"Hello, I'm Charlie, and these are my friends, here to collect the dragon," said Charlie, who appeared a bit stout and spoke with enthusiasm, clearly a sociable member of the Weasley family.
Evan, worried that Ministry officials might arrive early, hurried them into Hagrid's cabin after brief introductions.
"Who did this? It saved us a lot of trouble," remarked Charlie in surprise upon seeing Norbert tightly bound and still sound asleep.
Confidently, Charlie approached and waved his wand to remove the enchantments binding Norbert. After several unsuccessful tries, he looked at Evan with an embarrassed smile.
"Professor McGonagall did it," Evan explained.
"Why didn't you say so earlier..." Charlie's mouth twitched, and he quickly called for assistance. It took considerable effort to finally release the spells binding Norbert's limbs.
Their movements were so vigorous they woke up Norbert, startling everyone. In the end, it was Evan who calmed Norbert down and together they cast a Sleeping Charm to put the dragon back to sleep.
Charlie was impressed and casually mentioned that Evan had a natural talent for dragon-keeping, even inquiring if Evan would like to work with him in Romania after graduation.
Evan declined without hesitation; he had only raised Norbert for the convenience of taking its blood and had no interest in dragon-keeping.
Despite Charlie's disappointment, he did not persist. Together with his friends, he secured Norbert in a specialized cage and continuously reinforced it with Floating and Sleeping Charms—to ease transportation and prevent Norbert from waking up.
Once everything was settled, Charlie didn't linger. He and his friends took to the skies on brooms, pulling the caged dragon behind them.
"At last, it's done," sighed Harry and the others in relief.
"We still need to erase any traces of Norbert's stay here," Evan pointed out, indicating the mess in the cabin.
Although Evan managed most of the cleanup with Scouring Charms, some things required their personal touch.
By the time the four of them finished, it was growing dark. As Evan was about to lead them out, footsteps approached the door...
...
At the edge of the Hogwarts Lake, in front of Hagrid's cabin, Minister for Magic Cornelius Fudge led the way, accompanied by Dumbledore and McGonagall, and followed by a pink-cardigan-wearing, fidgety old woman.
"Albus, you do know I am eager to trust you, you've helped me so much before, and it's not just up to me at the Ministry..." Fudge wore a false look of concern.
"I assure you, Hogwarts has always acted in accordance with Ministry regulations and never engaged in anything against the rules," Dumbledore nodded affirmatively, almost believing Fudge if not for his haste in signing an investigation order and personally leading the charge here.
From what he knew, the Ministry had never been so efficient at handling official matters!
Professor McGonagall, lagging half a step behind, showed a worried expression. Concerned that the children might not have dealt with everything in time, she feared Norbert might still be inside Hagrid's cabin, which would be difficult to explain.
"Umbridge..." Fudge stood in front of the door and gently called out, as the Minister, he wouldn't open the door himself.
"Yes, Minister..."
Umbridge's shrill, delicate voice might have been pleasant if spoken by a young girl, but coming from her it was nauseating.
Unaware of how repulsive she sounded, Umbridge theatrically pulled out her wand and tapped on the door.
"Alohomora!"
Umbridge forcefully pushed the door open, and McGonagall's heart sank. Fudge, noting her reaction, became intrigued.
However, to Fudge and Umbridge's disappointment, the cabin contained nothing out of the ordinary—just a shabby little wooden hut.
Normally, Fudge wouldn't even bother with such a place, but it was not altogether empty; Umbridge's gaze landed on Evan and the others still inside.
"Albus, I thought you had the students remain in the castle," Fudge said, interest piqued as he turned to Dumbledore.
"There are always exceptions, aren't there?" Dumbledore's eyes lingered on Evan, noticing a change in him, but this wasn't the time to inquire.
"Minister Fudge, hello, I'm Evan Halse, pleased to meet you," Evan greeted politely, his innate charm increasing Fudge's fondness.
"Of course, I am as well..." Fudge extended his hand and lightly shook Evan's, then turned to the others, his interest piqued upon noticing Harry's characteristic scar, while Ron and Hermione were all but ignored.
"Potter? You're Harry Potter?" Fudge approached Harry, patting his head with familial warmth.
Harry tried to recoil from the touch, but Fudge's grip was strong and unyielding.
"I must admit, you did a fine thing when you were younger... a hero, indeed. Otherwise, the Ministry might have lost even more people..." Fudge mused.
Lost more people? Evan thought, scoffing internally, it was more likely the Ministry would have been decimated or surrendered.
"What are you all doing here?" Fudge asked curiously.
Harry and Hermione were a bit flustered, but Evan remained composed, simply pointing to the large dog nearby.
"We're friends of Hagrid, and since he's hospitalized, he asked us to look after Fang to prevent his wound from worsening or starving," Evan explained smoothly.
Fudge looked where Evan pointed and saw a large Mastiff dog with bandages on its leg, bloodstains still visible.
Recalling a report he had read, Fudge nodded in recognition. This was the dog that had alerted the school to Hagrid's attack, allowing him to be rescued.
Who doesn't love a loyal dog?
Fudge bent down to pet Fang's head, but the dog snarled at him, causing Fudge embarrassment and a flash of displeasure—he certainly didn't appreciate a dog that bared its teeth at him.