The Philosopher's Stone (Hermione Granger x Male Reader)

12~The Forest

By 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.

Harry, Y/N, 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 told Madam Pomfrey he wanted to borrow one of my books so he could come and have a good laugh at me. He 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 him at the Quidditch match, that's why he's doing this."

"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 took, he's going to know we're getting rid of Norbert."

They didn't get a chance to answer. Madam Pomfrey came over at that moment and made them leave, saying Ron needed sleep.

~~~

"It's too late to change the plan now," Harry told Y/N and Hermione. "We haven't got time to send Charlie another owl and this could be our only chance to get rid of Norbert. We'll have to risk it. And we have got the Invisibility Cloak, Malfoy doesn't know about that."

"Harry and I will go then," Y/N said to Hermione, "It'd be easier that way too, I dunno if you could hold a dragon."

They found Fang the boarhound sitting outside with a bandaged tail when they went to tell Hagrid, who opened a window to talk to them.

"I won't let you in," he puffed. "Norbert's at a tricky stage – nothin' I can't handle."

When they told him about Charlie's letter, his eyes filled with tears, although that might have been because Norbert had just bitten him on the leg.

"Aargh! It's all right, he only got my boot – jus' playin' – he's only a baby, after all."

The "baby" banged its tail on the wall, making the windows rattle. Harry and Y/N walked back to the castle, feeling Saturday couldn't come quickly enough. 

~~~

Harry and Y/N would have felt sorry for Hagrid when the time came for him to say goodbye to Norbert if they hadn't been so worried about what they had to do. It was a very dark, cloudy night and they were a bit late arriving at Hagrid's hut because they'd had to wait for Peeves to get out of their way in the Entrance Hall, where he'd been playing tennis against the wall.

Hagrid had Norbert packed and ready in a large crate. 

"He's got lots o' rats an' some brandy fer the journey," said Hagrid in a muffled voice. "An' I've packed his teddy bear in case he gets lonely."

From inside the crate came ripping noises that sounded as though teddy was having his head torn off. 

"Bye-bye, Norbert!" Hagrid sobbed, as Harry and Y/N covered the crate with the Invisibility Cloak and stepped underneath it themselves. "Mummy will never forget you."

"Heave, Harry." Y/N groaned as they stumbled their way towards the castle.

They tried to heave Norbert up the marble stairs of the Entrance Hall and through the long winding corridors of Hogwarts.