A friend like never before <| Harry Potter Book 1

13 ~ Baby Norbert

Long after their curfew, much to Hermione's dismay, the friends ran across the wet grounds towards Hagrid's hut. They knocked on the large door. After a couple of seconds it opened to see Hagrid wearing an apron and oven mitts.

"Oh, hello." Hagrid greeted. Rose noticed that he seemed very nervous. What was he hiding. Please not a second three headed dog. "Sorry, don't wish to be rude, but I'm in no fit state to entertain today." He tried closing the door but they were quicker.

"We know about the Philosopher's Stone!" They all shouted. This seemed to spike Hagrid's interest because he opened the door for them.

"Oh." They stepped inside the small hut, which seemed much bigger on the inside. After taking of their cloaks, they made themselves comfortable in Hagrid's large furniture. Underneath Rose's cloak she wore the sweater Ron's mom had made her. She loved it soo much. Hermione sat on his chair, Ron and Harry sat on the bench across from it and Rose sat on the tip of the table, just barely able to touch the floor with her tippy toes.

"We think Snape's trying to steal it."

"Snape? Blimey, Harry, you're not still on about him, are you?" Hagrid asked as he looked inside his cauldron.

"Hagrid, we know he's after the Stone. We just don't know why." Rose tried this time making Hagrid look at her.

"Snape is one of the teachers protecting the Stone! He's not about to steal it!"

"What?" Harry asked after having exchanged glances with Ron and Hermione.

"You heard." Hagrid shook his head, clearly shouldn't have said that. "Right. Come on, now, I'm a bit preoccupied today." He tried shooing them out but they didn't budge.

"Wait a minute." Rose smiled openly as she saw Hagrid's dog, Fang, sniff Ron. The dog was even taller than Ron. "One of the teachers?"

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

"Traps" Rose added after Hermione was done.

"That's right. Waste of bloody time, if you ask me." Hagrid muttered. At the same time Rose's tried her hardest not to laugh as she saw Ron trying to shuffle away from Fang, nearly ending up in Harry's lap.

"Ain't no one gonna get past Fluffy. Hehe, not a soul knows how. Except for me and Dumbledore." Hagrid laughed but noticed what he had said. "I shouldn't have told you that. I shouldn't have told you that." Suddenly Hagrid's cauldron began to rattle.

"What kind of potion was that?" Rose asked looking at it strangely. Her after school lessons from Snape had really helped her. She was still learning of course but she really enjoyed it.

"Oh!" Hagrid, instead of answering, turned around and took an object out of the cauldron. "Ooh! Ooh! Ooh! Ooh!" He hurried over to the table, making Rose hop off. She helped him by clearing the table so he could place it down. Ron, Harry and Hermione quickly joined them at the table. Hagrid placed the ball on the table. It was a really odd shape until it clicked. It was an egg.

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

"That? It's a ... its um..." Hagrid stuttered clearly not wanting to say it.

"I know what that is!" Ron spoke up before looking at Hagrid. "But Hagrid, how did you get one?"

"And isn't it illegal?" Rose added, looking at the egg.

"I won it. Off a stranger I met down at a pub. Seemed quite glad to be rid of it, as a matter of fact." Hagrid answered, frowning at the end. The egg started to rattle even more before it cracked. They all took a step back as the egg exploded of some sorts. Pieces of the shell sprang everywhere, even some in the girls hair and Hagrid's beard.

A small brown dragon emerged from the egg, stretching his wings before slipping on a piece of egg shell. Rose was completely in awe. She had never seen a baby dragon before. A fully grown one yes but a baby like this one? Never. The dragon made a squeaking noise of some sort.

"Is that...a dragon?" Hermione asked carefully.

"That's not just a dragon. That's a Norwegian Ridgeback! My brother Charlie works with these in Romania." Ron explained, his jaw nearly hitting the floor.

"Isn't he beautiful? Oh. Bless him, look. He knows his father." Hagrid beamed, Rose could have sworn she saw some tears in his big brown eyes. "Hehe. Hallo, Norbert." Hagrid wiggled his finger petting Norbert underneath his chin. Norbert squeaked, liking the attention.

"Norbert?" Harry asked, smiling.

"Yeah, well, he's got to have a name, doesn't he?" Rose smiled as Norbert noticed her and walked closer. Harry and Ron, who stood next to her, took a step back but she just petted him underneath his chin.

"Baby Norbert" She cooed. Norbert made a purring sound and pushed himself even closer towards Rose.

"Don't you, Norbert?" Hagrid asked, petting Norbert's tail. The dragon turned around and sneezed blowing a small fireball into Hagrid's beard.

"Ohh! Ooohh," He shouted putting out his beard. "Ooh, ooh, well...he'll have to be trained up a bit, of course." Norbert hiccupped again but only sparks flew out. He shook his head before nestling himself inside Rose's hand. Rose laughed slowly petting the already rough scales. Her laugh stopped as she noticed Harry, Hermione's and Ron's look. She followed their gaze to see Draco behind the window. "Who's that?" Hagrid asked seeing him too.

"Malfoy." Harry spat seeing Draco run away.

"Oh, dear." Hagrid signed already knowing the outcome of all this.

Rose looked down at the small dragon in her hand before she placed her free one on Hagrid's.

"They won't take him Hagrid, I promise. I won't let them." Hagrid gave the girl a sad smile, hoping she was right.

-

Not long after the four of them walked back through the corridors. They would have left sooner but Norbert had developed a death grip on Rose's sweater and when Hagrid had tried taking him away he had blown fire at them. Apparently Norbert had seen Rose as his mom and Hagrid as his father. Which was extremely gross. It was just because Rose was the second thing he had seen. So after a while Norbert had fallen asleep and Hagrid had pried him loose from her sweater. Small scorch marks decorated her right sleeve and small gashes the other. Tears had nearly fallen when she had seen it. She loved that sweater so much and now it was destroyed. Ron had promised he would ask his mom to make a new one saying his brothers had ruined the last one.

"Hagrid always wanted a dragon. He told me so the first time I met him." Ron told them as they walked back. Hagrid had given Rose one of his sweaters that was way too small for him but it nearly reached her knees. At least she was warm.

"It's crazy. And worse, Malfoy knows." Hermione said.

"I don't understand. Is that bad?" Harry asked. Ron nodded with an terrified look on his face.

"It's bad." They all looked ahead to see Professor McGonagall standing there in her nightgown.

"Good evening." She greeted, not looking very happy. Not a second later Draco stepped beside her. A smirk on his face.