A silver and green lion

chapter 8: Norbert the Norwegian Ridgeback

When Harry had told Hermione about his encounter, she had been angry with him. She almost had yelled at him for how stupid it was to go out there and get himself in danger. It had been Blaise who had calmed her down. He had told her they already had preached Harry about it and a satisfied smile had come across her lips. Harry found himself being more tolerable towards Snape, although his head of house still made his days to hell. At the same time, they were trying to figure out how it was possible Quirrel was the evil wizard here. Hermione wasn't only stressed about the stone at the same time, she had started revising and colouring her notes. Harry and Blaise wouldn't have mind if she didn't keep nagging them about it, although they knew she was right. Theo had started as well, and he and Hermione were found together a lot in the library studying together.

"You know exams are ages, away right?" Blaise mumbled, looking at his notes. Hermione and Theo had ushered them into studying along with them. And they should thank them because the teachers were thinking along the lines of Theo and Hermione.

"Ten weeks." Theo said.

"We should have started studying a month ago but with everything going on!" Hermione stressed.

"Relax." Blaise muttered, shaking his head at the girl. It's not that you could call them friends. Harry and Theo had to come between several arguments between the two of them. It was more like they got along because they had the same friends. "Seriously, Granger. If you don't stop, I get stressed as well." He muttered.

"You don't have to be here." She snapped at him. "It's not like you can't go to Malfoy or something."

"Merlin help me!" Theo muttered. "Quit it, the two of you. I'm trying to focus myself." But Harry who hadn't been listening was looking at the gamekeeper who had entered the library. Seeing such odd behaviour, he waved at Hagrid.

"Hagrid, what are you doing here?" He asked, greeting the man.

"Just looking something up." The gamekeeper said. "And you? It's lovely outside. Still looking for Flamel?" He asked them.

"We found out who he was ages ago. Along with what your dog is guarding." Theo said.

"You know what Fluffy is guarding?" He said surprised.

"Yeah the..." Before Harry could say a thing, the man shushed him.

"We still have some questions though..." Blaise said. "Like who's giving the dog food. And who thinks of Fluffy as name for such creature..." Hermione slapped the boy on his shoulder with a glare.

"We have more serious questions." She said darkly.

"Listen – come an' see me later. I'm not promisin' I'll tell you anythin', mind, but don' go rabbitin' about it in here, students aren' supposed ter know. They'll think I've told yeh –"

"Deal." Harry told him. They watched Hagrid taking off and Hermione frowned.

"What was he keeping hidden behind his back?" She asked.

"I'll go and see in which section he was." Blaise muttered, being happy he could put his books down. When he came back, he was frowning. "Dragons. He was looking in a section about breeding dragons."

"He always wanted one." Harry told his friends. "He said it the day we met."

"But that's illegal." Theo muttered.

"The minister has forbidden it. They can't keep us a secret if we would be hatching dragons in our backyards." Blaise explained.

"And you can't get them tame anyway." Theo said shrugging his shoulders.