Charmolypi

Chapter 22

The Gryffindor quartet walked to Hagrid's hut in the middle of the night. They knocked on the door, and Hagrid opened looking slightly startled.

"Hagrid!" Harry called.

"Oh, hello. Sorry, don't wish to be rude, but I'm in no fit state to entertain today." Hagrid told them as he tried to close the door.

"We know about the Philosopher's Stone!" they exclaimed in unison.

"Do they rehearse these things? I just don't think they can do it so naturally." Barty commented, which got his friends thinking.

The half-giant's face fell. "Oh."

"And they think Snape is trying to steal it." Thea told him.

"Snape?" Hagrid asked surprised. "Blimey, you're not still on about him, are you?"
           
"Hagrid, we know he's after the stone. We just don't know why." Hermione said and Thea rolled her eyes.

"Snape is one of the teachers protecting the stone." Hagrid told them, confused by their suspicions.

"What?" the three wizards asked shocked, and Thea looked slightly confused.

"You heard right. Come on now. I'm a bit preoccupied today." He tried to guide them away but they wouldn't budge.

"Wait a minute. One of the teachers?" Harry questioned. Hagrid was obviously getting irritated, but he quickly covered it up.

"Of course! There are other things defending the stone, aren't there? Spells, enchantments..." Hermione realized.

"Well, that was a given, Hermione. A stone this powerful cannot be left under the protection of a few teachers." Thea said as if it was the most obvious thing.

"That's right. Waste of bloody time, if you ask me. Ain't no one gonna get past Fluffy. Ain't a soul knows how, except for me and Dumbledore. I shouldn't have told you that." Hagrid says, but is interrupted by a rattling sound came from the inside of Hagrid's Hut. Without hesitation, Hagrid went back inside and fished out an object that looked like an egg from the cauldron above the fire. The quartet had gathered around the man and the mysterious object start to move. Ron and Thea's faces lit up at the sight.

"Uh, Hagrid, what exactly is that?" Harry asked.

"That? It's a-it's, um-" Hagrid stuttered.

"I know what it is!" Ron said excitedly.

There were murmurs in the hall, people guessing what it could be, and why Thea and Ron were so happy to see it.

"But, Hagrid, how did you get one?" Thea asked suspiciously.

"I won it...off a stranger I met down at the pub..." Hagrid mumbled. "Seemed quite glad to be rid of it, as a matter of fact." Before anyone could start asking more questions, the object on the table started cracking. When it shattered, it revealed a baby dragon. Thea looked extremely excited whereas her friends looked wary and nervous. The dragon looked around, screeching slightly as it tried to find its footing.

"Is that...a dragon?" Harry asked shocked.

"That's not just a dragon!" Ron started.

"It's a Norwegian Ridgeback." Thea said, looking excitedly at the dragon.

"My brother Charlie works with these in Romania!" Ron tells them.

At the mention of his name, the little redhead boy looked up at the screen. His eyes widened and he pointed at the dragon that was being showed, "dwagon!" he squealed as he hugged her toy dragon.