To help Hagrid, Edward had been poring over books about dragons, though there weren't many left in the library since Hagrid had borrowed most of them.
One morning at breakfast, Edward received a note from Hagrid, delivered by owl: "It's about to hatch."
Edward scarfed down his food and rushed toward Hagrid's hut. A dragon hatching was a once-in-a-lifetime event!
As he darted out the castle's side door, he nearly collided with three figures—Harry, Ron, and Hermione.
"Hey, Edward! You're off to Hagrid's to see the dra—ow!" Ron's shout was cut short by a sharp elbow from Hermione.
"Are you mad, Ronald? You can't just yell that out!" she hissed.
Ron looked grumpy but kept quiet.
"We heard from Hagrid," Harry said in a low voice. "You can talk to magical creatures? That's incredible!"
He suddenly remembered his own odd ability to speak with snakes at the London Zoo.
"It's not that big a deal. Might not even work with dragons," Edward said with a shy smile, suspecting Hagrid had exaggerated the story of Ramleh the unicorn to them.
Hagrid was waiting outside his hut, beaming with excitement. "Come on in, you four! It's nearly out—there's already cracks on the egg!"
The group exchanged glances and hurried inside.
The blackened dragon egg, no longer in the fireplace, sat on the table. A faint crack ran across its surface, growing wider and deeper as they watched.
Crack, crack.
Not the sound of Acromantula pincers, but the egg breaking apart.
With a sharp screech, the shell shattered, and a tiny creature burst out, flopping onto the table. To Edward, the baby dragon wasn't exactly cute—spiky wings, a scrawny black body with a glossy sheen, and bulging orange-red eyes that curiously scanned the room.
"Roar!"
It locked onto the nearest giant figure—Hagrid—and spat a tiny jet of flame.
Everyone except Hagrid flinched, instinctively backing away from the table.
Hagrid, frantically patting out sparks on his beard, gazed at the dragon with pure adoration. "Blimey, aren't you gorgeous? Look at her! She knows her mum!" He reached out to pat its head, only to get a nip on his finger, which he didn't seem to mind one bit.
Hermione, looking worried, started bombarding Hagrid with questions about how fast dragons grow and where he planned to keep it.
"Wait, look! It's really taken with Edward!" Ron, who'd been cowering behind the table, suddenly pointed out.
The dragon was staring straight at Edward, who slowly extended a finger toward it.
"Edward, be careful! I read that Norwegian Ridgeback teeth are venomous, even in newborns!" Hermione cried, trying to warn him off without daring to intervene physically or use her wand.
The other three Gryffindors kept their distance, leaving Hagrid as the only one unfazed.
But it was too late—Edward's finger was within the dragon's reach.
"Don't worry, Hermione. It'll be fine," Edward said calmly, ignoring Hagrid's singed beard.
As if responding, the dragon nudged its head against Edward's finger, eyes closed, rubbing affectionately. It then pushed his hand onto its head, basking in his touch.
The room went silent, save for the crackling fire and the dragon's contented grumbling. Hagrid, Harry, Ron, and Hermione stared, wide-eyed, as Edward scratched the dragon's head, their gazes suggesting he was the mythical creature.
"Edward! I knew you could do it! Look how friendly she is! Come here, love, let Mum have a go!" Hagrid said, tears of joy welling up.
"Hagrid, I think she'd rather have Edward as her mum," Harry quipped quietly.
Though he teased Hagrid, Harry secretly wished he could pet the dragon too. Under Edward's touch, it didn't seem so scary anymore.
"You're the second person I've seen handle a dragon like that," Ron said, staring at Edward. "My brother Charlie studies them in Romania, but his arms are covered in scratches and burns. It's not quite the same."
Edward, still stroking the dragon, smiled gently at their chatter and amazement. He hadn't expected his gift to work so smoothly with a dragon. When he'd healed Ramleh, the unicorn had been agitated at first. Why was this newborn so attached to him? Was it because a baby's heart was purer, more receptive to kindness?
Though it didn't seem too kind to anyone else.
Either way, Edward was thrilled with his gift of empathy. Unicorns and dragons? A dragon rider might not be far off!
"Edward, you're a lifesaver!" Hagrid said. "Now, what's first for a newborn? A name! How about Norbert?"
"I think a more feminine name would suit her. She's a girl," Edward suggested.
The three Gryffindors' eyes widened, clearly wondering, How does he know?
Truthfully, Edward had pieced it together. The dragon couldn't speak yet, only making soft, high-pitched noises, but they were noticeably delicate. Plus, he'd read that female dragons were fiercer than males.
Hagrid didn't question it, accepting Edward's word instantly. "Alright then, Norberta it is!"
"Hagrid, I hate to burst your bubble, but you know you can't keep her forever, right?" Edward said gently.
It was like dumping cold water on Hagrid, whose massive frame slumped. "I know, I know. But not now—she's too small! She'd die!"
"Two weeks from now, she'll be as big as your hut, Hagrid!" Harry chimed in urgently.
They felt like Hagrid only listened to two voices: Edward's and Norberta's.
"Just a bit longer, till she can fly, yeah?" Hagrid muttered, humming as he prepared a mix of brandy and chicken blood for Norberta, who apparently needed a small bucket every half hour.
The four students hurried back to the castle.
"I can't imagine what this place'll look like in two weeks," Ron said, horrified.
Hermione, though, was more curious about Edward's ability. "You can talk to dragons, Edward! I've only read about Parseltongue, speaking to snakes, but dragons? And you didn't even say anything!"
"Maybe it's my bloodline," Edward said. "I'm a knight, after all. Maybe my ancestor, Sir Bedivere, rode a dragon. I just felt like Norberta and I understood each other. It's weird, but I can't explain it."
Harry, meanwhile, wanted to ask Edward about defensive spells, still sore about Malfoy's earlier hex. But hearing Edward was training with three Slytherins made him hesitate. Edward was great, but he was a Slytherin. Joining a group of them would be mortifying if the Gryffindors found out.
Though Edward sensed Harry had something on his mind, he didn't push. Some things had to be figured out alone.
With Edward's help, Hagrid soon learned Norberta's body language: sparks from her nose meant anger, tail-wagging meant happiness, but constant wagging with nipping meant hunger.
Two weeks later, Norberta had tripled in size, nearly as big as a table. Hagrid's hut couldn't contain her, so with Edward's help, they hid her near a cave in the Forbidden Forest, feeding her crates of dead rats.
For safety, Edward asked Ramleh, who was thrilled to roam the forest, to patrol the area and keep other creatures away. Ramleh happily agreed.
Oddly, Edward noticed that in his presence, Norberta and Ramleh seemed to sense each other, preventing any clashes—a relief, as he wanted them to look out for each other when Hagrid wasn't around.
Maybe Quirrell or Voldemort would target unicorns again, but a young dragon, even one spitting unstable sparks, might make them think twice.
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