Till The End | h.p

a dragon egg

After months, the snow melts and the grass grows more green. Harry, Ron and Sam are sitting in the library, studying, when Hermione approaches the table. She sets a book on the table with a loud thud.

"I had you looking in the wrong section. How could I be so stupid? I checked this out weeks ago for a bit of light reading."

Ron looks from the book bigger than his head and then back to Hermione, "This is light?"

She shoots him a glare, before reading, "Nicholas Flamel is the only known maker of the Sorcerer's Stone."

The boys look at the book and ask, "The what?"

"Honestly, don't you two read?" Hermione asks, "The Sorcerer's Stone is a legendary substance with astonishing powers."

Sam interrupts, "Of course! I read about this. It'll transform any metal into pure gold and produces the Elixir of Life."

Hermione nods, "Which will make the drinker immortal."

"Immortal?" Ron asks.

"It means you'll never die," Hermione states.

In frustration Ron exclaims, "I know what it means!"

Harry and Sam both shush him as Hermione continues, "The only Stone currently in existence belongs to Mr. Nicholas Flamel, the noted alchemist who, last year, celebrated his 665th birthday. That's what Fluffy is guarding on the third floor.That's what's under the trap door. The Sorcerer's Stone."

"We have to find Hagrid," Sam states.

That night, so as not to be seen, the four of them run to Hagrid's hut and aggressively knock on the door.

As the door opens, Hagrid says, "Oh, hello. Don't wish to be ruse, but I'm in no fit to entertain today."

All four of them shout, "We know about the Sorcerer's Stone."

"Oh." Hagrid ushers them in.

"We think Snape's trying to steal it," Harry states.

Hagrid, exasperatedly, "Snape? Blimey, you're not still on about him, are ya?"

"We know he's after it. We just don't know why," Sam concludes.

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

"What?" Harry asks.

"You heard. Come on, I'm a bit preoccupied today."

"Wait a minute, 'One of the teachers'?" Harry inquires.

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

"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. I should not have told you that."

There is a clanking and rattling sound coming from the fireplace where they all look. Hagrid puts on his oven mitts and reaches into the cauldron hanging above the fire. He pulls out a giant bronze egg.

"Uh, Hagrid," Harry asks as they all sit around the table, "what exactly is that?"

"That?" Hagrid nods his head toward the egg, "It's-uh, it's-er..".

"I know what that is!" Ron shouts, "But, Hagrid, how did you get one?"

"I won it. Off a stranger I met down at the pub. Seemed quite glad to be rid of it, as a matter of fact."

The egg begins to twitch and shake as the four of them lean back from the table. It cracks open and pieces of the shell fly all over the cabin. A small dragon stretches its wings. It makes soft cawing sounds as it looks around at everyone.

"Is that..." begins Hermione, "a dragon." She turns to look at Hagrid, incredulously.

"That's not just a dragon. That's a Norwegian Ridgeback. My brother Charlie, works with these in Romania."

Hagrid sniffles, "Isn't he beautiful? Oh, bless him," he says as the dragon wobbles to him, "Look, he knows his mummy."

He reaches down to pet it, "Hello, Norbert."

Harry squints, "Norbert?"

"He's gotta have a name, don't he?" Hagrid explains.

Ron and Sam chuckle amongst each other.

"Don't you, Norbert?"

The baby dragon, hiccups a bit and then sneezes, shooting a small bit of fire into Hagrid's beard. Everyone looks alarmed as Hagrid pats his beard down, trying to extinguish the flames.

"He'll have to be trained a bit, of course," Hagrid laughs nervously.

He looks out the window and asks, "Who's that?"

Everyone turns to follow his gaze and see Malfoy duck under the window.

"Malfoy," Harry says.

Hagrid looks disheartened at Norbert, "Oh, dear."

The four of them were walking through the courtyard back into the castle, when Harry says, "Hagrid's always wanted a dragon. Told me so the first time I met him."

"It's crazy. And worse, Malfoy knows." Ron spits out.

"I don't understand. Is that bad?" Harry asks.

Sam looks up and sees Professor McGonagall standing in front of them, "It's bad."

They all look up in fear at the Professor.

"Good evening," she says as Malfoy walks out from behind her with a sly smirk.

She escorts them into her classroom and sits all five of them down.

"Nothing, I repeat, nothing gives a student the right to walk about at night. Therefore, as punishment for your actions, 50 points will be taken."

They look at each other in shock and Harry blurts out in anger, "Fifty?!"

McGonagall looks sternly over the rims of her glasses, "Each. And to ensure it doesn't happen again, all five of you will receive detention."

Malfoy, who previously had a devious smirk on his face, now, looks confused. "Excuse me, professor, perhaps I heard you wrong. I thought you said the five of us."

"No, you heard me correctly, Mr. Malfoy. You see, honorable as your intentions were, you too were out of bed after hours."

Sam glances at Harry, both smirking at each other.

"You will join your classmates in detention."