Late that night, Dudley sat in a quiet corner of the Gryffindor common room, a book open in his lap, though his eyes occasionally flickered to the small, ornate mirror beside him.
While he had managed to link the Mirror of Erised to the polished armor of a statue on the fourth floor, the connection wasn't automatic. He couldn't stare at it constantly, which limited its effectiveness. After many attempts, he had managed to set a simple alert. The mirror would only display an image when someone actually passed through the corridor, which was the best he could achieve for now.
"No way, absolutely not."
"He must be crazy!"
The hushed, frantic voices of Harry, Hermione, and Ron cut through the silence. They seemed to be in the middle of a heated argument.
"What's all the fuss about?" Dudley asked, peeking out from behind his high-backed chair.
Seeing him, Harry immediately walked over. "Something's happened at Hagrid's," he began.
"You'd never imagine what he's done. It's just insane," Ron added, his voice a mixture of awe and panic.
Hermione just frowned, looking too worried to speak.
"Here, have some water," Dudley said calmly, handing them a glass. "Now, tell me what happened, slowly."
Seeing Dudley so composed, the three of them gradually settled down.
"Dudley, Hagrid got a dragon egg from somewhere, and he wants to raise it! A Norwegian Ridgeback!" Ron whispered, his eyes wide.
"Oh?" Dudley raised an eyebrow. He hadn't expected Hagrid to be quite so bold.
Hagrid had mentioned his desire to raise a dragon before, but everyone had assumed he was joking. No one thought he would actually go through with it.
"What's the situation? Is it already hatched? Where did he get it?" Dudley asked, his mind racing.
"Not yet, the egg is still incubating. But this whole thing is just too crazy. If he's discovered, Hagrid could be expelled, or even sent to Azkaban! I don't know what he was thinking," Harry said.
"Raising dragons is illegal. Azkaban is the wizard prison," Hermione added needlessly.
"I know." Dudley nodded.
"We tried to persuade him to get rid of it before it hatches, but he won't listen. He said it was a life, how could he just give it up," Ron said, shaking his head. "When he was talking, you could tell he already sees himself as its mother."
"We don't know what to do," Harry said, running a hand through his hair. "Hagrid's our friend, we can't just betray him, but this is something that can't be hidden."
"According to the books, that dragon will grow incredibly fast. It'll be bigger than Hagrid's hut in no time, and then..." Hermione trailed off, but they all understood the consequences.
"All three of us tried, but he won't listen to reason right now," Harry finished helplessly. The three of them fell into a troubled silence. It was a difficult situation. What do you do when your friend breaks the law?
"How about this," Dudley said after a moment of thought. "I'll go see Hagrid and check on the situation."
"Now?" Harry asked, surprised.
"Yes. I'm afraid if we wait, it will be too late," Dudley replied. "You guys don't need to come. Just wait for my news."
With that, Dudley stood up and walked out of Gryffindor Tower.
"It's so late," Hermione said, watching him go.
"It's no problem for Dudley. He has special privileges," Harry reminded her.
"Can he really persuade Hagrid?" Ron asked uncertainly.
Harry just shrugged.
Dudley moved silently through the moonlit corridors of Hogwarts. To be honest, he was quite interested in dragons. These magical creatures usually only appeared in books. This was his first chance to see one up close, or at least, a dragon egg.
Beyond his curiosity, however, his mind was analyzing the situation. Hagrid's desire to raise a dragon was well-known. His love for magical creatures was practically legendary. And now, just like that, he had obtained a dragon egg. It was far too coincidental.
Dragon eggs weren't common items you could find at any market. They were incredibly rare and difficult to obtain. It was obvious there was something suspicious about this egg. Either there was a problem with the egg itself, or there was a problem with the person who gave it to Hagrid.
In short, this matter was not as simple as it appeared.
Knock, knock.
Dudley knocked on the door of Hagrid's hut.
"Who is it?" Hagrid's voice boomed from within.
"It's me, Dudley."
The door opened a crack, revealing one of Hagrid's small, bright black eyes.
"Oh, Dudley, good to see yeh. But, it's not very convenient right now. Let's talk another day." Hagrid started to close the door.
"Aren't you going to talk to me about the dragon egg?" Dudley asked with a knowing smile.
"Uh... alright, seems Harry already told yeh," Hagrid sighed, giving up. "Listen, that dragon is a life. I can't give it up now. If you're here to persuade me, you can go back." His tone was stiff. It was clear he was deeply attached to the dragon, and no amount of persuasion would work.
"No, I'm not here to persuade you to give it up. I brought you something to eat," Dudley said with a smile, taking a pastry from his pocket and handing it to Hagrid. "Also, I really like magical creatures, especially dragons. Can you let me see the egg?"
"Oh?" Hagrid's eyes lit up as he took the pastry. In that moment, his demeanor softened, and he suddenly found Dudley much more agreeable. A wave of goodwill washed over him. Look at this, a good lad who loves magical creatures.
"Come in, come in quickly, good lad," Hagrid said warmly, opening the door wide. "Let me tell yeh, this little one will probably hatch in about a week. I can't leave it during this time. Come, let me show you my little baby. It's already moving."
Hagrid welcomed Dudley into the hut and pointed to a huge egg roasting in the embers of the fireplace.
Activating his spiritual vision, Dudley peered at the egg. He could clearly see the form of a draconic creature incubating within, its body swirling with potent, chaotic spiritual energy. This power was violent and untamed, not the gentle magic that wizards could easily control. It was clear that once this dragon hatched, it would be extremely difficult to tame.
"What a magical creature," Dudley said, walking closer to the egg.
"I brought you some milk. Want to try some?" Dudley took out a carton of milk from his pocket and let a few drops fall onto the warm shell, a subtle test of its properties.
(TL NOTE: Unfortunately, my LOTR: Playing Minecraft in Middle-earth book was mistakenly flagged as spam on Webnovel and removed. I'll re-upload it under a different title by tomorrow at the latest. Thank you for your patience!)