The Unknown: A Harry Potter Story

Chapter 21: Norbert the Dragon

 An hour later, Jason, Harry, Ron, and Hermione were knocking on the door to the gamekeeper's hut. As they approached the hut, they were all shocked to see the curtains drawn closed. When they knocked, Hagrid called out to ask who it was, and when he learned it was them, he ushered them into his hut as fast as possible, opening the door as little as possible to do so, and shutting it closely behind them.

The inside of the hut was stiflingly hot. Even though it was already a warm day out, Hagrid had a roaring fire burning in the fireplace. Hagrid made them sit as he prepared some tea and offered them stoat sandwiches, which they refused.

"So - what was it yeh wanted to ask me?

"We were wondering if you could tell us what's guarding the Sorcerer's Stone apart from Fluffy," Harry said without beating around the bush.

Hagrid frowned.

"O' course I can't," he said. "Besides I don' know myself. Also yeh know too much already, so I wouldn' tell yeh if I could. The Stone's here fer a good reason. It was almost stolen outta Gringotts - I s'pose yeh worked that out already? Beats me how yeh even know abou' Fluffy."

"Oh, come on, Hagrid," Hermione started in a warm, flattering voice. "You might not want to tell us, but you do know, you know everything that goes on around here". Hagrid's beard twitched as he tried to suppress a smile.

"We're just curious, Hagrid," Jason added in. "Just wondering who had done the guarding. We want to know who Dumbledore had trusted enough to help him, apart from you."

Hagrid's chest swelled at this. Jason could see Harry, Ron, and Hermione beaming beside him.

"Well, I don' s'pose it would hurt to tell you who is involved. Let's see ... he borrowed Fluffy from me ... then some o' the teachers did enchantments ... Professor Sprout - Professor Flitwick - Professor McGonagall -'' he counted on his fingers as he spoke, "Professor Quirrell - an' Dumbledore himself did somethin', o' course. Hang on, I've forgotten someone. Oh yeah, Professor Snape."

"Snape?"

"Yeah - yer, not all still on abou' that, are yeh? Snape helped protect the Stone, he's not about ter steal it."

The four of them were all thinking the same thing. If Snape was in on protecting the stone, then he probably knows about how the other teachers had guarded it. He probably knew everything - except Quirrell's spell and how to get past Fluffy.

"You're the only one who knows how to get past Fluffy, aren't you, Hagrid?" Harry asked, anxiety clear in his voice, but Hagrid didn't seem to pick up on it. "And you wouldn't tell anyone, would you? Not even one of the teachers?"

"Not a soul knows except me an' Dumbledore," Hagrid said proudly.

"Well, that's something," Harry muttered to them. "Hagrid, can we have a window open? I'm boiling."

"Can't, Harry, sorry," Hagrid responded sheepishly.

"Why not?" Harry asked.

"I'd say that's why," Jason spoke up, pointing to something he had just noticed in the fire.

"Hagrid - what's that?" Harry asked.

The question was pointless, as they all already knew what it was. In the heart of the fire, underneath the kettle, was a large black egg. A dragon egg.

"Ah," said Hagrid, fiddling nervously with his beard, "That's - er ..."

"How did you get it, Hagrid?" said Ron, crouching over the fire to get a closer look at the egg. "It must've cost you a fortune."