Agents of Discord

by KittyrinnAiko

Chapter 60: Norberta

“Has it hatched do you think?” Hermione whispered to Aerie as she sat in her seat at Herbology.

“Not quite. We can go pay him a visit during the break,” Aerie offered quietly.

“But… I never saw you come down?” Hermione was flustered.

“She’s good at sneaking about,” Parvati offered as she went past and into class. Unknown to Hermione was that Aerie had simply stepped out the window of her room, transformed, and flew down to Hagrid’s hut to check on the progress of the egg. The egg was active but not quite ready to hatch.

“But?” Hermione’s brain had gone off the tracks and down an embankment to erupt into a fiery explosion. She too had gone back to the dorm to freshen up before class and had waited as long as she dared, but the other girls had pressed upon her the importance of not being late. And yes, it was entirely possible she was the only first-year girl who wasn’t in on the secret of Aerie’s ability to transform herself.

“Hermione, Herbology,” Aerie offered as she gently turned the girl and prodded her along. Hermione would be scolded no less than three times.

“Hermione, don’t blame me just because you couldn't keep your mind on your work,” Aerie protested as they made their way to Hagrid’s hut. This time the party consisted of Aerie, Aurora who wanted to see the baby dragon, Hermione, Ron, Neville, and Moonie the wonder kitten.

“How did you get past me, down to Hagrid’s hut, and back up to Herbology in time for class?”

“I have a broom, you know.”

“What?!”

“Dives right out of the window,” Aurora teased. Granted that while diving out of the window was true, the bit about the broom wasn’t.

“You’ll get suspended!” Hermione hissed.

“Somehow I doubt that. Not when Dumbledore’s cronies tried to forcibly relocate me back to the School over the holidays.”

“Hermione,” Aurora interjected. “We didn’t tell you because we didn’t want to worry you. The guys that got shot in the Pimlico area were allegedly doing Dumbledore a favor. Aerie has had several people target her including an incident at the airport when we went to pick up Hoshiko’s parents.”

“They’d gotten it into their heads that I was trying to leave England.”

“And got arrested for their efforts,” Aurora added.

“Why didn’t they just apparate away?” Asked Ron.

“Someone picked their pockets.”

“Seriously?!”

“My Moonie. If she thinks someone might be after me she snatches their wand.”

“Dumbledore! Is that where his wand went?” Neville asked and then laughed. “Did you ever give it back?”

“It’s chosen a new person.”

“Seriously?” Hermione was astounded. “But how is that possible?”

“Wasn’t rightfully his.”

“That or it rejected him,” Neville offered. “What? Not like it’s not possible.”

“Just the idea of a wand rejecting someone is kind of chilling,” Hermione said softly.

“That specific wand has a history,” Aerie informed the others. “I’m to understand that he acquired it when he defeated Grindelwald in forty-five. Ever since he’s carried it around not so much because it was suitable for him but as a status thing. Something that marked him as a powerful wizard.”

“So who has it now?”

“I’d rather not say. I gave it to them intending it to be a temporary wand because they didn’t have one with them, and then to everyone’s surprise it set off a little light show. You know how wands do when they’ve bonded with someone. Anyway, just having it makes them a target for every two-bit wizard who wants to make a name for themselves.”

“OK, I can totally see why you don’t want to say who ended up with it,” Hermione offered as they approached Hagrid’s hut. She stepped up, knocked on the door, and then they waited. They spotted Hagrid peering out the window first.

“Moonie, can you put a perception charm on the window?” Aerie whispered with her right hand on her moon medallion. Moonie the cat appeared at her feet and rubbed up against her leg. A moment later Fang was pushing his way out the door and made a beeline for the startled Moonie who forgot she could just vanish, turned, and ran for it, the dog barking right behind her.

“Fang! Fang!” Hagrid shouted.

“Moonie quit playing with the dog! Oh for Harmony’s sake.”

“Fang! Get back here!”

“Moonie, just transform or something! Honestly!” It took a moment more for Moonie to remember that she wasn’t an actual cat. She transformed into a pony, sprang into the air, and soared heavenward.”

“Ahhhh… what kind of a cat is that anyway?” Ron asked.

“She’s a familiar. She’s the Night Mare that took over potions while Snape was indisposed.”

“Ya don’t say? Well, I’ll be…” Hagrid was quite impressed. “I’ve heard that Night Mares can be dangerous.”

“Only if you make them your enemy. What say we get inside.”

“Oh! Right, come on then…”

Once they were inside and their eyes given the chance to adjust they found that the egg had been moved to a table where it sat on an old bed warmer. One of them big pans with a long handle that people put hot coals in to warm a bed. A heavy wool blanket was wrapped around it like a nest. After all, even Hagrid could reason that taking a dragon egg out of its nice warm pot and placing it on a cold table with nothing to keep it from rolling around was a bad idea.

“It’s nearly out,” Hagrid informed them proudly as he shut the door and latched it. A large crack had indeed formed on the egg and seemed to be resting. It began to wobble at the sound of chairs being pulled out with another crack forming as the onlookers each picked out a chair to sit in.

Aerie couldn't resist making a low purr-like sound deep in the back of her throat as the dragonet began scratching at the inside of the shell.

“Aerie, what are you… doing?” Hermione began but then Aurora started doing it.

“Oh, hey, the book did say something about that. Dragon’s purr just like cats.” Hagrid offered. “I hear pegasi do it too. It’s to encourage the baby.” He then tried it himself. And it took him a bit but he did manage a deep throaty thrum from the back of his throat.

Hagrid’s deep rumble did the trick. The egg split and a chunk fell off. A moment later they were rewarded with a black muzzle sniffing at the entrance taking in huge gulps of the fresh air. The nose pulled back followed by furious scrambling. And then they were looking at an upside-down baby dragon, and no she wasn’t all black. Her belly was speckled stone gray that looked very much like granite. In fact, her entire underside looked like stone. The upper portion could only be described as fifty shades of black. No, not one solid black but different hues of intensity creating a dark gray-scale camouflage pattern save for the ear tips which were white.

“Aww, ain’t he beautiful?” Hagrid murmured.

“Hagrid, no Pee Pee. That’s a girl,” Aerie corrected.

“A girl?” His question sounded like he’d been hit with the worst news ever. Even so, he reached out only to get snapped at. “Bless him, er, her, ‘e knows her mommy.”

Hagrid’s jaw dropped when the hatchling flipped over after having a good sniff, turned, and waddled over to Aerie crying pitifully. Hagrid not quite sure what had happened looked to the window just in time to see someone peeking through the slight gap in the curtains. He turned pale, and lept up, his chair crashing to the floor as he raced for the window.

“Hagrid?” Hermione asked in alarm.

“Someone was lookin’ through the gap in the curtains – it’s a lad. He’s runnin’ back up ter the school.”

“More than likely Malfoy,” Aerie offered as she levitated over a bottle Hagrid had prepared for the hatchling.

“Malfoy?!” Ron repeated in alarm.

“I’m sorry, I should have been paying more attention,” Aurora lamented.

“Exactly what I expected.”

“You knew?” Hermione said sounding like she was accusing her.

“Yes, I knew. The ministry isn’t purview to all prophesies.”

“You knew he’d find out. That… prophecy you told me about,” Aurora prompted. “That’s why you were being so hard on Hagrid. And why you asked Ron to send a letter to his brother.”

“Ron?” Aerie asked. “We are on a timeline.”

“But, but… You can’t change prophesies… can you?” Hermione asked.

“Maybe not, but then again, maybe I can reduce the collateral damage.”

“Aren’t you even a little bit afraid?” Neville asked.

“Well, according to pretty much all known prophesies, we are going to beat You Know Who.”

“I’ll get that letter out today,” Ron announced. “How long do you think we have? I mean until…?”

“Draco is obsessed with Ron. As such it was inevitable he’d find out about the dragon due to our frequent trips out here. The more we came out here, the more he wanted to know what Hagrid was up to that had us so interested. Now that he knows he will likely let us stew for a while. He’s just that kind of petty.”

“If you think he’s so petty, why were you being so friendly with him?” Ron was just a little incensed that Aerie seemed to be placing a fair amount of the fault on him, but then again, he had risen to Malfoy’s taunts.

“The best way to eliminate an enemy is to make them your friend,” Aurora offered.

“I kind of screwed that up then, didn’t I?”

“Don’t beat yourself up over it. His assumption that Justin and I are betrothed didn’t help. Not like I’d want to marry him. He’ll eventually come around, but let's face it, I’ve better prospects.” Aerie’s proclamation was punctuated by a look in Aurora’s direction. Aura looked back at her and smiled.

When next they saw Draco Malfoy he indeed had a malicious smile plastered to his face. But as predicted he said nothing. Hagrid had named the hatchling Norberta and the members of the group who knew visited as often as they dared.

“She’s too little…” Hagrid pleaded. Hagrid was having cold feet as the saying goes. He did not want to give up his dragon so soon.

“Hagrid, she is not yours,” Aerie scolded. “They have people who are experts at raising dragons. She will be fine.

“How can you be so sure?”

“Because I gave her some of my magic. Look at me. I’m the only one she doesn’t try to bite. Look at me. I as good as took her from you. She thinks I’m her mother. And I’m willing to give her up for her own good.”

“You… but how?” Hermione asked.

“She’s been using a simple Akkadian spell called Mother’s touch,” Aurora informed them. “It’s an Akkadian thing. It boosts the magic in the young. Gives them a head start.”

“Hagrid, as much as I want to just take her and hide her away, it has to be this way. I can’t keep a dragon any more than you can.” In truth, she probably could but that would mean sneaking the little bundle of joy through the door to get her into the trunk.

Hagrid would eventually agree, but grudgingly.

Ron came stumbling into the common room about a week later right before the nightly headcount. A silvery fabric was hastily stuffed into a carry-all bag, and his right hand showed signs of having been hastily bandaged. Aerie immediately knew what had happened, and that the boys had the invisibility cloak that rightfully should have gone to her and likely would have if she had stayed in Hogwarts over the holidays.

“Ron, oh good grief,” Aerie protested a moment later.

“That little darling bit me,” Ron bemoaned.

“I figured as much. Do a better job with that cloak, and go sit by the fire, and I’ll go whip up an anti-venom.”

“Sit by the fire… hang on, you know about the cloak?”

“In a roundabout way. Now go sit. Dragon bites are venomous. You’re just lucky Norberta is a baby. Now go sit.”

“Venomous?” Ron said in almost a squeak as Aerie hurried away. “No one said anything about them being venomous?”

Aerie returned a short time later to find Bill Bones giving Ron the third degree. “It was a dog…”

“Here, drink.” Ron took the vial from Aerie glad for the distraction.

“You know about this bite?” Bill Bones asked Aerie even as Ron coughed and spluttered.

“Oh come on Ron, it’s nowhere near as nasty as Snape’s potions.”

“Miss Potter? A dog? Not likely to have been Hagrid’s, that mutt wouldn't hurt a fly.”

“Went after my cat.”

“Cats are an exception.”

“And Hoshiko’s fox.”

“What bit him?”

“Might have been a feral Crup. All manner of things come wandering around Hagrid’s hut. - Listen, Ron, best get into Madam Pomfrey first thing in the morning. Now go wash that bite as best you can.”

“Go on, and make sure you wash it properly,” Bill ordered. Aerie was about to turn around and go too, but then Bill asked her to stay. Ron got up, and hurried upstairs, his whole demeanor reminiscent of a whipped dog.

“Now then, Miss Potter. What was that you gave him?”

“General curative with antibacterial properties. I figured that if he made it as far as the dorm it can’t be all that bad, but…”

“A little of something is better than a whole lot of nothing. Alright, fine. Just keep an eye on him. If he’s anything like his brother’s he’ll let it fester. Good night.”

“Good night.” Aerie didn’t wait to see what he’d do, she just spun around and headed upstairs before he thought of anything else to ask.

The group met in the library the next day where Ron announced having heard back. “We are to take Norberta to the Astronomy tower,” Ron announced in a whisper.

“I can do it,” Neville offered.

“It’ll take two of us,” Hermione said.

“You think the cloak will cover two people and a crate?” Aerie asked. She figured it did but decided to ask anyway.

“It should be enough.”

“So who besides Neville is going to go?” Aurora asked.

“I’ll go,” Aerie offered. “Ron’s out because of his hand, and Norberta is more likely to behave for me.”

“You’re just going to step in and take over?” Hermione asked in an accusing tone.

“I will defer to you if that’s what you want?”

“I…” Hermione wasn’t quite sure what to think at this point.

“Hermione, just one more thing. I think it’s supposed to be the two of us, you and me. I don’t want to stop Neville if he wants to go though. In the prediction he gets caught trying to warn us about Malfoy trying to spring his trap.”

“I’ll go.” Hermione was resolute in her tone.

“Neville, it’s up to you.”

“I want to go. If I get caught I get caught for the whole pound.”

“Then you are going. The two of you will take the cloak, pick up Norberta, and take her to the Astronomy tower.”

Comments

[harts fire]

and with the hatching of Norberta we have the beginnings for the set up leading to the triwizard tournament.
a awesome chapter.