Harry Potter and the Reluctant Rebirth

Chapter 11

Pinching the bridge of my nose. "Please tell me you didn't tell him how to calm down Fluffy."

"Oh I jus' tol' him 'hat to calm Fluffy you play a bit o' music and he falls asleep- I shouldn't have told yer that."

The slap sound that echoed around the hut was my hand connecting with my face. Hagrid wilted slightly when I looked at him with the most unimpressed expression, and then he paled after I kept staring at him.

"Oh... I shouldn't have told him that."

"..."

"Maybe I shoul' let Dumbledore know..."

"..."

Hagrid looks at the egg sadly, and I could feel the knife in my heart twist when that look in his eyes met my eyes.

"And I shoul'... not keep the dragon..."

I nodded, giving Hagrid a quick hug. "Fred and George have an older brother that I can contact, one that is a professional in dragon handling. Why not let the little guy be with people who know how to raise them, and learn from bigger dragons?"

"But what if tey pick on 'im?" Hagrid fussed, glancing at his egg.

"He'll learn to bite back," I answered in a sage-like manner, folding my arms with a nod which Hagrid chuckled to. We had tea and I returned to Hogwarts to send a letter to Charlie.

By Wednesday, Charlie and several other dragon handlers arrived at Hogwarts. Students were not allowed outside out of risk of the egg hatching and harming someone. Rumors spread like wildfire about why people came to Hagrid's hut and took something from it. Those that knew Ron's family stayed out of it, but the things people said were... interesting to say the least.

"I heard he was hiding a baby hippogriff!" A Hufflepuff third year chatted with her friend on Thursday.

"Do you think he was keeping illegal unicorn parts?" A second-year Gryffindor asked some older students on Friday. "Mum said you can make a lot of money off their hair and horn."

"I'd bet you five galleons he was producing Baruffio's Brain Elixir! I always knew there was something wrong with that freak! Probably drank too much and has brain damage but can't stop drinking it!" A seventh year Slytherin was spitting out lies that same Friday, earning cruel laughs from his peers and encouraging agreements. That was what made me stop and consider a new prank with Fred and George... muggle style.

That entirety of the following week, nearly half of the seventh-year Slytherin class suffered intense... bowel movements that would not stop even after a trip to the Hospital Wing. The rumors suddenly stopped when those same students began to produce glowy-green spots the size of a cricket ball.

"I knew pumpkin juice was unhealthy," I said with pride as I sipped my overly honey-filled black tea. My friends all pushed their goblets to the side and drank water with their dinner.

..... :3..... :3..... :3.....

I breathed out what felt like to be the 10th sigh just from breakfast alone. Something doesn't feel right and I just can't put my finger to it. Norbert got removed weeks before she became a problem, no detention because of a nosy Malfoy, and there was finally syrup at the table so I could drown my bland eggs in it! But why did I feel so... empty?

"Hey mate, if you're going to torture your eggs so much you should eat it!" Blaise cut my mind short and pointed at my untouched concoction of sugary tree sap and unborn poultry.

"Huh?" I looked at my plate and took a mouthful of egg, but even that felt bland. "Weird... I don't taste anything..."

Pansy shoved Draco's head forward -much to the blond's protests- to get a better look at me. "You're acting funny, what's wrong?"