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Ron scratched his head. "He's really that strong? He just seems like a grumpy old bastard to me."
"Grumpy or not, he's still better than having Snape teach Defense," Harry said with feeling. At least this way he could avoid the man outside of Potions.
Draco bit his tongue. He wanted to defend his Head of House, but after watching Harry get torn apart in Potions every week, he decided silence was safer.
They quickly moved on. The real reason they were here was sitting right in front of them.
[So, Hagrid. Have you figured out what you're going to do with Norberta?]
Tom rubbed the dragon's head while she leaned into his touch. She was already half as tall as Hagrid.
Hagrid looked miserable. "Can't she just… stay here?"
Harry gave him a helpless look. "Hagrid, be realistic. She's already the size of your bed. In a few weeks she'll be as big as the hut. Someone's going to notice."
Hagrid knew what would happen if that secret got out. Azkaban. Maybe worse for all of them.
"But she's still so small," he muttered.
Norberta nodded hard in agreement.
Hermione tried to be gentle. "If she stays, she could get you in trouble. She could get all of us in trouble."
Tom shrugged. [I can handle the Ministry. They'd have to go through Dumbledore and Snape first.]
He looked at Norberta's big, watery eyes and added quickly, [But she really can't stay here. Your place is too small for her. She needs room to fly. Keeping her cooped up like this is basically a cage.]
Hagrid's shoulders slumped. Tears welled in his eyes, but he finally nodded. "You're right. I've been selfish."
He wiped his face. "But what do we do?"
"Send her to Charlie!" Harry said at the same time Draco declared, "Give her to me!"
The two boys glared at each other.
Harry pushed forward. "Charlie works with dragons in Romania. He can take care of her and eventually let her go back to the wild."
Draco crossed his arms. "My father can give her the best home possible. She'd be safe on our estate."
Ron immediately sided with Harry. "We can't trust your dad. He'd probably sell Hagrid out the second he found out."
Draco's face went red. "I'd tell him I found the egg myself! He'd never mention Hagrid!"
Tom rolled his eyes. These idiots were arguing like Norberta was some dumb beast. She was smart. Dumping her with regular dragons would be like throwing a person into a pack of monkeys.
He looked at Hagrid. At least the big guy was thinking about what was actually best for her.
Tom patted Norberta's head.
[I'll tell them what you want. Now shut up, all of you.]
The three boys instantly went quiet. Partly because it was Tom. Mostly because they suddenly remembered he was basically Norberta's dad.
[Did any of you stop to ask what Norberta actually wants?]
Norberta immediately put on her best pitiful expression.
Harry and Draco both looked guilty.
"Sorry. I forgot you're not like other dragons," Harry muttered.
"I just wanted to keep you close," Draco admitted.
Norberta forgave them with a soft chirp.
She looked up at Tom hopefully.
[No,] Tom signed firmly.
Norberta wilted.
Before Hagrid could say anything, someone knocked on the door.
Harry's group panicked and tried to hide Norberta, but Hagrid just walked over and opened it like nothing was wrong.
Tom didn't stop him. He could sense whatever was outside wasn't human.
When the door swung open, even Tom looked surprised.
A heavily pregnant unicorn stood there.
It spotted Tom, let out a happy sound, and trotted straight past Hagrid to nuzzle against his leg.
Hagrid smiled and shut the door. "Figured you'd recognize her."
Tom raised an eyebrow.
[This is the one we saved in the forest?]
Hagrid nodded. "She recovered a couple days ago. She's been coming by every day around this time looking for you."
The unicorn pressed its head against Tom's side, clearly happy to see him.
Tom reached out and stroked its back, careful to avoid the horn.
[You came all this way just to thank us?]
The unicorn nodded.
[It was nothing. You were already fighting to stay alive. I just gave you a hand.]
The unicorn didn't accept that answer. It turned, bit off a large chunk of its own tail hair, and dropped the silvery strands into Tom's paws.
Tom stared at the pile of unicorn tail hair. Even a small amount was worth a fortune.
Before he could react, the unicorn bit its own leg and let a few drops of silver-blue blood fall into a small vial it somehow produced.
Tom's eyes widened.
[You're giving us your blood too?]
The unicorn nodded. Because it was offering freely, the blood carried no curse. It could heal serious injuries.
Tom was genuinely stunned. This was far more than he expected for one rescue.
Then the unicorn made its real request.
It glanced nervously at Norberta, then looked back at Tom.
[You want me to help deliver your foal?]
The unicorn nodded again, looking worried.
Tom blinked.
[Why the hell would you ask me to do that?]