The Other Potter: Book One

Chapter Twenty Two: Progress.

"I was sick."

"With what?"

"She had the flu, Ernie," Hermione said, butting in and saving me from having to think on the spot.

"My Dad's a healer, and they have cures for the flu."

"It was a bad flu." Harry said.

"Combined with diarrhoea." Ron added.

"Very contagious." I said, nodding.

"Hmm," Ernie smirked and walked into the greenhouse.

I exchanged looks with my friends, and we were all thinking something along the lines of 'is life ever easy?'

We skipped down to Hagrid's hut in our morning break. Well, I skipped, the others walked. When we arrived Hagrid looked flushed and excited.

"It's almost out," he said proudly.

We pulled up chairs around the table and watched in anticipation. There was a cracking noise and the egg split open. The baby dragon flopped onto the table. It was quite hideous in my opinion. Its spiny wings were huge compared to its skinny jet body; it had a long snout with wide nostrils, the stubs of horns and bulging, orange eyes.

I, with some effort, restrained myself from commenting on the ugliness. I did, however, edge my chair away. It sneezed. A couple of sparks flew out of its snout; right were my face would have been.

"Isn't he beautiful?" Hagrid murmured. He reached out a hand to stroke the dragon's head. It snapped at his fingers, showing pointed fangs.

"Bless him, look, he knows his mommy!" said Hagrid.

"Hagrid," said Hermione, "how fast do Norwegian Ridgebacks grow, exactly." Hagrid was about to answer when the colour suddenly drained from his face -- he leapt to his feet and ran to the window.

"What's the matter?" Harry asked in alarm.

"Someone was lookin' through the gap in the curtains – it's a kid – he's running back to the school."

Harry and I were the first ones at the door.

There was no mistaking it, even at this distance.

Draco Malfoy had seen the dragon.

By the time we sat down for dinner that night, I'd been cast so many peculiar looks that it was starting to get weird. It was like when you make eye-contact with the same person ten times in a row, and it's awkward and uncomfortable, and you want to know why they keep looking up at you, or if it's all just coincidental and weird. Did I mention it was weird?

"Hermione," I said quietly. She was sitting next to me, and kept looking around. "Am I being really self-absorbed, or are we drawing a lot of attention?"

"I was just thinking the same thing," She muttered. "You don't think Malfoy has anything to do with it?"

"No, they'd be staring at Hagrid then..." I could feel eyes looking at me from every direction.

"Will, Hermione, did you guys want to get dinner 'to-go'?" Harry asked from across the table.

"Yes," We said in unison, and we loaded our plates up and stole them - they turned into plastic containers once we left the hall.