Chapter 215: The Dragon Hatches
Ron's shout instantly shattered the impression Hermione had that he "actually seemed to know something."
"Don't be silly, Ron. Dragon eggs have to be hatched in the fire," Hermione explained crossly. Ron finally pulled his gaping jaw back in.
Then, the wizard-kuns all crowded onto the small stools in Hagrid's hut.
After the initial greetings, Sean studied the knowledge points regarding dragon taming while using a Flame Charm to heat the egg. This step was an imitation of a mother dragon breathing on her egg. The scorching flames roasted the egg, making the air inside Hagrid's hut uncomfortably hot.
Hagrid had closed every single window and even drawn the curtains tight. Harry felt like he was about to start sweating.
"Good to see you all, and you too, Justin," Hagrid said to Harry's group first before turning to Justin.
"Sean and the others have mentioned you many times, Hagrid. It's a real pleasure to meet a magical creature expert today," Justin said.
"Oh, oh, you shouldn't say that! There's so much to learn about magical creatures, how could I be an expert?" Hagrid turned quite bashful.
Harry and the others were skeptical. While Harry vaguely believed in Hagrid, Hermione and Ron felt it might be a bit of over-the-top flattery, which didn't seem like Justin at all.
However, after Justin's next sentence, they all nodded with "So that's how it is" expressions.
"That's what Sean said."
"Is that true?" Hagrid turned excitedly toward Sean, who was hidden behind a book.
The book slowly lowered, and Sean's calm green eyes met Hagrid's. He nodded silently. Hagrid was more than an expert; he was likely not far from being a master. The fact that he could befriend Centaurs alone was no simple feat.
Hagrid puffed out his chest. He was always one to show his emotions clearly, and now he couldn't stop smiling. He insisted they try some stoat sandwiches. It took a while for the wizard-kuns to politely decline.
At this point, they began discussing names for the dragon. Taking this opportunity, Justin asked:
"Hagrid, I believe this is my first time visiting your hut..."
His meaning was clear: how did Hagrid recognize him?
"Oh, you've been here for a week—" Hagrid pointed to a parchment map. On it were only three names: Sean, Hagrid, and Justin. This was Sean's recent test version, though this one covered a larger area than the previous one, including most of the Castle and the Forbidden Forest.
For the corridors on different floors of the Castle, the map could even pop up a precise 3D mini-map, which left Justin a bit dazed.
"Truly wonderful alchemy..." he marveled.
The dragon was eventually named Norbert. Everyone was satisfied with the name and left Hagrid's hut as night fell.
"When fire dragon baby-kun hatches, I'll notify you using 'this'!" Hagrid held up the Planning Map at the door. Harry and the others couldn't quite understand what it was.
"Sean—if I'm not mistaken—" Hermione recognized it immediately as Sean's Planning Map.
"Still testing," Sean nodded.
Harry and Ron were completely confused. They felt the two were definitely using some sort of encrypted communication.
But they soon had no time to wonder about it. The professors were assigning more and more homework, and the end-of-year tests for the first years were drawing closer. The revision plan Hermione helped them develop became even more urgent. They spent every day in a state of being both productive and exhausted.
Sean remained busy. He placed the names of everyone in the Room of Hope onto the Planning Map and applied a Disillusionment Charm to them. The names would appear when needed and stay hidden when they weren't. Similarly, if someone didn't want to share their location, they could control their button to erase their tracks. After all, having one's movements constantly open was hard for anyone to accept.
On this day, Sean's Planning Map was only ten proficiency points away from reaching [Expert]. Just as Sean was preparing to make a copy for everyone in the Room of Hope, a red exclamation mark lit up over the area labeled "Hagrid."
After Sean tapped it lightly with his wand, Hagrid's portrait popped up with the message: "Requesting Assembly."
The others in the room were still revising. Sean tapped the table lightly, and everyone's eyes turned toward him.
"Fire dragon-kun is about to hatch."
Ron immediately wanted to skip Herbology and head straight for Hagrid's hut. Hermione firmly disagreed.
"Hermione, how many times in our lives will we get to see a fire dragon-kun hatch?"
"We have class, otherwise we'll get into trouble. If someone finds out what Hagrid is doing, he'll be in more trouble than us—"
The two argued from the Room of Hope all the way to the Greenhouse until Harry suddenly spoke up:
"Stop talking—"
Hermione's words seemed to have come true. Malfoy was standing there listening to them; no one knew how much he had heard. Their faces instantly paled.
While the group in the Castle looked grim, Sean, at the edge of the Forbidden Forest, was quite expectant. He had no classes this afternoon and had arrived early. He was currently observing the dragon egg with Hagrid.
Some animals feel a greater affinity for the first person they see upon being born. Sean didn't know if dragons were like that, but he was curious nonetheless.
The egg lay on the table with a deep crack in it. Something inside was moving constantly, making a funny clicking noise.
"Oh—Harry, why aren't they here yet—" Hagrid was anxious, pacing around the hut.
Finally, Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Justin arrived. Ron even had a trowel from Herbology class in his hand—they had slipped away during a break.
Before their eyes, the dragon hatched.
One always has a "filter" for newborn creatures. Although it looked like a crumpled black umbrella, it truly gave everyone a sense of joy at welcoming a new life. In that moment of joy, Sean heard the Panel's voice:
[You have gained the affinity of the Magical Beast Norwegian Ridgeback (Norbert) to the Master standard. Proficiency +300]
The sound startled Sean, so much so that he didn't even notice the dragon crawling toward him.
Fire dragon-kun sneezed, and a few sparks flew out of its nose. Hagrid then shouted excitedly:
"He's beautiful, isn't he?"
The "beautiful" fire dragon-kun crawled curiously toward Sean and Sean's wand. When its nose touched Sean's finger, Hagrid couldn't help but reach out a hand to stroke its head.
Fire dragon-kun bit his finger in one go, revealing sharp, long teeth.
"Gosh! Look, he knows his mummy!" Hagrid said excitedly.
"I think... he seems to like Sean more," Hermione noted, not quite agreeing.
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