The Norse God at Hogwarts

Ch 13: Norberta

Hagrid had invited Harry, Ron, Hermione and Eivor over to his hut. He hadn't said why, just that it was important. The fact that he wanted them to come at night, under Harry's new cloak, which she found very cool, by the way, caused Eivors alarm bells to ring.

Who wouldn't get suspicious when someone asked you to sneak out of your dorm in the middle of the night, knowing that if you got caught you would scrub bedpans until your fingers bled?

That only kindled their curiosity and so, the four students met before the painting on the first floor and threw on Harry's cloak. Altogether, they barely fit under it and the tips of their shoes were a bit visible as they hurried through the castle. Hagrid quickly let them in after they knocked and locked the door behind them.

"What's this all about, Hagrid?", asked Ron suspiciously once he'd yanked the cloak off.

The large man pointed them to the table, where the four students sat down.

"I'll show ye", he said excitedly and rubbed his hands. Putting on cooking mittens, he grabbed something out of the kettle hanging by the fire.

It looked like a big red stone that Hagrid dropped on the table. It was still smoking a bit and burned the table a little. Eivor gasped in surprise, as did Ron.

"Is that a dragon egg?", he asked in disbelief.

"A dragon egg?" Hermione looked slightly panicked.  "Aren't they illegal to have?" Hagrid ignored her question.

"Hagrid", Harry said quietly, "Where did you get it?"

"Won it in a pub", said Hagrid and scratched his beard, "a stranger had it. He seemed glad t' get rid of it, if ya ask me." 

Something definitely didn't sound right, but before Eivor had the time to think about it, the egg cracked. Thin lines started to run across the ruby-red shell like a black spiderweb. More and more did the shell crackle, until a small, weirdly shaped head poked through a hole, covered in some kind of sticky stuff.

The dragon hissed and its tiny tongue flickered out, It squawked and, stumbling, tried to free itself of the shell. When it managed to break out of the egg completely, it fell over its tail and landed flat on its head.

It was a dragoness.

Eivor watched her curiously. Despite the fact that this dragon was going to grow until she reached the size of a mansion, she found her extremely cute. Synin didn't seem to share her opinion. She hid in Eivors hair. Ron, Harry and Hermione all looked terrified. It was a baby, but still a fire-breathing dragon. The dragon started to roar, which actually looked kind of adorable when she showed her tiny teeth.

"Isn't he sweet", Hagrid basically drooled at the sight of the dragon on his table. "I'll call him Norbert."

"Norbert?", Harry repeated, not being able to say more.

"You mean Norberta", Eivor corrected Hagrid. Hagrid looked stunned.

"Blimey", he mumbled. "Must be a girl then, if ya say so."

Eivor stretched out her fingers and clicked her tongue. Norberta cocked her head and looked at her before opening her jaws lightning-fast and closing her jaws around Eivors fingers. Ron yelped and jumped away from the table, his chair clattering to the floor. 

"Bad dragon, Norbert-no, Noberta" Hagrid said hastily, and wanted to grab her, 

"It's ok, Hagrid."Eivor mumbled. 

She looked at the little dragon. The dragoness was scared and very hungry, which had caused her to bite Eivor fingers. Eivor crouched down to be at eye level with the young dragoness. She looked at the dragonet in the eyes and with a soft calm voice.

"Can you release my fingers Norberta?...Please?"

She looked at the girl whose fingers were still in her jaws, and felt her fear subside. That human radiated a powerful dominant presence yet a calming presence at the same time and the dragonet felt her jaws loosening and releasing the hand. No blood spilled, but there were little puncture marks and the dragonet whined apologetically.

"It's alright", the blue-eyed human said and softly stroked her leathery wings.

Eivor smiled as Norberta started purring and wrapping her tail around her wrist. Looking up, Eivor found Harry grinning at her and giving her a thumbs-up, Hermione staring fascinated at her and Ron looking like he was about to faint. Hagrid laughed heartily.

"Well", he chuckled into his beard, "ya definitely have a way with creatures, Eivor. If ye ever think about an apprenticeship, I would be glad t' have ya. Those marks should disappear soon." Hagrid looked at her apologetically.

A noise at the window startled all of them, and Harry raced to the window.

"It's Malfoy!", he said in a panicked voice. Hagrid stood up.

"Ya should better leave now", he said in a worried tone and opened his door for them.

Eivor untangled the dragon's tail from her wrist and joined her friends under the cloak, before they hurried into the night. She ignored the little dragon's wails, even though they pierced her heart. Eivor separated from her friends and raced into the dungeons. She painted when she reached the wall and said "Parseltongue",

The wall remained shut. Eivor felt panic rising inside her as she racked her brain, trying to remember whether the password had been changed recently. She kicked frustratedly at the wall. It would not budge.

"That will not do any good dear, the poor wall can't open", a painting behind her said. "Professor Snape seals the wall after curfew."

Eivor groaned and leaned her head against the cold stone wall.

"Sorry", she muttered.

To whom exactly she said that, she had no idea. This didn't happen in the Christmas holidays when I went running, she thought bitterly.

Now what to do?

She didn't fancy spending the night outside. Anger welled up inside her, then fear. Would she get expelled for being outside after curfew?

Synin cooed warningly and then Eivor heard it too: somebody was coming.

She quickly hurried down the dimly lit corridor and hid behind a corner. When she peeked around the stone wall, she saw Draco Malfoy trying to get into the Slytherin den. He cursed and kicked the wall, then cursed more because his foot hurt. Eivor had to grin at him hopping around on one foot.

"Mr. Malfoy", a silky voice interrupted the blond boy's dance. "Pray, what business do you have outside of your dorm at one in the morning?"

Professor Snape had suddenly appeared behind him, his black robes resembling big bat wings now more than ever. He flicked his wand at the stone wall, which smoothly slide to the side.

"I suggest you get back to your room", Professor Snape drawled. "Five points from Slytherin."

Draco smirked at him and said "Yes, sir", before disappearing through the entrance.

The wall slid shut behind him. Eivor clenched her fists nervously. Would he leave the wall open? Or seal it shut again? Professor Snape swept down the corridor in the other direction without glancing in her direction, which made her sigh in relief. He hadn't seen her.

Cautiously, she tiptoed back to the wall and said the password again.

This time, it granted her passage and she quickly jumped into her common room and raced to her room. Once under her covers, Synin too this time, Eivors head was spinning with questions.

Would Draco tell on them?

Had Professor Snape simply forgotten to seal the wall after Draco went Or- that thought made her freeze- did he purposely leave it open?