25: Hagrid and the Dragon Egg

Snape?

Threatening Quirrell?

You must have gotten something wrong.

"Harry, you need to be responsible for what you're saying."

John's expression turned serious, making Harry realize that John was not joking.

"You're accusing a Hogwarts professor, the head of Slytherin House. If you don't have any evidence, you could be expelled."

Of course, the threat of expulsion was something John said offhandedly.

Considering the number of school rules Harry had already broken, which could fill up the entire common room, Dumbledore had never really punished him.

Harry didn't know this, though.

He felt a bit apprehensive, but he had seen it with his own eyes. Nodding firmly, he said, "I swear, John, I wouldn't lie to you."

He didn't know why, but Harry felt he should tell John.

Even though John respected Snape yet was always disliked by him, Harry felt he couldn't let John remain in the dark.

Seeing Harry's determined look, John sighed and said, "Alright, I believe you, but I need to investigate. The exams are not far off; you should start reviewing."

Harry was delighted that John believed him.

He felt like he had done a good deed, dispelling his previous gloom, and headed to the Gryffindor common room.

However, he didn't think about why John was on the seventh floor, given that the Slytherin common room was nowhere near there.

....

Room of Requirement.

John cautiously dipped the quill into the ink, preparing to write a runic character on the Blast-Ended Skrewt's carapace.

Just one final stroke was needed to complete it. John's entire concentration was focused, his brows furrowed in intense focus as he gently inscribed the final mark onto the Skrewt's surface.

An 'f' shape, resembling a bent arm, appeared on the Skrewt's carapace.

"Just one more step," John muttered, a hint of joy appearing on his face. He tapped the table with his wand, clearing his throat softly.

He pointed the wand at the runic inscription on the Skrewt, channeling his magical power into it.

The 'f' glowed briefly, and just as John thought he was about to succeed, the light turned into a puff of black smoke. The Skrewt's carapace exploded, scattering fragments that hit the cauldron.

John, who had cast a Shield Charm on himself in anticipation, dispelled the charm and looked frustrated.

"It's still not working. It seems achieving an enchantment with just Level 1 proficiency is too difficult."

He had tried to enchant the Skrewt's carapace, but it had clearly failed.

John speculated that the ink used for writing the runes might be the problem. Holding the bottle of ink, he muttered in frustration, "Do I need to use magical creature blood?"

Alchemy has always been closely tied to potion-making. John realized he needed better materials, and there were only two places he could get them.

One was the Forbidden Forest, and the other was his head of house's office.

Considering the difficulty, John decided it was better to trouble Hagrid for assistance.

If John happened to run into Snape in his office while he was brewing Veritaserum, he might end up as a taste tester. That wouldn't be pleasant.

Before heading out, John returned the books he had finished reading to the library.

...

Library.

Hermione Granger, our resident know-it-all, had gone into Spartan mode. She had outlined a comprehensive study plan, determined to outdo her classmates.

Harry and Ron didn't dare to cross her during this period. Hermione was set on ending John's undefeated record in the upcoming exams.

She was buried in her books, dragging Harry and Ron along as study companions. Even Neville wasn't spared.

When John arrived, Harry and Ron looked at him as if he were a savior.

"John, over here!"

Neville excitedly called out, only to be chased by a floating feather duster.

"You guys are studying here?"

John was a bit surprised. It wasn't unusual for Hermione to be here, but seeing the other three as if they were study pages for an emperor was unexpected.

"I haven't thanked you properly, John. The gift you sent was really useful." Neville had finally learned to keep his mouth shut, avoiding further attacks.

He was referring to the pet cage John had given him for Christmas. Since putting Trevor in it, the toad had never gone missing again.

"As long as you like it," John replied, putting the books back and sitting down in front of them. "Didn't you already find out about Nicolas Flamel?"

"It's Hermione. She made a long study plan. My god, I'd rather fight a troll," Ron complained loudly, which prompted another round with the feather duster.

Harry nodded vigorously in agreement. "We have decades before the exams."

Hermione furrowed her brow and huffed, "Decades? We have less than ten weeks left!"

"Look, even John has started revising."

John, who had been singled out, felt a bit embarrassed. He hadn't actually started revising; the books he was reading were all about alchemy and completely unrelated to the exams. However, this reminded him of the Academic Scholar 2.0 task; he still had to outperform Hermione in the remaining time.

Seeing her buried in her pile of books, John felt the pressure mounting.

"Alright, I need to go see Hagrid. You all continue studying."

With a sense of facing a formidable challenge, John left, ignoring the pleading looks from the other three.

Arriving at Hagrid's hut, John felt the heat.

Summer was already in the air. Even if one was afraid of the cold, there was no need to light a fire inside the house.

"Hagrid, are you cooking?"

"By Merlin's beard!"

As John pushed open the door and walked in, Hagrid was startled.

The large figure of Hagrid was blocking the fireplace, his bushy beard spreading over his face, forming a smile.

"Oh, it's you, John."

"Who else would it be?"

John asked with a strange expression as he walked over to a chair and glanced towards the fireplace.

Hagrid subtly shifted his position to block John's view.

John shrugged and said, "Alright, Hagrid, it seems you've got another unusual creature."

"That's not unusual. It's a rare Norwegian Ridgeback egg," Hagrid reflexively countered, noticing John's expression that clearly said 'I knew it.'

Hagrid, who couldn't keep a secret, resigned himself to the fact that he was caught and stepped aside from the fireplace.

John saw a kettle suspended over the fire, beneath which was an egg about the size of an ostrich egg.

"Is that a dragon egg? Are you sure you're not going to cook it?"

The dragon egg was already blackened from the heat, and John suspected it might already be partially cooked.

"No, you have to keep the egg in the fire because their mothers breathe on them," Hagrid explained. He had done extensive research; when it came to knowledge about magical creatures, Hagrid was undoubtedly at a professor level.

John's mind began to race. He was still troubled about the ink for his runes, and strong dragon blood could be an excellent solution.

Seeing John's smile, Hagrid grew uneasy. His bushy beard twitched, and in a low voice, he said, "John, you have to promise me you won't tell anyone else."

"Oh—?~"

John elongated his tone, a mischievous smile playing on his lips, making Hagrid uneasy. Glancing at the dragon egg, John said, "Hagrid, you wouldn't want others to know about this, would you?"

"We're friends, John," Hagrid muttered.

John replied, "True friends correct mistakes, not join in them. But..."

Hagrid looked at John hopefully, and John broke into a bright smile, "Who are we if not close friends? I wouldn't betray you. After all, who wouldn't want a dragon?"

"That's fantastic, John. I knew you wouldn't sell me out," Hagrid rejoiced, looking like a half-ton child in his excitement.

Feigning concern, John sighed, "Actually, I would love to have a dragon too. The twelve uses of dragon's blood in the exams are giving me a headache, and you know, I don't have much money."

"Don't worry, John. Once the baby grows up, you can have free dragon's blood," Hagrid assured.

Hagrid was always generous with his friends.

John grinned, and after securing a basket of Blast-Ended Skrewt tails from Hagrid, he left satisfied.

Not long after John departed, Hagrid headed to the library to find more books about dragons. There, he ran into the trio—Harry, Ron, and Hermione—who were deep in their studies.

Unsurprisingly after the 'tight' mouthed Hagrid started talking to them, the trio discovered the dragon egg too, but like John, they kept the secret for the sake of their friend.

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