The Quidditch Pitch was right beside the hunting grounds, and with Hagrid's long legs and tall stature, Harry and the other two had to jog to keep up. Before long, they reached the edge of the Forbidden Forest.
After checking once more that no one had noticed them, Hagrid and Harry's group slipped into the woods.
"All right, Hagrid, can you tell us what happened now?" Harry asked.
Although Hagrid had already let slip that it concerned the dragon, he had yet to say exactly what had happened.
Now that they were in the Forbidden Forest, they were reasonably safe. Surely it was time to tell them what they had come to do?
"Well, it's a real problem," Hagrid said, looking somewhat vexed. "It's about Norberta."
Harry and the other two exchanged glances, all conveying the same thing: just as they had thought!
Sure enough, the dragon hidden in the Forbidden Forest was Norberta, the Norwegian Ridgeback from their first year.
Although they had suspected it for some time, hearing Hagrid actually say it still felt different.
Hagrid did not notice their little exchange. Frowning, he said,
"After I brought her back, Dumbledore helped me set up a spell in the Forbidden Forest so the other magical creatures in there wouldn't disturb her... you know, dragons are very sensitive creatures."
Sensitive, his arse. Shouldn't that have been belligerent, dangerous, and highly aggressive?
Harry and the other two were somewhat speechless at Hagrid's choice of words.
Still oblivious, Hagrid continued:
"With that spell in place, Norberta's been living quite well in the Forbidden Forest. Every month, Dumbledore goes and reinforces it so it can keep going."
"Dumbledore can cast a Sensory Barrier once and have it last a month?" Harry's eyes nearly popped out. "How is that possible?"
It was not