already curfew. Didn't he come back with you?"
"He's the one who told us to notify you," Goyle added anxiously between breaths. "There's no time. Come with us."
"Calm down. What exactly happened? Goyle, you tell me."
"Harry Potter, Ron, and Hermione... they, they..."
"What about them?"
"They took Abei to Hagrid's place."
"What?" Aaron's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately got out of bed. "Are you sure you didn't see wrong?"
"Absolutely. One person might have been mistaken, but all three of us couldn't have been," Crabbe said.
"Good grief, no wonder Hermione borrowed Abei from me! So this was planned all along! Hagrid, you thick-browed fool, I never thought