The scene hung in tense silence for a moment before Malfoy turned and walked away without so much as a goodbye.
Harry watched Malfoy's figure vanish from sight, letting out a soft sigh. "What an awkward guy."
"You're calling him awkward?" Hermione shot him a surprised look, as if seeing him for the first time. "I thought you were about to hex him back there."
"Nah, I wasn't mad," Harry said, scratching his head. "I could tell he was trying to apologize but couldn't bring himself to say it. He wants to make up for things but doesn't want to look weak, so he acts all prickly."
"Maybe," Hermione said with a shrug. "Slytherins always care about saving face more than anything."
Hagrid, still catching up, scratched his head, looking baffled. "Hang on… why would Draco need to apologize? He's the one Buckbeak scratched. If anyone should say sorry, it's me for not watching Buckbeak closer…"
"It's not your fault, Hagrid," Harry said quickly, spilling the full story about the rumors in the Great Hall. "Pansy Parkinson's been spreading lies, saying you let Buckbeak attack on purpose and that I'm covering for you to get your teaching job sacked. Malfoy probably feels this mess started because of him and doesn't want to lose Norbert, so he came to apologize for Pansy."
"Pansy…" Hagrid frowned, racking his brain to place her, then gave up. He wiped his big hands on his apron. "So that's what's going on. I thought Draco was just mad at Ginny or something…"
"Don't take it to heart, Hagrid," Hermione said, crouching to pick up a can of insecticide that had rolled into the grass. "The rumors will die down soon, and Malfoy's already shown where he stands. He'd rather fall out with Pansy than let you take the blame."
Hagrid blinked, then broke into a wide grin, showing two rows of even teeth. "Right! And he brought Norbert some liquor! Draco acts tough, but he's got a good heart."
Harry couldn't help but laugh. "Your bar for 'good heart' is pretty low, Hagrid."
"Heh, you get used to him," Hagrid said, taking the insecticide from Hermione. "Hang on a sec, I'll grab some rum and feed Norbert. Then I'll whip up some rock cakes for you two—fresh ones, not too hard!"
Harry and Hermione exchanged a look, both seeing the same resignation in each other's eyes. Hagrid's "not too hard" usually meant just slightly less tooth-breaking.
Suddenly, Ginny tugged lightly at Hermione's sleeve, her voice barely a whisper. "I'm gonna head back to the castle."
Hermione turned, surprised, her eyes catching the uncertainty in Ginny's. "What's wrong? Still upset about what Malfoy said?"
Ginny shook her head, her long hair falling to hide her expression. She didn't answer directly, just flicked a quick, complicated glance at Harry—part relief, part embarrassment, and a touch of something hard to pin down.
Harry caught her look and frowned, confused. "What? Is there something on my face?"
Hermione, picking up on it, noticed Ginny's flushed ears and Harry's clueless expression. She gave a small, knowing smile. "It's nothing," she said, patting Ginny's shoulder before turning to Harry and Hagrid. "Ginny's got something to do back at the castle."
"What? Leaving already?" Hagrid said, disappointed. "I was gonna let her try the new rock cakes—they're really not that hard this time!"
Ginny nodded quickly, flashing Hagrid an apologetic smile and shooting Hermione a grateful look. "I'll head off then. Hagrid, Hermione… Harry, see you later." With that, she spun around and dashed toward the castle, her red hair streaming behind her like a comet's tail.
Harry watched her go, his brow furrowing slightly. He wasn't clueless—Ginny's odd glance and her hurried exit felt off.
But he didn't say anything, leaving it to Hermione to handle.
Hermione glanced at Harry's calm profile, sighing inwardly. Ginny's whispered words still lingered: "Sorry, Hermione. I'm really over him, it's just… I need a little time to adjust."
"Let's go, Hagrid," Harry said, breaking the silence and pointing toward the Forbidden Forest. "Don't we need to feed Norbert? He'll get cranky if we're late."
"Right, right!" Hagrid's attention snapped back, and he lumbered toward his hut to grab the rum, muttering, "That Ginny, next time I'll make sure she tries my rock cakes…"
Harry trailed behind, his steps slowing for a moment.
Hermione glanced back toward the castle, where Ginny had disappeared around a corner. She took a deep breath and hurried to catch up with Harry and Hagrid. Worries could wait—right now, there were more interesting things ahead.
---
As they trekked back from the depths of the Forbidden Forest, Hagrid was still grumbling about Norbert's reaction. He clutched a mostly empty rum barrel, a few drops of dragon saliva still clinging to it.
"Somethin's off," Hagrid said, scratching his tangled hair, his voice full of confusion. "Norbert usually slurps the stuff down like it's nothing. Today, he barely took a sip. Maybe the rum Malfoy brought ain't to his taste?"
Hermione couldn't help but chime in. "Hagrid, dragons are magical creatures. Drinking all the time can't be good for them, right?"
"Just a little nip, no harm done," Hagrid said, waving her off. "Norbert loves his drink… but maybe he's not keen on rum. Next time, I'll bring something else. Draco left a few bottles of gin last time."
Harry, remembering Norbert wrinkling his snout at the rum, cut in. "Hagrid, that rum… Malfoy brought that too?"
Hagrid nodded, setting the barrel under a tree for the forest's other creatures. "Yup, he slipped it to me the night term started—"
He stopped short, noticing Harry and Hermione exchanging a look.
"Looks like Malfoy's dragon-care knowledge is still at the 'feeding treats to a pet' stage," Hermione said, stifling a laugh. "He probably thinks dragons just love a stiff drink."
Harry grinned. "No wonder Norbert didn't touch it. Maybe it wasn't strong enough for him."
Hagrid, missing the teasing, nodded seriously. "Makes sense! Next time, I'll bring some Firewhisky. That stuff's got enough kick to light a fire!"
The three of them laughed and chatted as they pushed through the bushes at the forest's edge.
"Speaking of," Harry said suddenly, "Malfoy's been coming to the forest more often than you, Hagrid."
"Ain't that the truth," Hagrid said, grinning wide. "Sometimes I get to Norbert, and Draco's already fed him full."
Hermione raised an eyebrow. "You're starting to think pretty highly of Malfoy."
"Dumbledore says kids ain't like adults," Hagrid said, thumping his chest. "And Draco's genuinely good to Norbert. That's no act."
As they spoke, Hagrid's hut came into view. Harry looked at its familiar outline, thinking maybe Malfoy wasn't so hard to figure out after all.
Like Norbert, who was a fierce dragon but wagged his tail for people he liked, some people hid their care behind an awkward shell, unsure how to show it.
As for that rejected rum, it'd probably be Hagrid's go-to topic the next time he saw Malfoy.