Norberta was quickly becoming impossible to hide.
What had once been a small, adorable hatchling now took up half of Hagrid's hut, her claws scraping deep grooves into the wooden floor. Smoke curled constantly from her nostrils, leaving the walls covered in black soot. Just that morning, Hagrid had to pry her off his arm after she bit down, mistaking his sleeve for food.
And the noise—Merlin, the noise.
Norberta didn't just make small, harmless sounds anymore. Her screeches were loud enough to carry across the lake, and more than once, we had rushed down to Hagrid's, terrified that someone had heard.
It wasn't a matter of if someone would find out. It was a matter of when.
Something had to be done.
After another near-disaster—this time involving Norberta nearly setting Hagrid's beard on fire—Ron finally snapped.
"That's it," he declared, rubbing his arm where the baby dragon had nearly singed off his sleeve. "I'm writing to Charlie. This has gone far enough."
Hagrid's face fell. He looked at Norberta, who was currently chewing on the leg of his table, completely oblivious to the conversation.
"But I can't just send her away," he protested. "She trusts me!"
Rose gave him a sympathetic look. "Hagrid, she's a dragon. She needs space to fly, to hunt—things you can't give her here."
"She's going to grow bigger," I added. "A lot bigger. We're talking house-sized big."
Hagrid winced. Norberta let out a tiny growl and flapped her wings, sending a burst of hot air into the room. Fang, who had been cowering in the corner, whimpered.
Even Hagrid couldn't deny it anymore.
"…Maybe yeh got a point," he admitted, looking down at Norberta with a deep sigh.
Ron wasted no time. That night, he scribbled out a letter to Charlie, explaining everything—but we didn't discuss the details. It was safer that way. If anyone asked, we could truthfully say we didn't know what was in the letter.
The next morning, he sent it off with Hedwig.
All we could do now was wait.
Several days passed. Norberta continued to grow. Hagrid continued to insist that maybe he could still keep her. And we continued to sneak down to his hut at night, hoping no one had noticed.
We weren't as careful as we thought.
A pair of pale, watchful eyes followed our every move from the shadows.
Draco Malfoy had been suspicious for weeks. He had seen us slipping off after dinner, always heading toward Hagrid's hut, always looking over our shoulders. And tonight, curiosity got the better of him.
He followed at a distance, keeping to the darkness, making sure not to step on any loose twigs or rustling leaves. His breath was slow, controlled. He had learned a thing or two about sneaking around from growing up in a manor full of secret rooms and spying house-elves.
As he crept closer to Hagrid's window, muffled voices drifted through the cracks in the door.
"Charlie says he'll help," Ron was saying. "We just need to get her up to the Astronomy Tower at midnight."
Draco's eyes widened. Her? Who's 'her'?
"…We have to be careful," Hermione was saying. "If we get caught, we could be expelled."
"I don't care," Hagrid muttered. "So long as Norberta's safe."
Draco's smirk froze.
Norberta?
He inched closer, just enough to peek inside.
And then he saw it.
The dragon.
He almost gasped out loud.
A real, living dragon. Right there, curled up in the corner, smoke curling from its nostrils.
His mind raced. This is illegal. This is dangerous. This… this is perfect.
He could get them in so much trouble.
Carefully, he backed away from the hut, his heart pounding with excitement. He didn't need to confront them now. He didn't need to do anything at all—except wait for the perfect moment to strike.
The next evening, just before dinner, Ron received a reply. We huddled together in the common room as he unfolded the letter, eyes scanning the words quickly.
He didn't read it out loud. But when he looked up, he nodded.
"He's sending his friends to pick her up."
Relief flooded through us.
"How?" I asked.
Ron tapped the parchment. "They'll meet us at the Astronomy Tower at midnight. All we have to do is get Norberta up there without anyone noticing."
Rose groaned. "That's easier said than done."
Hagrid looked miserable. "I don' know if I can say goodbye…"
Ron placed a hand on his arm. "It's for the best, Hagrid."
Hagrid sniffed but nodded.
Hermione exhaled. "Alright. We need a plan."
We all leaned in, voices low, as we started figuring out the details.
None of us realized that far above, in the Slytherin dormitories, Draco Malfoy was lying in bed with a smug grin on his face.
The castle was silent as we crept through the corridors, every step carefully placed to avoid making a sound. The invisibility cloak barely covered all four of us, and we had to hunch together awkwardly as we made our way down to Hagrid's hut.
The night was cold, a sharp wind sweeping over the grounds. Clouds drifted lazily across the moon, casting shifting shadows over the landscape. Somewhere in the distance, the Forbidden Forest rustled with unseen movement.
By the time we reached Hagrid's hut, we could already hear the soft rustling of wings inside.
Hagrid opened the door with a tearful sniff, Norberta wrapped in a thick blanket in his massive arms. Her dark scales shimmered faintly in the firelight, and her bright, molten eyes flickered between us, curious but calm.
"She knows," Hagrid murmured, stroking her ridged back. "She knows she's gotta go."
Ron shifted uncomfortably. "Charlie's friends will take good care of her, Hagrid."
Hagrid nodded stiffly but didn't speak.
There wasn't much time.
We carefully placed Norberta into the crate Charlie's friends had sent. The baby dragon let out a low, smoky whine, but she didn't resist. I reached out, resting a hand on the warm scales of her head, and she blinked up at me.
"You'll be alright," I whispered.
Hermione secured the crate's latches with a bit of magic, while Ron double-checked the ropes. The crate shifted slightly as Norberta moved inside, but she didn't struggle.
Hagrid sniffed again, pulling out a large handkerchief and blowing his nose loudly.
"We gotta go," Rose whispered.
We heaved the crate between us, careful not to drop it, and slipped out of the hut. The walk across the grounds felt endless. Every rustling leaf, every distant hoot of an owl, sent a jolt of panic through my chest.
We reached the base of the Astronomy Tower, where a bundle of ropes dangled from the top. Charlie's friends were waiting.
Ron tied the crate to the rope, and we gave it a gentle tug—the signal. A few moments later, the crate began to rise.
Higher and higher.
Then—
A rustling sound.
A flash of movement near the trees.
Someone was watching us.
I turned my head sharply.
A pale face emerged from the darkness.
Draco.
He was standing at the edge of the shadows, his expression unreadable. But he wasn't alone.
Beside him stood Professor McGonagall.
My stomach dropped.
Her sharp eyes swept over us, lingering on our windblown hair, our guilty expressions.
Draco crossed his arms, looking far too pleased with himself.
"Told you, Professor," he said smoothly. "They were up to something."
McGonagall's gaze flickered up toward the sky—where Norberta was already disappearing into the clouds.
Slowly, she turned back to us, her voice dangerously quiet.
"Explain."
My heart pounded.
We were in serious trouble.
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