The moment Charlotte revealed that the dragon was female, Hagrid immediately panicked.
"Oh—really?"
Without hesitation, he carefully lifted the baby dragon and attempted to inspect her more closely.
Unfortunately, the tiny Ridgeback clearly disliked being examined that way.
The next second—
FWOOSH!
A burst of flame far larger than before exploded directly into Hagrid's beard.
"Agh!"
Hagrid staggered backward while frantically slapping at the fire.
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" he hurriedly apologized to the hatchling while extinguishing the flames. "I didn't mean ter mistake yeh fer a boy!"
Eventually the fire went out.
Hagrid looked thoughtfully at the little dragon.
"Then yer name's Norberta now."
He smiled warmly while gently stroking her back.
"What d'yeh think, Norberta?"
Ron was still staring at Charlotte.
"How do you even know that much about dragons?"
Charlotte smiled casually.
"Oh, I've seen them before while travelling with my family."
She shrugged.
"I even rode one once."
The room fell silent.
Even Draco blinked.
"…You rode a dragon?"
Charlotte tilted her head.
"Yes?"
Everyone stared at her with expressions that combined envy, disbelief, and mild existential despair.
At that moment, Norberta suddenly seemed to understand the conversation.
After realizing Charlotte had correctly identified her, the little dragon awkwardly climbed down from Hagrid's arms and waddled toward Charlotte on tiny claws.
Then she rubbed her head affectionately against Charlotte's sleeve.
Hagrid's eyes widened.
"Look at that!"
He sounded delighted.
"She knows yeh helped her!"
His grin stretched from ear to ear.
"Looks like Norberta likes yeh a lot."
Everyone laughed softly at the adorable sight.
Still, beneath the warmth of the moment, tension lingered.
Because everyone understood the truth.
Keeping a dragon inside Hogwarts was unbelievably dangerous.
Hermione and Draco exchanged serious looks.
Both clearly understood the consequences if the Ministry ever discovered Norberta.
Hermione frowned.
"Hagrid, raising dragons is illegal."
Her expression grew increasingly worried.
"Norwegian Ridgebacks are classified as XXXXX creatures."
"If the Ministry finds out, not only will you get into serious trouble, but Norberta will probably be confiscated."
Hagrid's smile immediately faded.
"I know," he admitted quietly.
"But I can't just abandon her."
His gaze softened as he looked at the hatchling.
"She's too little."
Harry immediately felt sympathetic.
"Maybe we can hide her somewhere safe for now," he suggested.
"At least until we figure something out."
Ron nodded vigorously.
"Yeah. We can't let Hagrid get arrested."
Even Draco reluctantly agreed.
"I still think this is incredibly dangerous," he admitted, "but letting the Ministry take her would be worse."
Charlotte crouched beside Norberta.
"Don't worry, Hagrid," she said gently.
"We'll help protect her."
Hagrid's eyes visibly reddened.
"You lot really are good friends."
Then his expression became serious.
"But nobody can find out about her."
"No one."
The group immediately began discussing possible ways to hide the dragon.
Then suddenly—
Fang erupted into frantic barking outside.
The massive boarhound charged toward the door while growling furiously at the Forbidden Forest.
Moments later, he retreated nervously.
Everyone froze.
Curious and alarmed, the group hurried outside.
The moment they stepped beyond the cabin, they saw it.
A massive shadow staggered from the darkness at the edge of the forest.
"It's a werewolf!"
Hagrid immediately shoved the students behind him while reaching for his crossbow.
The creature looked enormous beneath the moonlight.
Its body was covered in ragged fur.
Deep claw marks and wounds scarred its flesh.
The werewolf staggered toward them before finally noticing the Hogwarts uniforms worn by Harry and the others.
Then it spoke.
"Quick…"
Its voice sounded weak and broken.
"Tell Dumbledore…"
The creature swayed.
"It escaped…"
The next second, it collapsed.
The enormous body crashed heavily onto the ground.
Then, before everyone's eyes, the transformation began.
The massive frame shrank.
The fur receded.
Bones cracked and shifted beneath the skin.
Eventually, a scarred middle-aged man lay unconscious in the dirt.
Silence followed.
Harry stared.
Ron nearly stumbled backward.
Even Hermione looked pale.
Still, she recovered first.
"A werewolf…"
Her voice was barely above a whisper.
"What did he mean by 'it escaped'?"
"Why does Headmaster Dumbledore need to know?"
Draco frowned.
Charlotte looked more curious than frightened as she carefully studied the unconscious man.
Leo remained silent.
Because the moment the werewolf had appeared, he felt it again.
That same strange aura.
That same unsettling attraction.
The same energy he had sensed within Carlo.
The presence was weaker this time.
Much weaker.
But it was unmistakable.
Leo's expression slowly darkened.
There's a connection.
Hagrid hurried over and examined the unconscious man.
"We need ter tell Dumbledore immediately," he said seriously.
"An' Professor McGonagall too."
Harry nodded.
"I'll go find Professor McGonagall."
"Then I'll inform Headmaster Dumbledore," Leo said immediately.
Nobody objected.
Everyone already knew that Leo met privately with Dumbledore every Friday.
During their first gathering, Fawkes had personally appeared to escort Leo away, and afterward Professor McGonagall explained that Leo studied privately with both Dumbledore and Nicolas Flamel.
Harry and Ron had looked deeply sympathetic when they learned that.
Extra lessons every Friday sounded horrifying.
Draco and Hermione, however, reacted completely differently.
Especially Draco.
After witnessing Leo's absurd talent time and time again, he became determined not to fall too far behind.
That was one major reason Harry and Ron kept discovering Draco and Hermione studying together near the library whenever Leo returned from his lessons.
As Leo hurried through the castle toward Dumbledore's office, countless thoughts raced through his mind.
Who exactly was that werewolf?
What had escaped?
Why was it important enough to alarm Dumbledore himself?
And most importantly—
Why did the werewolf carry traces of that same strange energy?
Was it connected to the force that had corrupted Carlo?
Or was it something even worse?
The castle corridors seemed unusually quiet as Leo climbed the moving staircases.
Outside the windows, darkness blanketed the grounds.
The moon hung high above the Forbidden Forest.
Cold silver light spilled across the ancient stone walls.
For some reason, the castle no longer felt as peaceful as it usually did.
A sense of unease lingered in the air.
As though something hidden in the darkness had begun to move.
And whatever it was—
It was heading toward Hogwarts.
....
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