Chapter 39: Schemes and Confrontations
"Honestly, Granger, why do you always have to stick your nose in?" Draco snapped, his triumphant mood soured. He finally had a chance to bring down his two least favorite people, and now she was trying to ruin it.
Hermione ignored him, turning her pleading gaze to Solim. She knew that if Solim gave his opinion, Draco would fall in line.
Feeling the weight of both their stares, Solim leaned back, stroking his chin in thought. After a moment, he delivered his verdict. "How about this: Hermione, if you want to help them, that's your business. Figure out how to get them out of this mess." He then shifted his cool gaze to Draco. "And Draco, you do whatever you please. If you can actually get them expelled, I'll be impressed."
His meaning was clear: he would remain neutral. Hermione was free to intervene, and Draco was free to cause trouble. He, Solim, would simply watch the drama unfold.
In his estimation, even if Hagrid were arrested, Dumbledore could easily mitigate the fallout. The Headmaster could simply frame it as a necessary part of the scheme to protect the Philosopher's Stone—a sting operation to flush out a dark wizard. The Ministry, a subordinate body to the Council of Elders, would have little choice but to accept the explanation.
Satisfied, Draco hurried out, no doubt to gloat or finalize his plans. Hermione, however, was left deeply unsettled. She remembered Ron's cruel words, and Solim was right—they should come to her. But by the time those two blockheads realized the severity of their situation, it would be too late. Wrestling with her conscience, she decided to confront them first and contain the disaster.
She found Harry and Ron in the Gryffindor common room. Ron's hand was heavily bandaged. After dragging them to a secluded corner, she wasted no time.
"You two! Do you have any idea the trouble you're in?" she hissed.
Harry and Ron stared at her, bewildered.
"Malfoy knows! He followed you to Hagrid's and saw the dragon!"
"So what?" Ron retorted, wincing as he adjusted his injured hand. The potion had done little to ease his discomfort.
"Are you an idiot?" Hermione growled, keeping her voice low. "Do you think for a second Malfoy will let this go? You're going to get Hagrid sent to Azkaban!"
"If it weren't for that bloody dragon, my hand wouldn't be like this!" Ron shot back, his face twisted in pain and irritation. "Madam Pomfrey said if I'd waited any longer, they might have had to amputate!"
"Hermione, how do you know all this?" Harry interjected, trying to defuse the argument.
"I was there when Malfoy went to tell Solim," she said flatly. "He's planning to report you. Keeping a dragon is a serious crime, Harry! Hagrid will be convicted."
"Those slimy snakes!" Ron cursed viciously. "I knew you couldn't trust a Slytherin!"
Hermione shot him a look of pure annoyance. Her patience with Ron Weasley was wearing dangerously thin. You're the one who was careless enough to be followed, she thought bitterly, and you have the nerve to blame others?
The path to Hagrid's hut was across an open lawn. A simple glance over their shoulders would have revealed any follower. Their sheer recklessness was astounding.
"If Malfoy is really going to report us, we need a plan," Harry said, his worry finally cutting through Ron's indignation.
"What plan? You have to get Hagrid to send that dragon away, now!" Hermione insisted, her voice tight with frustration. "No dragon, no evidence. No evidence, no conviction!"
"But... Hagrid's already named it Norbert. He loves it. I don't think he'll just let it go," Harry said hesitantly. He'd seen the look in Hagrid's eyes; the half-giant was smitten.
"Then you can all wait for the Ministry to come and take you away. Hagrid as the principal offender, and you two as accomplices." Hermione was at her wits' end. Why couldn't they see the urgency?
"Accomplices? We didn't do anything!" Ron protested. "It's not our dragon! We didn't hatch it, we can't care for it. It's got nothing to do with us!"
"You knew it existed and didn't report it. That makes you accomplices after the fact," Hermione retorted, shaking her head in despair. "You know what? Forget it. I've warned you. Do whatever you want." With that, she turned on her heel and left, leaving them to their fate.
Finally alone, the gravity of the situation seemed to dawn on Harry and Ron.
"Ron," Harry said, his voice firm. "We have to go back to Hagrid. We need to make him understand. He has to let Norbert go, or he's finished."
"No," Ron corrected grimly. "We're finished."
By the time they reached Hagrid's hut and pleaded their case, Draco's letter to his father was already on its way. Lucius Malfoy had deep connections within the Ministry, all the way up to Minister Cornelius Fudge himself. Draco was confident his father could use this scandal to cause Dumbledore significant trouble.
While Draco was dreaming of victory, Harry and Ron were finally getting through to Hagrid.
"Listen, Hagrid," Harry said, his words tumbling out in a rushed, anxious stream. "Malfoy knows about the dragon! He's going to tell the Ministry! You have to get rid of Norbert, now!"
"Now? No, no, no," Hagrid protested, patting his smoldering beard. "Norbert's too little. He wouldn't survive in the wild on his own. He'd die!"
"If you don't, the Ministry will take him anyway, and they'll take you too!" Harry's voice rose in desperation.
"Harry's right, Hagrid," Ron interjected, an idea forming. "You have to send it away. But... I think I might know how." Seeing he had their attention, he continued, "My brother, Charlie! He works with dragons in Romania. We could send Norbert to him."
Hagrid's face lit up with a mixture of sorrow and hope. "Blimey, I forgot about Charlie! At least that way I could visit..."
"Then it's settled. We'll write to him as soon as we get back," Ron said, turning to Harry. "Can we use Hedwig, Harry? She's the fastest."
"Of course," Harry agreed.
A plan was finally in motion. As they trudged back towards the castle, a sliver of relief began to ease their tension. They just had to wait for Charlie's reply.
But their brief respite was shattered as they rounded a corner.
"Well, well. You two look pleased with yourselves." A figure stepped smoothly from the shadows, flanked by his two hulking companions. "What's the matter? Excited about your upcoming tour of Azkaban? I hear the dementors are lovely this time of year."
Harry and Ron froze. They knew the voice all too well.
"What do you want, Malfoy?" Ron snarled, though he knew he and Harry were outmatched.
"Me?" Draco sneered, a triumphant glint in his eyes. "I'm just here to admire the view." He glanced back at Crabbe and Goyle. "Take a good look, you two. Remember their faces. I have a feeling we won't be seeing them around much longer." He threw his head back and laughed, the sound echoing coldly in the corridor. He had every reason to be cheerful; even if they weren't expelled, he was certain they were in for a world of pain.