The Road Not Taken: Chapter Seventeen Part Two
Part One
The Road Not Taken: Chapter Seventeen Part Two
Harry had the oddest sense of displaced déjà vu over the following weeks. Instead of it being Ron and Hermione who tromped with him out to Hagrid’s hut at every available opportunity, it was Neville and Hermione who accompanied him.
Only to find, usually, that a certain pair of Slytherins had beaten them there first.
All Harry could do was sit back and watch Draco interact with Hagrid. The gamekeeper had been wary of the boy at first - but it was Draco’s enthusiasm for the egg, for petting Fang and general interest in the creatures around Hogwarts that won the man over. That wasn’t to say that Draco’s mouth and attitude didn’t get away from him - it did, from time to time. But, the thing Harry noticed, was that every time Hagrid retorted at Draco, Malfoy seemed to listen.
It came to Harry one afternoon after Draco had been sent outside the hut to cool off after shouting at Harry that Draco wanted Hagrid’s attention - and the gamekeeper gave the Slytherin attention, positive attention. Harry shook his head. Was that all the brat really needed, the first time? Someone to pay attention, real attention to him, not just lip service, the first time around?
Harry made a face, staring off into the distance. I always thought Draco adored his father - but what if I was wrong, if we were all wrong? Yes, Draco’s spoiled, but I’ve never seen anyone but Narcissa Malfoy send him packages or letters. The few times I did see Draco with his father…Harry frowned. Draco was so stiff. Was he trying to impress the man? Live up to expectations? Draco had never been like that with Scorpius.
Harry had to put the disturbing thoughts on the back burner, for now. He was hip deep in trying to keep the other first years in their House from noticing their sudden interest in Hagrid’s hut.
Then, one breakfast time, Hedwig brought Harry another note. It had only two words. It’s hatching.
Draco was at his side before Harry could do more than stand up from the table. “What is it? Is it from Hagrid?”
Harry handed Draco the note. The Slytherin wanted to skip class and go straight down to the hut. Hermione wouldn’t hear of it.
“Are you mad, Granger? How many times in our lives are we going to see a dragon hatching?”
Harry herded them out into the hall to avoid the curious glances they were gathering from the student body. And Ron’s suspicious glare.
“We’ve got lessons, we’ll get into trouble and that’s nothing to what Hagrid’s going to be in when someone finds out what he’s doing.” Hermione folded her arms over her chest.
“Hush,” Harry grabbed Hermione’s arm.
Draco spun around. Ron was only a few feet away, staring at them. “I knew you were friends with these slimy Slytherins.”
“Shut up, Weasel,” Draco snarled.
“What’s it, now?” The twins appeared behind their brother.
“Nothing,” Harry cut in before Draco could start shouting at Ron. “We’re on our way to class.”
Harry and Neville had to herd Hermione and Draco away from Ron. The two bickered all the way until the Gryffindors and Slytherins had to part for the separate classes. Even then it took Nott to drag the blond away. In the end, with Nott’s persuasion of Draco, they had reluctantly agreed to run down to Hagrid’s hut during the morning break.
Minutes after the bell, Hagrid greeted the lot of them, looking flushed and excited. “It’s nearly out,” he said.
The egg was lying on the table. There were deep cracks in it. Something was moving inside; a funny clicking noise was coming from it.
Draco had pushed up next to Hagrid as they all drew up chairs to watch.
All at once there was a scraping noise and the egg split open. The baby dragon flopped onto the table.
“Oh, my,” Hermione’s voice was faint.
It sneezed. A couple of sparks flew out of its nose.
“Isn’t he beautiful?” Draco’s eyes were huge.
Hagrid reached out a hand to stroke the dragon’s head. It snapped at his fingers, showing pointed fangs. “Bless him, look, he knows his mommy!”
Even Draco gave the man a disbelieving glance.
“Hagrid,” ventured Hermione. “How fast do Norwegian Ridgebacks grow, exactly?”
Hagrid was about to answer when the color suddenly drained from his face. He leapt to his feet and ran to the window.
“What is it?” Neville asked, standing.
“Someone was lookin’ through the gap in the curtains - it’s a kid - he’s runnin’ back up ter the school.”
Harry and Draco collided at the door. They both peered out. Even at a distance there was no mistaking him.
“The Weasel,” Draco spat.
“Well, shit,” Harry said.
“Harry!” Hermione cried. “Language!”
~*~
When Ron didn’t go straight to the teachers, Harry started to worry. The Weasley tendency for pranks and retaliation Harry knew, all too well. The week stretched on and Ron had yet to make his move, causing Harry’s nerves to start to jangle.
Ron’s silence - and smirks - made the Slytherins nervous as well. The lot of them spent most of their free time in Hagrid’s darkened hut, most of them trying to reason with the man. Draco was content to stare, enraptured, at the dragon.
“Just let him go,” Harry urged. “Let him be free.”
“I can’t,” blubbered Hagrid. “He’s too little. He’d die.”
They looked at the dragon. It had grown three times in length in just a week. Smoke kept fueling out of its nostrils.
“I’ve decided to call him Norbert,” Hagrid wiped at his face. “He really knows me now, watch. Norbert! Norbert! Where’s Mommy?”
“Mommy?” Harry heard Neville choke out.
“Hagrid,” Nott threw his hands in the air. “Give it two weeks and Norbert’s going to be as long as your house. Someone is bound to notice him then and you’ll get sacked!”
Hagrid bit his lip. “I know I can’t keep him forever, but I can’t jus’ dump him. I can’t.”
Draco snapped his fingers and sat up. He twisted around to look at Harry. “Doesn’t the Weasel have an older brother who works with dragons?”
Harry stared. “How did you know that?”
“Hagrid told me.”
“That’s right, Charlie,” Hagrid’s gloomy expression brightened. “He helped me the last two years at Hogwarts. Wanted to learn about magical creatures and the sort. Right good bit of trainin’ for him, too, as I remember. Got into his job without having to attend university because of his trainin’ with me.”
“There are jobs where you can work with magical animals all day long?” Draco’s eyes went wide.
“Sure there are. There’s a whole Ministry department devoted to ‘em. O’ course there are a whole lot of silly laws, but…”
“Charlie would know how to take care of Norbert,” Hermione butted in. “But - how do we contact him?”
“I’ll write him,” Harry said. “I’m friends with the twins - I know they send letters off to him from time to time. I’m sure Fred and George will help us.”
~*~
The Weasley twins were eager to help with contacting Charlie and in keeping their youngest brother out of the way - once they found out why Harry needed to speak to the elder Weasley. The following week dragged by. Wednesday night found Hermione, Neville and Harry sitting alone in the common room, long after everyone else had gone to bed. Hermione had been insistent that they stay up on their study schedules - on top of helping Hagrid with Norbert every chance they could get.
Neville was halfway asleep on his essay when there was a tap on the dark window.
“It’s Hedwig,” Harry said, hurrying to let her in. “She’ll have Charlie’s answer.” He spread the note on the able. Hermione poked Neville’s shoulder to rouse him.
Dear Harry, it read. Fred and George told me about your predicament. I’d be glad to take the Norwegian Ridgeback, but it won’t be easy getting him here. I think the best thing will be to send him over with some friends of mine who are coming to visit me next week. Trouble is, they mustn’t be seen carrying an illegal dragon. Could you get the Ridgeback up the tallest tower at midnight on Saturday? They can meet you there and take him away while it’s still dark. Send me an answer as soon as possible. Charlie Weasley.
“We’ve got the invisibility cloak,” Harry tapped a finger against his chin. “It shouldn’t be too difficult.”
“Let’s see what the others think,” Hermione frowned. “They are Slytherins, after all. Surely something like this would be right up their alley.”
Harry had to cough to hide his laughter.
~*~
Fred and George insisted on accompanying them to Hagrid’s hut after Harry showed them Charlie’s letter. Draco was furious for even more people knowing about Norbert - but Nott calmed the Malfoy heir down with a reasonable suggestion that the two older Gryffindors would be the best ones to haul the dragon up the tower stairs.
“No,” said George.
“I think not,” said Fred. “We’ve heard plenty of stories about these beasts from Charlie.”
“But can you at least help us?” Harry cut in before Draco could start shouting.
The twins exchanged a glance. “Getting you lot past Filch will be difficult. We can take care of him, no problem.”
“Thanks,” Harry let out a breath.
“You still need an extra set of hands to get him up the stairs,” Draco pointed out.
“We can manage.”
“We’ll help you,” Nott nudged Draco with his elbow. “Won’t we?”
The blond made a face, but nodded. “I would like to see Norbert off,” he added.
“You hear that Norbert?” Hagrid cooed at the beast. “Mommy’s goin’ to take good care of yeh, yes he is, yes he is. Ow!”
Harry shared a look with Neville. “Saturday can’t come soon enough,” the other boy muttered.
~*~
Fred and George slipped out first to scout the way. Harry and Neville went to Hagrid’s hut to find Nott and Draco helping Hagrid finish up Norbert’s preparation. Hermione opted to stay behind, to keep a lookout for trouble in the common room and to let them in, later, if the Fat Lady was gone from her post.
“He’s got lots o’ rats an’ some brandy fer the journey,” Hagrid was telling Draco. “An’ I’ve packed his teddy bear in case he gets lonely.”
Harry rolled his eyes and stepped forward. “Ready?”
“Good bye, Norbert,” Hagrid sobbed, as Harry and Neville covered the crate with the invisibility cloak.
“You have an invisibility cloak,” Nott said, voice flat.
“Ah, yes,” Harry scratched at the back of his head. “Didn’t I tell you that? It was my father’s. Someone gave it to me for Christmas.”
“You mean they’d kept it from you all this time?” Draco looked aghast.
“Uh, yeah?”
“We need to go,” Neville said, looking between the crate and the sobbing gamekeeper.
“Right,” Harry lifted the edge of the cloak and slipped under. It took some maneuvering, but Draco and Neville squeezed in, too.
“I can’t fit,” Nott said.
“It’s all right,” Harry panted. “We got it.”
How they had managed to get Norbert back up to the castle the first time, Harry didn’t know. The second time seemed easier, if only for Malfoy’s ease with spells and flat refusal to actually carry the beast up the stairs.
“What’s magic for, then? I’m not some kind of common laborer,” Draco had spat.
Harry rolled his eyes, but took over the spell. It was draining to keep the dragon afloat and covered, as well as keeping them all from being detected.
“Nearly there!” Neville whispered as they reached the corridor beneath the tallest tower. Nott had come with them, as far as the stairs down to the Slytherin dorms, where he would wait to let Draco in, in case something happened.
A sudden movement ahead of them made Harry almost drop the crate. Draco grabbed Harry’s arm, but Neville was the one to clap a hand over the Slytherin’s mouth to keep him from making a noise.
A lamp flared. Professor McGonagall in a tartan bathrobe and a hair net had Ron by the ear.
“Detention,” she snapped. “And twenty points from Gryffindor! What did you think you were doing, young man, setting up a prank like that…”
“You don’t understand, Professor! I was trying to help you catch them in the act! Potter’s coming - with Malfoy - they’ve got a dragon.”
“What utter rubbish. How dare you tell such lies! Come along, back to the dormitory for you!”
Neville pushed them both forward once McGonagall had dragged Ron off.
“You didn’t have to smother me,” Draco snapped at Neville once the Gryffindor let his hand drop.
“You were about to bolt.”
“I was not.”
“Were too.”
“Hush,” Harry said.
“How did the Weasel know about the plan?”
“Would you call him Ron?”
“No, I shan’t.”
Harry snorted.
“He must have found out, somehow.”
“Who knows,” Harry shook his head. “Ron might have pieced it together from what the twins have said, maybe Charlie wrote to him, I don’t know. But he got McGonagall out of our way. So come on. It’s almost midnight.”
They got to the top of the tower with minutes to spare. Harry made sure to shrink and stuff the cloak into his pocket, not intending to lose it this time around.
At the stroke of midnight, four broomsticks came swooping down out of the darkness. Charlie’s friends were a cheery lot. Draco’s eyes were huge as he took in their leather jackets and questionable taste in jewelry. They showed off the harness they’d rigged up, so they could suspend Norbert between them. They all helped buckle Norbert safely into it, all the while Draco gave them a solemn lecture about proper dragon safety and procedure. Harry thought he saw a few of the men hide indulgent smiles behind their scarves.
Charlie’s friends all thanked them, even shaking hands with a pink-faced Malfoy, and then they were off.
“Oh, man,” Harry slumped as Norbert’s crate vanished into the night. “Thank Merlin that’s over.”
“You think we’ll ever see a dragon again?” Draco had moved to the edge of the tower, eyes on the spot where their visitors had vanished. For a moment, the memories in Harry’s mind tried to surface - of a different tower and a different night. He pushed away the painful lot with a quick, sharp shake of the head. The lingering ache made his teeth throb.
“Yes,” Harry managed to say when Neville turned to look at him. “I think we’ll see a dragon again. Somehow.” He couldn’t help the wry smile.
“I’d like that,” Draco murmured.
“I wouldn’t,” Neville shook his head. “One dragon is plenty.”
“Come on,” Harry pulled the cloak out of his pocket and swung it over his shoulders. “Let’s go before the twins get caught by Filch.”
Gryffindor Tower was closest - but Draco threw a fit about sneaking back to Slytherin dormitory by himself. Harry and Neville bowed to the blond’s tantrum and eased past an oblivious Peeves, down an eerie corridor, around a pile of unsettled armor -
And right into Snape as the man strode through the darkness, straight into them.
“What is this?” Snape snarled. His hand flashed out, yanked at the cloak. Harry yanked it back, but the damage had been done. Snape had seen them all.
Chapter Eighteen
The Road Not Taken: Chapter Seventeen Part Two
Harry had the oddest sense of displaced déjà vu over the following weeks. Instead of it being Ron and Hermione who tromped with him out to Hagrid’s hut at every available opportunity, it was Neville and Hermione who accompanied him.
Only to find, usually, that a certain pair of Slytherins had beaten them there first.
All Harry could do was sit back and watch Draco interact with Hagrid. The gamekeeper had been wary of the boy at first - but it was Draco’s enthusiasm for the egg, for petting Fang and general interest in the creatures around Hogwarts that won the man over. That wasn’t to say that Draco’s mouth and attitude didn’t get away from him - it did, from time to time. But, the thing Harry noticed, was that every time Hagrid retorted at Draco, Malfoy seemed to listen.
It came to Harry one afternoon after Draco had been sent outside the hut to cool off after shouting at Harry that Draco wanted Hagrid’s attention - and the gamekeeper gave the Slytherin attention, positive attention. Harry shook his head. Was that all the brat really needed, the first time? Someone to pay attention, real attention to him, not just lip service, the first time around?
Harry made a face, staring off into the distance. I always thought Draco adored his father - but what if I was wrong, if we were all wrong? Yes, Draco’s spoiled, but I’ve never seen anyone but Narcissa Malfoy send him packages or letters. The few times I did see Draco with his father…Harry frowned. Draco was so stiff. Was he trying to impress the man? Live up to expectations? Draco had never been like that with Scorpius.
Harry had to put the disturbing thoughts on the back burner, for now. He was hip deep in trying to keep the other first years in their House from noticing their sudden interest in Hagrid’s hut.
Then, one breakfast time, Hedwig brought Harry another note. It had only two words. It’s hatching.
Draco was at his side before Harry could do more than stand up from the table. “What is it? Is it from Hagrid?”
Harry handed Draco the note. The Slytherin wanted to skip class and go straight down to the hut. Hermione wouldn’t hear of it.
“Are you mad, Granger? How many times in our lives are we going to see a dragon hatching?”
Harry herded them out into the hall to avoid the curious glances they were gathering from the student body. And Ron’s suspicious glare.
“We’ve got lessons, we’ll get into trouble and that’s nothing to what Hagrid’s going to be in when someone finds out what he’s doing.” Hermione folded her arms over her chest.
“Hush,” Harry grabbed Hermione’s arm.
Draco spun around. Ron was only a few feet away, staring at them. “I knew you were friends with these slimy Slytherins.”
“Shut up, Weasel,” Draco snarled.
“What’s it, now?” The twins appeared behind their brother.
“Nothing,” Harry cut in before Draco could start shouting at Ron. “We’re on our way to class.”
Harry and Neville had to herd Hermione and Draco away from Ron. The two bickered all the way until the Gryffindors and Slytherins had to part for the separate classes. Even then it took Nott to drag the blond away. In the end, with Nott’s persuasion of Draco, they had reluctantly agreed to run down to Hagrid’s hut during the morning break.
Minutes after the bell, Hagrid greeted the lot of them, looking flushed and excited. “It’s nearly out,” he said.
The egg was lying on the table. There were deep cracks in it. Something was moving inside; a funny clicking noise was coming from it.
Draco had pushed up next to Hagrid as they all drew up chairs to watch.
All at once there was a scraping noise and the egg split open. The baby dragon flopped onto the table.
“Oh, my,” Hermione’s voice was faint.
It sneezed. A couple of sparks flew out of its nose.
“Isn’t he beautiful?” Draco’s eyes were huge.
Hagrid reached out a hand to stroke the dragon’s head. It snapped at his fingers, showing pointed fangs. “Bless him, look, he knows his mommy!”
Even Draco gave the man a disbelieving glance.
“Hagrid,” ventured Hermione. “How fast do Norwegian Ridgebacks grow, exactly?”
Hagrid was about to answer when the color suddenly drained from his face. He leapt to his feet and ran to the window.
“What is it?” Neville asked, standing.
“Someone was lookin’ through the gap in the curtains - it’s a kid - he’s runnin’ back up ter the school.”
Harry and Draco collided at the door. They both peered out. Even at a distance there was no mistaking him.
“The Weasel,” Draco spat.
“Well, shit,” Harry said.
“Harry!” Hermione cried. “Language!”
~*~
When Ron didn’t go straight to the teachers, Harry started to worry. The Weasley tendency for pranks and retaliation Harry knew, all too well. The week stretched on and Ron had yet to make his move, causing Harry’s nerves to start to jangle.
Ron’s silence - and smirks - made the Slytherins nervous as well. The lot of them spent most of their free time in Hagrid’s darkened hut, most of them trying to reason with the man. Draco was content to stare, enraptured, at the dragon.
“Just let him go,” Harry urged. “Let him be free.”
“I can’t,” blubbered Hagrid. “He’s too little. He’d die.”
They looked at the dragon. It had grown three times in length in just a week. Smoke kept fueling out of its nostrils.
“I’ve decided to call him Norbert,” Hagrid wiped at his face. “He really knows me now, watch. Norbert! Norbert! Where’s Mommy?”
“Mommy?” Harry heard Neville choke out.
“Hagrid,” Nott threw his hands in the air. “Give it two weeks and Norbert’s going to be as long as your house. Someone is bound to notice him then and you’ll get sacked!”
Hagrid bit his lip. “I know I can’t keep him forever, but I can’t jus’ dump him. I can’t.”
Draco snapped his fingers and sat up. He twisted around to look at Harry. “Doesn’t the Weasel have an older brother who works with dragons?”
Harry stared. “How did you know that?”
“Hagrid told me.”
“That’s right, Charlie,” Hagrid’s gloomy expression brightened. “He helped me the last two years at Hogwarts. Wanted to learn about magical creatures and the sort. Right good bit of trainin’ for him, too, as I remember. Got into his job without having to attend university because of his trainin’ with me.”
“There are jobs where you can work with magical animals all day long?” Draco’s eyes went wide.
“Sure there are. There’s a whole Ministry department devoted to ‘em. O’ course there are a whole lot of silly laws, but…”
“Charlie would know how to take care of Norbert,” Hermione butted in. “But - how do we contact him?”
“I’ll write him,” Harry said. “I’m friends with the twins - I know they send letters off to him from time to time. I’m sure Fred and George will help us.”
~*~
The Weasley twins were eager to help with contacting Charlie and in keeping their youngest brother out of the way - once they found out why Harry needed to speak to the elder Weasley. The following week dragged by. Wednesday night found Hermione, Neville and Harry sitting alone in the common room, long after everyone else had gone to bed. Hermione had been insistent that they stay up on their study schedules - on top of helping Hagrid with Norbert every chance they could get.
Neville was halfway asleep on his essay when there was a tap on the dark window.
“It’s Hedwig,” Harry said, hurrying to let her in. “She’ll have Charlie’s answer.” He spread the note on the able. Hermione poked Neville’s shoulder to rouse him.
Dear Harry, it read. Fred and George told me about your predicament. I’d be glad to take the Norwegian Ridgeback, but it won’t be easy getting him here. I think the best thing will be to send him over with some friends of mine who are coming to visit me next week. Trouble is, they mustn’t be seen carrying an illegal dragon. Could you get the Ridgeback up the tallest tower at midnight on Saturday? They can meet you there and take him away while it’s still dark. Send me an answer as soon as possible. Charlie Weasley.
“We’ve got the invisibility cloak,” Harry tapped a finger against his chin. “It shouldn’t be too difficult.”
“Let’s see what the others think,” Hermione frowned. “They are Slytherins, after all. Surely something like this would be right up their alley.”
Harry had to cough to hide his laughter.
~*~
Fred and George insisted on accompanying them to Hagrid’s hut after Harry showed them Charlie’s letter. Draco was furious for even more people knowing about Norbert - but Nott calmed the Malfoy heir down with a reasonable suggestion that the two older Gryffindors would be the best ones to haul the dragon up the tower stairs.
“No,” said George.
“I think not,” said Fred. “We’ve heard plenty of stories about these beasts from Charlie.”
“But can you at least help us?” Harry cut in before Draco could start shouting.
The twins exchanged a glance. “Getting you lot past Filch will be difficult. We can take care of him, no problem.”
“Thanks,” Harry let out a breath.
“You still need an extra set of hands to get him up the stairs,” Draco pointed out.
“We can manage.”
“We’ll help you,” Nott nudged Draco with his elbow. “Won’t we?”
The blond made a face, but nodded. “I would like to see Norbert off,” he added.
“You hear that Norbert?” Hagrid cooed at the beast. “Mommy’s goin’ to take good care of yeh, yes he is, yes he is. Ow!”
Harry shared a look with Neville. “Saturday can’t come soon enough,” the other boy muttered.
~*~
Fred and George slipped out first to scout the way. Harry and Neville went to Hagrid’s hut to find Nott and Draco helping Hagrid finish up Norbert’s preparation. Hermione opted to stay behind, to keep a lookout for trouble in the common room and to let them in, later, if the Fat Lady was gone from her post.
“He’s got lots o’ rats an’ some brandy fer the journey,” Hagrid was telling Draco. “An’ I’ve packed his teddy bear in case he gets lonely.”
Harry rolled his eyes and stepped forward. “Ready?”
“Good bye, Norbert,” Hagrid sobbed, as Harry and Neville covered the crate with the invisibility cloak.
“You have an invisibility cloak,” Nott said, voice flat.
“Ah, yes,” Harry scratched at the back of his head. “Didn’t I tell you that? It was my father’s. Someone gave it to me for Christmas.”
“You mean they’d kept it from you all this time?” Draco looked aghast.
“Uh, yeah?”
“We need to go,” Neville said, looking between the crate and the sobbing gamekeeper.
“Right,” Harry lifted the edge of the cloak and slipped under. It took some maneuvering, but Draco and Neville squeezed in, too.
“I can’t fit,” Nott said.
“It’s all right,” Harry panted. “We got it.”
How they had managed to get Norbert back up to the castle the first time, Harry didn’t know. The second time seemed easier, if only for Malfoy’s ease with spells and flat refusal to actually carry the beast up the stairs.
“What’s magic for, then? I’m not some kind of common laborer,” Draco had spat.
Harry rolled his eyes, but took over the spell. It was draining to keep the dragon afloat and covered, as well as keeping them all from being detected.
“Nearly there!” Neville whispered as they reached the corridor beneath the tallest tower. Nott had come with them, as far as the stairs down to the Slytherin dorms, where he would wait to let Draco in, in case something happened.
A sudden movement ahead of them made Harry almost drop the crate. Draco grabbed Harry’s arm, but Neville was the one to clap a hand over the Slytherin’s mouth to keep him from making a noise.
A lamp flared. Professor McGonagall in a tartan bathrobe and a hair net had Ron by the ear.
“Detention,” she snapped. “And twenty points from Gryffindor! What did you think you were doing, young man, setting up a prank like that…”
“You don’t understand, Professor! I was trying to help you catch them in the act! Potter’s coming - with Malfoy - they’ve got a dragon.”
“What utter rubbish. How dare you tell such lies! Come along, back to the dormitory for you!”
Neville pushed them both forward once McGonagall had dragged Ron off.
“You didn’t have to smother me,” Draco snapped at Neville once the Gryffindor let his hand drop.
“You were about to bolt.”
“I was not.”
“Were too.”
“Hush,” Harry said.
“How did the Weasel know about the plan?”
“Would you call him Ron?”
“No, I shan’t.”
Harry snorted.
“He must have found out, somehow.”
“Who knows,” Harry shook his head. “Ron might have pieced it together from what the twins have said, maybe Charlie wrote to him, I don’t know. But he got McGonagall out of our way. So come on. It’s almost midnight.”
They got to the top of the tower with minutes to spare. Harry made sure to shrink and stuff the cloak into his pocket, not intending to lose it this time around.
At the stroke of midnight, four broomsticks came swooping down out of the darkness. Charlie’s friends were a cheery lot. Draco’s eyes were huge as he took in their leather jackets and questionable taste in jewelry. They showed off the harness they’d rigged up, so they could suspend Norbert between them. They all helped buckle Norbert safely into it, all the while Draco gave them a solemn lecture about proper dragon safety and procedure. Harry thought he saw a few of the men hide indulgent smiles behind their scarves.
Charlie’s friends all thanked them, even shaking hands with a pink-faced Malfoy, and then they were off.
“Oh, man,” Harry slumped as Norbert’s crate vanished into the night. “Thank Merlin that’s over.”
“You think we’ll ever see a dragon again?” Draco had moved to the edge of the tower, eyes on the spot where their visitors had vanished. For a moment, the memories in Harry’s mind tried to surface - of a different tower and a different night. He pushed away the painful lot with a quick, sharp shake of the head. The lingering ache made his teeth throb.
“Yes,” Harry managed to say when Neville turned to look at him. “I think we’ll see a dragon again. Somehow.” He couldn’t help the wry smile.
“I’d like that,” Draco murmured.
“I wouldn’t,” Neville shook his head. “One dragon is plenty.”
“Come on,” Harry pulled the cloak out of his pocket and swung it over his shoulders. “Let’s go before the twins get caught by Filch.”
Gryffindor Tower was closest - but Draco threw a fit about sneaking back to Slytherin dormitory by himself. Harry and Neville bowed to the blond’s tantrum and eased past an oblivious Peeves, down an eerie corridor, around a pile of unsettled armor -
And right into Snape as the man strode through the darkness, straight into them.
“What is this?” Snape snarled. His hand flashed out, yanked at the cloak. Harry yanked it back, but the damage had been done. Snape had seen them all.
Chapter Eighteen