Chapter 34: Norbert the Little Black Dragon

"My God, Hagrid wants to raise a dragon? A fire-breathing dragon? That's insane! He'll put the whole school in danger," Hermione said indignantly.

"Dragons are dangerous, especially fire-breathing ones. Charlie took off his shirt to show me his scars. There wasn't a patch of unmarked skin on him. No amount of ointment can get rid of scars left by dragonfire."

"Luo Bin, you don't have to help us watch Snape, but this is about Hagrid. You lived with him for three months. You don't want to see him go down the wrong path and get expelled, do you?" Harry asked.

Luo Bin slid the book back onto the shelf and spread his hands. "Looks like I'll have to find another time to borrow A Guide to Identifying Poisonous Fungi!"

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go straight to the Little Stone Hut!" Hermione said excitedly, grabbing Luo Bin's hand.

Ron stared at their clasped hands, feeling decidedly uncomfortable. He wanted to squeeze between them and break their grip, but Hermione had already pulled Luo Bin away. "Hmph. Traitor. I'm never going to..."

"Ron, what are you muttering about?"

"N-nothing!"

He flushed and looked away.

"Don't just stand there. We need to catch up."

Before long, the four of them reached the Little Stone Hut. To their surprise, the windows were shut tight and covered with felt. Inside was even worse: every surface they could see was lined with moleskin, and a roaring fire blazed in the hearth. The hut was stiflingly hot. Even Fang had his tongue hanging out.

"Hagrid, did someone hit you with a Freezing Charm?" Harry asked as he sat down.

"No, he's hatching a dragon egg. It's right in the middle of the fire, under the kettle," Luo Bin said quietly.

"Hagrid, you've gone mad!"

Mad didn't begin to cover it. Hagrid was obsessed. He gazed helplessly at the fire. "Sharp eyes, Luo Bin. No hiding it from you lot, then. I'm trying to copy how a mother dragon breathes on her egg. It should hatch in a week or so. I need to stock up on chicken blood, mice, and brandy."

"Hagrid, do you know how fast dragons grow? In just a few weeks, it'll be bigger than your Little Stone Hut! You'll be punished!"

"I know, I know. But I've always wanted a dragon, and I finally got the chance. If I don't raise it, I'll be miserable," Hagrid said impatiently.

Harry was about to keep arguing, but Luo Bin stopped him. Harry soon realized there was no talking Hagrid out of it now. Then he remembered the Living Wood on the Fourth Floor. "Hagrid, we know Fluffy is guarding the Philosopher's Stone, and Snape is forcing Professor Quirrell to help him steal it!"

"My goodness, how did you find out about the Philosopher's Stone? And Snape would never steal it!"

"Hagrid, how many obstacles are there beneath the Living Wood? Who else knows how to get past Fluffy? If you won't tell us, I'll tell Professor McGonagall you're hiding a dragon egg."

"Harry, you've changed. You've learned to threaten people!"

"All right, I can only tell you what I know! Only Dumbledore and I know Fluffy's weakness. As for the obstacles beneath the Living Wood, I've never been down there, so I don't know the details. I only know Sprout, Flitwick, McGonagall, Quirrell, and Snape all helped put the magical protections in place."

"Snape?"

The three friends exclaimed in surprise together.

"Yes, Snape. He's been a genius since he was a child. You're not still suspecting him, are you?"

"I told them Professor Snape was a good man, but I don't have any solid evidence to convince them!" Luo Bin said helplessly.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione then rattled off example after example to prove Snape was a villain: he wanted to steal the Philosopher's Stone and kill Harry Potter. Hagrid fumbled through his rebuttals. Luo Bin, meanwhile, had been curious about the dragon for ages. He slipped over to the hearth and pulled the Black Dragon Egg out with the fire tongs.

The egg was as big as a bowling ball. Its shell was black, though Luo Bin couldn't tell whether that was its natural color or the fire had scorched it. The moment he picked it up, he felt something nudge his palm.

It's alive, and it seems full of energy.

Gurgle! Gurgle!

The sound from inside the egg was so faint that no one but Luo Bin noticed it.

Gurgle! Gurgle!

It sounded just like a stomach growling after two missed meals!

Is it hungry?

What can a hatchling eat while it's still in the egg besides what's already inside?

An egg... a dragon egg. Fire. Oh, right, I can feed it fire!

An idea took shape. With his back to the others, who were still deep in discussion, Luo Bin conjured a cluster of orange flames at the tip of his wand. In less than a second, the shell absorbed them. He felt another nudge against his palm, stronger than the first.

Gurgle! Gurgle!

One wasn't enough?

Then I'll give it more!

After Luo Bin fed the egg seven or eight clusters of flame, the gurgling finally stopped. Instead came a clicking sound, like someone crunching on a waffle. He was still puzzling over it when cracks suddenly appeared in the Black Dragon Egg. Then a piercing scrape came from inside, like a chair leg dragging across the floor.

The noise was loud enough to catch everyone else's attention.

"Luo Bin, what did you do to Norbert?"

Hagrid sprang up and snatched the egg away, peering closely at the cracks.

"Sorry. I thought he was hungry, so I fed him a little fire. Hagrid, the egg's cracked. Can we still save him?"

"You thought? That's a dragon egg! A rare fire-breathing dragon egg! Were you trying to cook him? Do you have any idea how much he's worth? Selling you wouldn't even cover the price."

Everyone in the Weasley family loved dragons. At the thought that the egg might no longer hatch, Ron grew so angry that the veins stood out on his wrists.

"Ron, that's enough. Luo Bin didn't mean to hurt him. He was trying to help. Hagrid, how's the egg?"

Ron's aggressive tone reminded Hermione far too much of Draco. She decided, without telling him, that she wouldn't speak to Ron for three days.

Frowning, Hagrid set the cracked egg on a felt blanket. "It's not looking good. I'm afraid Norbert is... about to hatch! Luo Bin, you're brilliant. Once he's out, I'll have him think of you as his big brother!"

"Hatch? Are you sure?"

Cracks mean he's hatching?

Luo Bin had considered it, but in the original story, Norbert wasn't supposed to hatch for another week or two.

"If this book isn't a knockoff, then I'm right. Come closer—I can see his eyes."

At that, everyone crowded around. A dozen seconds later, the black egg began to rock, and the cracks spread wider and wider.

The egg split cleanly in two. The little dragon, ugly and adorable at once, flapped his way into Hagrid's arms on instinct.

The little dragon looked remarkably like a black umbrella. His spiky, membranous wings made his slender body resemble the handle. Horny bumps rose from his head, and his eyes were orange-red. He had a long snout, but his nostrils were white. When he got excited, the breath puffing out of them carried sparks.

"He's a Norwegian Ridgeback! Charlie told me what they look like. Hagrid, you need to send him away quickly. They grow much faster than other dragons!" Ron said excitedly.

"Just a little longer. He's too small. He'll die if nobody looks after him. Let me have a few good memories with Norbert first. Look, he's sucking my finger! And he's not biting down with those sharp teeth. He must think I'm his mother. Oh, what a darling little fellow. I love him to bits."