𝐂𝐎𝐋𝐋𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐀𝐋 𝐃𝐀𝐌𝐀𝐆𝐄 ¹

15. exams

Harper glanced between the three of them. "I agree with Ron but I feel like there is something bound to be happening." She looked at Harry. "I think you're right that it warns you about danger, it means we have to be even more careful."

They sat quiet for a moment before Harry sprang up, his eyes wide open.

"What's wrong, Harry?" Harper asked worriedly.

"I've just thought of something," he whispered and she could see him overthinking everything before paling. "We have to see Hagrid. Now. Come on."

He dashed away and Harper, Ron and Hermione scramled back up, running behind him.

"Don't you think it's a bit odd," Harry began once they were running next to him. "That all Hagrid wants more than anything is a dragon, and a stranger just happens to have one? How people wander off with dragon eggs if it's against wizard law? Why didn't I see this before?"

Harper's eyes widened in realization as they approached Hagrid's hut.

Hagrid was sitting outside his hut and his eyes lit up when he saw them approaching. "Hullo! Finished yer exams? Got time fer a drink?"

"No," Harry replied rather harshly. "We're in a hurry, Hagrid. I've got to ask you something. You know that night when you won Norbert? What did the stranger playing cards with you look like?"

"Dunno," Hagrid replied, "he didn't take his cloak off."

They stared at him, stunned, while he just raised his eyebrows.

"It's not that unusual, yeh get a lot o' funny folk in the Hog's Head—that's one of the pubs down in the village. Mighta bin a dragon dealer, mightn't he? I never saw his face, he kept his hood up."

The four of them sat down.

"What have you two been talking about?" Harper asked. "Have you mentioned Hogwarts?"

"Mighta come up," Hagrid said frowning. "Yeah . . . he asked what I did, an' I told him I was a Gamekeeper here . . . he asked a bit about the sorta creatures I look after . . . so I told him . . . an' I said what I'd always really wanted was a dragon . . . an' then . . . I can't remember too well, 'cause he kept buying me drinks . . . let's see . . . yeah, then he said he had a dragon egg an' we could play cards fer it if I wanted . . . but he had ter be sure I could handle it, he didn't want it ter go ter any old home . . . so I told him, after Fluffy, a dragon would be easy . . ."

Harper almost facepalmed herself when Harry interrupted him. "But did he seem interested in Fluffy?"

"Well, yeah," Hagrid replied. "How many three headed dogs d'yeh meet, even around Hogwarts? So I told him, Fluffy's a piece o' cake if you know how to calm him down, jus' play a bit o' music an' he'll go straight off to sleep . . ."

Hagrid looked suddenly horrified.

"I shouldn't have told yeh that! Forget I said it! Hey—where are yeh goin'?"

Harry, Ron, Hermione and Harper sprinted back towards to castle.

"He can't be serious," Harper started. "He practically told Snape how to get past Fluffy!"

"We've got to go to Dumbledore," Harry said. "Does anyone know where his office is?"

Before either of them could reply, a voice behind them spoke up.

"What are you four doing inside?"

Harper turned around to see Professor McGonagall who cared a large pile of books.

"We want to see Professor Dumbledore," she replied.

"See Professor Dumbledore," Professor McGonagall repeated looking at them suspiciously. "Why?"