(1) Lux Brumalis (R. Weasley)

Chapter Forty-Seven

For a week, Draco does nothing. Nothing happens. Pixie actually starts to think that her threat got through that mass of platinum hair and into his brain to make him see sense. But they still need to persuade Hagrid into letting the dragon go. It is the safest and best option. For everyone. There is a school full of children just up the path, a fully grown dragon on the loose is going to cause mayhem, deaths, probably cancelled classes. They spend every free moment they have with Hagrid, sitting with him in his cabin. He has at least lowered the heat now that the dragon has hatched, though there is still some heat to the room from said creature himself. The smoke erupts from his nostrils. Ron and Pixie are sitting on a bench in the hut, opposite Hermione who is hastily scratching at her homework, trying to find the time to fit it in between classes and trying to talk to Hagrid. Harry stands watching Hagrid as he fixes up food for the dragon.

"Just let him go" Harry urges Hagrid as Pixie fidgets with a circuit board and her screwdriver in her lap, Ron watching her curiously. "Set him free."

"I can't" Hagrid argues. "He's too little. He'd die" Five sets of eyes move to the dragon who has grown, significantly, in the last week alone. "I've decided to call him Norbert, He really knows me now, watch. Norbert! Norbert! Where's Mummy?" Ron leans closer to Pixie.

"He's lost his marbles," He whispers in her ear, her lips flicker into a smile.

"Hagrid, give it a fortnight and Norbert's going to be as long as your house" Harry argues. "Malfoy could go to Dumbledore at any moment" Pixie appears suddenly thoughtful, lifting her eyes from her work.

"I...I know I can't keep him forever, but I can't jus' dump him, I can't" Hagrid counters. Pixie turns to Ron, looking rather pleased with herself.

"Charlie," She tells him.

"You're losing it, too," Ron argues. "I'm Ron, remember?"

"No...Charlie...your brother Charlie. You said that he's in Romania. Studying dragons. We could send Norbert to him. Charlie can take care of him and then put him back in the wild when he's all grown up" She explains. Realisation crosses Ron's face.

"Pix...You're brilliant!" He admits and she shrugs, her smirk widening, because she knows that and she does like it when other people realise it. Ron turns back to Hagrid. "How about it, Hagrid?" Hagrid looks between the four of them. Because it is the best idea they have. A good place to send Norbert. A safe place. Hagrid lets out a breath and sighs. He knows they are right. But that doesn't mean that he likes the idea of getting rid of Norbert.

................

They manage to find a way around the common room rule, if they wait until curfew, then they can sneak Pixie into the Gryffindor common room without anyone noticing. It does mean that she has to be careful coming and going, but between Fred and George and Harry's invisibility cloak, they manage it. And then she sticks around until whoever's turn it is with Hagrid comes back and she can use the cloak to get back to the dungeons. Pixie likes the Slytherin common room, there is something deeply calming about it. It's the atmosphere that the presence of the Black Lake gives it. A constant deep whurming sound that vibrates through the room. But the Gryffindor common room has its charms too. It is warmer and brighter and has a sort of cinnamony smell to it. The Slytherin common room smells more lemony and clean. The clock on the wall chimes midnight and the portrait swings open and then closes again. Pixie looks up from her notebook sketch and watches as Ron appears out of nowhere, pulling off the invisibility cloak. Getting back from feeding Norbert.

"It bit me!" Ron announces and holds out his hand, which is wrapped in a bloodied handkerchief. "I'm not going to be able to hold a quill for a week. I tell you, that dragon's the most horrible animal I've ever met, but the way Hagrid goes on about it, you'd think it was a fluffy little bunny rabbit. When it bit me he told me off for frightening it. And when I left, he was singing it a lullaby" Pixie grabs Ron's wrist and pulls it closer, unwrapping the handkerchief.

"You should go and see Pomfrey" She scolds a little.

"And what would I tell her?" He argues, she pulls a face in agreement, he does have a point. There is no way to explain this without having to admit that he's been bitten by a dragon.

"At least let me try and do something" She adds as she turns his hand. She then looks up and around at Hermione. "Do you...?" Hermione suddenly holds out a book on healing spells and practices. Pixie glances at it and then at Hermione before she smirks a little. Of course, she would have just the book she needs at hand. "Oh, thanks" Suddenly there is a tap on the dark window across the common room.

"It's Hedwig!" Harry points out as he moves to the window to let her in. "She'll have Charlie's answer!" Harry unties the note from around Hedwig's leg as Pixie flicks through the healing book to find any mention of treating dragon bites. Ron and Hermione move to crowd in with Harry to read the note. It is quiet, almost, there is the sound of rustling paper as Pixie turns pages, and the flickering of the fire, but other than that, Harry, Ron, and Hermione remain silent as they read the response from Charlie. Once they have each finished reading it, they look at each other and then at Pixie who lifts her eyes from her book.

"Charlie agreed to take him" Ron voices. "Midnight. Saturday...Astronomy Tower"

"We've got the Invisibility Cloak," Harry offers. "It shouldn't be too difficult...I think the Cloak's big enough to cover two of us and Norbert."