The Missing Piece – Part 1
Harry had a strange sensation in his chest that kept him distracted. Now that the exams were finally over, it had become far more noticeable; there was nothing left to keep his mind away from it.
On top of that, the scar on his forehead continued to burn faintly, making him rub it unconsciously from time to time.
"Do you want to go to the infirmary?" Ron asked when he noticed him doing it again.
"I'm not sick," Harry replied, shaking his head. "It started when we ran into that man… or whatever he was. I'm sure it's some kind of warning. A danger signal," he added, remembering how intense the pain had been at that moment, almost leaving him unable to move.
Only when he had felt the warmth of his pendant had the pain faded away. But now the pendant was split in half, and he was not sure what to think anymore.
At the mention of the person they had faced, Percy, who had been unusually quiet, lifted his gaze with a mix of seriousness and irritation. He muttered something under his breath that Harry barely caught.
"Training with Dred."
Harry assumed he meant he would go back to intensive training with his cousin Dred once they returned home. Not long after, Percy left, with Neville and Grover following close behind.
It was oddly amusing to watch Grover trying to act as a protector to both Percy and Harry, because whenever the two of them were not together, Grover seemed to suffer some kind of mental short circuit, constantly hesitating over which one he was supposed to follow.
Still, in Harry's opinion, Percy was far more likely to get himself into trouble, so it made sense for Grover to stick with him. Especially since, in theory, Hogwarts was not that dangerous.
After all, Hogwarts was a safe school… right?
"Maybe you're imagining it," Ron said, trying to sound reassuring. "I mean, we didn't exactly have a peaceful school year. Ever since the first week, when we ran into Fluffy, everything just kept getting worse."
As he spoke, Ron grabbed a Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Bean and popped it into his mouth. Almost instantly, his face twisted in pure disgust.
"Ugh… it's candle wax," he complained.
"Wait… what did you just say?" Harry asked suddenly, as if something had clicked inside his head.
"Candle wax?" Ron repeated, confused.
"No. Fluffy!" Harry exclaimed, jumping to his feet, eyes wide open. "We have to go see Hagrid," he added, already taking off without waiting for an answer.
That left the others completely confused. They exchanged looks before rushing after him, calling out as they ran.
"Explain what's going on!" Hermione shouted as they hurried up the grassy hill behind him.
"Don't you find it a little strange?" Harry began while they climbed, speaking fast, almost without stopping to breathe.
"The thing Hagrid wanted most was a dragon. And then, out of nowhere, a stranger shows up with a dragon egg in his pocket…" Harry frowned. Something about that still did not sit right. "…and loses it in a card game."
Harry frowned, as if only now fully putting the pieces together.
"How many people walk around with a bloody dragon egg, when they're banned by magical law?" he continued.
"I mean, I get that wizards can be a bit stupid sometimes… but of all people, he just happens to run into Hagrid."
"Was it really necessary to add that wizards are a bit stupid?" Ron said, clearly offended.
"Oh… sorry," Harry replied immediately. "Percy's way of talking tends to rub off on me," he added apologetically.
"Why didn't I think of this sooner?" Hermione said as the three of them picked up their pace, realizing that this time, Harry was absolutely right.
The three of them ran toward the area near the Forbidden Forest. Technically, they were strictly forbidden from getting anywhere close to it, but the situation felt urgent. Besides, it was not like they were going to use magic or anything like that.
Even so, out of caution, Harry glanced around several times, alert to anything strange that might suddenly appear.
But the only thing he saw was Hagrid, sitting in an armchair outside his hut, shelling peas into an enormous bowl. His sleeves were rolled up, and he looked completely at ease.
"Hello, you three!" Hagrid said when he spotted them, breaking into a wide grin, clearly happy to see them. "Haven't seen you around in a while. Finished your exams, have you? Fancy something to drink?" he asked, as friendly as ever.
"No. We're in a hurry, sorry, Hagrid," Harry said at once. "But I need to ask you a few quick questions. What was the stranger you played cards with like? The one who gave you Norbert's egg."
"I don't know," Hagrid replied without much concern. "Didn't take his cloak off," he added, making the expressions on the three kids' faces change instantly, tension flickering across them.
"That's not so unusual," Hagrid went on, oblivious to their reactions. "Plenty of odd folk hang around the Hog's Head, the pub in the village. Could've been a dragon dealer, or something like that. Never saw his face, since he kept the hood on."
For a moment, Harry narrowed his eyes before asking again.
"What did you talk about with him? You must've chatted a bit. Did he ask about Hogwarts or anything like that?"
"Hmmm…" Hagrid rubbed his beard thoughtfully. "Ah, right, now I remember. He asked what I did for a living," he said, nodding. "I told him I was the groundskeeper here, and he asked what kind of creatures I took care of. I told him about the centaurs, the acromantulas, the unicorns… it was a pleasant enough conversation," he said with a smile.
"After a few drinks, I told him I'd always wanted to raise a dragon someday. That's when he said he happened to have one, and that he could put the egg up in a card game. But he wanted to be sure I could handle raising something that big. Said he wouldn't just leave the egg anywhere," Hagrid continued.
"I told him it wouldn't be a problem, since I'd raised Fluffy from when he was just a pup."
Harry's expression darkened as he listened. He hesitated for a second. He already knew he was not going to like the answer. Maybe he already knew the answer.
"Hagrid…" he said at last, his tone far more serious. "Was he interested in Fluffy?"
Hagrid blinked, caught off guard by the sudden shift.
"Well… yeah. Who wouldn't be? You don't see a three-headed dog every day," he replied. "He was amazed when I told him I'd managed to tame him. Even asked me to teach him how," he added, not without a hint of pride.
"I only told him that as long as you know how to calm him down… for Fluffy, music puts him right to sleep, like a baby."
All of a sudden, Hagrid went completely pale. He clapped both hands over his mouth.
"I shouldn't have said that," he muttered in horror. "Forget it. Forget everything I just said," he added quickly.
But the damage was already done.
"Oh, no…" Harry said, bringing a hand to his head before taking off toward the castle at full speed.
Hermione and Ron reacted instantly, sprinting after him with the same look of panic on their faces.
"Hey! Where are you going?" Hagrid called out, utterly confused, watching them disappear without getting an answer.