Little Dragon Norbert, Part 2

Days turned into weeks, and the dragon egg in Hagrid's hut was slowly nearing its hatching day. Finally, during breakfast today, Harry received a letter from Hagrid.

Opening the letter, Harry quickly read it once before turning his head to speak softly with Hermione and Ron.

"Hagrid wrote that the dragon is about to hatch and asked us to go see it this afternoon."

Hermione, who was eating breakfast, took a sip of pumpkin juice and swallowed the sandwich in her mouth. "Sure, then we'll go after our classes this afternoon."

"Mhm." Ron nodded in agreement. Hermione put down the cup of pumpkin juice in her hand, turned back to the Ravenclaw table, and as expected, Lin Yue had already finished breakfast and left.

Sighing helplessly, Hermione turned back to her breakfast, deciding to tell Lin Yue at noon.

After the morning's Spell class ended, Hermione dragged Harry and Ron, and they sprinted towards the Great Hall. Even running breathlessly like this, they only just managed to meet Lin Yue at the entrance of the Great Hall, who had been "sent" by the Hogwarts stairs.

"Lin Yue... Good afternoon," Hermione said, slowly placing her hand on her chest to catch her breath.

Lin Yue stopped when she heard her full name and mechanically turned around to look at Hermione.

"Good afternoon, Hermione. What's wrong?"

Hermione caught her breath, smiled gently at Lin Yue, walked up to her, and spoke softly.

"Hagrid said the baby dragon is about to hatch and asked us to go see it this afternoon."

Lin Yue listened to Hermione's words and nodded expressionlessly. "Okay, I got it."

Hermione lowered her gaze and thought carefully. "Your afternoon class... is Professor McGonagall's Transfiguration, right?"

"Yes."

"Then we'll pick you up later." Hermione's eyes sparkled as she looked at Lin Yue.

Lin Yue, under Hermione's gaze, nodded obliviously. "Mhm, thank you for your trouble."

Entering the Great Hall and sitting at the Ravenclaw table, Lin Yue quickly ate while the image of Hermione's sparkling eyes flashed through her mind.

The bright light seemed to still shine on her, making her feel warm.

After lunch, Lin Yue went directly to the Transfiguration classroom. Sitting in the classroom, engrossed in her book, Lin Yue, as usual, ignored everything around her.

Professor McGonagall, carrying her textbook, walked into the classroom and sighed, looking at Lin Yue, who was reading as expected. After teaching for so many years, she truly had only one student like this, making her want to persuade her to stop studying and rest.

In the end, she couldn't bring herself to speak. Professor McGonagall withdrew her gaze and began to tidy the podium. It was good for a student to study; she couldn't possibly stop a student from learning...

After a Transfiguration class, Lin Yue once again contributed ten points to Ravenclaw Academy. By now, Ravenclaw Academy was a full four hundred points ahead of the other three houses, truly leaving them in the dust.

Carrying her schoolbag out of the classroom, Lin Yue turned her head and saw the still-panting trio of Hermione, Harry, and Ron standing nearby.

"You worked hard," Lin Yue said expressionlessly. The thought of wiping away sweat crossed her mind, and she casually took out three tissues from her backpack and handed them to the three of them.

"Thank you," the three said, taking the tissues and wiping the sweat from their faces. Hermione naturally linked her arm with Lin Yue's.

"Let's go."

"Mhm." Lin Yue nodded mechanically and followed them towards Hagrid's hut.

Arriving at the door of Hagrid's hut, Harry raised his hand and gently knocked. "Hagrid, it's us."

The door opened immediately, and Hagrid stood behind it, beaming with excitement. "You've come at just the right time! It's about to hatch, come in quickly!"

As soon as the four entered Hagrid's hut, Hagrid immediately closed the door.

Hagrid's hut was extremely stuffy. In the pot on the stove, the dragon egg was restlessly stirring, clearly about to hatch.

"Wow..." Hermione, Harry, and Ron exclaimed, crowding forward to observe closely.

Lin Yue looked at the dragon egg with a calm gaze, her mind subconsciously analyzing. The dragon egg had already shown clear signs of hatching, and it was expected to hatch in about three minutes.

After the analysis, Lin Yue calmly withdrew her gaze and walked to a window with undrawn curtains, pulling them shut.

Although she felt no unease or guilt, Lin Yue knew very well that the existence of the dragon egg was illegal and against regulations, so its existence could not be known by others. This led her to conclude that everything in this hut should be kept properly hidden.

Therefore, the situation of the curtains not being drawn should not occur. With this thought in mind, she had just pulled the curtains shut.

After closing the curtains, Lin Yue walked steadily back behind Hermione, quietly watching the dragon egg in the pot, her mind slowly counting down.

Five, four, three, two, one. It was time to hatch. As soon as this thought appeared, a small head poked through the dragon eggshell and emerged.

Looking at the baby dragon that had broken out of the eggshell, Hermione and Harry's expressions were somewhat indescribable.

"Uh... I feel like it's a bit ugly?" Hermione whispered to Lin Yue, sharing her feelings.

Harry nodded in full agreement. "I think so too."

Lin Yue stared at the hatching baby dragon. She had no particular fondness or aversion to beauty or ugliness, so to her, the baby dragon was just a creature, nothing more.

"It's so cool!" Ron's eyes lit up as he looked at the baby dragon. Hagrid also looked at it with great excitement, even holding it up with both hands.

"Oh... what a cute little fellow. Look, it even knows I'm its mother."

As soon as he finished speaking, the baby dragon let out a hiccup, and sparks instantly set Hagrid's beard on fire.

"Whoa!" Hagrid exclaimed, frantically patting out the flames on his beard.

Harry and Hermione exchanged glances, and the same thought appeared in their minds simultaneously: this baby dragon must be sent away as soon as possible!

"Norbert, you'll be called Norbert from now on," Hagrid said, laughing heartily as he looked at the baby dragon in his arms.

Ron, who had calmed down after the initial surprise, looked at Hagrid holding Norbert so affectionately and couldn't help but cover his face with his hand. Hagrid doesn't actually think it's his mother, does he...?

Outside Hagrid's hut, a platinum blonde head weaved around the window, unable to find a single gap to see inside.

Draco Malfoy angrily flung his hand away. Potter and the others going to Hagrid's hut could only mean trouble. He'd been following Potter and them these past few days, and he refused to believe he wouldn't find any leverage!

"Hagrid, I believe you remember that you promised to send the dragon... Norbert away after it hatched?" Hermione pursed her lips, interrupting the "warm" scene between Hagrid and Norbert.

Hagrid's movements paused. He looked down at Norbert with reluctance in his eyes.

"But it's still so small... it can't leave its mother..."

"You're not its mother, Hagrid," Ron sighed helplessly.

Lin Yue stood beside them, her mind rapidly analyzing. She then spoke expressionlessly.

"Hagrid, you can't raise Norbert properly. You can't provide it with everything it needs to grow as a dragon. This will weaken Norbert, making it less healthy than other dragons its age."

Lin Yue's words were devoid of emotion, and she couldn't consider Hagrid's feelings. Her cold analysis hit the crucial point directly, and Hagrid began to sob loudly.

He knew Lin Yue was right. He truly couldn't provide Norbert with enough conditions and space to grow.

"Okay, fine... we'll send, send it away."

Hermione and the other two breathed a sigh of relief. They turned to Lin Yue and, as if by unspoken agreement, gave her a thumbs-up.

Lin Yue's expression remained unchanged. She had merely analyzed and stated the facts.

In the following days, Ron wrote to his brother Charlie to confirm the final time to send Norbert away. Meanwhile, he, Harry, and Hermione would also take turns helping Hagrid care for Norbert at his hut.

As for Lin Yue, the trio consciously avoided bothering her, knowing she was already busy enough with her studies...

On Thursday afternoon, while Lin Yue was reading in the library, Hermione and Harry walked in with Ron, his right hand wrapped in a bandage.

Hermione placed her schoolbag next to Lin Yue, sat down, and looked at Ron, who sat opposite her, with a grave expression.

"So... Malfoy found out about us sending Norbert away, and the exact time?"

Ron sat dejectedly. "Yeah... it's all my fault. He came to the Medical Wing to find me and started mocking me. I got angry and wasn't thinking straight, so I let him take the book. Charlie's letter was inside."

Hermione sighed silently but still shook her head. "It's okay, don't blame yourself too much. Harry and I will just be careful when we send Norbert off."

"Right," Harry nodded in agreement.

Hermione took out her notebook. A moment later, while Lin Yue was turning a page, she quickly asked Lin Yue about her questions.

Lin Yue lowered her head, staring blankly at Hermione's notebook, and mechanically answered her questions.

Hermione listened, nodding repeatedly, then quickly jotted down what Lin Yue explained in her notebook. Harry and Ron opposite them, with the knowledge constantly pouring into their heads, felt a wave of dizziness.

Having clarified her questions, Hermione thanked Lin Yue and then quietly began discussing the plan to send Norbert away on Saturday night with Harry and Ron.

The time and place were heard clearly by Lin Yue, who hadn't yet entered her study mode.

"The Invisibility Cloak can cover the two of us, right? Malfoy might try to get professors involved."

Hermione quietly confirmed with Harry, who nodded. "It should be fine, as long as we walk a bit slower."

Lin Yue lowered her head, her gaze returning to the book, and several ideas flashed through her mind.

Hermione and Harry planned to send Norbert to the Astronomy Tower at midnight on Saturday. This was a violation of school rules, and even wizarding law.

Malfoy knew about this. He would likely report it to a professor, and Hermione and Harry could be caught.

Being caught for violating both school rules and wizarding law would result in punishment for Hermione and Harry.

Thinking of this, Lin Yue's head throbbed again. She should help Hermione... she couldn't let her be caught by a professor.

Lin Yue stiffly moved her fingers, committing the task she needed to do to memory.

As curfew approached, Lin Yue packed her things, slung her bag over her shoulder, and left the library.

After Hermione and the others said goodbye to her, she started on the path back to the Ravenclaw tower.

Walking along the road, Lin Yue's mind was constantly calculating. Leaving the dormitory after curfew was a violation. Helping Hermione and the others send away the dragon was a violation. Helping Hermione and the others avoid professors was a violation.

Three violations clearly appeared in her mind. Without hesitation, Lin Yue raised her hand and pinched her thigh three times.

She stood still for a moment, waiting for the trembling in her thigh muscles to subside, before quickly returning to the Ravenclaw common room.

On Saturday night, just before midnight, Lin Yue expressionlessly got up from her desk and walked towards the dormitory door.

Qiuzhang and Marietta, who were trying to fall asleep in their beds, heard the sound and suddenly opened their eyes. They stared at Lin Yue, who was about to walk out of the dormitory, in surprise.

"Lin Yue, where are you... going?" Qiuzhang asked blankly, watching Lin Yue.

Lin Yue turned her head, her gaze like still water, and looked at them. "Going... to sneak out."

Sneak out!!! Qiuzhang and Marietta's eyes widened as they looked at Lin Yue, completely unable to imagine the words "sneak out" being associated with Lin Yue, who was solely focused on her studies, the absolute model student in the eyes of professors and classmates, the good child.

However... if it was Lin Yue, perhaps sneaking out wouldn't be so bad. It would be an adventure, and it might help her relax a bit, to not be so tense.

Thinking this, Qiuzhang smiled gently. She got up barefoot and walked forward, pulling up Lin Yue's collar. "You need to dress warmly if you're going out, don't catch a cold."

"Don't be afraid if you run into a professor. You've earned enough points for Ravenclaw, so they can deduct them freely. No one will blame you."

Marietta also stood up and walked forward, tapping Lin Yue lightly with her wand and casting a Warming Charm.

"You can also go visit the kitchens on the ground floor. The house-elves will be happy to make you a late-night snack. Have fun."

Lin Yue looked at the two senior students in front of her, and suddenly remembered the Christmas banquet... a dull ache spread through her head, and her chest felt hot. She nodded slowly and stiffly.

"Okay, thank you, Senior Qiuzhang, Senior Marietta."

"You're welcome, go have fun!"

Qiuzhang waved with a smile and watched Lin Yue leave the dormitory with Marietta.

"That's great, she's willing to do more things outside of studying, even things outside of school rules now."

Qiuzhang turned and smiled, winking at Marietta, who also had a face full of smiles.

"Yeah, she's finally not so rigid and stuck in her ways anymore."

As Lin Yue's seniors and roommates, the two of them understood best what the child was like when she first entered school.

Lifeless, like a puppet, following a routine day after day, only studying and nothing else.

Back then, as part of the outside world, Lin Yue probably wouldn't have listened to anything they said.

But later... it should be because of Hermione, Lin Yue started to connect with the outside world.

Now she can even go out for a night stroll on her own! That's why they had just spoken up, dispelling any potential concerns Lin Yue might have had, telling her where she could go and supporting her actions.

They just hoped that even if it was mischievous, Lin Yue's face would show something more.

On this night, although the two seniors' thoughts were far from the truth, their actions struck another spark on a dark, dead rock.