Jinx Not-So-Malfoy

Chapter 25

"Why didn't you tell me? I could've gotten you something!" Hermione said shrilly.

"I forgot." I said innocently.

"Your own birthday?" Ron said.

"I guess with all that has been going on, it completely slipped my mind." I said, shrugging. "It doesn't matter anyway. It's just an other day."

"I feel like I've forgotten to do something important," said Harry angrily, taking the conversation off of my getting older.

"That's just the exams. I woke up last night and was halfway through my Transfiguration notes before I remembered we'd done that one." Hermione told Harry.

"Unfortunately, she woke me up as well." I said.

I watched an owl flutter toward the school across the bright blue sky, a note clamped in its mouth. Hagrid was the only one who ever sent me letters anymore. Hagrid would never betray Dumbledore. Hagrid would never tell anyonehow to get past Fluffy... Never.

Harry suddenly jumped to his feet.

"Where're you going?" Said Ron sleepily.

"I've just thought of something," said Harry. He had turned white. "We've got to go and see Hagrid, now."

"Why?" Panted Hermione, hurrying to keep up.

"Don't you think it's a bit odd," said Harry, scrambling up the grassy slope, "that what Hagrid wants more than anything else is a dragon, and a stranger turns up who just happens to have an egg in his pocket? How many people wander around with dragon eggs if it's against wizard law? Lucky they found Hagrid, don't you think? Why didn't I see it before?"

"What are you talking about?" Said Ron, but Harry, sprinting across the grounds toward the forest, didn't answer. Hagrid was sitting in an armchair outside his house; his trousers and sleeves were rolled up, and he was shelling peas into a large bowl.

"Hullo," he said, smiling. "Finished yer exams? Got time fer a drink?"

"Yes, please," said Ron, but Harry cut him off.

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

"Dunno," said Hagrid casually, "he wouldn' take his cloak off."

He saw the three of them -- and me -- look stunned and raised his eyebrows. "It's not that unusual, yeh get a lot o' funny folk in the Hog's Head -- that's the pub down in the village. Mighta bin a dragon dealer, mightn' he? I never saw his face, he kept his hood up."

Harry sank down next to the bowl of peas. "What did you talk to him about, Hagrid? Did you mention Hogwarts at all?"

"Mighta come up," said Hagrid, frowning as he tried to remember. "Yeah... He asked what I did, an' I told him I was gamekeeper here.... He asked a bit about the sorta creatures I took after... So I told him... An' I said what I'd always really wanted was a dragon... An' then... I can' remember too well, 'cause he kept buyin' me drinks.... Let's see... Yeah, then he said he had the dragon egg an' we could play cards fer it if I wanted... But he had ter be sure I could handle it, he didn' want it ter go ter any old home.... So I told him, after Fluffy, a dragon would be easy..."

"And did he -- did he seem interested in Fluffy?" Harry asked, trying to keep his voice calm.

"Well -- yeah -- how many three-headed dogs d'yeh meet, even around Hogwarts? So I told him, Fluffy's a piece o' cake if yeh know how to calm him down, jus' play him a bit o' music an' he'll go straight off ter sleep -- " Hagrid suddenly looked horrified. "I shouldn'ta told yeh that!" he blurted out. "Forget I said it! Hey -- where're yeh goin'?"