Chapter 17: How to Steal Your Dragon

Chapter 17

"Next roll the dice and sum up their total," I said, trying to explain the basic rules of Dungeons and Dragons to the rest of my housemates.

A comic store that I controlled had recently bought a stockpile of the starter sets and I thought it would be an interesting experiment to teach actual wizards the game. On a side note, I couldn't learn any of the spells in the book as their description was too vague to be considered actual spells. Pity.

"Can I be a dragon," Terry asked as he held up the monster book.

"For the last time, your character sheet-" I started before turning to the entrance of the common room and seeing Daphne enter.

She looked around the room before finally spotting me and calling me over with an impatient look.

Standing up I gave everyone at the table an apologetic smile, "Well looks like we'll have to put the game on hold, I better go see what the Princess wants. I suggest taking this time to read through the books I gave you."

With that I left the table and walked over to the blonde witch, "Daphne,"

"Charles. Come let's talk business," she said, gesturing to the exit.

"Lead the way," I said cheerfully following behind her and closing the door behind us.

Entering an unused classroom, I quickly scanned it using [Observe] to make sure it wasn't a trap. Never can be too careful.

"So, what sort of business did you have in mind?" I asked taking a seat on nearby desk.

Daphne however didn't answer as she walked towards the teacher's desk and reached undernieht to retrieve a stack of books.

"Oh, you got my books," I said in a semi-excited tone as I made my way over to them, only for Daphne to place a hand on my chest, "Hm?"

"First things first, they're not yours yet. There is the matter of payment," the smaller witch said with a smirk.

Returning her smirk, I took a step back, "Oh fine, have it your way."

"I always do," she said arrogantly.

"Well then, how much do you want for them?" I asked, ready with my own offer.

"I did a bit of digging and found the exact price for each book, this is their total," she said handing me a billing list.

Looking it over I gave her an impressed whistle, "Wow. I know you said it wouldn't be cheap, but 1200 Galleons for 8 books is something else."

"Well the 3 clans don't just sell their manuals to just anyone," Daphne said with a prideful tone.

"Just out of curiosity, what happens if I don't have enough money?" I said.

"There are other ways to pay other than gold. Labor, loyalty… other things," she said trailing off.

I gave her an eyeroll, "You really want me to work for you huh?"

"I truly believe we can do great things together," she said with a confident smile.

"That reminds me, how goes the whole student store?"

"It's doing well, I've submitted the petition to the Board of Governors, and they'll be making a decision at their next meeting at the end of May. Now stop changing the subject. Do you have the amount or not?"

With a shake of my head I answered, "It looks like you finally got me. I don't have enough gold to cover it."

Daphne looked triumphant at the news.

"But," I said cutting her excitement short, "I do have something that will."

"What?" she said confused.

Giving her a smug look, I continued, "Meet me by the Boathouse at 10 tonight. Oh, and bring the books."

(Boathouse)

Using a pocketknife, I sharpened a piece of wood into the rough shape of a wand. I'd been studying the basics of wand making for a few weeks now, and felt I was almost ready to start crafting my own. I still had the Trent wood I got from the Christmas challenge in my inventory.

Hearing footsteps behind me I turned around to see nothing.

"Hello Daphne, so glad you could make it," I called out.

The air rippled as the blonde witch took off her invisibility cloak, "Who did you-"

I tapped by ear, "I recognized the sound of your footsteps."

She huffed, "Well I'm here."

"That you are," I said putting away my tools and standing up. I stretched a bit before starting to undress, until I was only wearing my pants and white button up shirt.

"What are you doing?" Daphne asked with a hitch in her breath.

Rolling up my sleeves I gave her a confused look and pointed to the water behind me, "Well I'm going to go retrieve the item."

"It's in the lake," she said with a raised eyebrow.

"Where else would it be," I said humorously as I walked toward the edge of the peer, "Just wait, it shouldn't take more than a few minutes."

I didn't wait for an answer as I dove into the water.

Would you like to enter the [Underwater Dungeon]? [Accept/Decline]

Dismissing the window, I instead swam to the bottom of the lake.

The Ring of Water Breathing was doing its job perfectly allowing me to breath even as my lung filled with water.

Taking a seat on the sandy floor I opened up my inventory and took out the Sword of Gryffindor.

Sword of Gryffindor- Rank: Very Special

Description: A goblin-made magic sword owned by Godric Gryffindor, one of the Four Founder of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. It was crafted by the Goblin King, Ragnuk the First, made of pure silver and inset with rubies. Like all goblin made silver, it imbibes only substances which strengthen it. Etc.

Effect: Can strengthen itself by absorbing different materials.

Effect: Extremely sharp and capable of penetrating magical defenses.

Effect: 50% attack boost when used on dark creatures.

Effect: Can be summoned through the Sorting Hat, no matter its location. (Can only be drawn by a Gryffindor.)

Honestly, it was a little lackluster considering it was supposed to be a mythical artifact. That's why I didn't feel bad about giving it to Daphne. My current sword, the Elemental Rapier, might be a little weaker but it more than made up for it with its different attacks. Besides I could always just buy a goblin-made dagger later if I wanted its absorbing properties. Not only would there be less questions asked if I ever used it in public but it would be easier to conceal on my person than a sword.

Creating mana strings, I sent them into a bed of seaweed.

Feeling something brush against one, I made the strings wrap around it and drag it out into the open.

A green skinned creature with pointed teeth and octopus legs struggled against the magical binding as I reeled it in. Once it was close enough, I stabbed it in the chest with the sword.

500 EXP.

A green tentacle and a Sickle appeared below it, but the corpse didn't disappear. Taking back the sword, I used its blood to stain my shirt.

I waited a total of five minutes before finally swimming back to the surface.

I emerge face to face with Daphne who was crouched down peering into the water causing her to jump back in surprise. "Eeep!"

"Hahaha," I laughed as I pulled myself on shore.

"Charles! You prat, I thought you drowned," she shouted, obviously trying to hide her embarrassment.

"Sorry, but it takes some time to get to my hiding place. Hold on, I got some Grindlow blood on my shirt," I said as I placed the sword down and started to unbutton my shirt.

I purposefully paused when I had got halfway and glanced at Daphne who was staring at me exposed chest with a blush.

Turning around I finished taking off my wet shirt. With my back to her I continued to talk, "Sorry, but if I don't take care of this now, the stain will set."

"Ahem. Take your time," I heard her say a little too happily. I saw her trying to get a peek through the reflection of mirror conveniently placed against the wall.

Taking out my wand I used a spell to dry and clean the shirt. I did the same with my pants before putting on the shirt and turning around.

"Are you okay?" I asked the blonde witch as she was using her hand to fan her red face.

"Y-yes, just a little warm outside. You were saying something," she said trying to compose herself.

Nodding I retrieved the sword and presented it to her, "I think this should cover the cost of the books."

Daphne took the sword by the hilt and held it up to the light to inspect, only to gasp and look incredulous at me. "Th-this, is –"

"-Godric Gryffindor's Sword," I finished nonchalantly taking a seat on a crate.

"H-how did you find it?" she stuttered out.

"What, not going to question its authenticity?" I asked.

Daphne turned to the sword, taking a closer look. Grabbing some dirt from the floor she sprinkled it on the sword only for it slide clean off. She then held it up to her ear and tapped the flat of the blade with one knuckle. It gave off a distinct ring. Finally, she turned it over so she could look at the hilt for something. Trembling slightly, she looked at me wide-eyed, "It's the real deal. I can recognize goblin-made silver when I see it, my family owns quite a few pieces as well. And not only does it look exactly like the one in the pictures, but it even has the Goblin King's signature, something that very few people are aware of," she said indicating to some scratch mark on the outer rim of the ruby.

Oh, so that's what those were. I made a mental note to begin learning the Goblin language.

"How did you find it? People have been searching for it for centuries," she said, looking at the sword still mesmerized.

"Found it a couple months ago while I was exploring the castle's hidden passageways. You'd be surprised what's hidden at this school," I explained.

"Wait, is that were you've been getting the money? Is there hidden treasure at this school?" she asked excitedly turning to me.

I gave her another uncommitted smile, "As I said, you'd be surprised by what's hidden at this school. But enough about that, so what do you say, do we have a deal?"

She gained a thoughtful look as she looked at the sword again, "You're aware that this sword is worth more than just 1,200 Galleons right. It one of the four relics belonging to the Hogwarts' Founders, it practically a national treasure."

"So is that a no," I asked standing up to take it back.

She clutched it closer to her chest, "I didn't say that. I'm just curious to know why you seem so okay with giving it up."

I sat back down and shrugged. "Like I said before Princess, I don't care about fame or money. I'd happily trade away all my treasure-"

"Aha! So, there is a treasure!"

"-if it means I can get more knowledge," I finished.

"What a Ravenclaw thing to say," Daphne said with an eyeroll.

"That's because knowledge is real power. And unlike fame and money, it won't betray you as easily," I said before holding up a hand and creating a mana bolt.

Her eyes widened as she let out a gasp of surprise, "Ch-Charles y-you…"

I let the ball of magic danced on my fingertips, before dismissing it and summoning mana strings to create a spider web from some overhanging beams. For my final act, I used [Sneak] to disappear right in front of the stunned witch.

She quickly looked around trying to locate me, "Charles-eep!"

Reappearing behind her, I gently pushed her forward causing her to fall into the web.

Despite the strings themselves not having any adhesive properties, she still managed to get stuck. As she struggled to get out of the trap, I took back the sword, "As I said, knowledge is real power. It's the reason why I'm so willing to work with you Princess. So long as I can keep learning new interesting things, you can keep all the fame and wealth."

She immediately stopped struggling, as she gave me a searching look, "Just who are you really Charles?"

Giving her a smile, I swung the sword and cut the strings holding her up. "I'm just a boy. A boy who feels free for the first time in his life. I want to experience the world firsthand Daphne, not just what other people say it's like. The orphanage, Hogwarts, even Britain, they're so small compared to what's out there. There's still lands to be explored, knowledge to be uncovered, treasure to be found. Don't you feel the same?" I said, playing on her desire for adventure. I graciously extended a hand toward her.

She looked hesitant before finally taking my hand and standing up. Dusted her uniform and held out her hand palm up.

I handed her back the sword, only to have it pointed it back at me, "Hey careful, that's a real sword."

She however only walked forward, causing me to backpedal, until I was standing at the edge of the docks. Holding my hands up, I gave her a nervous laugh, "Come on Princess, it was only a joke. You're not mad, are you?"

"No," she said emotionlessly before lowering the sword and using her hand to push me backwards.

I fell back into the water with a splash. Swimming back to the surface I shook my hair from side to side and looked to see Daphne crouching by the edge with her hand extended toward me. "You know, there are times when I don't know what to think about you. You can be charming and helpful one moment and a total mystery the next. There's so many secrets with you that it leaves my head spinning."

"Well if you want to know, there's only one real way to find out?" I said reaching out toward her, "Of course there's the chance you might not like what you find. Curiosity killed the cat after all."

We looked at each other for several seconds before she finally smirked and clasped my hand, "Then it's a good thing I'm not a cat."

"Well said Princess," I said with a laugh as I tightened my grip on her hand and gave her an impish smile.

Suddenly her eyes widened as she looked at our hands, "Charles, you better not- don't even think about it! I swear I'll seriously stab you with the sword-aaahhh!"

With a bit of strength, I pulled her into the water with me.

"Hahahahaha!" I laughed out loud.

"Charles, you prat!" she shouted wiping her eyes and splashing water at my face.

I continued to laugh even as she beat on my chest with her fists.

Increased closeness with Daphne Greengrass.

(Main Hall)

"Hey Charles, what do you think is better for my character," Lisa asked, holding up two drawings of the same bag except in different colors.

"What does it matter?" Michael muttered, with a mouthful of porridge. He looked away when the witch gave him the stink eye.

"I think the green Bag of Holding fits you character better," I said momentarily glancing up from my book, "You're getting really good at drawing clothes by the way."

"You really think so," she said excitedly, "see this is why I feel I can ask you. Your fashion sense is superb, unlike some people." The last part was directed at Michael who ducked his head.

Amazing. It's been weeks since I've introduced them to the game, and they were still making characters. They must have gone through eight character each but had yet to complete a single quest.

"Hey, Charles we're having a pick-up game with the Slytherins later, you want to join," Terry said while stabbing a sausage.

I'm still not sure what caused it to happen, but lately a number of Slytherins and Ravenclaws have been spending an increasing amount of time together. At first, I thought Daphne had something to do with it, but even she didn't know what had sprung this newfound sense of comradeship.

"Sorry I can't, I have something to do today. Next time though, I promise," I said with an apologetic smile.

"Cool, I'll hold you to it."

At that moment a white owl flew in from the window and went to the Gryffindor's side, specifically to Harry.

I gained a new perspective as Hermes, who stood perched on the rafter above them, shared his sight. They appeared to have gotten a note from someone.

It's hatching.

Ah, so the dragon egg was hatching today. Perfect.

-Brake-

All throughout the day, I had Hermes monitor the Trio for any activity.

It wasn't until the end of their Herbology class, that the three practically bolted for the exit as they made their way to Hagrid's Hut. They were in such a hurry, that they didn't bother to check and see if anyone else was coming when they turned the corner causing them to crash into someone. The three tumbled to the ground, their belongings laid scattered on the floor.

"Ow," I said from my place on the ground.

"Charles are you okay?" a worried Terry asked as he bent down to check if I was alright.

"Yeah, it was nothing," I said getting to my feet. The rest of the Ravenclaws who were glaring at the Trio still sprawled on the floor.

"You should watch where you're going!" Padma yelled at them.

"Hey, it's fine," I said trying to diffuse the situation, "I'm sure they must have a reason for why they were running so fast."

I walked over to them and held up a hand to Hermione, who took it looking particularly embarrassed. When I went to do the same to Harry and Ron, they instead chose to stand up by themselves.

Bending down I picked up their things and handed them over.

Looking over at Ron, I extended my hand, "Hey, look I'm sorry for what happened at the Quidditch Game. It wasn't the best circumstance to meet under and I apologize if I was too rough with you. So, what's say we let bygones be bygones and start fresh."

The ginger haired wizard glanced to his friends to see what he should do. Hermione was silently urging him to take my hand, while Harry had an impatient look. Finally, he took my hand with a bit of hesitation, "Okay."

"Great," I said with a smile. "Oh, right, don't you guys have somewhere to be?"

(Trio)

"That was very mature of you Ronald," Hermione said, picking up her speed to not be left behind.

"I thought you didn't like him," Harry asked confused.

"I still kind of don't but his group looked ready to pummel me if I didn't take his hand," Ron confessed.

Hermione let out a frustrated sigh, "Oh honestly, would you just let it go. He apologized even though there was no need. So, what if he's friends with other houses, that's not exactly against the rules."

"I kind of have to agree with Hermione on this one," Harry pipped up, "Charles seems like a nice guy."

Seeing that he was outnumber Ron chose to give in, "Fine. But I still don't like how he's friends with the Slytherins."

The other two rolled their eyes at their friend's stubbornness.

Quickly racing down the hill, they arrived at Hagrid's Hut.

"We're here!" Harry shouted as he banged on the door.

The door was thrown open as Hagrid appeared and ushered them in, "Come in quickly!"

Getting inside the small wooden house, the three dropped their bookbags in a corner and took their place around the table that contained a large black egg.

"What took yall so long?" the half-giant asked.

"We ran into someone," Harry explained.

"Who? You weren't followed, were you?" Hagrid asked worriedly looking out the window.

"No, it was a Ravenclaw, Charles something."

"Bell, Charles Bell," Hermione corrected.

"Ah, the boy who's rumored to- never mind," the large man began before catching himself. He still remembered the conversation he with Professor Flitwick and the Headmaster discussing the probability of another student having creature blood and how it should be kept a secret.

The three obviously caught the slight hesitation but were unable to pry any further before a cracking from the egg got their attention.

"Oh, it's hatching," Hagrid said excitedly.

The eggshell split open and out toppled a dragon the size of a cat covered in slime.

It looked around the room with its big orange eyes, sniffing the air and making meowing noises.

"Ah, isn't he beautiful," Hagrid said with tear in his eyes.

The trio looked at each other unsure as how to respond.

The half-giant tried to stroke it's head but the small dragon ducked under the massive fingers and waddled off the side of the table.

Hagrid's heart nearly gave out as he rushed after it but breathed a sigh of relief when he say it was unharmed, "Hooo, nearly have me a heart attack."

"Hey, it's eating my book!" Ron exclaimed as he saw it go inside his bag.

Hagrid walked over and got it out, though it appeared to be gnawing on the edge of a book. "Whoa sorry about that Ron, here's your book back," he said passing him the book, causing the dragon to give a pitiful meow.

Ron looked mad before gaining a confused look, "Wait, this isn't my book?"

"I'll say, the title says Algebra," Hermione said taking the book, "The only person I know who's studying it is Charles."

"It must have fallen out when we bumped into each other," Harry concluded.

"I'll return it to him, next time I see him," Hermione said placing the book in her bag.

"Hmm, how's Algebra for a name?" Hagrid asked placing the dragon back on the table and bending down to pick up a bucket filled with chicken blood and brandy.

The three shook their heads.

"I guess it's not very dragon- What was that?!" the large man announced as he rushed to the window. "There someone running up the hill."

The other three crowded the small window to see who it was.

In the meanwhile, the small dragon was left completely unattended.

Like a shadow, Hermes appeared and silently flew toward the defenseless chick.

The small dragon looked at him cautiously as it gave the large black bird an experimental sniff. Apparently it liked what it smelled as it then rubbed itself against Hermes.

'Open up little one, it's time to eat,' the spirt spoke to it telepathically. The innocent hatchling did as told and opened its mouth as wide as it could. Hermes leaned over and opened his own beak above it, a black sludge-like liquid falling inside the dragon's mouth.

Once its job was done, Hermes disappeared without a trace.

"It was Malfoy," Harry announced as he backed away from the window, "we have to get back now!"

"You best be off then," Hagrid agreed opening the door.

"We'll visit later," Ron said as they exited the small hut.

The giant waved the trio good-bye as they raced up the hill. Turning back to his dragon, he saw it sitting silently, oddly fixated in the direction of the castle. Writing it off as nothing, he retrieved the bucket again, "Come on, it's feeding time."

(Trio)

As the days rolled by Harry and his friends grew increasingly worried about Hagrid and the dragon.

It was already bad enough having to worry about Snape trying to steal the Philosopher's Stone but add that with the recent dragon business and end of the year finals, well let's just say their stress levels were as high as they could be.

"I swear, at this point I'm almost hopping to be expelled if it means I don't have to deal with all of this anymore," Ron complained as he banged his head against a desk.

Hermione would have given him glare if she wasn't so focused on reading her textbook. Dark eyebags framed her face and her hair was even wilder than usual.

Neither of the boys felt prudent enough to break her out of her trance. With everything that had been going on, it was safe to say that their grades had taken a hit. The one that took it the worst was Hermione who was finally overtaken by Charles. At first, they had tried to reassure her, that it was all due to the fact he didn't have to deal with everything she was going through, but she countered saying that he had Quidditch practice and was studying muggle subjects on the side. As much as they liked seeing get knocked down a peg, they were starting to get concerned about her health.

"I think she fell asleep," Harry said after waving his hand in front of her face without getting a reaction.

"It wouldn't be such a hassle if Hagrid would just keep it on a leash. We've had to chase it down four times already because it escaped his watch and wandered into the school," Ron said banging his fist on the desk loudly.

"I'm not asleep!" Hermione suddenly shouted, having been woken up by the noise. Looking around confused she turned over her book and frowned, "Herbology? I was sure I was studying charms."

"Urg, we can't keep going on like this?" the small red head said almost in tears.

Admittedly even Harry was starting to feel the pressure. Wood had been training the team even harder after hearing a rumor that the Ravenclaw team was coming up with some new play for the upcoming game. Looking out of the window, he spotted a group of students from different houses playing football out in the field. A sense of jealousy entered his heart at all the fun they were missing out of.

Turning to the others Harry finally came to one conclusion, "We have to get rid of that dragon?"

The two looked unsure at each other before nodding in unison.

"I'll get a sack and some rope," Hermione said closing her book with a snap.

"And I'll find some heavy rocks," Ron added, standing up.

"No, no. Take this seriously," the dark-haired boy said.

"I was serious," the young witch said without a shred of humor.

"No, your half asleep," Harry said trying to stop her before she did something she'd regret.

"We're at our wits end here, mate. I say we handle this dragon problem before it gets any worse."

Suddenly Harry gained an enlighten look, "That's it, Ron. Charlie, he's a dragon handler for a dragon reserve, right. Let's write him a letter asking if he can take the dragon."

"What about Hagrid, do you think he will agree," Hermione chimed in.

"Well if he doesn't there's always plan B," Harry said darkly.

(Charles)

Watching the trio plot was adorable in a way, like watch a pack of mice trying to find their way out of a maze.

Feeling my pocket start to vibrate I ended my connection with Hermes and took out a square compact mirror. Opening it up I was greeted to the serious face of Daphne Greengrass.

Leveling [Arcane Mirror] had proved to be a wise decision after all, as it let me create a wide variety of useful items. For example, two-way mirrors. Speaking of which, I was working on a way to expand the connection to include other mirrors to form a sort of mirror network.

"Well hello Daphne, what's seems to have you in the mood this time?" I replied jokingly.

"Charles, I'm in no mood to play around, so I'll get straight to the point. Draco has come to me with a story about how Harry Potter and his friends are hiding a dragon in the groundkeeper's hut. Is this true?" she said with serious expression.

Looks like Daphne had really cemented her place among the Slytherins if even the prideful Malfoy was asking her for permission to act. "Now Daphne, what makes you think I would know anything about this?" I said in mock disbelief.

"You do understand that this is a serious matter, correct?" she said with a raised eyebrow.

Shrugging I gave her a smile, "Do whatever you feel is necessary, I won't stop you."

She clicked her tongue, looking displeased by my uncaring answer. I'm sure she had been hoping to use this situation to get another favor out of me.

"Though I would appreciate it if you held back from doing anything, for let's say a few weeks." I suggested, deciding to throw her a bone.

"They get one week," she spoke with finality, "and I expect something to placate the others."

"Alright, what do you want?" I said humoring her.

"Your moving picture machine," Daphne said after a bit of thought.

"Very well, I'll deliver it to you shortly. Now if that's all, I have to go now. Thanks again for the warning," I finished, closing the pocket mirror.

Looking down at my lap, I gave the small dragon an amused smile. "We'll aren't you just the cutest little troublemaker," I said, scratch the small patch of scales behind her wings, getting her to purr in pleasure and let out a few puffs of smoke.

Pandora

Class: Dragon

Title: Charles Bell's Pet

Level: 1/100 Next Level: 54.33%

HP: 50/50

MP: 100/100

STR: 1

DEX: 3

VIT: 5

INT: 3

WIS: 2

LUK: 9

Perhaps I should explain how I managed to get Pandora as my pet.

Well it all started on the day of the hatching, specifically when I had bumped into the Trio. Timing the crash had been simple enough, as was spilling their supplies all over the floor. As one could guess it was during this confusion that I had snuck a book into one of their bags.

What they didn't know is that the book's cover had been coated with a special kind of sap. See there was a certain type of tree in the [Plant Dungeon] that would make this sap which it would use to attract dozens of small lizard-like monsters. The lizards would then form a symbiotic relationship with the tree, protect it from danger in exchange for a place to live and more sap.

It was probably one of the first things she had smelled upon hatching, so she naturally went in search of the source and found my book that I had imprinted with my scent.

Next, I had Hermes feed her a type of potion that would cause her to become increasingly infatuated with my smell, which would lead her to seek me out all on her own.

The reason why all of this was necessary was due to the [Pet System]'s requirements. One of which was that there needed to be a certain amount of affection points before I could make something my pet.

So, throughout the week I waited patiently as the points built up. Once I had the minimum required, I had Hermes whisk her away to the Room of Requirements where I proceeded to name and bind her to me.

Which brings us back to the present.

"Aww, who's a dumb lizard? You are. Yes, you are?" Hermes cooed in a mocking voice, suddenly appearing on the seat next to me.

"Now, Hermes play nice, no need to get jealous," I told him mockingly, extending a hand to pet him as well.

"Ha! Me. Jealous. Over her. Never. I feel insulted that you would even think that," the spirit said pecking my fingers.

Rolling my eyes, I went back to playing with Pandora, after all what boy hasn't dreamt of having a dragon as a pet.

"Anyways, the female is heading this way."

Oh? That was earlier than I was expecting.

(Hermione)

"Here dragon, dragon, dragon. Come to (yawn) me," Hermione said tiredly opening an empty classroom.

As luck would have it, the Trio had run into Hagrid, who had informed them that he had lost his dragon. Again! So, it was with begrudging agreement that the three choose to help their half-giant friend.

They decided to split up to cover more ground, leaving Hermione with the task of searching the upper floors all by herself.

'Would it kill him, to just put it on a leash,' she though grumpily as she closed the door.

Drowsily walking down the hall she was completely caught off guard when a nearby door shot open and a strong hand pulled her in.

Suddenly her tiredness was gone as she spun around to face her aggressor, only to come face to face with, "Charles?"

"Granger, we need to talk," he said in a serious voice. His usual smiling face was gone, instead replaced with stoic expression.

"W-what about?" the bushy haired witch said suddenly nervous, so unused to seeing him like this.

The much taller boy looked into her eyes for several seconds before stepping back and shaking his head. "I expected better of you Granger," he said giving her a disappointed look.

A pit formed in her stomach at his words, and a cold hand seemed to grip at her heart. "W-why-"

"I know about the dragon," he declared coldly.

"O-oh," was all she said, feeling like her legs were going to give out any second.

"How could you be so, so stupid. You understand you can get expelled for this," his voice losing some of its coldness in place of barely contained rage, which wasn't much better in her opinion.

Suddenly she couldn't meet his eyes as she turned to face the ground.

"No, or course you did. Which only makes it worse," he continued to scold her, "Why didn't you tell a teacher?"

"I-I-" she stuttered for an answer but her mouth refused to work. Why hadn't she? She knew it was the correct choice. So why?

"Well?"

She saw her vision blur as she felt tears threatened to spill from her eyes. "I don't-"

Suddenly she felt two strong arms wrap around her and pull her into a hug. She could feel his warm breath as he leaned in to whisper in her ear, "You could have at least told me. I would have helped."

The sheer amount of concern in his voice was the final tipping point as she began to cry against his chest. "I-I'm sorry, I now it was wrong. But then things spiraled out of control, and, and-" she apologized.

Charles rubbed soothing circles on her back trying to comfort her.

-Break-

"Have you calmed down," Charles asked passing her the box of tissues.

The smaller witch nodded with a sniffle, trying to get her breathing under control.

"Alright, so why don't you tell me everything," he asked.

Her eyes were red, and her throat was tired from crying, but she pushed it aside as she confessed to everything that the Trio had been up to since the beginning of the year. She hesitated momentarily when the topic about the Philosopher's Stone came up, but determined not to make the same mistake again, she told him about what they had found. Throughout the entire conversation Charles remained completely silent which she was thankful for.

Once everything was said, she expected Charles to start yelling at her, but his only response was to give a tired sigh and shake his head, "Those two are a real bad influence on you, Hermione."

"I know." She looked down in shame but couldn't help but feel a little happy that he started calling her by her first name again.

"I guess this is why you were looking for information on Nicholas Flamel."

She nodded.

"And you think, Professor Snape is after the stone?"

"Yes," she said with a sore throat.

"Here," Charles said reaching into his robes and pulling out a bottle of water.

She took it gratefully, to exhausted to wonder where he had got it from.

"Unfortunately, there's several holes in your theory?"

"Spit! Cough! What?" she said looking at him wide eyed.

Holding up a finger Charles explained, "First of all, who could he let the troll in like you say if he was at the Halloween Feast the whole time."

"He could have let it in beforehand," she tried to justify herself.

"Unlikely, given the fact that someone would have seen it wondering around the castle much earlier, a painting or a ghost at the very least."

"What about his bleeding leg?"

"He could have just gone to check that the stone was safe."

"I suppose, but I defiantly saw him cursing Harry's broom during the Quidditch match!" she said vehemently.

Charles raised an eyebrow, "Are you sure about that? Even I can't recognize them from sight alone yet."

Suddenly she wasn't feeling so sure at the moment. Could she have seen wrong? "But the jinx stopped when I set his robes on fire."

"Right, we're just going to ignore the whole setting a teacher on fire. But even if he was behind it, that doesn't prove he wants the stone. It just means he hates Potter."

"Why would he though, he's a teacher?" she asked confused.

Charles suddenly looked uncertain. Looking around the room to make no one was there he leaned in closer, "I think I know the reason, but you have to promise me that you won't say what I'm about to tell you to anyone else?"

Hermione was suddenly very curious as she nodded, "Okay."

So, Charles told her a shorten version of Snape's past and his hatred for Harry's father.

Hermione was obviously left slack jawed at the shocking reveal, "So, you're saying the reason why he seems to hate Harry is because Harry's father used to bully him at school."

"Well that and the fact that he married Harry's mother. I bet that must have been a hard pill to swallow, your long-time bully marrying your crush and childhood friend. I would bet that would make anybody bitter," Charles said in off-handed manner.

"But that's so unprofessional."

"What can you do? Teachers are still human; they can make mistakes."

"Ugh. I suppose. At least it makes sense now," she said, then she turned to face him, "How did you even find this out?"

"You'd be surprised by what the portraits will let slip if you ask nicely," he said with a smirk, "Do you want to hear about the secret romance between Filch and Madam Pince?"

She made a face at that, "No thank you."

He shrugged his shoulder, "Your loss. But it seems we've gone off topic."

"Right. What about Harry overhearing Snape threatening Professor Quirrell?"

"Honestly at this point I'm more suspicious of Quirrell than I am of Professor Snape."

"What? Why?"

"Well other than the fact that his stuttering is obviously fake. He's a recent addition to the school and there's not much people know about him. There's also just something not right about him. I always get this odd feeling when I'm around him."

"So, what (yawn) do you think I should do?" she asked, exhaustion finally setting in.

"Right now, you need some much-needed sleep," Charles declared as he stood up.

"Sleep sounds good, but I can't. I just remembered that I should be looking for the dragon," she said starting to stand up only to be pushed back down.

Charles then walked to a cupboard and opened it causing a brown something to leap at him.

She looked at him in shock, "You had him all this time?"

"Her actually, it's a girl dragon," Charles corrected as he walked back to her, cradling it in his arms.

"You should have told me," she said trying to sound angry but was too tired.

"Think of this as payback for not telling me sooner," he said, back to his joking self, "found her trying to start a fire two doors down."

"That reminds me, how did you find out about the dragon?" she asked relaxing a bit.

Suddenly his face went serious again, "I got word of Draco planning to report the three of you to the Headmaster."

"What?!" she shouted in alarm, glancing at the door expecting the magical police to burst open any second to arrest her.

"Don't worry, I managed to stop him from trying anything for at least a couple of days," he said rubbing the dragon's stomach.

"How?"

"Despite what others might lead you to believe, having friends in Slytherin does have its benefits," he finished with a cocky smirk.

"Charles, thank you," she said with as much gratitude as she could manage.

"Don't thank me yet? She still has to leave by the end of the week."

Nodding, Hermione agreed, "Ron is going to write to his brother in Romania. He works at a dragons reserve so we're hoping he will take the dragon."

"Good."

Looking at the usually vicious reptile become putty in his hands, Hermione could help but feel jealous, "She's really taken a liking to you." Thinking back on it, she was also in held in those arms. She might have been distracted at the time, but she could still recall how big and firm thet felt as they wrapped around her.

"You think?" Charles said with a boyish smile, that made him appear more handsome than usual.

"Y-yeah, I've never seen her this affectionate before. Usually she tries to bite anyone that gets close," she explained, extending a hand toward the small dragon only to have it snap at her fingers. "See," she said exasperated.

Holding her up to his face, the boy received a lick on the cheek, "Aww, she doesn't seem so bad. Does she have name?"

"No, Hagrid hasn't decided yet," she said looking at the little pest who was rubbing her face against his. If she didn't know any better, she could almost swear it was giving her a superior look.

"Well this is a good time as any. Let see, her scales kind of remind me wet of clay so… how about Pandora. Myth has it that she was crafted from clay. What do you think?" he said asking the dragon, getting a happy growl, "Pandora it is."

Hermione gave a large yawn at this moment.

"Why don't I take Pandora to Hagrid so you can go back to your room for some sleep," he suggested.

"No, you've already done more than enough."

"I insist, it looks like you'll collapse any second now, and I'd rather you not do it while walking down the stairs."

For a second it looked like she was going to decline but sleep sound too appealing at the moment, "Okay, thanks."

"Don't worry about it," he said dismissively.

"No," she said reaching out to take his hand, "thank you, for everything. For what you're doing for us… for me."

The two looked at each other for several seconds before Charles gave her a charming smile and squeezed her hand, "What can I say, Hogwarts just wouldn't be the same without my rival."

It was this moment that Hermione finally realized something. She, Hermione Jean Granger, was in love with Charles Bell.