-THIRTEEN-
Khalida was sitting on her bed, watching the black sky's stars twinkling incandescently in the moonless night. Lilith, as usual, was curled up next to her, purring softly as the Animagus stroked the kneazle's head. The girl's keen eyes flashed brightly in the lamplight, and she noticed that in her comfort, her wolf's ears had appeared on her. Patting them away, she went back to the prose she was writing, just to describe the scene around her.
The dorm room door was shoved open immediately, making Khalida yelp and fall off the bed, spilling ink all over the blanket, and hearing the soft fabric she had so painstakingly mended that morning tear as Lilith yowled and clawed at them.
"Oh, for heavens' sake, Minnie!" Exclaimed the girl, "I was in a perfect state of tranquility just now!"
"Get up, we're going to Hagrid's." Hermione informed, helping her friend up. "Pity that ink spilled. Give me a moment." Flicking her wand, she said, "Scourgify!" Within seconds, the stain had disappeared, leaving no trace of it in its wake. Glancing at the holes ripped into the blanket, the bushy haired girl waved her wand delicately as she said, "Reparo," immediately mending the white linen.
"Are you bloody kidding me right now." Khalida sighed, "Can't a girl have some peace and quiet once in a while?" The kneazle leapt onto the girl's shoulder, sitting comfortably there as both girls trooped down the corridor.
"Not when you're friends with me." Hermione grinned.
The air was quite cold, and Khalida felt grateful for Lilith's black tail around the back of her neck, for not even the slight coat of fur the girl had developed inside her robes kept her too warm.
"I want to strangle all of you." She muttered in annoyance as they reached Hagrid's hut.
"Oh, hello. Sorry, don't wish to be rude, but I'm in no fit state to entertain today." Said the half-giant as he opened his warm hut's door. As he began closing it, the four of them said in unison, "We know about the Philosopher's Stone!"
The poor man opened the door again, letting them in. Khalida immediately felt the fire's warmth make her bones feel a little less like stone. Fang, Hagrid's boarhound, barked and sniffed at Khalida's hands as she sat down. She petted him happily, while her kneazle stayed a good distance away.
"We think Snape's trying to steal it." Harry said, getting to the point.
"Snape? Blimey, Harry, you're not still on about him, are you?" Asked the man.
"Hagrid, we know he's after the Stone. We just don't know why." He replied.
"You know, if you people would just listen to me--" Khalida intervened, but was silenced by Hagrid interrupting her.
"Snape is one of the teachers protecting the Stone! He's not about to steal it!" Exclaimed Hagrid in a booming voice.
"What?" Asked Harry, baffled.
The man began to usher them out, "You heard. Right. Come on, now, I'm a bit preoccupied today."
"Wait a minute. One of the teachers?" Asked the black-haired boy.
"Of course! There are other things defending the Stone, aren't there? Spells, enchantments." Hermione noted, sitting in a large chair.
"Shapeshifters and insane dogs." Khalida added, gently nudging Fang towards Ron.
"That's right. Waste of bloody time, if you ask me. Ain't no one gonna get past Fluffy. Hehe, not a soul knows how. Except for me and Dumbledore." Hagrid looked proud of himself for a moment, and suddenly realised, "I shouldn't have told you that. I shouldn't have told you that."
All of a sudden, the cauldron over the fire began rattling, and looking frighteningly gleeful, as he reached into it and brought out...an egg?
"Uh, Hagrid, what exactly is that?" Asked Khalida
"That? It's a... its um..." He stumbled over his words, making the girl sigh in annoyance.
"I know what that is! But Hagrid, how did you get one?" Ron spoke up, excited.
"I won it. Off a stranger I met down at a pub. Seemed quite glad to be rid off it, as a matter of fact." Replied the half-giant.
"Really? I wonder why..." Khalida made a false-thinking face and said, "Maybe because it's a FLIPPING DRAGON EGG?!" Her voice rose to a terrified scream with each word, making Hermione lean over and smack her upside the head, immediately silencing her.
The egg began to crack slowly, and from an opening came out a particularly dangerous-looking dragon.
"Is that...a dragon?" Hermione asked.
"No, of course not, Minnie, it's a little kneazle friend for Lilith." Khalida's sarcasm earned her a glare from her friend, but she continued, voice raising to an octave higher as she exclaimed, "OBVIOUSLY IT'S A BLOOMIN' DRAGON!"
"That's not just a dragon. That's a Norwegian Ridgeback! My brother Charlie works with these in Romania." Ron gasped.
"Isn't he beautiful? Oh. Bless him, look. He knows his mummy. Hehe. Hallo, Norbert." Hagrid coddled the little dragon, and Khalida watched warily as it made its way to her.
Suddenly feeling a jerk of nervousness, she felt herself shift shape. In the form of a wolf she stood a good length away as the dragon sniffed her nose. Growling softly as he approached her, Khalida noticed how it was interested in her fur at that time. She, too, decided to move closer and sniff him, whilst everyone else waited with bated breath. The moment Norbert stretched out a claw and poked her soft facial fur, she snarled violently and snapped at him, making Hermione leap into action to pull her back. Hagrid and Harry conversed a little, while a slightly scared wolf-like Khalida was being comforted by her brunette friend.
Hermione had knelt down and was softly running her hands through the girl's soft, thick fur, whispering calming things to her till finally she'd calmed down enough to focus and shift her shape back.
"I hate those lizard fire-breathing mutant things." Khalida panted, flattening her hair inwards as it turned greyer. "Pity that they like me."
"Drama queen." Chuckled Hermione, helping her friend up.
Khalida caught sight of her friend Draco at the window, and the moment they locked eyes, he dashed off. Then, she said what everyone was thinking.
"Oh shit."
----
OH SHIT.
OH S H I T
MALFOY GET YOUR FERRET ASS AWAY FROM HERE BITCH DON'T U TELL ON--
oh. right. I--I'm the author--
ANYGAYS.
I am on le phone, so I can't mention too many people--
Dedicated to everyone who commented on the last chapter!
Have a lovely day/night!
10 comments, please!
With love and hugs,
Daisy Rose
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𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐎𝐍𝐎𝐌𝐘 - 𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫
Fanfictionᴡᴇ'ᴠᴇ ᴛʀᴀᴠᴇʟᴇᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ꜱᴇᴀꜱ, ᴡᴇ'ᴠᴇ ʀɪᴅᴅᴇɴ ᴛʜᴇ ꜱᴛᴀʀꜱ, ᴡᴇ'ᴠᴇ ꜱᴇᴇɴ ᴇᴠᴇʀʏᴛʜɪɴɢ ꜰʀᴏᴍ ꜱᴀᴛᴜʀɴ ᴛᴏ ᴍᴀʀꜱ. ᴀꜱ ᴍᴜᴄʜ ᴀꜱ ɪᴛ ꜱᴇᴇᴍꜱ ʟɪᴋᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ᴏᴡɴ ᴍʏ ʜᴇᴀʀᴛ, ɪᴛ'ꜱ ᴀꜱᴛʀᴏɴᴏᴍʏ, ᴡᴇ'ʀᴇ ᴛᴡᴏ ᴡᴏʀʟᴅꜱ ᴀᴘᴀʀᴛ... --- "When we see someone we hate, what do we do?" "We tra...
