Hogwarts: I Am Such a Model Wizard

Chapter 216: I Have a Better Option

Ron was genuinely terrified. The moment he found out that Hagrid had been keeping an Acromantula, he no longer cared about the dragon and wanted nothing more than to hurry back to the safety of the castle.

As long as he could leave this spider-infested place, even if it meant spending half the day writing essays, he’d do it without complaint.

But this simple wish went unfulfilled.

Harry and Hermione were still deep in conversation with Hagrid, tirelessly listing every reason they could think of to convince him to let Norbert go. Leaving wasn’t an option for them yet.

Ron briefly considered abandoning Harry and Hermione to return to the castle alone, but he quickly dismissed the thought—it would only make him seem weak. So, stuck in place, he tried to keep his fear in check, standing rigidly, hardly daring to breathe.

“The Forbidden Forest is too small, Hagrid,” Hermione continued, attempting to reason with him. “It might be enough to hide Fluffy, but there’s no way it could keep a dragon hidden. Don’t forget that Norbert can fly. With just a few flaps of his wings, he can reach fifty feet or more. The trees won’t keep him grounded.”

“But… I’ve only just got him,” Hagrid murmured, looking torn.

“Do you really want him to stay grounded in the Forbidden Forest forever?” Hermione pressed on. “Norbert’s a dragon, Hagrid. He was born to soar in the skies.”

“I… I know I can’t keep him forever,” Hagrid admitted, biting his lip. “But yesterday, while he was eating, he rubbed his head against my hand… like he thinks I’m his mum. I can’t just toss him aside. I just can’t.”

What? Kyle raised his eyebrows, glancing down at Norbert, who was now lying sprawled across his arm, pretending to be lifeless.

Since when did I become a parent? he wondered. And where did Hagrid get the idea that dragons “recognized their parents by rubbing against their hands”? Kyle had never heard of anything like that.

“Charlie!”

Harry’s sudden shout broke the silence, drawing everyone’s attention.

“Ron, your brother Charlie studies dragons in Romania,” Harry said excitedly. “We could send Norbert to him!”

Ron didn’t say anything, only gave a stiff nod.

“That’s a great idea!” Hermione chimed in, her eyes lighting up. “What do you think, Hagrid? I’m sure Charlie would take wonderful care of him!”

Hagrid fell silent, clearly torn. After a moment, he said he’d think about it but didn’t immediately agree. Despite Harry and Hermione’s continued urging, he remained undecided.

It wasn’t until they’d left that Hagrid sank into a chair, clutching his hair as he muttered, “Kyle, do you think I should’ve agreed to send Norbert to Romania? Maybe that’s really the best thing for him.”

“To be honest, it’s not necessary,” Kyle replied, after making sure Harry, Hermione, and Ron were out of earshot. “Charlie’s trustworthy, but I’ve got a better solution…”

Kyle ended up staying in Hagrid’s hut well into the afternoon.

...

The following day, when Harry and Hermione returned to urge Hagrid to send Norbert to Charlie, they received unexpected news.

“You mean… you’ve already found a solution?” Harry asked, sounding astonished.

“Yes,” Hagrid replied, looking far more relaxed as he prepared a large fish for Norbert. “You were right—keeping a dragon here isn’t feasible, so he’ll be leaving once he’s a bit bigger.”

Harry felt an immense relief at Hagrid’s words. Though he didn’t know exactly where Norbert would be going, it was enough to know he wouldn’t be staying at Hogwarts.

“By the way, where’s Ron?” Hagrid asked, looking up. “Why didn’t he come along?”

“Oh, he had other things to do today,” Harry said vaguely.

The truth was, the moment Ron learned they’d be returning to Hagrid’s hut that day, he’d left the common room and hadn’t returned since. Harry hadn’t been able to find him anywhere.

...

“Hermione, don’t you think this is a bit strange?” On the way back to the castle, Harry glanced over his shoulder in the direction of Hagrid’s hut. “It’s only been a day—why would Hagrid suddenly agree to let Norbert go? Do you think something happened that we don’t know about?”

“There’s nothing strange about it,” Hermione replied, though she looked slightly impatient. “Maybe Hagrid’s just come to his senses and realized there’s no way he could keep a dragon at Hogwarts.”

She quickened her pace, her tone growing brisk. “Besides, we have more important things to focus on right now.”

Harry raised an eyebrow. “More important things?”

“The final exams, Harry!” Hermione said, sounding exasperated. “They’re coming up fast, and we need to catch up on our studies. We’ve lost so much time.”

“Exams? They’re ages away,” Harry replied, shrugging off her concern.

“Twenty days!” Hermione retorted, her eyes widening. “Or did you forget that exam week starts next month? Do you still think it’s early?”

“Twenty… days?” Harry stopped, staring at her in shock.

The last time exams had come up, he could have sworn they were still ten weeks away. But somehow, twenty days were all that remained. Only a few days had passed—or so he thought. Had someone stolen his time?

Worse, Harry realized he could hardly remember anything from class lately. His mind felt like a blank slate.

When they returned to the castle and shared the news with Ron, who was waiting by the entrance to the Great Hall, he wore the same bewildered expression. In the blink of an eye, exams were no longer some distant worry.

For the next while, Harry and Ron didn’t have a moment to think about Hagrid or Norbert. Each night, after tackling the mountain of homework their teachers assigned, they slogged through Hermione’s relentless revision schedule, which drove them nearly to exhaustion.

“This is awful…” Ron groaned one day in the library, staring at the towering stack of books before him. “I’m so overwhelmed, I’m dreaming about Self-Stirring Cauldrons.”

“Did you manage to figure out who invented them in your dream?” Hermione asked, looking up from her own pile of books, which nearly covered the entire table.

“All I remember is a line of cauldrons whacking me over the head,” Ron said miserably. “But honestly, Hermione, why are you still studying? You already know everything.”

“Have those cauldrons knocked your brain loose?” Hermione shot back, clearly anxious. “Just knowing things isn’t enough to get an O (Outstanding) on the final exams! What if the questions are tricky? I can’t bear the thought of only getting an E (Exceeds Expectations).”

Harry and Ron exchanged looks. Truthfully, they’d be thrilled if they managed an E.

“But you’re already the best in our year,” Ron muttered. “In class, you’re always the first one done with whatever the professor asks.”

“That’s hardly impressive,” Hermione said, shaking her head. “Plenty of people can do that—like Kyle in second year. And I hear he got a perfect score last year.”