Draco couldn't help but laugh at his expression, "You called me out on purpose, but you won't tell me what happened. Did you just want to sit with me in the hallway in the wind?"
Hagrid scratched his head, revealing a simple, awkward, and silly grin, still unsure how to begin.
Seeing this, Draco stopped teasing him, his smile fading slightly as he uttered a curt question, "Could it be... you got the dragon egg?"
The moment he finished speaking, Hagrid's mouth gaped open wide enough to fit an egg, and he was so shocked that even his beard trembled slightly.
He pointed at Draco, his voice trembling. "How... how did you know?!"
Draco chuckled softly at Hagrid's stunned expression, casually putting his hands in his pockets and saying, "Just a guess."
Hagrid finally came to his senses, his thick eyebrows twitching, his face filled with disbelief.
He slapped his thigh and shouted in a low voice:
"My goodness, Draco, you're incredibly sharp! I kept this a closely guarded secret, not even daring to tell Harry and the others, and you guessed it right away!"
He was both surprised and impressed, and his gaze toward Draco was filled with admiration.
Draco glanced at him, calmly revealing his purpose:
"So, you specifically called me out of the library so you'd have me help you hatch dragon eggs and raise baby dragons?"
Hagrid, his thoughts revealed, immediately chuckled and nodded vigorously, looking at him expectantly.
"Yes, yes, that's it! I know you know about Fantastic Beasts, and you're even more confident than me, but I'm really worried about this dragon egg. I was hoping you could lend a hand!"
Draco nodded slightly and told him decisively, "I can help you hatch dragon eggs. But raising dragons is out of the question."
Hagrid's smile froze instantly, and he asked urgently, "Why? If you can hatch them, why can't you raise them? Baby dragons are so cute!"
Draco remained calm, stating the rule clearly in one sentence. "Because Hogwarts forbids keeping dragons, and the Ministry of Magic also explicitly prohibits it; keeping one privately is illegal."
Upon hearing this, Hagrid's eyes, which had just lit up, immediately dimmed.
His shoulders slumped as if he'd been doused with cold water, his lips turned down, his face full of disappointment, even his beard looked listless.
Draco, seeing Hagrid's dejected look, softened his tone slightly and gave him a clear analysis:
"There's really no need to be sad. Being able to witness its hatching and birth, and to spend a few more days with it before it passes away, is enough."
Hagrid slowly raised his head, his thick eyebrows drooping. Upon hearing these words, the stubbornness in his heart gradually dissipated.
He sighed heavily, his voice muffled, but he admitted his mistake. "Yes... I was too greedy. I knew I shouldn't keep it, but I still wanted to keep it by my side."
Draco nodded slightly and continued to explain more clearly:
"Dragons are born with a wild nature, and even the smallest of them are difficult to tame completely."
"Moreover, a newborn dragon can unconsciously breathe fire and may do things that could harm people."
"It might obey me, but others won't believe it's safe, and the school certainly won't tolerate it."
Hagrid nodded repeatedly, a relieved look on his face. "I understand, I really understand."
"If it were me, I wouldn't dare let a young dragon roam freely in the castle. If it were to injure a student, everything would be over."
Seeing that he had finally come to his senses, Draco smiled and gave the most straightforward answer, "In that case, I promise you, I'll help you hatch this dragon egg."
As soon as he said that, Hagrid's disappointment vanished instantly, and his whole face lit up.
He was so excited he almost jumped up, but he was afraid of disturbing the people in the corridor.
He quickly covered his mouth, lowering his voice to chuckle.
"That's great! Draco, thank you so much! With your help, I feel much more at ease!"
Draco nodded slightly to Hagrid: "I'll be there in a bit. I'll go back to the table and tell Hermione and the others first."
Hagrid grinned, his beard bristling with delight. "Good! Good! I'll be waiting for you at the cabin! But don't let anyone know!"
After saying that, he turned and walked away with light steps; his joy was clearly visible from his back.
Draco turned and went back to the table in the library.
As soon as he sat down, Ron leaned in close. "Tell me! Tell me! What did Hagrid want to talk to you about?"
In an instant, the remaining people at the table all stopped what they were doing and their eyes all fell on Draco.
Draco lowered his eyes, turned a page in his book, and casually offered an abstract and vague reason:
"It's nothing, just a personal matter, a small thing about the Forbidden Forest."
Upon hearing this, a chorus of boos immediately erupted from the table. Lavender rolled his eyes, "Tch—who believes that? It's like he said nothing at all."
Draco, feeling helpless, had to change to a more serious explanation. "Some of his animals are acting strangely, and he asked me to go over and take a look. I know a little about these kinds of things."
This explanation sounded reasonable, and everyone nodded, barely accepting it.
After studying diligently for quite some time, Lavender, Olivia, and Parvati packed up their books and prepared to leave.
As Lavender packed his bag, he glanced at Ron, who was still sitting in his seat, and couldn't help but tease him:
"Wow, this is unprecedented! Ron is actually staying to continue his studies?"
Ron blushed and immediately retorted, "Mind your own business!"
"Alright, alright, whatever." Lavender grinned. "I'd like to see what kind of grades you'll get on the final exams with this kind of hard work."
The group chatted and laughed as they left the library together.
Ron was furious, but he couldn't retaliate. He could only glare at their backs.
Once everyone had left, Hermione turned slightly and looked at Ron with amusement, asking, "Are you really going to stay and study?"
Ron immediately slumped into his chair like a deflated balloon, muttering under his breath, "Learn what? I'm not learning, it's just for show."
Harry's expression turned serious, and he stared at Draco, asking directly, " Draco, stop hiding things from us, what does Hagrid want with you?"
Draco chuckled, "You two are quite clever. I went from abstract reasons to seemingly legitimate excuses just to fool most people."
Ron puffed out his chest, head held high, a look of pride on his face. "That's right! We're the minority!"
Draco stopped beating around the bush. "Actually, it's nothing serious. Hagrid somehow got hold of a dragon egg and asked me to help him hatch it."
"What?!"
Three exclamations rang out almost simultaneously, and even Hermione's usually composed expression changed instantly.
You call this a trivial matter?