Operation: Dragon Egg – Or How Not to Trust Hagrid with Secrets
"Then where's the dragon?" asked Harry casually, as if he were talking about the weather or wondering what dessert would be served at dinner. His tone was so nonchalant it was almost painful.
"Ah… it hasn't hatched yet, it's still—" Hagrid began in his usual deep voice, as if the conversation were perfectly normal. But halfway through the sentence, realization hit him like a bludger. He froze. His face went from relaxed to panicked in an instant.
"W-what… what dragon?" he stammered, waving his hands in the air as if trying to shoo the words away. "Are you talking about Red? Haven't seen him in a while… did he escape again?" he added, clinging to the first excuse that came to mind while Harry looked at him with a smile.
Too innocent. Suspiciously innocent.
"Then… how about we talk about the Philosopher's Stone Dumbledore is hiding?" Harry said, offering the change of topic like someone suggesting a different board game.
It was a verbal punch to the gut.
His friends stared at him with a mix of pity and admiration. Watching Hagrid try to dodge that blow was like seeing someone who doesn't know how to play chess get checkmated by a world champion without even realizing they lost their queen.
Hagrid was cornered. Completely. His brain looked like it was about to start emitting smoke.
"P-Philosopher's what? I don't… I don't know what that is. Who's Nicolas Flamel?" he tried, eyes darting to the side to escape Harry's gaze.
And then he froze again.
"...Shouldn't have said that."
"I found it. It's here… but it's just an egg," Daphne announced curiously as she lifted the lid from the large cauldron steaming over the fire.
All four turned toward Hagrid in perfect sync.
He looked paler than a ghost.
"Don't worry, we won't tell anyone," said Harry with a mischievous smile, clearly enjoying Hagrid's distress far too much.
Hagrid sighed in resignation.
"Alright, you got me. I won an egg at the pub the other day, gambling with a wizard who really knew a lot about magical creatures. I've been trying to hatch it," he admitted, putting the lid back on the pot. "He seemed like a real animal lover. Even asked about Fluffy, and of course, I told him I've got a three-headed dog I raised since he was a pup. Told him how I calm him down too… just a bit of music…"
Hermione turned to her friends slowly.
Harry had one hand to his forehead, the universal sign for "you've got to be kidding me."
Draco was staring with wide eyes, like he couldn't tell if Hagrid was real or just a hallucination.
And Daphne… was smiling. That dumbfounded kind of smile one gets when they've just witnessed something so outrageous it becomes admirable.
Hagrid had just revealed the secret of the Stone's guardian.
And worse —he had just explained exactly how to get past it.
Harry let out a soft sigh. Now it all made sense. Hagrid hadn't been chosen to guard the entrance because they needed something dangerous.
No. He'd been chosen because he knew what was being protected.
So if anyone started asking questions… they'd just have to talk to Hagrid for five minutes. He was a living trap. A second layer of defense —for Quirrell maybe, but also, possibly, a test for Harry himself.
A way to see if Harry Potter, the so-called chosen one, would step up and try to protect the stone out of pure duty.
It took Hagrid a few seconds to realize how badly the conversation had derailed.
They'd been talking about the dragon. And now he'd spilled everything about the Stone.
"Shouldn't have said that," he muttered, wide-eyed.
"What was that, Hagrid? I don't think we heard you right. The wind outside is awfully loud," Harry said, calmly.
"It's true," added Draco quickly, playing along.
"Definitely," said Hermione, eyes serious.
"We should dress warmly when we head out," Daphne added casually.
Hagrid looked at them with fondness. Four such polite, good-hearted kids…
He didn't notice Harry's expression —already planning how to use all that information to mess with a certain headmaster.
"Well then, Hagrid, I think it's time we head back. Please let us know when the dragon hatches. We're really looking forward to seeing it," said Harry, smoothly returning to the original topic.
"Then I'll send you a letter," Hagrid replied, visibly happy to have a bond with them… completely unaware he'd just given away half the castle's secrets in one conversation.
…
Harry and the others left Hagrid's hut walking as if they hadn't just uncovered an illegal dragon egg being hatched on Hogwarts grounds.
The sky was gray, and the air smelled like damp forest. But the most telling sign was Harry's smile —one of those mysterious, mischievous ones that always meant something was brewing.
"Come on, tell us what you're planning," said Draco, glancing sideways at his friend.
"My mum kept all the magical grenades, so we can't blow up the headmaster's office…" Harry said with fake disappointment, then broke into a grin that practically screamed trouble. "But I think we've found something that could drive him absolutely mad."
"As long as no students get hurt," Hermione quickly cut in, her usual tone of responsibility kicking in.
"Don't worry. No one will be in danger. And it'll be fun," said Harry as he walked toward the castle, hands in his pockets like he had just invented a new game.
Draco, Hermione, and Daphne exchanged a look.
"Should we feel sorry for the headmaster?" Draco asked.
"For the old man who made us research mountains of paperwork just to register our golems before school even started?" Daphne replied, eyes gleaming. "Absolutely not."
"As long as we don't get expelled…" Hermione murmured, falling into step behind them. But then she paused. "Wait. What are we going to do about the illegal dragon at Hogwarts?"
"Don't worry, I'll let my mother know," said Draco with a shrug. "Let's just allow the big guy to keep it for a couple of days. Then we'll send it off to a dragon farm."
"...Or we could say it's Red's child and raise it at Hogwarts," Daphne suggested with a smile far too innocent for her level of sarcasm.
"Yeah, right. I don't think that'll work," Hermione replied. "Remember, Red's still small even after years, and normal dragons grow... well, explosively fast."
When they arrived at the Ravenclaw common room, they immediately found a group of students gathered in a half-circle around the fireplace. Voices, complaints, and suppressed laughter filled the air.
As they got closer, the inevitable scene came into view.
Terry Boot was pulling with both hands on Red's tail, who was completely stuck in the chimney, flapping his tiny wings in a useless attempt to break free while a cloud of soot, ash, and dust billowed into the room.
"Good thing you're here," Terry said, panting. "Please deal with your dragon."
Harry opened his mouth but didn't say a word. He just stared at the scene for a long second. There was dirt everywhere. Books covered in soot, furniture with claw marks… and his dragon stuck in the chimney like a giant red-scaled chicken.
"Yeah… I think having another dragon is a bad idea," Draco muttered to Daphne and Hermione with a half-smile.
Then he patted Harry on the shoulder and walked off to his dorm with as much dignity as he could muster.
Daphne and Hermione followed right after him, faster than lightning—fleeing before Terry had a chance to ask them for help.
Harry let out a deep sigh, the kind that comes from the soul. Then he extended his hand, now wrapped in a vibrant red aura. With a simple motion, Red gave a shake and was yanked down by magic, landing flat onto the extinguished fire, kicking up a second cloud of ash across the room.
Red shook his head like nothing had happened—until he met Harry's eyes. Then he trotted toward him like a guilty dog and spat something at his feet.
A small pile of flaming red feathers.
Harry knelt down, picked them up carefully, and smiled. They were warm to the touch, with a faint magical glow.
"You really are vindictive," he murmured with a grin, patting Red's head. "This'll come in handy for a few things I have planned… thanks."
Red let out a proud snort, as if he had completed a secret mission.
…
Mini Special: What Happened to Red?
Here I stand… face to face with my greatest enemy in this damned place.
I thought him dead. I saw him fall! I watched him burn in the flames of hell itself.
And yet… he returned.
Like every creature too foolish to understand when to surrender, he rose again from the ashes to challenge me once more.
Ah, what a joyous life the foolish must live!
You crimson-feathered scoundrel.
Last time, you used your tricks to deceive my master. You lured him straight into the trap of your wretched lord!
But not this time.
Not while I still draw breath.
I will protect my master even if I must reduce every stone of this castle to rubble during our battle.
Even if fire consumes the towers and the halls collapse, even if the portraits scream and the ghosts flee…
I will fight!
And when I'm done with you, I'll offer you as a trophy.
As a tribute.
As a symbol of victory laid at my master's feet!
You came to make peace?
With ME!?
With me, the Dragon of Chaos!?
Don't make me laugh, infernal creature.
I don't make peace.
Not with anyone.
And especially not with a demon beast that crawled out of hell for revenge.
I don't need my mighty wyvern army to defeat you.
No war drums, no horns of battle.
All I need are my will, my claws, and my fire.
And when I defeat you…
When your charred body lies motionless…
Your master will be next.
So I hope you're ready.
Because the Dragon of Chaos…
Does. Not. Forget.
…
Meanwhile, the phoenix was watching the red dragon with absolute joy.
There was no hatred in his eyes, no challenge.
Only pure excitement.
His friend had come to play again!
He let out a soft trill, puffing up the flaming feathers on his chest, and hopped onto the hallway railing.
He gave his wings a gentle flap, scattering a couple of glowing feathers that floated like fireflakes, and got ready… to play.
Meanwhile, Red—at the other end of the corridor—stared at him with apocalyptic fury, teeth bared, claws digging into the stone floor, a storm of chaos blazing in his chest.
The battle between the Dragon of Chaos and the Friendly Firebird…
Was about to begin.
Even if one of them thought it was a war to save his master from the apocalypse…
And the other just wanted a hug.