The Philosopher's Stone | Hermione Granger x Male Reader (Book One)

18. Norbet The Norweigan Ridgeback

Y/N's POV

Something about the smile lurking on Malfoy's face during the next week made me, Harry, Ron and Hermione very nervous. We spent most of our free time in Hagrid's darkened hut, trying to reason with him.

"Come on Hagrid you have to give him away! It's only logical!" I reasoned.

"Just let him go," Harry urged, "set him free."

"I can't," said Hagrid, "he's too little. He'd die."

I looked at the Dragon. It had grown three times in length in just a week. Smoke kept furling out of its nostrils. Hagrid hadn't been doing his gamekeeping duties because the Dragon was keeping him so busy. There were empty brandy bottles and chicken feathers all over the floor.

"I've decided to call him Norbert," said Hagrid, looking at the dragon, "he really knows me now, watch. Norbert! Norbert! Where's Mummy?"

"He's lost his marbles." Ron muttered in my ear.

"Hagrid," said Hermione loudly, "give it two weeks and Norbert's going to be as long as your house. Malfoy could go to Dumbledore at any moment."

Hagrid sighed.

"I know I can't keep him forever, but I can't jus' dump him, I can't."

I then suddenly turned to Ron. "Charlie." I said.

"You're losing it, too," said Ron. "I'm Ron, remember?"

"No, Charlie, your brother, Charlie. In Romania. Studying Dragons. We could send Norbert to him. Charlie can take care of him and then put him back in the wild!"

"Brilliant!" said Ron, "how about it, Hagrid?"

In the end, after a lot of persuasion, we managed to persuade Hagrid into giving Norbert away to Charlie. We ended up sending a letter to ask Charlie if it was ok.

The following week dragged by. Wednesday night found me and Hermione sitting alone in the Common Room, long after everyone else had gone to bed, talking to each other.

The clock on the wall had just chimed midnight when the portrait hole burst open. Ron and Harry appeared out of nowhere as Ron pulled off Harry's invisibility cloak. They told us that they had been down at Hagrid's hut, helping him feed Norbert, who was now eating dead rats.

"It bit me!" Ron exclaimed, showing us his hand, which was wrapped in a bloody handkerchief. "I'm not going to be able to hold a quill for a week. I tell you, that Dragon's the most horrible animal I've ever met, but the way Hagrid goes on about it, you'd think it was a fluffy little bunny rabbit. When it bit me he told me off for frightening it. And when I left, he was singing it a lullaby."

"That's Hagrid for you." I chuckled.

Just then there was a tap at the window.

"It's Grey!" I said, motioning to my owl that was now by the window. The four of us crowded around me to read the response Charlie had sent.

Dear Ron,

How are you? Thanks for the letter, I'd be glad to take the Norwegian Ridgeback, but it won't be easy getting him here. I think the best thing will be to send him over with some friends of mine who are coming to visit me next week. Trouble is, they mustn't be seen carrying an illegal Dragon.

Could you get the Ridgeback up the tallest tower at midnight on Saturday? They can meet you there and take him away while it's still dark.

Send me an answer as soon as possible.

Love,
Charlie

"We have my invisibility cloak so it shouldn't be hard." Harry shrugged. "It shouldn't be too difficult and I think the cloaks big enough to cover two of us and Norbert."

Originally, Harry and Ron were going to go but the Dragon bite on Ron's hand had now swelled up enormously, in the end he went to the Hospital Wing.

"It's not just my hand," he whispered, "although that feels like it's about to fall off. Malfoy told Madam Pomfrey he wanted to borrow one of my books so he could come and have a good laugh at me. He kept threatening to tell her what really bit me. I've told her it was a dog, but I don't think she believes me, I shouldn't have hit him at the Quidditch match, that's why he's doing this."

The three of us tried to calm Ron down.

"It'll all be over at midnight on Saturday," said Hermione, but this didn't soothe Ron at all. It did the opposite.

"Midnight on Saturday!" he said in a hoarse voice. "Oh no oh no! I've just remembered, Charlie's letter was in that book Malfoy took, he's going to know we're getting rid of Norbert."

We didn't get a chance to answer. Madam Pomfrey came over at that moment and made us leave, saying Ron needed sleep.

"It's too late to change the plan now," I told the other two, "we haven't got time to send Charlie another owl, and this could be our only chance to get rid of Norbert. We'll have to risk it. And we have got the invisibility cloak, Malfoy doesn't know about that."

I was praying that luck was on our side.