A Certain Scientific Harry Potter 43

Harry felt a slick sensation against the tip of his nose; the little creature that had just broken out of its shell was rubbing its large snout against his face, appearing quite affectionate toward him.

This Norwegian Ridgeback looked much like a crumpled black umbrella. Its jet-black body was still tiny and thin, yet it was draped in a pair of spiky, oversized wings. The dragon horns on its head had yet to develop, appearing only as two circular bumps for now.

At this moment, it was staring unblinkingly at Harry's face with a pair of orange-red dragon eyes, as if trying to memorize every detail of the person before it.

The little dragon let out a soft sneeze, and a few sparks sputtered from its nostrils, yet Harry felt no heat at all; instead, it felt as if a gentle breeze were blowing toward him.

"It's beautiful... isn't it?"

Hagrid muttered to himself. He reached out to stroke the little dragon's head, but the creature bit down on his finger, simultaneously kicking at his palm with all four limbs.

"Goodness, look, it recognizes its mommy!" Hagrid took the little dragon's actions as a sign of affection and was overjoyed for a moment.

"I don't think that's it at all..." Hermione frowned subconsciously.

She felt that the little dragon's behavior was clearly a rejection of Hagrid.

As for the 'mommy' it truly acknowledged, it should be...

"The little guy is certainly cute, but biting people isn't allowed~"

Harry used his specialized cat-petting technique, smiling as he gently brushed his fingers over the black-jade ridge on the little dragon's back. The creature immediately closed its eyes and began to purr, looking completely content.

"Alright, gentlemen, shouldn't we discuss some realistic issues now?" Hermione crossed her arms and scrutinized the little dragon clinging to Harry's hand. "Can someone tell me exactly how fast a Norwegian Ridgeback grows..."

"Wait!" Hagrid suddenly shouted, his gaze snapping toward the window. "Someone is peeking through the gap in the curtains!!"

"Don't bother, it's Malfoy." Harry held back Hagrid, who was about to give chase. "He's been lurking around for days; it's useless to chase him now."

In truth, Harry really wanted to remind Malfoy that it was best not to carry a wand while lurking in the middle of the night, because the Voice of Magic emanating from it was far too obvious—Harry could identify it in an instant.

So, it really wasn't that Harry was intentionally trying to persecute him; it was just that the boy had no self-awareness and kept thinking he could dance around in front of Harry.

Technically, after the incident with Dobby, Malfoy should have been given a good thrashing by his father, but this brat was still stewing in his desire to deal with Harry. How could he blame Harry for turning the tables on him?

If he didn't give Malfoy a chance to be caught 'red-handed,' wouldn't it be a waste of all his efforts over the past few days~

"Harry, just tell us what your plan is."

Seeing Harry so calm, Hermione knew he had likely planned everything out long ago.

"Hagrid, do you trust me?"

Harry didn't respond immediately, instead looking seriously into Hagrid's eyes.

"Harry, what kind of question is that?" Hagrid complained with dissatisfaction. "You're James and Lily's son, the one I personally brought back from Godric's Hollow. Our relationship goes without saying, doesn't it? Plus, you helped me with Norbert... oh, that's the name I just gave the little dragon. Anyway... of course I trust you!!"

"Thank you for your trust, Hagrid." Harry nodded solemnly. "Then let's talk properly about Norbert. I think you should be very clear that within a month, it will grow as big as your house!"

"I know that, of course..."

"Furthermore, Norwegian Ridgeback hatchlings awaken their fire talents faster than their peers. That means... it could burn this place down at any moment!"

"Mm..." Hearing Harry's words, Hagrid immediately became incredibly dejected.

He knew everything Harry said was true, and he knew he lacked the objective conditions to raise a dragon. But now that his dream was right in front of him, Hagrid looked at the tiny Norbert and simply couldn't...

"It's precisely because I know you've always wanted to raise a dragon that I helped you hatch it, and I don't object to you taking care of it for a while." Harry looked at Hagrid sternly. "But you must also know that this hut of yours is not suitable as a dragon's lair!"

"I, I know..."

After a long silence, Hagrid nodded dejectedly.

Even though he loved Norbert to the point of madness, Harry's warnings and his own remaining shred of reason reminded him... he was destined not to be able to keep this dragon for long!

"So, we have roughly two ways to handle Norbert. The first is to release it into the wild. Ron's brother, Charlie Weasley, is currently studying dragons in Romania. We can write to him and ask him to take Norbert; I believe he would be very interested."

At this point, Harry paused and sighed softly: "It's just that if we do that, we might never see it again."

"Norbert... never see it again? No... that's bad, I don't want that, I really don't want that at all..."

Having just obtained a little dragon, only to be told it had to be sent away forever before it was even warm, Hagrid's eyes welled up with tears of sorrow.

Seeing Hagrid like this, neither Harry nor Hermione felt very good.

Especially Harry; in his heart, he was just as unwilling to accept this solution as Hagrid was.

Norbert was something he had fed with his own magic, bit by bit, day and night. And from the moment it broke its shell, the little guy had been clinging to his hand like a kitten, nudging and rubbing against him. Who could have the heart to send it away?

Thinking of this, a flash of determination crossed Harry's eyes.

"Hagrid... if you truly cannot accept that, then there is only the second path!"

At this moment, even Harry's tone carried a hint of madness!

"This little dragon, Norbert... we'll raise it ourselves!!"

(p.s. Sending it away is absolutely impossible; after all, it was hatched by us, bracket-smile~)

Chapter 81: How the 'Illegal Gang' Was Assembled

Ever since Harry proposed the so-called 'second path,' the hut had fallen into a dead silence.

Hermione's mouth hung open in shock, Hagrid's eyes widened in astonishment; both of them had lost the ability to speak.

Only Norbert, leaning against Harry's palm in a half-asleep state, let out an occasional tiny, soft breath.

Harry actually said they would raise a dragon themselves?!

For Hermione, this decision was no less shocking than learning that Voldemort had returned!

If she hadn't received a greeting card from him last Christmas, she would have suspected this was Harry's third attempt at a "drop-out challenge"!

"Harry, you... you're joking, right? I know you want to help me, but raising a dragon ourselves? That's just too unrealistic..."

Seeing Harry say such things just to help him, Hagrid felt deeply grateful, but even though he was crazy about raising a dragon, he still thought Harry's proposal was pure fantasy!

"Hermione, Hagrid, listen to me... I am absolutely not crazy!"

At this moment, Harry's voice was trembling with excitement!

"In my view, raising a dragon is no different from raising any other magical creature. All it requires are three things: the method, the food, and the space!"

"To find a reasonable way to raise a dragon, we can look up information in the library, write to Charles for advice, drop hints to Professor Kettleburn, or even contact Scamander for help!"

"Hagrid can be responsible for the dragon's food. As the gamekeeper and an assistant for the Care of Magical Creatures class, you have plenty of opportunities to go out. Getting the alcohol and raw meat needed to raise a dragon should be easy for you!"

"Finally, there's the space. Norbert will grow quickly, and we certainly can't hide him here. But until we find a suitable habitat, we can temporarily keep him in the Room of Requirement! As long as we're careful, no one will ever find out!!"

Hermione and Hagrid were shocked once again, because although Harry's plan sounded insane, it was highly feasible!

Hermione, in particular, never expected that Harry would plan to use the Room of Requirement to hide a dragon!

And while Hagrid didn't know about the Room of Requirement, just by looking at the expressions on Harry and Hermione's faces, he knew this plan had real potential!

"Hagrid... you know, I'm just as reluctant to part with Norbert as you are, which is why I asked before: do you trust me?!"

Harry stared at Hagrid with an intense gaze, the veins on his neck bulging: "I've told you the whole plan for raising the dragon, and you should know the consequences if this is exposed. So... can you guarantee that you will keep your mouth shut? Can you guarantee that even when chatting with others... no, even under any circumstances, even if Headmaster Dumbledore asks, you will never reveal a single word about Norbert?! Tell me, can you do that?!!"

After this barrage of questions, Harry finally forced Hagrid to the point of decision.

To be honest, the many conditions Harry had just listed were all nonsense!

To raise a dragon inside Hogwarts, there was only one real obstacle they had to face: Dumbledore!

They didn't even need him to publicly support them; as long as the old man tacitly allowed it, the deed could be done.

But if he insisted on opposing it, it wouldn't matter if Harry hid Norbert in the Room of Requirement!!

Yet even so, he had to use this method to put Dumbledore in a tight spot!

And what Harry relied on was his own uniqueness!

Let's see, then: this "Boy Who Lived" who had been carefully selected, versus a strictly forbidden dragon—in the old man's heart...

Which one weighed more?

"I..." Hagrid bit his lip instinctively, even pulling out a few hairs from his beard, "I can!!"

He shouted it with every ounce of his strength.

"I can swear to Merlin that I won't reveal anything about Norbert! Whether I'm chatting, drunk, or talking in my sleep, even to... to Dumbledore, I will absolutely, absolutely never reveal a single word!!"

"Then let's do it!!"

Smack!!

Harry high-fived Hagrid heavily, confirming that they had officially formed an "illegal gang" for private dragon-raising!

"Hey, you two can't forget about me!" Hermione suddenly interjected, pressing a gold key into Hagrid's hand, "I think you're both definitely crazy, but I don't want to be left out either. This vault key is what Harry gave me. I know it's a bit like being generous with his money, but... it's all I can offer right now."

"Hermione? You... you actually agree?!"

Harry stared blankly at the girl in front of him. He couldn't believe that Hermione would choose to support him so easily.

He had expected to spend a lot of time and effort appealing to her reason and emotion.

Perhaps influenced by Scamander, Harry had always been quite interested in magical creatures, and since his ability to listen to the Voice of Magic had continued to grow, this interest had only deepened.

Every night while hatching Norbert, Harry would continue to release his magic while quietly listening to the calls Norbert sent out. His feelings for the little guy were no less than Hagrid's!

Moreover, he had a feeling that if he continued to stay with Norbert, one day in the future, he might be able to fully understand the creature's meaning and respond actively!

When that time came, his ability to listen to the Voice of Magic might finally reveal its true nature.

That was why he had given Hagrid two choices, and he actually wouldn't have minded if Hagrid had revealed it to Dumbledore... he just wanted to use Hagrid's choice to make himself more determined!

Now that Harry found Hermione had also chosen to support him unconditionally, he was truly happy.

"Of course I don't want to agree, but... you wouldn't listen to me anyway!"

Hermione smiled prettily, giving the exact same reason Harry had used when discussing Voldemort.

It had been a long time since she had seen the light in Harry's eyes.

When people encounter things they love, their eyes radiate a certain glow.

This was something Harry had once said to her, a small tease when she couldn't put down her Hogwarts acceptance letter—though Harry's original words were... "like two bright, polished light bulbs~"

But that didn't stop Hermione from understanding the meaning behind it.

That light had once been in Harry's eyes, but after accompanying her to school, Hermione had almost never seen it again.

Today, she finally discovered that Harry had found something at Hogwarts that he was truly interested in.

Thinking of everything Harry had done for her, and most importantly, that greeting card, Hermione wanted to help him fulfill this wish no matter what.

"Hermione... thank you!" Harry gently held Hermione's hand, his heart full of gratitude and joy.

If it is considered a stroke of luck to have someone willing to weather the storm and face powerful enemies by your side, then what would you call it when that person can also tolerate your mistakes and even join you in your madness?

The answer is... a blessing of three lifetimes!

"Waaaah! Harry, Hermione, you two are just too wonderful! We don't have to be separated from Norbert, I'm just so happy!!"

Just as Harry and Hermione were holding hands and smiling at each other, Hagrid, who had always been emotionally expressive, suddenly pulled them into a bear hug, crushing them tightly together.

"Ugh... Hagrid, we're about to suffocate!"

Soon, breathless complaints emerged simultaneously from Hagrid's embrace.

"Woo?"

The newborn Norbert tilted its head as it watched this scene, then suddenly flapped its wings with all its might, stumbled off the edge of the table, and eagerly latched itself onto Harry...

Chapter 82: A Trip to the Forbidden Forest Is Inevitable

Ever since their secret meeting, the 'HHH Illegal Dragon-Raising Group' consisting of Harry, Hermione, and Hagrid was officially established.

Hahaha~

Norbert stayed in the hut for a week, and after letting Hagrid fully indulge in the chaotic thrill of raising a dragon, Harry took it to the Room of Requirement.

The subsequent taming work would be primarily handled by Harry, because the trio discovered during that week that Norbert seemed to only listen to Harry.

Perhaps it was because Harry provided it with a massive amount of magic, but in any case, Norbert developed an unusual dependency on Harry, and only when he was present would the increasingly temperamental little creature calm down.