Raising dragons is illegal—this is common knowledge in the wizarding world. However, looking at Hagrid's excited expression, Ryan felt that persuading him to give up his dream of raising a dragon would be a lost cause.
Sure enough, when Hermione pointed out that Hagrid lived in a wooden house, and having a fire-breathing dragon inside could easily burn it down, Hagrid remained unfazed. Instead, he eagerly introduced them to the dragon egg.
"I read Raising Dragons for Fun and Profit," Hagrid said enthusiastically, flipping through the book. "It says to keep the egg in the fire because their mother breathes on them to help them hatch. Look here—it says that once it hatches, you have to feed it a bucket of brandy and chicken blood every half hour. And look—this is how you tell different dragon eggs apart. Mine's a Norwegian Ridgeback—very rare!"
Ryan watched as Hagrid happily hummed a tune while adjusting the fire beneath the egg. He knew Hermione's logical arguments were pointless. Hagrid wouldn't listen to reason. The only thing that might change his mind was experience—when he finally realized how difficult raising a dragon actually was.
Besides, Ryan himself was currently obsessed with Crazy Dave's Beginner's Guide to Plant Breeding. He was working on cultivating a unique plant of his own. If the dragon hatched successfully, he might even be able to collect some dragon-related materials for his plant experiments.
A Growing Problem
In the following days, Harry and Ron found themselves struggling under Hermione's strict study schedule. With exams approaching, she had them following a rigid revision plan. However, the added stress of the dragon only made things worse. Not only did they have to worry about the Philosopher's Stone, but now they had to deal with a baby dragon too.
One morning, during breakfast, Hedwig brought Harry a note from Hagrid. The message was short:
"It's coming out of the shell."
Ron immediately wanted to skip Herbology and go straight to Hagrid's hut, but Hermione and Ryan strongly objected.
"Ron, we can't just skip class for this!" Hermione scolded.
Ron was about to argue when Ryan cut him off rather bluntly.
"Shut up," Ryan said. "This isn't the place to talk about it. Didn't you notice the Slytherins nearby? If Malfoy overhears, we're in big trouble."
Ron grumbled but reluctantly ate his jam-covered bread. They didn't get a chance to visit Hagrid until the lunch break.
As soon as the bell rang, Harry, Ron, and Hermione dropped their books and rushed across the field toward the edge of the Forbidden Forest. Hagrid was waiting outside his hut, looking flushed with excitement.
"It's hatching!" he said, ushering them inside.
"Where's Ryan?"
"Ryan stayed behind. Professor Sprout had some questions for him. He spends extra time in the greenhouse during every Herbology class," Hermione explained. "He'll be here soon."
When Ryan finally arrived, the dragon had already hatched. The tiny creature had wrinkled black wings and was about the size of a chicken. Occasionally, it coughed out a spark or two.
Hagrid reached out to stroke the dragon, only to yelp in pain when it bit his finger. Instead of being upset, he grinned proudly.
"Oh my! Look, he knows his mother!"
Ryan sighed, deciding against voicing his concerns. There was no way Hagrid would listen while he was this happy. The only way to convince him would be to wait until the dragon caused enough problems to force him to reconsider.
As they left Hagrid's hut and returned to the castle, Ryan received a system notification:
—Malfoy did not discover the dragon's birth. Offset points +2.
That brought his total to 22 offset points. Ryan smiled in satisfaction, but his mood quickly soured when he remembered that Hagrid was trying to raise a dragon indoors. Convincing him to give it up would be nearly impossible.
Norbert the Ridgeback
Ryan's prediction soon came true.
Dragons were not meant to be domesticated—at least, not by someone like Hagrid. But despite the challenges, Hagrid refused to give up.
Within just one week, the dragon had tripled in size. It now belched out clouds of smoke, and its sharp claws tore into everything around it. Hagrid became so busy taking care of the dragon that he started neglecting his job as gamekeeper.
His hut was now a mess. Empty brandy bottles and chicken feathers littered the floor.
When Ryan and the others visited again, they found Hagrid cradling the dragon, cooing at it as if it were a baby.
"I decided to call him Norbert," Hagrid said tearfully. "He really knows me now. Look—Norbert! Norbert! Where's your mum?"
Ryan shuddered. Seeing a grown man talk in a baby voice to a dragon made him feel deeply uncomfortable.
But he pushed that thought aside and decided to try reasoning with Hagrid again.
"Hagrid," Ryan said carefully, "at this rate, Norbert will be as big as your house in two weeks. You won't be able to hide him in the school. Besides, keeping a dragon is illegal in Britain. If the Ministry finds out, you could be sent to Azkaban! And let's not forget—dragons are wild creatures. They aren't meant to be kept indoors like a pet dog. Even for Norbert's own sake, you need to let him go."
Hagrid's expression wavered. He bit his lip.
"I—I know I can't keep him forever," he admitted, his voice heavy with emotion. "I know I should let him go. Dumbledore has already done so much for me—I shouldn't cause him any more trouble. But I can't just set Norbert loose. He's still too young! He wouldn't survive on his own."
Despite everything, Hagrid's love for magical creatures was undeniable. He was nothing like those irresponsible pet owners who abandoned their animals when they got bored. No—Hagrid truly cared.
But the problem still needed to be solved.
Ron suddenly had an idea. "My brother Charlie works with dragons in Romania! We could send Norbert to him. He'll know how to take care of him properly."
Hagrid hesitated, then slowly nodded.
"That's probably the best option," he said, sniffling as he wiped his eyes with a large handkerchief.
That evening, with Hagrid's approval, Ron wrote a letter to his brother.
A Dangerous Bite
The next week felt like an eternity.
Finally, on Wednesday night, Harry and Ron sneaked into Hagrid's hut under the cover of darkness. When they returned to the Gryffindor common room, they looked exhausted.
Ryan and Hermione were still there, reviewing their Herbology notes.
"Ryan, can you take a look at Ron's hand?" Harry asked as soon as they walked in.
Ron held out his hand, wrapped in a blood-stained handkerchief.
Ryan carefully unwrapped it. Deep bite marks covered Ron's finger, and the skin around the wound had turned an alarming shade of green.
Ryan's eyes widened.
"Damn it," he muttered. "Why does this dragon have venomous fangs? Hold on, I need to get something."
Without another word, Ryan rushed upstairs, leaving the others staring at each other in confusion.
To be continued…