Hermione Granger and the Philosopher's Stone (Completed)

Chapter 13 - The Dragon

Hermione had more important things on her mind than the philosopher's stone. The exams were starting in a few weeks, and she had been told they were very hard. Also, if she failed the exams she wouldn't be allowed to return to Hogwarts next year, and she couldn't let that happen, when she had finally been accepted. She started colour coding class notes and making revision timetables, and was very surprised that Ron and Harry didn't do the same
"Hermione, the exams are ages away" Ron moaned
"Ten weeks," Hermione reminded him "That's not ages, that's like a second to Nicolas Flamel"
"But we're not six hundred years old" Ron said, earning him a dirty look "Anyway, what are you studying for, you already know it all"
"What am I studying for?" Hermione exclaimed "Are you crazy? You realize we need to pass these exams to get into the second year? They're very important, I should have started studying a month ago, I don't know what's gotten into me..."
"There are more important things than school" Harry said "We need to stop Snape taking the philosopher's stone"
"We? We?" Hermione said incredulously, slamming her book shut "Harry, I'm twelve and you and Ron are eleven. We can't do anything. We can barely make things float, how can you possibly be able to fight Snape?"

Thankfully, the large amount of schoolwork they were getting drew the philosopher's stone out of Harry and Ron's mind. Most evenings the three of them were in the library, reciting incantations and practicing wand movements. On one such time, Hermione found a book about the 12 uses of dragon's blood and didn't look up until she heard Ron next to her
"Hagrid! What are you doing in the library?"
Hermione looked up to see Hagrid, who was obviously hiding something behind his back.
"Jus' lookin'" he said suspiciously "An' what're you lot up ter? Yer not still lookin' fer Nicolas Flamel, are yeh?"
"Oh, we found out who he is ages ago," said Ron cheerfully "And we know what that dog's guarding, it's a philosopher's st -"
"Shhhh!" Hagrid said quickly. He lowered his voice "Don' go shoutin' about it, what's the matter with yeh?"
"There are a few things we wanted to ask you, as a matter of fact," said Harry "about what's guarding the Stone apart from Fluffy -"
"SHHHH!" said Hagrid loudly "Listen - come an' see me later, I'm not promisin' I'll tell yeh anythin', mind, but don' go rabbitin' about it in here, students aren' s'pposed ter know. They'll think I've told yeh-"
"See you later, then," said Harry.
Hagrid walked off, still hiding something from their view

"What was he hiding behind his back?" Hermione wondered aloud "Do you think it had anything to do with the Stone?"
"I'm going to see what section he was in," said Ron. He walked away came back a minute later with a large pile of books. He spread them on the table
"Dragons!" he whispered excitedly "Hagrid was looking up stuff about dragons! Look at these: Dragon Species of Great Britain and Ireland; From Egg to Inferno, A Dragon Keeper's Guide"
"Hagrid's always wanted a dragon, he told me so the first time I ever met him" said Harry. Hermione remembered him saying something similar to her
"But it's against our laws" said Ron "Dragon breeding was outlawed by the Warlocks' Convention of 1709, everyone knows that. It's hard to stop Muggles from noticing us if we're keeping dragons in the back garden - anyway, you can't tame dragons, it's dangerous. You should see the burns Charlie's got off wild ones in Romania"
"But there aren't wild dragons in Britain?" asked Harry
"Of course there are," said Ron, as if it were obvious "Common Welsh Green and Hebridean Blacks. The Ministry of Magic has a job hushing them up, I can tell you. Our kind have to keep putting spells on Muggles who've spotted them, to make them forget"
"So what on earth's Hagrid up to?" said Hermione

They found out about an hour later. To their surprise, all the curtains were closed. Hagrid called "Who is it?" before he let them in, and then shut the door quickly behind them. It was like a sauna inside the hut, and the fire was blazing despite it being the middle of May.
"So - yeh wanted to ask me somethin'?"
"Yes," said Harry "We were wondering if you could tell us what's guarding the Philosopher's stone apart from Fluffy"
"O' course I can't" he said, to their disappointment "Number one, I don' know meself. Number two, yeh know too much already, so I wouldn' tell yeh if I could. That stone's here fer a good reason. It was almost stolen outta Gringotts - I s'ppose yeh've worked that out an' all? Beats me how yeh even know abou' Fluffy"
Hermione decided to try a different tact
"Oh, come on, Hagrid, you might not want to tell us, but you do know, you know everything that goes on round here," she said warmly. Hagrid smiled "We only wondered who had done the guarding, really. We wondered who Dumbledore had trusted enough to help him, apart from you"
Harry and Ron beamed at Hermione. She felt a surge of pride as it worked incredibly well
"Well, I don' s'pose it could hurt ter tell yeh that... let's see... he borrowed Fluffy from me... then some o' the teachers did enchantments... Professor Sprout - Professor Flitwick - Professor McGonagall - Professor Quirrell -- an' Dumbledore himself did somethin', o' course. Hang on, I've forgotten someone. Oh yeah, Professor Snape"
"Snape?"
"Yeah - yer not still on abou' that, are yeh? Look, Snape helped protect the Stone, he's not about ter steal it"
"You're the only one who knows how to get past Fluffy, aren't you, Hagrid?" said Harry anxiously "And you wouldn't tell anyone, would you? Not even one of the teachers?"
"Not a soul knows except me an' Dumbledore," said Hagrid
"Well, that's something," Harry muttered "Hagrid, can we have a window open? I'm boiling."
"Can't, Harry, sorry," said Hagrid, glancing at the fire. Hermione did too
"Hagrid -- what's that?"
Right in the middle of the fire was a huge, metallic looking black egg.
"Ah," said Hagrid "That's er..."
"Where did you get it, Hagrid?" said Ron, looking closer at the egg "It must've cost you a fortune."
"Won it" said Hagrid "Las' night. I was down in the village havin' a few drinks an' got into a game o' cards with a stranger. Think he was quite glad ter get rid of it, ter be honest"
"But what are you going to do with it when it's hatched?" said Hermione.
"Well, I've bin doin' some readin'" said Hagrid, pulling a book from under his pillow. "Got this outta the library - Dragon Breeding for Pleasure and Profit - it's a bit outta date, o' course, but it's all in here. Keep the egg in the fire, 'cause their mothers breathe on 'em, see, an' when it hatches, feed it on a bucket o' brandy mixed with chicken blood every half hour. An' see here - how ter recognize diff'rent eggs - what I got there's a Norwegian Ridgeback. They're rare, them"
Hermione thought he'd gone mad
"Hagrid, you live in a wooden house" she said.
But Hagrid wasn't listening.