Dragons.
This magical creature, designated with a danger rating of XXXXX, is, regardless of its species, an incredibly threatening life form.
The Ukrainian Ironbelly, the Hungarian Horntail, the Norwegian Ridgeback.
As you can see from their names, the names of countries are attached to the front of the dragon species.
As if to represent the dragon species of that country.
To put it another way, it means that two species of dragons cannot live within the territory of a single country.
This is, of course, due to the ferocious nature of dragons. Even the species considered the most docile has a threatening personality that is unpredictable.
Therefore, a dragon's egg was a dangerous item, classified as a Class A Non-Tradeable Material.
This was even more so in that those who hatched the dragon often became its daily sustenance, with their body and soul.
Literally, they become its physical daily sustenance.
That is why the animal known as a dragon was generally considered to be absolutely untamable.
...Of course, if you were to clearly establish the hierarchy like I did, you could tame one, but wizards who could face a dragon one-on-one and be acknowledged as superior are extremely rare.
In that sense, the sight of the half-giant before my eyes, clutching an egg, could be seen as a rather foolish one.
"No! No matter what you all say, I'm going to raise this dragon! It's been my long-time dream!"
Seeing an old man of over seventy—though due to his giant's blood, he looked like a middle-aged bandit—whining like a child trying not to have his toy taken away was quite an ordeal.
Unable to bear the giant's tantrum, Hermione finally threw her hands up and said.
"Fine, Hagrid! Do as you please!"
With a dejected expression, as if to say, "let's see how this turns out," Hermione finally declared her surrender.
As for Ron, his face was a complex and subtle expression that was impossible to read, as if the fear of dragons and the mystery of dragons were waging a battle in his mind.
Then what about Harry and me?
"That's amazing, Hagrid! Raising a dragon is a really cool thing to do. Especially, it's really fun to bond with a dragon while polishing its pure white scales!"
"Raising a dragon is fun."
"Uh..., Harry, Aisen, thank you for the support. But your examples are so specific, you sound like people who have actually raised a dragon."
Harry, his eyes sparkling, cheered Hagrid on, and Hagrid, while welcoming Harry's enthusiasm, also showed a half-hearted bewilderment.
This was because Hagrid himself knew that raising a dragon was by no means seen in a positive light from a general social perspective.
And that, too, but it might have been because what Harry was saying about dragons was strangely detailed.
The knowledge about dragons that Harry was spouting was so detailed that even Hermione was surprised and had to ask.
"Harry, when did you learn so much about dragons?"
Although Harry showed excellent grades in all subjects and played the role of a top student, he was not the type to visit the library to explore additional knowledge, so it was a natural question.
Harry, who seemed to have realized his mistake, rolled his eyes for a moment and said.
"Um, this is just common knowledge if you're interested in dragons. Right, Hagrid?"
"...Hmm? Ah, haha. Of course."
Harry, who had managed to evade Hermione's suspicious gaze only after passing the buck to Hagrid, let out a sigh of relief inwardly.
But, I wonder if there's really a need to hide it.
Logically, how many people would believe it if he said that Harry's owl, Hedwig, was actually an albino Ukrainian Ironbelly dragon?
And if they did believe it, wouldn't a sensible person's judgment be to keep their mouth shut if they didn't want to be bitten by a dragon?
As I was having such thoughts, Hermione asked a practical question.
"Hagrid, but even if you do tame the dragon, how are you going to raise it? You'll be sent straight to Azkaban if you're caught raising a dragon, and you can't hide a dragon's large size either."
"...I'll figure something out! Uh, for example, if I tell the Headmaster that we should raise the dragon and use it as a guard for Hogwarts..."
Not a chance.
With that thought, Hermione and Ron looked at Hagrid with pathetic eyes.
Hagrid, who must have realized that his plan was not very realistic, also had an awkward expression.
In the end, no clear solution was found, and we returned to the dormitory after being seen off by Hagrid.
"Really, what is Hagrid thinking?"
"I just hope nothing bad happens."
On the way back, Hermione frowned and worried about the dragon. Ron was not much different.
Seeing their expressions, Harry whispered to me.
"Master, isn't there some way? What if Hagrid gets caught and sent to Azkaban for trying to keep the dragon?"
"So you're saying we should make Hagrid give up on raising the dragon?"
"Um, in short, yes."
"But Harry, didn't you approve of Hagrid raising a dragon? You're raising Hedwig yourself."
Harry gave an ambiguous smile, scratched his head, and said.
"Haha.... That's, because you're here, Master, right? I'm sorry, but it would probably be difficult for Hagrid."
It was a cold statement, in contrast to how he had been cheering Hagrid on a moment ago, but it was a statement that hit the core of the matter. Indeed, the chances of Hagrid taming a dragon were almost nil.
Unless he awakened his giant's blood and could fully wield the power of a giant.
"He'll only get hurt if he keeps trying to raise it, and it would be a big problem if he got caught and sent to Azkaban."
At Harry's worried words, I shrugged and answered.
Because, from my point of view, it was a completely meaningless discussion.
"Harry, you don't really need to worry."
"What do you mean by that?"
"No matter how much Hagrid wants to raise a dragon, a dragon's business is usually left to a dragon."
Leaving behind the puzzled Harry, I thought of a certain dragon that was probably taking a nap in the Room of Requirement right now.
Dragons, by nature, do not share their territory with each other.
About a month later, Harry was able to understand what his master had said.
—Kieeeek! Kieeeek! Kieeek! Kieeeek!
The tiny creature, rampaging with enough force to bring down Hagrid's wooden hut, was a newly hatched dragon.
More precisely, it was a hatchling of a Norwegian Ridgeback.
For a long time, Hagrid had been warming the egg with the heat from his diligently boiling kettle.
Finally, with a crack, the dragon had been born from the egg.
Looking at the black, crumpled form, Harry couldn't help but naturally compare it to Hedwig.
Unlike Hedwig, who had subtle, silver-white scales, it was a black, crumpled, unsightly thing.
Of course, you couldn't expect dignity from a newborn hatchling, but Harry thought it looked like a bat.
Though he himself had never seen a bat, he was inwardly convinced that if a bat existed, it would be in the shape of the thing right before his eyes.
Regardless of what Harry was thinking, Hagrid trembled with thrill as he carefully brought his hand to the hatchling as if it were a precious treasure.
"Goodness! Look at this beautiful form! This is truly... a perfect creature!"
As Hagrid carefully touched the hatchling, the hatchling blankly accepted his touch.
Hagrid shouted with an overjoyed expression.
"L-look at this! Norbert has accepted my touch!"
"Goodness. You've already named him?"
"Of course! I'm going to live happily with Norber—aaargh!"
But that connection was brief. Hagrid, who had been answering Hermione's incredulous question with a proud expression, screamed.
The tiny baby dragon's teeth were embedded in Hagrid's thick hand.
And then, the dragon Hagrid had named Norbert began to rampage.
—Kieeeek! Kieeeek! Kiek! Kieeeek!
Seeing Norbert rampaging with enough force to destroy the hut, Hagrid waved his hands in the air with a forlorn expression and shouted.
"Norbert! No, stop! This is our home! Damn it, why are you doing this! There wasn't anything in any book about a baby dragon rampaging!"
As he said, it was almost unheard of for a hatchling to rampage as soon as it was born.
But, there are always exceptions. And now was that exception.
—Grrrrr....
A heavy growl, on a different level from the baby dragon Norbert's shrill cry.
Others couldn't hear it, but Norbert could clearly hear it.
The displeasure of a dragon that did not welcome another of its kind.
Norbert, who had instinctively realized that he was in the territory of a powerful dragon, was unable to get his bearings from the threat he was exposed to as soon as he was born and was trying to escape.
Seeing Norbert rampaging, Ron asked worriedly.
"Um, Hagrid. It seems that dragon named Norbert doesn't want to live here with you."
"No! That can't be!"
Only then did Harry realize why his master had said there was no need to worry.
Aisen, who had been watching the rampaging Norbert for a long time, sighed and discreetly moved his wand, and only then did the now-calm Norbert fall asleep.
The exhausted Hagrid said gloomily.
"I guess I couldn't raise a dragon after all."
Though Hagrid was dejected, a look of relief appeared on the children's faces. Hagrid had finally given up on raising the dragon.
And so, after putting their heads together to figure out what to do with Norbert, the answer came surprisingly easily.
"Ron, you said your brother Charlie is a dragon expert, right? We could send him to Charlie, couldn't we?"
"Goodness! That's it!"
Just as they were relieved that the problem was solved and everything was flowing in the right direction.
—Rustle
"Hmm?"
The sound of rustling bushes from outside the hut. It wasn't a loud sound, but it didn't escape Harry's sharp ears, which had been trained in the wild.
Harry, who had turned around with a swish, was able to see a black figure disappear in an instant.
"Harry, what's wrong?"
At Hermione's puzzled question, Harry answered with a cold sweat.
"Uh, um, I think. Someone saw the dragon."
"Wh-what?! Who was it?"
It had been for a very brief moment, but Harry, who remembered seeing a faint golden light from the head of the person who had been wearing a black cloak, said.
"I think it was Malfoy."
Ron's face turned white as he screamed.
"No! That obnoxious brat would have no problem reporting Hagrid! We have to get the dragon to Charlie quickly!"
A letter, I have to write a letter to Charlie right away.
Ron, who was muttering and looking for a piece of paper.
"What? If they catch our Norbert, those heartless Malfoys might kill him!"
Hagrid, who was screaming and holding his head in his hands.
"Wait, everyone, calm down! We're not even sure it was Malfoy yet!"
Hermione, who was trying to calm them down, but was unable to control her own pounding heart.
Aisen let out a small laugh at the scene in the hut.
Harry didn't know how to use Legilimency yet, but it was as if he could see Aisen's thoughts.
This is a complete mess.
Harry gestured to Aisen with his eyes.
Do something.
Aisen shrugged, his answer in place of words.
It meant, This is fun, why should I stop it?
Aisen's eyes sparkled as he said.
"Since it's come to this, shall we make the stakes bigger?"
Harry asked back.
"Make the stakes bigger from here?"
"Yes, for example... telling the whole school that Hagrid is raising a dragon."
"What if Hagrid really ends up in Azkaban?"
Aisen grinned and said.
"Then we just have to go to Azkaban one more time and break him out!"
The logic that if a friend goes to prison, you just break the prison and get them out.
But since he had a track record, it sounded surprisingly plausible.
After thinking for a moment, Harry nodded seriously.
"That's not wrong. I mean, Azkaban isn't that dangerous a place."
"See?"
It was a great fortune that no one had heard the conversation of the master and disciple, who seemed to be lacking some common sense.