A week had passed, and Norbert's growth was nothing short of explosive.
From something that resembled a baby lizard, he'd now grown to the size of Fang, the cowardly hound, who, upon seeing Norbert, would promptly tuck his tail and scramble for the nearest corner, desperate to dig a hole and disappear.
Malfoy hadn't tattled to any professors either. Truth be told, he was genuinely afraid of Charlie.
The guy was terrifying, just look at how he trained dragons. Malfoy had zero doubt he'd resort to poisoning someone without blinking.
Meanwhile, Hagrid had been feeding Norbert a lovely blend of chicken blood and brandy every day.
His flock of chickens had been utterly decimated.
"Norbert, dinnertime!"
Hagrid carefully placed a steaming bowl of blood-red liquid on the table.
Flapping his wings excitedly, Norbert downed the entire bowl in one gulp, then gave a long, satisfied burp.
"Bloody hell, he's turning into a proper drunkard," Ron muttered, backing away with a hand over his nose.
Charlie leaned back in his chair, watching Norbert snuggle against Hagrid's chest.
Ever since that last discipline session, the little fire dragon now treated Charlie with a curious blend of terror and awe.
Every time it saw him, it went full kitten-mode.
"Hagrid, at this rate, your house won't hold him in two weeks," Hermione said, pointing at the ceiling.
Hagrid pulled a long face.
"I dunno what to do anymore…"
"Didn't we say you could move him to the Forbidden Forest?"
Hagrid shook his head.
"I asked the centaurs. They said no."
A few days earlier, Hagrid had gone to speak with them.
But the moment they heard he wanted to raise a dragon in the forest, they'd nearly jumped out of their skins.
"Firenze once said Hogwarts was raising a dragon, we didn't believe him!" Bain(Bane), the centaur leader, had practically shouted, eyes wide as bronze gongs.
"And now you want to let one roam freely in our woods? Absolutely not!"
And just like that, Hagrid was sent packing.
Charlie looked around at the worried faces and began to consider his options.
His suitcase was already filled with gold and would surely accumulate more over time.
The magical lock was good, but not foolproof, if someone took it and had enough time, they might eventually crack it.
But what if Norbert lived inside?
Imagine a thief breaking in, only for a massive fire-breathing dragon to come leaping out.
Now that's a surprise.
With that in mind, Charlie spoke up.
"Actually, I do have a place where we can keep Norbert."
Hagrid's eyes lit up.
"Really? What kind of place, Charlie?"
"Don't get ahead of yourself," Charlie said slowly. "There's one condition."
"Anything!" Hagrid nodded rapidly.
"If it means Norbert has a safe home, I'll take care of all his meals, no problem!"
Charlie smiled, satisfied.
"Good. Then wait here. I'll go grab something."
"What kind of something?" Harry asked, curious.
"You'll see soon enough."
Charlie left it at that and made his way back to the castle.
In the dorm, Ernie and Justin were gone. Charlie entered the stretchable suitcase.
The interior had changed drastically since last time.
Lush greenery filled a miniature forest.
Grassy hills dotted the landscape, and a small pond shimmered in the center.
Charlie had secretly transplanted it all from the Forbidden Forest.
The gold was hidden inside a cave beneath one of the hills, stacked in a corner like a dragon's hoard.
"Rudy!" he called.
There was a rustling sound, and Rudy poked his little head out from a pile of gold.
"Come on. We've got a job to do."
Charlie beckoned.
Rudy looked longingly at his treasure, then hopped onto Charlie's shoulder with visible reluctance.
He wasn't about to let Norbert waltz in and gulp Rudy down in one bite.
Charlie returned to Hagrid's hut, suitcase in hand.
"This is it."
He placed the box on the table.
Hagrid's eyes bulged with excitement.
"A stretchable suitcase?! Charlie, how'd you get one of these? They're rare, wait…"
His voice dropped to a whisper.
"It's not illegal, is it?"
Charlie had already prepared his alibi.
"Dumbledore gave it to me. As for why…" He waved a hand mysteriously.
"He told me not to say."
"Ahh, say no more. Say no more," Hagrid nodded seriously.
"I understand perfectly. I'm very good at keeping secrets."
"Professor Dumbledore's business, I'd never blab. Not me!"
Charlie opened the lid and gestured for them to enter.
"Go ahead. Take a look."
Harry stepped in first and immediately froze, eyes wide.
Ron followed, jaw dropping so far a dragon egg could've fit.
"It's huge in here!"
"Let me in!" Hermione pushed past them.
The moment she saw the inside, she gasped.
"This is incredible. It's like a miniature forest!"
Hagrid hugged Norbert tighter, his eyes brimming with tears.
"Charlie, you're a lifesaver. You've saved Norbert's future!"
"This place is amazing," Harry breathed, spinning in a slow circle, full of envy.
Ron looked just as awestruck.
But neither of them seemed jealous.
When the gap between people is too wide, jealousy fades into resignation.
After all, ants don't envy elephants.
Hagrid gently set Norbert down on the grass.
The young dragon sniffed the air, puffs of white smoke curling from his nostrils.
"He's going to love it here," Hagrid said warmly.
After a short tour, the group left one by one.
Later that night, Charlie reentered the suitcase to set the ground rules for Norbert: no biting Rudy.
Only to discover…
Norbert had already taken over the gold cave.
The young dragon lay sprawled across a mountain of gold, four limbs wrapped protectively around it, eyes glittering with greed.
Dragons were hardwired to obsess over treasure.
Rudy nearly had a breakdown. He stomped on Charlie's shoulder in protest.
That's my hoard!
Charlie called out.
Norbert turned, and the moment he saw Charlie, he bared his teeth and growled threateningly.
Treasure reawakened the beast.
Charlie sneered.
"Craving another round of dragon fruit, are we?"
Norbert's expression faltered but didn't budge. His eyes narrowed into vertical slits.
He wasn't backing down.
Charlie's own aura surged.
Magic pulsed through him.
And then his body began to transform.
Bones lengthened. Muscles swelled. Skin hardened into shimmering scales.
A titanic Eastern Fireball Dragon now filled the cavern, nearly scraping the ceiling.
Crimson-gold scales glinted like flames.
His regal horns scraped the roof.
And his eyes burned with molten fire.
Norbert froze.
What the hell…? He was just a human!
Charlie raised one massive claw and effortlessly pinned Norbert to the ground.
Then he roared.
"ROAAAAAAR!!"
The echo shook the walls of the cave.
Norbert's pupils dilated into perfect circles. His aggression melted into pure, clueless panic.
Rudy fell from Charlie's shoulder and curled into a ball, trembling violently.
Mother of Merlin, he's a man-dragon!
The cavern fell into a dead silence.
Charlie shifted back into human form, mostly.
His right hand remained a dragon's claw, five razor-sharp talons pressed to Norbert's neck.
[Animagus Template: Perfect Mastery]
[Partial transformations: Available at will]
Norbert lay motionless, trembling like a leaf in the wind.
"Did you get a good look?" Charlie asked softly.
"Who's the boss here?"
He pressed down slightly.
Norbert wagged his tail and nodded frantically.
Charlie eased off and pointed to the mountain of gold.
"All of this, including you, belongs to me."
Norbert nodded even harder.
His thought process was simple:
Can turn into bigger dragon = ultimate power = cannot mess with = obey forever.
Charlie then pointed at Rudy, still huddled in a corner.
"See that little Niffler?"
"He's mine too."
"If you ever lay a claw on him…"
A dangerous glint flashed in his eyes.
"I'll swallow you whole."
Norbert nodded so hard he nearly gave himself whiplash.
Among dragons, you never touched someone else's treasure unless you were sure you could win.
And Norbert? He definitely couldn't win.
Charlie retracted the claw and returned to human form.
He walked over and gently picked up Rudy.
"It's okay now."
"You two will get along from now on. No fighting."
Me? Fight him? Have you lost your mind?
Charlie, satisfied by the silence, nodded and climbed out of the suitcase.
Inside, one dragon and one Niffler sat in awkward silence, staring at each other.
Big eyes vs. beady eyes.
<><>---------------------------------------
200 P.S = 1 Extra Chapters
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• TL/N •
Hello guys Fanfic recommendation!
Check out my other work:
> Naruto: Mind Control
If you like smart and strong MC, this fanfic is for you.
It's Peak.
Give it a chance and you won't be disappointed