Our Secret Marriage: First Year

Chapter 17: It Hatched!

 After confronting Severus about the stone, I feel relieved that he's doing the total opposite of what Harry and Ron think he's doing but as tempted as I am to tell them Severus's words, I can't risk letting them find out about our marriage.

From revealing that I got the information from Severus himself, they'll ask how I came to ask him the question in the first place and I can't say that I burst into his room and demanded he explain himself so for now, all I can do is wait for them to come around themselves.

However, we kinda do have something else to worry about: What might happen to Hagrid if anyone found out he was hiding an illegal dragon in his hut?

"Wonder what it's like to have a peaceful life," Ron sighs, as evening after evening he and Harry struggle through all the extra homework we were getting and by now Hermione had made study schedules for Harry and Ron in addition to ours and it was driving them nuts.

Well, me too kind of...

Then, one breakfast time, Hedwig brought Harry another note from Hagrid. He had written only two words.

It's hatching.

Ron wanted to skip Herbology and go straight down to the hut but I wouldn't hear of it.

"Come on Vic, how many times in our lives are we going to see a dragon hatching?"

"We've got lessons, we'll get into trouble, and that's nothing to what Hagrid's going to be in when someone finds out what he's doing," I retorted, glaring at him.

"Shut up!" Harry whispers, looking over my shoulder at Draco who is only a few feet away and has stopped dead to listen.

How much had he heard?

I don't like the look on Draco's face at all.

Ron and Hermione argued all the way to Herbology and in the end, it was agreed that we would all run down to Hagrid's during morning break. When the bell sounded from the castle at the end of our lesson, the four of us dropped our trowels and hurried through the grounds to the edge of the forest.

Hagrid greets us, looking flushed and excited.

"It's nearly out." He squeals like a piglet, ushering us inside. A pair of insanely thick gloves covered his hands, what little of his face that was not covered by hair was in sweat, his cheeks red from the excitement... or maybe it's just the heat.

The egg was lying on the table, the shell lined with deep cracks. Something was moving inside; a funny clicking noise was coming from it. Crowding around the table we watch with bated breath to see what would happen next.

All at once there was a scraping noise and the egg split open. The baby dragon flopped onto the table. It wasn't exactly pretty; Harry muttered something about it looking like a crumpled, black umbrella. Its spiny wings were huge compared to its skinny jet body, it had a long snout with wide nostrils, stubs of horns and bulging, orange eyes. It sneezed. A couple of sparks flew out of its snout.

It's cute... I find myself smiling as the baby dragon opens its eyes looking around at us.

"Isn't he beautiful?" Hagrid sniffs as a tear escapes his eye. Reaching out a hand to stroke the dragon's head. It snaps at his fingers, showing pointed fangs.

"Bless him, look, he knows his mommy!" Hagrid laughs, petting the dragon.

"Hagrid," Hermione asks, "How fast do Norwegian Ridgebacks grow, exactly?"

Hagrid was about to answer when the colour suddenly drained from his face, leaping to his feet he ran to the window.

"What's the matter?"I ask, craning my neck to look out the window.