Stay - Mattheo Riddle

Norbert

Mattheo watched her from outside of the room, the corner of his lips turned up slightly at the sound of her soft giggle and the look in her eyes as she looked down at the dragon, Malfoy pretended not to notice as he watched the scene in front of them.

"Hagrid," said 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's the matter?" all of them suddenly asked quickly and Norbert had jumped slightly and ran up the girls arm and snuggled around her neck looking for comfort, "there were 2 boys that was lookin' through the gap in the curtains — it was two kids — they're runnin' back up ter the school." 

Harry and Kirra bolted to the door and looked out. Even at a distance, there was no mistaking them. Mattheo and Malfoy had seen the dragon.

Something about the smile lurking on Mattheo and Malfoy's face during the next week made Kirra, Harry, Ron, and Hermione very nervous. They spent most of their free time in Hagrid's darkened hut, trying to reason with him, though Kirra couldn't help but hope that Norbert wouldn't be sent away, every time that they went down to the hut, Norbert had snuggled into her.

"Just let him go," Harry urged. "Set him free."

"I can't," said Hagrid. "He's too little. He'd die. And he has attached itself to Kirra," They looked at the dragon. It had grown three times in length in just a week. Smoke kept furling out of its nostrils. 

Hagrid hadn't been doing his gamekeeping duties because the dragon was keeping him so busy. There were empty brandy bottles and chicken feathers all over the floor. "I've decided to continue to call him Norbert," said Hagrid, looking at the dragon with misty eyes.

"He really knows me now, watch. Norbert! Norbert! Where's Mommy?" Norbert didn't even move his head which was buried in Kirra's chest, not caring about Hagrid.

"not a surprise tha' he likes you Kirra, after all they al-" Hagrid said with a wide grin but his smile quickly dropped as he realised what he had said and he quickly shut his mouth, instantly regretting his choice to speak up

"what do you mean Hagrid?" Kirra asked the man in curiosity and Hagrid had gone red and began to stutter as he quickly tried to cover what he was insinuating, knowing that he had messed up.

"Jus' because yer' a Hufflepuff an all, you little fellas have always been grea' with animals" Hagrid said to her quickly, hoping that she would believe his lie.

"He's lost his marbles," Ron muttered in Harry's ear.

"Hagrid," said Harry loudly, "give it two weeks and Norbert's going to be as long as your house. Malfoy and Mattheo could go to Dumbledore at any moment." Hagrid bit his lip.

"I — I know I can't keep him forever, but I can't jus' dump him, I can't." Harry suddenly turned to Ron.

"Charlie." he said.

"You're losing it, too," said Ron. "I'm Ron, remember?" and Kirra couldn't help but slap her hand to her forehead as she looked at Ron in disbelief, if anyone was losing their marbles, it was clearly Ronald Weasley

"No — Charlie — your brother, Charlie. In Romania. Studying dragons. We could send Norbert to him. Charlie can take care of him and then put him back in the wild!" Harry quickly said

"Brilliant!" said Ron. "How about it, Hagrid?" And in the end, Hagrid agreed that they could send an owl to Charlie to ask him. The following week dragged by.

Harry and Hermione had been in the Gryffindor common room when Ron and Kirra appeared out of nowhere from underneath Kirra's invisibility cloak. The two of them had been down at Hagrid's hut, helping him feed Norbert, who was now eating dead rats by the crate.

"It bit me!" Ron said, showing them his hand, which was wrapped in a bloody handkerchief. "I'm not going to be able to hold a quill for a week. I tell you, that dragon's the most horrible animal I've ever met, but the way Hagrid goes on about it, you'd think it was a fluffy little bunny rabbit. When it bit me he told me off for frightening it. And when I left, he was singing it a lullaby."

"Ron, honestly I think that you are over reacting, besides I think Norbert is very lovely," Kirra says as she looks at the ginger and Ron scoffs and rolls his eyes

"yeah well that is because the bloody thing loves you, I mean Merlin, I think he loves you more than I like food" Ron exclaimed and threw his hands in the air

"I doubt that. I don't think that could be possible Ronald" Kirra replied with a grin and Ron went to say something back to her but he was cut off by a tap on the dark window.

"It's Hedwig!" said Harry, hurrying to let her in. "She'll have Charlie's answer!" The four of them put their heads together to read the note.

Dear Ron, How are you? Thanks for the letter — 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.

Love, Charlie

They looked at one another. "We've got the two invisibility cloaks," said Harry. "It shouldn't be too difficult – I think the my cloak is big enough for me ron and hermione and then Kirra can take Norbert under hers, he will be easier to move If he is with her." 

It was a mark of how bad the last week had been that the other three agreed with him. Anything to get rid of Norbert — and Malfoy. There was a hitch. By the next morning, Ron's bitten hand had swollen to twice its usual size.

He didn't know whether it was safe to go to Madam Pomfrey — would she recognize a dragon bite? By the afternoon, though, he had no choice. The cut had turned a nasty shade of green. It looked as if Norbert's fangs were poisonous. 

Kirra, Harry and Hermione rushed up to the hospital wing at the end of the day to find Ron in a terrible state in bed. "It's not just my hand," he whispered, "although that feels like it's about to fall off. Malfoy and Riddle told Madam Pomfrey they wanted to borrow one of my books so they could come and have a good laugh at me. They kept threatening to tell her what really bit me — I've told her it was a dog, but I don't think she believes me — I shouldn't have hit Malfoy at the Quidditch match, that's why he's doing this."

Kirra, Harry and Hermione tried to calm Ron down. "It'll all be over at midnight on Saturday," said Hermione, but this didn't soothe Ron at all. On the contrary, he sat bolt upright and broke into a sweat. "Midnight on Saturday!" he said in a hoarse voice. "Oh no oh no — I've just remembered — Charlie's letter was in that book Malfoy and Riddle took, they're going to know we're getting rid of Norbert." 

Kirra's face dropped completely. Kirra, Harry and Hermione didn't get a chance to answer. Madam Pomfrey came over at that moment and made them leave, saying Ron needed sleep.