Chapter 11: After Holiday BluesChapter TextHermione gave a sigh. "When will I finally get back? " she thought to herself with a frown.
The holiday break was winding down. Hermione loved getting to spend time with her parents and having a late Christmas with them. She was very thankful to Harry for letting her spend the first half of the break with him so she could actually have the best Christmas Break possible. Now though, things were seeming to just drag on, even if they started off really good.
Her parents had taken off a good bit of time for their late Christmas and her mom was more than happy to start teaching her how to cook. "I never really thought I would get to do this kind of mother/daughter thing with you. Cooking just never seemed like your thing," her mother said as she fondly smiled to her daughter.
"I never thought I would want to really learn about cooking, mom. I kind of decided I wanted to learn about it shortly before Holiday Break began. After experiencing Davey's cooking, I decided to really focus on learning it," Hermione easily admitted.
"Oh? Is this because of Harry?" her mom couldn't help but say in a conspiratorial voice to her daughter.
"Mom!" Hermione whined while blushing. Her mother chuckled and smiled wider. Hermione then sighed. "Yes… partly," the young witch said.
Hermione's mom just looked to her with a raised eyebrow.
Hermione pouted. "Okay… Mostly… I still did want to learn it anyways, but it wasn't really something I saw as a priority until recently," she finally admitted.
"I was at a bit of a loss when you first asked. Aren't your meals provided by the school? When would you even have time to cook except during breaks?" she asked her daughter.
"The school does provide our meals and is pretty much a feast every night, if choose for it to be. I'm in Hufflepuff though. We have actually have more of an apartment style living setup if you will. They put four to six of us in a dorm. Each dorm has a cooking area of its own, a living room and bedrooms. You can get ingredients from the kitchens or order them from the nearby village and cook for yourselves. Most don't usually do that though and we do have to attend some feasts no matter what," Hermione said.
"That sounds nice. I'm not sure I like the idea of a bunch of eleven and twelve-year-olds living together like that though," her mother said with a half frown.
"That's why we have a seventh year student as an RA. There's also the fact each house has six Prefects who check on students and enforce the rules along with a Head of House," Hermione told her while they were waiting in the kitchen for their second dish of the break to cook in the oven.
Hermione was for the most part upfront with her parents. She didn't really tell them the Hufflepuff dorm rooms were co-ed though. She was pretty sure her parents might pull her from Hogwarts if they learned that while claiming she was too young for such things. Her dad would try at least.
Her mom might be a bit more okay with it, so long as her daughter promised not to do anything inappropriate and to not room with any boys. This is why Hermione was further worried her parents would be disappointed in her for specifically choosing to room with a boy, if they ever learned the whole truth. It would be even worse for her because her mom would realize she was crushing on said boy.
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Christmas Break had been great and Hermione did love it, but as she was realizing towards the end. It was getting boring. Her parents already needed to return to working without extra time off. That meant Hermione spent most of her time alone in her family home now. This had never been a problem for her before Hogwarts. She loved being able to read in any room and in any chair she wanted uninterrupted. She would even turn on the radio to listen to music in the background while she did so.
After Hogwarts, it all felt different to her. She had friends at Hogwarts. She never really had friends before and she fully realized it was definitely something you wouldn't know you'd miss until you had them. She had always wanted friends of course. She just never realized how lonely not being around them could be once you had friends.
In Hufflepuff, there was always someone near her. She would still read for fun and mostly in silence, but it was nice being around others, especially Harry. Her magic loved feeling his magic nearby. It wasn't just him though. She loved hearing Hannah softly humming to herself as she worked on homework at one of the tables. She would share a couch or chair with Harry or Susan too as they did homework, read, or just spent time together.
Then there was seeing all of the different and fun hairstyles Tonks came up with each day. Tonks was generally great to be around and interesting. Their RA loved talking about classes and the magical world as a whole. Hermione learned so much from just causal conversations with the older girl. She really missed the way Tonks would sometimes use her abilities to given comically over the top expressions, or make other silly faces only a metamorph could accomplish.
Harry was also missing from Hermione's life here at home. She had feared what it would be like once she left the Rust District. Her magic yearned for Harry's. It started off manageable, but it didn't last. Hermione was pretty sure this was due to her stocking up on being around Harry the last few days.
After they fell asleep with each other on the couch Christmas Night, Hermione found ways to have more close contact with him the rest of her stay. Harry seemed to like it and she would almost swear he was doing the same with her. She even went so far as to sneaked into his room a time or two in the middle of the night when she had trouble sleeping. The two would sit together and quietly talk some before she returned to her own bed. Hermione really loved those moments.
She was almost caught by Davey one night. The two ended up falling asleep together in Harry's bed. Luckily Hermione woke up early and sneaked back to her own bed and pretended to be asleep when the other girl started her day. Hermione was sure Davey was none the wiser to what she had done.
Hermione let out a longing sigh as she put down the book she was reading currently. She was surprised to recently find a limit in how much she could read before her mind would start to drift. It took a good while to reach her limit, but she still had a limit now.
In the past, she didn't seem to have any limits on how long she could read. She spent many a night reading until she passed out in the wee hours of the morning before the sun rose. It was so bad her parents made a rule for her when it came to reading, even then she would sometimes go past her allowed reading time.
Now, she couldn't keep reading until she passed out anymore. Her mind would start to think of Harry and the others after enough time. She would think about that night she accidentally got him in trouble with Jett. She still felt guilty about that, but she had a different reason for that feeling now. She had secretly loved quietly sitting up there on the rooftop with him while she leaned on his back. She also loved how she saw a different side to Harry and his life that night. It wasn't pretty, but she loved learning about him and seeing more of who he was.
"Things really do seem duller without Harry around…" she said to herself as she gave a frown. As much as she loved spending time with her parents, she was more than ready for returning to Hogwarts. She was going to grab a hold of Harry when they met again and probably have to be pried off him. She would then move to her other friends in turn and maybe have to be pried off them as well. She really couldn't wait to get back on the Hogwarts Express.
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Professor Snape was looking over his early semester lesson plans again. He hated how he had to make a lot of adjustments to them. It didn't help matters his Gryffindor and Slytherin First Year class was unusually stretched grade wise this year. It was almost as if the Gryffindors weren't even trying in his class. He knew their 'excuses' they used among each other, but he didn't buy them.
He may favor his own house, which Head of House didn't, but he was still fair when it came to grading. There was no way his professionalism would allow him not to be. He just had high standards for all of his students and refused to accept adequate as exceptional or outstanding.
The true reason why Slytherins seemed to do so well in his class is because they tried their hardest and then some in Potions. He was their Head of House and they wanted to at least not have his ire knowing he wasn't easily impressed. All of the houses were like that honestly.
Gryffindors tried harder than usual in Transfiguration. Ravenclaws did the same in Charms and while Hufflepuff was the house of the hard working, they went above and beyond their usual in Herbology. Most of the students felt they would disappoint their Head of House if they didn't take extra care and put in more work in their class.
Professor Snape would admit he found his other first year class more curious. One would think in a Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff Potions class it would be the house of the wise who took the top and the others would be more scattered but rather evenly distributed. With this first-year class, it was different.
Two Hufflepuffs, Harry Potter and Hermione Granger, were easily in the lead and by a good margin. If his colleagues were to be believed, they were the top of the year with the rest of their house not too far behind. Ravenclaw usually saw Slytherin as their house rival grade wise, but with this first year class it might just be the badgers who warranted such attention.
Harry Potter looked almost exactly like his father, which annoyed Snape to no end, but he at least seemed to take more after his mother personality wise. Harry was still easily very different from both of his parents.
Professor Snape wasn't full sure how he grew to be like this though. The boy was strong like his mother, but unlike her, he was quietly strong and more composed than she usually was. These traits were a far cry from his father as well so he doubted Harry's personality was a mix of the two.
Lily Evans was known equally for her compassion and her temper. She wouldn't mind getting her hands dirty if you provoked her either. Harry was more, dare Professor Snape say it, cunning and careful than his mother.
Harry knew how to be subtle and how to take care of things quietly without going overboard and getting in trouble. He knew how to defuse situations and how to ignore or handle some of the less than flattering beliefs some Slytherins held. The snakes as a whole still seemed to realize Hermione Granger was off limits oddly enough.
Professor Snape wasn't sure how Harry achieved that. He didn't want to know. He just knew this was the case from how his own students acted around the boy.
There was a part of Severus Snape that was impressed by the way Harry seemed to operate. He also might take a little joy in the fact James Potter would be rolling over in his grave if he knew his son would be a model Slytherin. The Potions Professor would never admit it, but he whole heartily agreed with how Harry didn't mind muggle-borns.
He, himself, didn't like certain attitudes in that regard. Given his role as Head of Slytherin and spy for Dumbledore, he put up with it and played along. In truth, he believed there was nothing wrong with muggle-borns and the wizarding world owed them more than they knew.
He would even go so far as to say the wizarding world would no longer exist without muggle-borns. "That or the population would all be old and ancient like Albus Dumbledore by this point. " he thought to himself with some amusement.
Professor Snape wished he learned that lesson sooner. He partially had the right idea when he was younger. He was friends with Lily Evans, a muggle-born witch, but he was foolish in other ways. The Slytherin Head realized his own faults. He also knew his liking of Lily when he was younger was a mix of a crush, desperation for something good, and to a lesser extent obsession. He had grown out of that soon after Hogwarts, but became foolish and tried too much to blend in with those who seemed to rule Slytherin.
Something that was honestly surprising to the professor was how much Harry's closest friend, Hermione Granger, shared with his mother. Hermione was very different, but there were similarities. She was also muggle-born. She was extremely smart and bright, maybe too much for her own good, and very loyal to her friends. He knew Lily put up with a lot from him until he finally went too far in his fifth year. Hermione also wouldn't back down when pushed or standing up for her friends, even if she was rather introverted on a whole.
Hermione flew in the face of everything the pure-blood idiots believed. She also really stuck out and not in the best of ways, especially at first. Professor Snape would admit she seemed very much a know-it-all and teacher's pet at first.
She was all too eager to prove how smart she was and that lead to her being annoying in her own manner towards professors. Hermione at first would do twice again what her assignments required. Some professors might appreciate that, and Snape did appreciate a student who went beyond what was required, but there were limits.
However, it seemed Hermione learned this. Professor Snape was under no illusion her realization was because of Harry Potter. The boy knew people. Professor Snape realized this while discussing the "Brightest Witch of her Age" with his colleagues.
The frizzy haired Hufflepuff approached her assignments differently depending on the professor. Professor Flitwick loved it when students went twice again what was required and Hermione did so for his class. Professor McGonagall appreciated it when students pulled from other sources, and Hermione did so for her class. It was the same story for all of her classes.
Hermione seemed to have an uncanny ability to learn just what was most appreciated by her different professors without going so far as to bother them. On top of that, she learned how to properly participate in a class without becoming an annoyance, but still shined plenty bright. The other professors chalked this up to her being such a bright and wonderful student.
Professor Snape believed otherwise.
Harry Potter was brought up a lot as well, naturally. This annoyed Snape and reminded him too much of how James loved to be the center of attention. He had learned though that Harry didn't enjoy the spotlight in that way, but he still knew how to deal with it. In addition to that, Professor Snape realized something the other professors overlooked. Harry dealt with his professors in the same manner Hermione did, but he started to do so much sooner.
Yes. Harry Potter deserved to have an eye kept on him. That wasn't necessarily a bad thing as most would have thought. The Potions Professor intended to do so in his own ways.
Professor Snape smirked to himself as he enjoyed his last respite before the students returned from holiday break. "James Potter… How does it feel, you annoying bastard, to know your son seems very much a prefect Slytherin, even if he is in Hufflepuff, and not Gryffindor's favorite son, as you were? " he thought.
It was a shame Harry wasn't in Slytherin. He might have been the one to whip the house back into shape. It hadn't been so in a long time. Everyone thought of Voldemort and Death Eaters when it came to Slytherin. They never thought of the true greats like Merlin, even Severus regrettably didn't think much of them during his years as a student. He, like so many others, focused too much on the wrong sorts from Slytherin.
He was pretty sure that was why so many of the bad ended up in Slytherin, instead of being more spread around. It was hard to shake a reputation once built by others. In the case of Slytherin House, that meant more of the bad congregated there. Professor Snape could only hope one day that would change.
Maybe once Voldemort was truly dead and never to come back, when his work as a spy was no longer needed, he could actually start to change things in his house. He first had to survive and ensure the self-proclaimed Dark Lord didn't return. This was important for such a chance to happen in the first place. Not an easy task, but one worth it should he succeed.
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Harry Potter walked through the train looking for Hermione. He arrived a decent bit early, but he had a feeling Hermione was already there and possibly had been for a good while. As he walked the train, he made sure to greet those he knew and was on good terms with. He finally found the compartment Hermione picked.
Harry couldn't help but smile as he stood in the doorway. Hermione was reading a book and seemed a bit anxious but she was concentrating on it. "I had a feeling you'd already be here, Hermione," he said to her.
Hermione looked up at hearing his voice and smiled so brightly it was as if light had returned to the world. "Harry!" she greeted happily. She then moved so fast it was almost as if she appeared right before him. She quickly wrapped him tightly in a hug.
Harry was surprised by the intensity of it. He knew she was a huggy person and he had no problem with receiving her hugs, but there seemed to be a bit of desperation or something to it this time mixed in with her happiness. It also felt as if even her magic was excited and happy to see him again. He would admit he missed her, even more than he thought he would, but there was something more to her going on here it seemed.
He pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind for now. He returned her hug just as tightly and was surprised he felt as if there was something else in the hug from him as well. Harry next did something that surprised him as she buried her face in his chest. He kissed the top of her head. He wasn't sure why, but it felt like the right thing to do. He couldn't really tell what Hermione's reaction was, but she at least didn't push him away. He also felt he could sense happiness from her at the gesture.
Hermione blushed as she felt Harry kiss the top of her head. She smiled even wider and seemed to overflow with happiness. She buried herself further into his chest as she relished being held like this. Her magic seemed to respond strongly as well. It seemed more eager and excited to greet him after being apart from him for so long, even if it was just half the break since they last saw each other.
"I suppose we can't just stay like this," she said with a small giggle. She was actually sad they couldn't.
"I don't mind it, but I suppose not," Harry agreed as they let go.
Hermione still felt really happy and wonderful to be with her best friend and crush again. The two sat down together on the same seat in the compartment. "How was your holiday after leaving with your parents?" Harry asked.
"It was great! At first… It was okay afterwards. Then it felt like it started to really drag on too much towards the end. I missed you… a-a-and everyone else," Hermione answered blushing again at her slip up. She really hoped Harry didn't pick up on it. She by no means was shy in her affections towards him, but she still didn't want him to get the wrong idea. She knew the wrong idea was actually the right of it, but it was still so embarrassing.
"Was the whole magic calling thing really bad?" Harry asked in concern. Hermione nodded carefully. "I noticed it more myself," Harry admitted. Once she left, he started to sense what they talked about that night to a degree.
"It wasn't too bad at first. It did get worse as the break went on though. Maybe it was easier at first because of how much time we spent with each other? Maybe it was the contact we had with one another?" Hermione mused out loud in thought.
"Now that we're going back to Hogwarts, we can look more into it. We'll also be in the same room again, so we can try to explore it more like you suggested," Harry told her.
"I'd like that. I was thinking at first we could just do something simple, like not closing our bed curtains at night," Hermione said.
"Okay… But I don't know if I snore or not. So, be warned," Harry said jokingly to her. "I've never had anyone complain before at least, but that could be just how we are in the Rust District. Given our pasts, some people love hearing others just around them. They claim it reaffirms they're no longer alone. That's what some people have said at least," Harry added more seriously.
"I didn't notice any snoring from you during the break," Hermione admitted. She thought what he said was both kind of sad and sort of sweet in a way.
"If you do notice it back at Hogwarts, you have to tell me. Perhaps I can ask Neville for the silencing charm they use on Ron's bed in Gryffindor," Harry said with a grin.
Hermione giggled to that. She gave a silent sigh of happiness after a moment. She really did miss being around Harry… and the others… of course. They just weren't here yet so she couldn't tell them that.
"Do we tell the others?" Harry asked her.
Hermione was in thought for a moment. "I don't think that's a good idea. Not yet at least. Maybe once we learn more, or if we can't figure anything out on our own. I'm not sure whatever this is that's going on is something well known or common, even in the magical world," Hermione said. Harry seemed to understand her reasoning and nodded in agreement.
To Hermione, there was more to it than she said. She meant her words, but also really wanted to keep this to herself. It was selfish of her, but she wanted to have this whole magic calling thing be something between her and Harry. She wanted it to be a secret they shared with each other. She wasn't yet ready to hand off Harry to the co-star of his love story, whoever the lucky girl was. She hoped it would be her, but she wasn't sure. She was just Hermione. And he was Harry!
After they finished their discussion, the compartment door slid open and Susan smiled to them both. "Hello! Good to see you again," she said.
Hermione stood up and smiled brightly as she gave Susan a welcome back hug. It wasn't as intense or long as the one she gave Harry though. Susan returned the hug and gave Harry her own greeting hug. "I missed you both," she said as she sat down on the opposite seat from Harry and Hermione. "How was your Holiday Break?" Susan asked them.
Before Harry and Hermione could respond, the door opened again quickly. Hannah almost shot right inside as she closed the door behind her. Hermione didn't even have time to greet her properly before Hannah breathlessly said, "I know who Nickolas Flamel is!"
All three of the other Hufflepuffs' eyes shot wide open in surprise. "How?!" Hermione couldn't help but almost shout.
Hannah caught her breath and plopped down by Susan. "It was completely by accident. I didn't learn everything about him either. I figured it would be too strange if I was suddenly very interested in frantically tearing through old books in our family's library."
"Come on! Please get on with it," Susan said in a pleading manner.
"Okay. My family always plays a few games of Witch and Wizard Trivia. We take turns reading out a card and the others answer as quickly as they can. The cards usually have three or four facts before giving the answer at the bottom and reward less points the more clues are given. I got Flamel's card!" Hannah said excitedly.
"He's a very well-known Alchemist, but that isn't as well studied as it used to be. He is really good friends with Dumbledore and was our Headmaster's old mentor! Can you believe that?! He's even over 600 years old!" Hannah said with Awe as she recited the card's facts from memory.
Hermione's eyes widened at the mention of Alchemy, but she waited for Hannah to finish what she was saying. Hermione then got up and pulled out a rather large book from her trunk. She flipped through the pages quickly in search of something, but there were a lot of them.
"A bit of light reading?" Harry asked with a hint of amusement in his voice as he gave her an easy-going smile.
Hermione looked up into his eyes for a moment and blushed as she looked back down and nodded. "I knew my parents would be really busy towards the end of Holiday break. I wanted something I could really sink my teeth into and was about magic. Here!" she in triumph.
"Nickolas Flamel is the only known creator of the Sorcerer's Stone! … and apparently loves opera…" she read the last part in puzzlement. That was a really odd factoid to list for someone, especially in this book. He must be a really private person, and they didn't have much else to write.
"The Sorcerer's Stone?! I thought that was just a myth," Susan said in amazement.
"What does it do?" Harry asked her.
"It's supposed to be able to turn any metal into gold and provides the Elixir of Life. The Elixir of Life gives the drinker immortality, or so the legends say," Susan filled in for him.
"That's got to be it!" Hermione started. "That's got to be the package Hagrid took from that vault and what Fluffy's guarding."
"It does say he's really close to Professor Dumbledore. Not sure why such a legendary item is at Hogwarts, but I guess if Nickolas was to trust it to anyone… It would be Dumbledore, his friend and apprentice," Hannah said.
"I think you're right, Hermione and you too, Hannah. I really don't like it. If we could figure out what it was, I'm sure others could. That is a prize too tempting for most to pass up. That would attract both the right sort and wrong sort of people," Harry said.
"I agree. I bet there's more guarding it though. I doubt Fluffy alone would be enough. Though… why would they lock the door in a manner that a simple Alohomora would unlock?" Hermione wondered.
Hannah frowned. She frowned deeper. "What is it?" Susan asked in worry. It was bad if her best friend was acting like that.
Hannah continued to frown. "You all don't suppose someone's already working on getting it? Do you? We know Professor Snape thinks someone is, but he's the only professor that seems to think that. I doubt Professor Snape, who's always talking about being careful and meticulous in class, would leave it so easy to get through that door behind him," she said.
"I really hope not… It would have to be either the staff or someone who knows how to enter and exit Hogwarts' Grounds without being noticed going for it in such a manner. Both of those options are bad. I think you're right again though, Hannah... That would explain it. Why put obstacles back up if you are taking your time dismantling the defenses and no one seems to suspect you?" Susan said with deeper worry.
"Then it is a good thing Hermione and I mentioned it to Hagrid. We did so by mistake, but he said he would speak to the Professors about it. He probably meant Professor Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall. I'm sure even Hagrid would know not to speak about it too much. It was an accident when he told us. He was just surprised we accidentally found Fluffy," Harry said. The girls seemed a little relieved by his words. They would all still worry about it in their own way though.
After they were all silent for a moment, Susan spoke up to break the quiet. "I still can't believe that dog you two saw is named Fluffy, even if Hagrid is his owner." She gave a shake of her head. The others couldn't help but laugh about that. They spent the rest of the train ride happily sharing their holiday breaks with each other.
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Once the students were all back at Hogwarts, it was surprising how quickly they fell back into their routine. People were getting excited about the first Quidditch match of the year. Gryffindor kept saying how this game would be their chance at redeeming themselves. Ron was especially sure of this, even if he wasn't on the team himself. He was getting annoying with it though. He kept pointing it out to every Hufflepuff he came across. He seemed to think the game was already decided and Gryffindor victorious.
"He's almost as bad as he was when Gryffindor played us," Draco started one day to Harry after Ron carried on about how great Gryffindor's team was. "In our case though, it was understandable given how our houses are and the same old Lion idiocy they all seem to have."
"I get supporting your team, but he is ridiculous about it. Then again… maybe we should think it's a good sign he's supporting them so much," Harry mused with a chuckle.
"Why do you say that?" Draco asked.
"I've heard he's very fanatical about his favorite pro-team. The Chudley Cannons," Harry said.
Draco couldn't help but laugh to that. "Ahhh yes. The team that is always in a 'Rebuilding' year and will definitely win the cup next time," he said.
"The exact same one. I'm not an expert on Quidditch, but I get a feeling he'll feel very foolish after the game. Cedric is really good and other Seekers seem to bounce off him given his build compared to them," Harry said.
"I've heard much the same. Even Flint doesn't dare antagonize him too much. And Flint sees such things as strategy," Draco said.
"Getting in your opponent's head is a strategy. Carrying on too much just cheapens the effect, because people start to think that is all you can do," Harry said.
"I have to ask again though. Are you planning on trying out next year?" Draco asked Harry. After his showing at their flying lessons, several first years asked Harry much the same many times.
"I'm getting a broom for sure. I don't know about trying out for the team though. Maybe if they have some kind of substitution team I will. I love flying for the freedom though. I wouldn't want to have to worry about a game as well. I like watching Quidditch. I just don't know if it's for me to play," Harry said.
"That's a shame really. I'm trying out and I was hoping for some serious competition," Draco said.
Harry gave him a look. "It might be just a little too early to decide you will be on the team," he said.
Draco smirked. "The current Seeker is in his last year. I am pretty good at flying and I've played seeker several times before in pick-up games and usually end up being the one who catches it. Plus… I have a plan… Father agreed to it already," he said mysteriously.
Harry had a few ideas what the plan would be, but he left it alone. "I suppose each House handles who gets on the team differently. You do really like game and know a lot about it. So... hope it goes well for you. I'll be zipping around plenty on my own next year during breaks and after classes. I'm surprised more people don't have their own brooms to fly for fun with," he said.
"While the rules only say first years can't own a broom, many seem to assume it also means anyone not on the Quidditch team can't own one either. A bit silly when you think about it. It's always been that way though, so people continue to treat it that way," Draco answered Harry.
Harry nodded in agreement. "It's foolish to think just because something has always been done one way and one way only. It has to always be done that way," Harry said.
Draco looked to Harry at those words. He thought on them. He frowned a little. Some people have tried to use such words to argue against his father's beliefs. "We still shouldn't just ignore things that have traditionally been done a certain way entirely and believe it is wrong. But you are right in this case," Draco tried Harry with his words. He wondered how the other boy would answer. Draco found Harry surprising in many cases and so did others in Slytherin. Draco figured that was why he and others didn't seem to mind Harry, even when Hermione was with him. Some even occasionally brokered conversation with her that wasn't exactly nasty.
Harry looked to him with a raised eyebrow. "I wasn't saying anything was wrong with traditions," Harry said simply. He then looked over as some of his fellow Hufflepuffs called to him. "Are you going to the game?" Harry asked. He then gave a chuckle. "I can see you doing that just to annoy Ron once Cedric catches the Snitch."
Draco gave a chuckle and nodded. "That and to gather information on my future opponents. Like I said. I have a plan for next year and it will succeed," he said as the two went their separate ways.
Draco had more on his mind than he thought he would after that conversation. Harry's words reminded him of what his mother said many times when his dad wasn't around. She didn't fully support his beliefs, but she did hold on to tradition rather closely. More so than his dad did, who often used tradition as a justification for his actions. Harry may have spoken in a manner that suggested Draco's previous statement was completely off topic, but he could tell there was more to Harry's words many times.
[-] [-] [-]
As game day approached, Ron became even more annoying and unbearable. It got to the point even his brothers, the twins, told him to cut it out, in their own fashion. This really was something considering they were on the team and even they felt Ron was being overly obnoxious about the game.
The Hufflepuff team was getting plenty of support from their house, which was to be expected. The Hufflepuffs still tried to keep a certain level of politeness about their support around others. Harry really appreciated that. It was kind of stupid to get into fights and such over a sports team. He saw plenty who did and found it more disappointing each time it happened.
When it came to the day of the game, all of Hufflepuff met with the team in the Common room to wish them luck. Harry walked up and said to Cedric, "I'm sure everyone has already told you, but we're rooting for you and the others. Though I've heard you don't need it."
Cedric chuckled. "So, I've been told as well, Harry. I always say I'm not that impressive really. I am good and I will admit that, but I can always use the support of Hufflepuff," Cedric said with a grin.
"Then it is good we will be rooting for you after all. Good luck out there, Cedric," Harry said.
He then made sure to address the rest of the team in turn as well. Cedric usually got most of the support since he was the seeker and that was a very important position, but Harry knew it took the whole team to win. He'd heard plenty of stories of games where the opposing seeker caught the snitch to help save some of their team's dignity from a very humiliating loss. Harry also knew people appreciated being recognized for their roles as well. At this time though, Harry didn't realize how much Cedric appreciated him seeing off and giving support to the rest of the team in the way he did.
[-] [-] [-]
Ron frowned. He was worried. He was making a point of dodging Malfoy whenever he could. The game was over. Hufflepuff won big. Gryffindor had a great team! Except for the seeker. Hufflepuff had a great team! And a great seeker. Cedric knew how to use his size to his advantage and he didn't have to make any compromises with his flying to do so.
He'd swear he could hear Draco's smirk around every corner of the castle. Ron didn't like it one bit at all. He was glad he was used to eating quickly and in big bites at least. It had come in really handy right after the game. The meals were unbearable for him! People kept laughing and laughing and some would shoot him looks before laughing. He knew they weren't all laughing at him, but seeing the looks he was getting from people sure made it feel that way to him.
Neville sighed as he looked to Ron. "I hate to say it… But you did kind of bring this upon yourself," he said.
Ron just grumbled to himself in reply. He knew Neville was right, but still that shouldn't matter.
"Wittle Ronnikins is just sad—" one twin said.
"He once again has to eat his own foot –" the other replied.
"If he was at least on the team –" the first started.
"He'd still be eating his own foot but –" the second said.
"The laughing would have stopped after the first day," they said together before chuckling and walking off.
Ron hated the twins at the moment. Everyone, even from the other houses, had been polite to Fred and George and even told them they played really well. Most were sympathetic to them and the team as a whole. Everyone knew Gryffindor had trouble with getting good seekers that could play at the rest of the team's level.
"If they all know that… Why are they treating me this way? " Ron thought to himself in complaint. He didn't get it.
He really didn't get it at all.
[-] [-] [-]
"Look! It's hatching!" Hagrid said in excitement. He had just placed a really large egg on the middle of his dining table in his hut. It was in the middle of a fire until a moment ago.
Four first years were excitedly watching with him as well. Susan was holding her breath in her excitement. Hannah was trying her best not to seem as if she had been hit by a Dancing Legs Jinx. "Oooo! Look Harry! Look!" Hermione said in an almost breathless voice from next to Harry. She was holding on to his left arm with both of her hands and squeezing tighter than Harry honestly found comfortable. He was excited too though and found her actions far too cute to complain.
Many would wonder where Hagrid found such a large egg and why it was roasting in a fire for so long. With any other type of egg, they would be right to wonder that. However, this was a dragon's egg! It was supposed to be surrounded by fire and heat. Hagrid told them if it was with a roosting mother the mama dragon would breath fire on it from time to time and would always keep it very warm.
Most would probably point out this was mostly like illegal. And it really was. The first years were too excited to watch a dragon hatching to care. It was something very rare to witness. This being the case all four would more than kindly look the other way, even Susan, whose aunt was the Head of the DMLE, agreed to this arrangement.
"That's it little one… Push. Push," Hagrid cooed to the egg in encouragement.
Harry, Hermione, Hannah and Susan first learned about Hagrid's Dragon Egg by chance in the library. They were studying together as they did, anyone who was close friends to Hermione would be doing the same, when they noticed Hagrid trying and failing to remain unnoticed in the library.
It was an impossible task. Hagrid was far too big for the place and he never really visited it for this long or like this. He had most of the books he wanted or needed. Any books missing from his collection he'd order or Madam Pence would actually behave like a librarian and help him find. She usually pulled them for him so he wouldn't make a mess of her domain. With everyone else, it seemed like she just shushed them for daring to cough or breath too loudly. She had more important things to do, like read her books. Harry was pretty sure the books she was reading weren't for polite conversation.
The four students asked Hagrid what was up and he acted very suspicious indeed. Once he was gone, Hermione looked where he was and told the others it was a section about dragons. They immediately went to meet with him after that and he was more willing to share what was going on then. He even got them very interesting in dragons themselves, Hannah ended up looking into them more thoroughly and even impressed Hermione with how much she did. They all ended up agreeing to help Hagrid how they could.
Harry received a note earlier today. It was simple and was hastily scrawled out. There wasn't even a name on it, but Harry knew who wrote it from their handwriting. The note simply read, "It's time."
A baby dragon cry was heard soon enough as the egg fell apart. "Dawww… Ain't he tha cutest?!" Hagrid was cooing even more so.
The first years were staring in awe as the baby dragon broke free of the egg. It had little wings and everything. It was rather cute in a dangerous way.
The dragon suddenly sneezed. Harry and the others jumped back as a gout of fire came from it and lit Hagrid's beard on fire.
"Heh heh! Little Tyke!" Hagrid said as he patted out the fire, something he would get very used to doing in the upcoming days. "Hey there little guy!" Hagrid cooed again as he held out a finger trying to touch it.
The dragon gave a baby dragon growl and snipped at his fingers. Hagrid brought them back just in time. "Dawwww… He already knows who his mummy is!" Hagrid said in the manner a proud parent would from watching their own child. "How are ye, Norbert!" Hagrid said. "Are ye hungry?" he asked with a chuckle.
A baby dragon cry was all Hagrid got in reply.
The four Hufflepuffs were in awe of what they witnessed. It was exciting and cool. It was also far scarier than they thought it would be. They didn't think a dragon would be able to sneeze up fire like that right after hatching. They were excited and worried for what the upcoming days had in store for Hagrid.
Regardless, they knew this was an experience they would always remember. They were also glad they weren't the ones who decided to raise a baby dragon… In a small wooden hut… Near the Forbidden Forest's edge.
"I really hope Hagrid flame proofed everything," Susan said as they finally left to head back. The others nodded in agreement. She said exactly what was on their minds.
Chapter 12: Dragon Sized ProblemsChapter TextHermione let out a loud gasp as she quickly sat up in her bed. She was panting for breath and her cheeks were flushed. She might have let out another noise of some kind right before she sat bolt upright, but she wasn't clear on that.
"Are you okay?" Harry asked in the middle of a yawn as he sat up as well and looked to her.
"That was intense… What happened?" Hermione asked.
Harry shrugged his shoulders. "Not sure really. But when you let out that noise it woke me up as well," Harry said.
Hermione caught her breath. She was sweating a little, but it wasn't really a panicked induced sweat. She got up fully and walked over to her desk. She poured herself some water from their room's self-filling pure water pitcher. Each Hufflepuff bed room had such a water pitcher and a glass cup. Harry and Hermione's room had two glass cups since they joined them.
Hermione pulled out a quill and added notes to a journal. Harry did the same from where he was now sitting at his own desk. Just under the entry number, Hermione wrote what she remembered of what just happened.
They started their experimenting with their connection, whatever it was, soon after school started again. It started off simple with them not closing their bed curtains before they went to bed at nights. Harry didn't snore, but their sleep wasn't average either.
After that first try, they both shared what they remembered of their dreams the next day. Both first years were surprised how much they clearly recalled of their dreams. They also quickly discovered they were in each other's dreams and rather noticeable if not prominently featured in some fashion. It happened enough there was no way it was just coincidence. They tried a few other things as well with the connection, but so far it seemed dream and sleep related experiments were the most fruitful.
"Well. Now we know if we fall asleep in such a way at the same time and so close… It seems dreams are more intense," Harry said after he wrote what he experienced.
"I think we also might be sharing dreams like this Harry…" Hermione said. There was something she was thinking on.
"What did you dream? You've been kind of adamant about keeping our dreams secret from each other," Harry said. He wasn't questioning or really going along easily with this choice. He was pretty sure Hermione would not like some of his dreams that she starred in and were very personal. He also didn't want to seem too agreeable to the condition she insisted on. She might suspect something if he did. Hermione was really sharp usually and while he liked that about her, it could be problematic in some ways.
"I think this time we can make an exception. There is no way I would be dreaming about flying around on a broom like that all over the world…" Hermione started.
Harry's green eyes widened to that. "That's what I was dreaming! You were there riding with me for part of it, but it jumped around to different scenes you could say. I was alone in others and really letting loose. I was doing all kind of stunts and everything. You dreamed all of that too?" he asked.
Hermione nodded. "Yes. It was strange to me really. I was there flying with you on the broom under starry skies at a steady and gentle pace for part of it. We were flying leisurely over London and along beaches and over a deep blue ocean sparkling like a sapphire under the sun. Other moments I would be flying… first person… like a master of broom flying. I also didn't feel too put out by it. However, it was still too much for me towards the end in that dive," she said.
Harry was in thought as he said, "I had the same dream. Even had some of those same feelings, except for the diving part at the end, if I had woken up normally at that moment, I would have been really upset at having such a great dream ruined."
"So... When we ensure we fall asleep at the same time via potion, we have the same dream? Or is it something more…" Hermione mused as she scribbled away.
"I think it is something more. I think it is more like sharing a dream, even if I seemed more dominant in the dream. Maybe… It would be better to say it was my dream we were sharing, but your influences came in as well? The way you described the parts where we flew together on the same broom is exactly how I would describe them, but…" Harry said.
"It was more… like a romance novel in its description and feel," Hermione provided.
Harry nodded. "I've glanced through one or two before out of curiosity… I'm surprised they aren't considered porn, honestly. Overly flowery porn… but still porn… even if it has an actual story," Harry said.
Hermione frowned to that and was about to argue, but sighed and shook her head. As much as she hated to admit it, he had a point. She had indulged herself in more ways than one when reading such books. If they didn't have certain aspects too them and were innocent, she wouldn't have dared allow her hands to slip down like that. "Regardless of your theories on women's books…" Hermione said in an almost huff.
Harry gave her a look with a raised eyebrow. It was as if he was saying to her, "Really? You're going to act that way about it? You're going to really defend them?" Hermione blushed at his look.
"The point is… I think you're right. It does seem like I influenced the dream. I-I-I don't really read such books… But my dreams, when I remember them, are more like scenes from a book that I participate in. If you will. There may not be a narrator, but aspects of the dream seem to be read and described by an author. It is hard to really explain properly. They aren't always like that, but many times they are," Hermione said.
Harry decided to keep his realization Hermione seemed too embarrassed by the thought of romance novels for not having been a connoisseur of them to himself. "Mine aren't always in first person, but they can be sometimes. After the dream we just had, I get what you mean by actively participating in a book. I would have just dreamed about the whole flying under the stars with you if it was my dream alone. It wouldn't have had that description feeling you mentioned," Harry said as he added his own notes. Hermione insisted he keep his own journal on the experiments and to add even the stuff they mentioned in conversation as well. She pointed out there was no telling what might spark a breakthrough later when reading their notes.
"I wonder if there is a reason it chooses one person's dream to share over the other. Maybe it goes in turns? Maybe it depends on if the person would have a dream that night or not. Maybe it is something else entirely…" Hermione said. She started to scribble down notes faster as more ideas came to her.
"I guess we will be repeating this experiment again," Harry said.
"I think we have to. This could be huge! It also was… really nice... I didn't have a problem with the dream until that last dive. I liked experiencing flying from your perspective. I don't mind broom flying so much now, but what I feel is nothing compared to what you enjoy about it," Hermione said with a smile to herself. She also really loved the idea of sharing dreams with Harry. Talk about taking romance up a notch. She doubted few, if any, could say they shared dreams with their crush and best friend.
"I think we should wait at least a week though," Harry said to her.
Hermione frowned in thought before nodding. "Yes. Doing something like this too often can have obvious repercussions. Even if we both fall asleep again without any trouble, it won't change the fact our sleep was interrupted."
"I also don't want us to get too used to something like this. We could start overlooking something important if we did," Harry said. He left unmentioned how he didn't really know what it would be like if they ended up sharing thatkind of a dream. Doing something like this too often increased the chances of it happening. Additionally he was pretty sure safe sleeping potions, like the one they used, could be addicting if used too often.
Harry stood up and stretched again. He was about to go to the restroom really quick before going back to sleep, but he was stopped in his tracks. Hermione came over and gave him a tight hug.
"Thanks for agreeing to help with all of this, Harry. It really means a lot to me," Hermione said sweetly tightened her hug a little. Not only was this something new and exciting, but she also had someone with her while she researched and looked into to it. The only time previously people helped her with research or experiments was if the school required it for a project. This was so much more than that.
Harry smiled and returned her hug. He really liked them and it was nice getting a sudden middle of night Hermione hug. "You're welcome, Hermione. I really like doing this with you and learning more about magic along the way," he said.
They then broke their hug and took care of what they needed before heading back to bed and sleep once again. Both were a mix of curiosity and excitement as they wondered if maybe putting their beds closer together and doing this would have different results. In many cases, closer proximity to something increases the effectiveness of it.
Both first years were far too embarrassed to say anything though. Hermione and Harry put it into the back of their minds to ask another time... maybe. Perhaps when they were both too exhausted to really focus on the implications of sleeping so close to someone they liked-liked to care about embarrassment, that might be a good time to try. It would probably be best to approach that step in the same manner they did the others and start off with not closing beds curtains when that close to each other.
[-] [-] [-]
"As much as I don't want to say it… I think we will have to do something more about Hagrid and Norbert," Hermione said to her friends as they sat in their dorm living room. The others sighed and nodded in agreement.
"You aren't the only one thinking that," Harry said. No one wanted to say it, but they all knew it was true.
"We have pushed this off long enough," Hannah said as well with a frown. They were close to Hagrid and saw him as a good friend, which made this even more difficult to discuss.
"Yeah… It was way illegal from the start, even if I kind of didn't press it. It is really rare to see a dragon hatch after all," Susan said with a sigh at her own lack of action on the matter. Her aunt always stressed how important laws were and to never make exceptions. Susan had made one because of her own excitement. If it was something smaller or less important she might not have cared, but this was an illegal baby dragon.
"Very rare. Even if you were to make regular trips to the dragon preserves, it is most likely you would never see a hatching," Hannah added her own thoughts.
"What do we do though? We can't just tell Hagrid it has to go," Harry asked the group as they fell into silence.
Ever since Norbert the Norwegian Ridgeback hatched, Hagrid had been very protective of the dragon. He was to the point they were all pretty sure if they were to get burned Hagrid would blame them for it and claim they were being mean to Precious Little Norbert. Harry wanted to support Hagrid in this venture, but it was going too far now. It didn't matter that he was very grateful Hagrid had kept his living situation a secret from even Dumbledore and saw him as a friend. They had to do something.
"I know for sure we can't tell Dumbledore," Hannah stated.
"Why not? I don't think Headmaster Dumbledore would get upset at us. He would probably be happy we came to an adult about it," Hermione said.
"It isn't that. As much as he cares for Hagrid, Dumbledore would have to do something about this. It would also have to be done rather publicly. He'd probably have to fire Hagrid at the very least. Like I said earlier. It is very illegal," Susan emphasized her words with a look.
Hermione sighed. "Then people like Draco's dad would use this as an opportunity to get rid of the Headmaster and put in someone they deem worthy of the position," she admitted with a frown.
"Which we all agree would be bad. Draco may be tolerable and alright in some ways, but his dad is far from it," Harry said as the others nodded in agreement.
"We have a little longer to think on it," Hannah started. She had taken it upon herself to look more into dragons. She knew how long it would take before Precious Little Norbert was no longer little. Hagrid would probably still consider the dragon precious though. He seemed to love large and dangerous creatures. The bigger and more dangerous it was, the more precious.
"I still think we should figure something out sooner rather than later," Harry said. All of the girls could agree with him on that.
[-] [-] [-]
Norbert kept growing at a surprising rate to Harry, Hermione, and Susan. Hannah however assured them it was a regular growth rate, even if on the faster end. This didn't change the baby dragon was still growing fast and they didn't know what to do about the situation. They were starting to think they wouldn't have an option but to go to Dumbledore.
It wasn't until one day when they were really trying to come up with ideas, that something happened. As the group of first years were thinking on what to do about a dragon and an overly attached surrogate mother, Tonks happened to come in through the door. "Hello, all," she said much more chipper than normal.
"Hey, Tonks," they all replied in some form or fashion.
"You seem to be in an exceptionally good mood," Hermione said with a friendly smile.
Tonks grinned. "Just finished a round of testing. I have a bit of a break now." She then frowned a little. "I'm still not looking forward to my actual NEWTs. I could really use something to get my mind off it all for now though," she said running a hand through her hair as it changed colors in reaction.
Harry gave a thoughtful hum. The others looked to him questioningly. Hermione then seemed to catch on just as he spoke again. "Do you have any idea what to do about a dragon that's growing too big to stay hidden in Hagrid's hut before possibly burning it down?" he asked in a surprisingly causal tone.
Tonks stared at them with comically large eyes, she loved doing things like that as a metamorph. "Wow… I did not expect that kind of a suggestion," she said.
Harry merely shrugged his shoulders.
Tonks sighed. "I guess this is what happens with such a cute bunch of fristies… You don't have normal problems," she said.
"Pretty sure nothing is normal about my life. Not that I'm complaining," Harry said.
"The strangest thing is that I do possibly have a solution… I'm guessing you want to keep this on the down low. I really don't want Dumbledore to be forced to ax Hagrid. I'm not as friendly with him as you four are, but I've visited him a number of times and consider him a friend," Tonks said.
The four first years seemed to be really relieved hearing that. "That's why you're the best RA for us. You already have an idea on how to solve our… dragon sized problem," Harry said grinning.
The three girls snickered but also shook their heads at him.
"Yeah… I know. Lame joke," he said unapologetically. Hermione seemed to giggle even more because of that.
"You can only get away with such a terrible joke, because you're one of my adorable first years, Harry. I expect better of you in the future," Tonks said. That got laughs from them all. "I'll have to speak to my… contact… about the dragon. It might take some time to get a response."
Tonks then pulled out some parchment as she sat down with a self-inking quill in hand. "Tell me all you can about the dragon so far. The more details I have the better it will be for my letter," she said in full seriousness.
That was one thing all of the first years could agree on and respected about Tonks. Their RA loved to joke around and was usually rather easy going, but she knew when to get down to business. They were careful not to talk over each other as they shared all they knew about Norbert the Norwegian Ridgeback.
[-] [-] [-]
Luckily it didn't seem to take too long for Tonks to get a reply. "Alright! They can help. They asked I tell Hagrid first. They don't want to have to worry about him causing a scene. They still agreed to help and keep it on down low. My contact doesn't want Hagrid getting in trouble either. He was actually really close to Hagrid when he was here," Tonks said to them the same night she got her reply.
"Ohhh? You're contact is a him?" Hannah said suggestively as she giggled. Susan and Hermione both sighed to that. Hannah loved to gossip a little with them. They could tell when she was in such a mood and this was one of those times.
Tonks blushed a little but nodded. "Yep. Charlie Weasley is my contact," she said.
"One of Ron's brothers?" Hermione asked.
"Yep. He actually graduated just last year. And yes, Hannah. We did go out with each other," she said in defeat. She knew the girl would pester her until she got the answer she wanted. Hannah gave a giddy squeal to that. "He was a year above me, obviously. We started dating my fifth year," Tonks admitted.
"You said did go out with each other… Why haven't you two kept it up?" Hermione asked in what she thought was a causal manner. The others thought she seemed a lot more curious about such things than she liked to admit.
"We ended things on good terms. That's why I had no hesitation in sending him a letter about this. He loved dragons and there aren't too many preserves around. He ended up in Romania. He has quickly become one of their most reliable and best workers. I already knew I wanted to be an Auror before we ended things. I wanted to stay in Britain. He had no choice but to travel. So, we ended things on good terms without any hard feelings," Tonks answered. She blushed a little thinking about that night again. They were ending things and decided to make it a hot and heavy night they'd never forget.
"Awww… Too bad you had to end things, but nice they were ended in a good manner," Hannah said in an overly romantic manner. Hermione seemed to also be eating up the whole romance of the situation as well with the way she paid such rapt attention. She wasn't even trying to feign merely passing interest now.
In both girls' minds, it was a story of true romance. Two people who loved each other very much, but wanted to take their lives in different directions and so had to part from one another. Fortunately, it wasn't a completely tragic love story. Perhaps it was still in the middle of their story even. Maybe one day Charlie would return to Tonks and they would have a lovely reunion and end up together forever. Both girls just hoped it wouldn't be due to Tonks almost dying from an attack by Death Eaters or something bad like that.
"We were going to check in with Hagrid tomorrow. Do you want to come along with us?" Harry asked. He wasn't carried away by the romance of Tonks' life like the girls were and so he wasn't focused on it.
"That sounds perfect," Tonks said.
[-] [-] [-]
The next day all five of them made their way to Hagrid's hut. Tonks knocked on the door and Fang's booming barks were the first to answer. They thought they heard something else before Hagrid carefully cracked open the door to see who it was.
"Tonks? Is that you?" Hagrid asked in surprise mixed with worry.
"Yep! I figured since my firsties loved visiting you so much and I had a little bit of time… I'd pay you a visit with them to catch up," she said to him with her usual friendly smile.
Hagrid looked to Harry and the others who nodded. He seemed to still be a bit apprehensive, but eventually opened the door for them to enter. "Alright… Don't dilly dally too long in getting inside," he said as he disappeared back into his hut.
Norbert greeted them with a dragon cry and a small fire ball that Hagrid quickly patted out. "Heh Heh. Little tyke… His aims gotten better," Hagrid said far too motherly.
"He really is getting big," Hannah said first.
"Which is why you all talked to me about this," Tonks started. She then gave Hagrid an apologetic look. "Sorry, Hagrid. I wasn't completely up front about why I came with them. I do still want to catch up… But they were worried," she said.
"Were they now?" Hagrid asked in a manner that wasn't fully accusatory but still caused the girls to feel a little guilty.
"For Norbert's sake. We assure you," Harry stated. Hagrid looked to them in question.
"Norbert is getting big. He'll need to stretch his wings soon. Then you won't be able to keep him safe. Plus… It would be good for Norbert to get a chance to socialize with his own kind," Hannah said.
"I suppose so…" Hagrid said glumly. He then sighed as he served them tea in an odd mix of assorted tea cups. Norbert had been using a few of them as practice targets. Hagrid looked up to Tonks and said, "So what did you all have in mind? I don't really want to bother Dumbledore with this…"
Tonks smiled to him. "You won't have to. They didn't want to put Dumbledore in a bad position like that either. They asked me and lucked out," she started.
"How so?" Hagrid asked.
"I've been keeping in contact with Charlie some," she answered.
"Oh? What's he been up to? I know he was good with animals… But can he help?" Hagrid asked brightly.
"He's been doing really well with his life. Got his dream job and everything. He works for a Dragon Preserve in Romania. I talked to him and he replied saying a few of his friends and co-workers happen to be near by enough they could make this side trip to pick up Norbert and do so without any unwanted attention," Tonks said.
"I guess that would be nice… it is for Norbert… I've been worried what ta do with him honestly. He is getting big, which is really good! I thought maybe he could hang around in the Forbidden Forest, but that probably isn't a good place for him," Hagrid said seemingly trying to convince himself this was the right choice.
"They actually know how to handle such a delicate situation. He told me in the letter it isn't unusual for them to help people who purposely or accidentally raised a dragon illegally," Tonks said compassionately.
"They won't get in trouble then?" Hagrid asked.
Tonks shook her head. "They can take care of it and leave you out of it. They only get other people involved if they are essentially rescuing a dragon. He knows you wouldn't hurt Norbert though."
"I'd never!" Hagrid said offended by such a thought. Norbert was such a sweet, innocent, helpless, little baby dragon.
"Exactly. He knows. That's why he would be more than grateful to help you and Norbert out here. He wants what's best for you both. You can even arrange to visit over the summer if you want. He could even set it up so you would be brought on as a VIP or Consultant or Trainee, if you wanted. It would give you even more access privileges during a visit," Tonks said to him.
Hagrid smiled to that. He looked to Norbert and gave a sniff while wiping away a few massive sized tears. Norbert looked to him for a moment before letting out a dragon sneeze. It singed Hagrid's beard yet again. The giant of a man gave a good-hearted chuckle. "Bless you," he said very affectionately to the dragon. Norbert didn't really seem to notice though. He went back to doing small dragon things.
"Alright. I agree to it. This will be best for Norbert. How long until they can pick him up?" Hagrid asked.
Tonks gave him a smile as she said, "Next weekend. So, you have a week to say your goodbyes."
"I really appreciate it. Charlie was always my favorite of the Weasleys. Bill isn't too bad, but Charlie is really something else. So glad to hear he's living his dream," Hagrid said with a smile.
"He's already one of their best. I knew he'd be great," Tonks said with her own warm smile.
"Ahhh. Yeah, I suppose you would know. I heard you two were quite the couple. Downright infamous. Some would say," Hagrid said with a friendly chuckle as Tonks blushed.
A part of her did miss Charlie, but she was glad things went the way they did. Still, he was her favorite of the guys she sought after. He was the only one that really saw her and not just her abilities. He even got her to enjoy having them more than she used to and she really press the boundaries of what she could do for fun. She liked to get a laugh out of people with her animal faces. No one but her and Charlie knew how she started using her abilities further like that, or to the extent she had privately. She blushed again at some of the memories with him.
"So… How big do you think Norbert will get?" Tonks asked Hagrid conversationally. Hagrid grinned and they all started to talk about different things and not just Norbert. The dragon tuned them all out and was snoozing on his chair by the fireplace.
[-] [-] [-]
The next week went by fairly quickly. Hagrid showed them the crate he made for Norbert to be transported. He managed to fireproof it even. "Turned out to be perfect timing, this. Another week or two and I wouldn't have been able ta treat it so the crate wouldn't burn. Baby Dragon's fire isn't as bad as a full-grown dragon's, but it grows in intensity as they grow," Hagrid told them.
Harry and the others didn't think you could really call Norbert a baby dragon anymore. He was too big for that. Fortunately, Harry and the others discovered two of them could fit under his father's cloak with the crate. They would just have to be careful since their feet would show. Tonks assured them she would help with that.
The group came up with a plan for getting Norbert to the extraction point. Harry and Hermione would carry Norbert under the cloak while Tonks followed them using a spell called the Disillusionment Charm on herself to keep a lookout. She also planned on casting a feather light charm on the crate. "You can't really cast it or a levitation charm on a living being, especially something magical like a dragon. However, something like a crate or clothing, if you can concentrate enough, will work just fine. Thus the effect will still be the same and we will have an essentially feather light dragon to carry easily instead," she explained to them. Hermione was eagerly absorbing this impromptu lesson.
On top of everything else, Harry and Hermione followed the route they would be taking to the extraction point a few times to get it down. It was easy to pretend they were just exploring the castle if anyone happened to question them. Harry even mapped out a few different detours they could take if needed. He wasn't one to take too many chances if he could help it.
[-] [-] [-]
On the actual night of the mission, Hermione, Harry and Tonks sneaked their way down to Hagrid's hut. The hand off had to be done at night under the cover of darkness. The trio agreed to go down to Hagrid's when it was still before curfew, and made a point of getting there without gaining suspicion. The last thing they needed was someone following them, even if they were innocently too curious. The group would head out early enough to avoid prefect patrols, but late enough to avoid most students. They would have to wait a little while for Charlie and his crew to arrive. Luckily the rendezvous location wasn't too bad and they could make themselves comfortable while waiting.
Hagrid gave a big blow of his nose into his tablecloth sized handkerchief as he sniffed again. "I'm gonna miss ya, Norbert! Momma will always remember you," Hagrid cried in goodbye. Right before they left, Hagrid threw in a teddy bear. "His favorite," Hagrid assured them as he gave a final goodbye.
"Wanna bet on how long it takes before Norbert's favorite teddy goes bye bye?" Tonks asked in a whisper to both Harry and Hermione. Both first years chuckled but shook their heads.
After a few seconds, Harry said, "Hagrid. It's time we get going."
"Bye bye, Norbert! I'll be sure ta visit ya! I'd ask ye to write, but dragons don't do that," Hagrid said as he saw Norbert the baby dragon for the last time. If he saw him again, it would be as full grown dragon.
Hermione had to shake her head at it all. She could understand Hagrid's reaction, but he was getting too carried away with this in her opinion. She didn't have long to dwell on this though. "Let's get going," Hermione said to both Harry and Tonks as they nodded.
Tonks gave the crate the feather light charm while Harry threw the invisibility cloak over it in a manner both he and Hermione could best fit as well. Tonks quickly disillusioned herself. It was an interesting process to watch as her body seemed to slowly disappear. As the two first years positioned themselves, Harry found it astonishing how light the crate was. He knew how the charm worked but it was still amazing to him. One of them could easily lift the crate on their own, but it would be too awkward and unwieldy for sneaking around the castle unnoticed without help.
The group carefully made their way through the castle. Tonks took the lead with Harry and Hermione close behind her. They had pretty good luck so far. It was late enough the halls were mostly deserted, but early enough there weren't prefect patrols out already. They had one problem on their quest. Peeves.
They were carefully walking down a corridor when the poltergeist burst through a wall. He was grinning mischievously to himself, but paused suddenly and looked around in a surprisingly serious mood. He looked around the corridor a couple of times and narrowed his eyes. "Who's there?! I can't see you, but I can sense you," Peeves said in his high-pitched voice.
Harry wasn't sure what to do here. He thought about trying to imitate the Bloody Baron, who was one of the very few that could control Peeves. Before he could do that and probably fail, Tonks showed just why it was an even better idea to seek her help. There was a sudden racket coming from a different part of the castle it seemed. Peeves grinned mischievously once again. "That sounds more fun!" he cackled before zooming off to investigate the mischief.
"Not sure how long my distraction will last. Let's get moving," Tonks whispered to them from Harry's side.
After that encounter, the remaining part of the quest was uneventful. They got to the tower where Charlie would meet them and the three relaxed. Almost immediately after they settled down, there was the sound of a chomp and a puff of smoke came from the crate. "Teddy lasted longer than I thought. You fought well my friend. May the rest of the stuffed animal nation be encouraged by your sacrifice," Tonks said jokingly as Harry and Hermione laughed.
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The group waited while keeping conversation to a minimum. Norbert seemed to decide it was nap time and was again resting, which was probably for the best. Just when Harry and Hermione were getting worried something happened, despite Tonks assuring them Charlie was never late nor early, a group of men flew into view under the night sky and headed towards.
"Pinks! Good to see you again," Charlie greeted Tonks with a smile. As was usually the case with his family, he was easy to pick out, flaming red hair and all.
Tonks gave a chuckle and said, "And you, Dragon Boy."
"So, these are some of your charges?" Charlie asked.
"Yep. Hermione Granger and Harry Potter," she said in reply. Harry and Hermione both gave his hand a shake in greeting when he offered it to them.
Charlie turned to Tonks and smiled to her. "I always knew you'd be a good RA," he said. Tonks seemed to glow to that. The red headed young man then turned to Harry and Hermione as he said, "You might not believe it, but she was so very worried she'd be a terrible RA. I told her she'd probably be the best. And then one of the best Aurors as well."
"And I always said you'd be one of the best Dragon Handlers with how much you always went on about them," Tonks said with a smirk.
Charlie's friends laughed to that. "I'm not sure about the being the best… Yet… He definitely is one of the craziest in all the right ways though," one of them said as the others went into a new round of laughs including Charlie himself.
After their small talk, the dragon handlers showed the harness they made for Norbert and soon they were under way. "Good Bye, Dragon Boy!" Tonks called one last time. She was smiling and there were some light tears in her eyes that she soon wiped away. She wasn't about to let anyone see her cry over an ex, especially one she ended on good terms with.
"See you around, Pinks!" Charlie called back with a wide grin and a wink as they took off into the night with Norbert in tow.
Hermione had to suppress a very girly "Awwww! They really care for each other!" she wanted to let out at their interactions. It really was very romantic to her. She already planned to give Hannah full details tomorrow. Hermione hoped she could have such a romantic life when she was older.
Harry was just relieved they took care of the dragon situation. He still didn't let his guard down until after they were back in their dorm. He was impressed, but probably shouldn't have been given her career choice, Tonks also didn't let her guard down until they got back. People usually let their guard down once they felt the danger was over for the most part. That was when things were at their most fragile though, but only if you acted that way as well.
Hermione followed Harry's lead in keeping aware and alert as they once again disappeared under the cloak. This time it was both more comfortable and less so to be under the cloak. More comfortable since they had room and didn't need to worry about errant baby dragon sneezes. It was also more troublesome, because she couldn't keep herself from noticing how close she had to be with Harry under the cloak. She had a feeling her dreams would be lovingly torturous tonight. Being under an invisibility cloak with a boy had so many possibilities.
Unsurprisingly, the journey back was very uneventful. Harry, Hermione and Tonks were relieved by this. "Glad that's over…" Tonks started as her hair lengthened and turned to a slightly lighter shade of brown. "No offense, Harry. But I really hope you and the others don't have any more dragon smuggling plans for the year."
Hermione chuckled to that. Harry sighed. "I'll try my best," Harry said good naturedly. "I didn't really want even one dragon smuggling operation during my whole time at Hogwarts. It just happened," he said.
"Well. At least, your second semester at Hogwarts isn't boring. You'd be surprised how boring Hogwarts is after you first get over the novelty of magic school," Tonks said.
"If you say so," Harry said. He doubted he would ever find Hogwarts boring.
"I do say so," Tonks said as she gave a stretch and a mighty yawn. "I'm off to bed. See you two tomorrow."
"Good Night Tonks. And thanks again. You really are a great RA," Harry said to her.
"I agree with Charlie. You're the best," Hermione said with a smile.
Tonks grinned brightly as she said, "I know I am. Night!" Tonks then went to her room.
Harry and Hermione were up for just a little longer as they sat together on a couch. They talked about things that weren't involving plans of dragon smuggling as they waited to calm down after the night. That night they again tried sleeping with their bed curtains open, which was an almost regular occurrence with them by this point. They briefly toyed with finally suggesting the idea of pushing their beds closer together, though neither of them shared that idea with the other. It might have been the right moment to try that, but they were far to sleepy once the thrill from dragon smuggling and sneaking around the castle wore off.
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In the end, their dragon business had one last surprise for them all. Charlie sent them a letter a few days later saying Norberta was safe and sound.
It turned out Hagrid's dragon was actual a female. Charlie assured Hagrid if he ever wanted to visit, he would get the best VIP treatment possible. The dragon preserves were always excited and very thankful to find more females.