CRACK—
A tiny but unmistakable sound made the hearts of everyone—and the dog—skip a beat. All attention zeroed in on the egg.
An almost imperceptible crack had appeared on the shell. Faint golden light seeped through it, creating a miniature Tyndall effect in the air.
The dragon egg began to rock slightly as the crack spread rapidly like a spiderweb. Suddenly, a much louder cracking sound echoed through the hut.
A small hole broke open at the top of the egg, and the tip of a wet, black wing poked out, flapping clumsily in the air.
Though the wingtip was small, its sharp silhouette was already evident, and the tiny claws attached to it gleamed with a cold, metallic luster.
Suddenly, a much more violent impact occurred. Shards of shell went flying everywhere as a small black head burst through.
Everyone present couldn't help but gasp: Those eyes! They shone as brightly as molten gold.
Then, having fully squeezed its body out, the little black dragon let out a sharp skree! The sound was slightly high-pitched but carried an undeniable power, seemingly reminding everyone that no matter how small it was, it was still a bloody dragon.
It had two tiny horns on its head, and what puffed from its nostrils wasn't white steam, but smoke laced with sparks.
At that moment, it shook its head, sending slimy fluid flying in all directions. It then tilted its head, surveying its surroundings with a pair of massive, curious amber eyes.
Hagrid slowly extended a finger, looking as though he wanted to pet it but was terrified of startling the tiny life that had just entered the world.
"Hello there, little one," Hagrid said softly, his voice trembling with emotion. Instead of shrinking back, the little black dragon took a step forward and gently nudged Hagrid's finger with its wet snout.
"Look at that! It knows its mummy!" Hagrid cried excitedly.
The young wizards in the room were completely spellbound by the sight before them. For a moment, the Golden Trio completely forgot the reason they had come in the first place.
After all, a living, breathing dragon! Right in front of them!
The little black dragon suddenly opened its mouth and sneezed. A small burst of black-and-gold flame shot out, setting a patch of Ron's sleeve alight with sparks.
"Waah!" Ron yelped, frantically swatting at his sleeve.
Hagrid hurriedly helped him extinguish the sparks. "Don't blame him. Norbert is only little."
"Norbert?" Hermione asked.
"Well, he's got to have a name, doesn't he?" Hagrid looked at the baby dragon with eyes full of adoration.
"Where exactly did you get this dragon egg?" It was Liriya who finally asked the crucial question.
"Er, I won it off a stranger down at the Hog's Head a little while ago."
So Hagrid likes a drink and a gamble, does he? Julien thought to himself.
"Hagrid, this is far too dangerous!" Hermione was the first to snap back to reality, her voice sharp with anxiety.
"Keeping dragons is forbidden by the Ministry of Magic! They're incredibly dangerous magical creatures! And it's going to grow fast, and it's going to get massive."
"I know keeping dragons is illegal, but look at him! He's so small and helpless right now!" Hagrid said, sounding pained. "But what am I supposed to do? Where can I possibly send him?"
Watching the scene unfold, Julien already had a plan in mind. "Actually, I think Ron might be able to solve this problem."
"Ron?" Hermione and Harry asked simultaneously, their tones dripping with disbelief.
Ron's head snapped up. "Right! Charlie! He studies dragons in Romania! He can definitely help!"
There seemed to be a turning point. A glimmer of hope finally appeared on Hagrid's face.
At this point, Julien realized that everyone's attention was entirely focused on the baby dragon, and they seemed to have forgotten why they were there.
"Wait," Julien spoke up, pulling everyone's attention back. "You guys said earlier that someone is trying to steal the Sorcerer's Stone, and you suspect Professor Snape?"
Harry nodded, his expression turning serious once again.
"Yes. We have proof! During the Quidditch match, we saw him muttering a jinx at my broom! And we also caught him threatening Professor Quirrell!"
"Are you absolutely certain?" Julien asked, his voice low. "Is it possible... it's someone else?"
"Who else could it possibly be?" Ron said indignantly. "He's rotten to the core!"
Julien didn't argue further. He knew that with what Harry and the others currently believed, it would be almost impossible to convince them that the stuttering, cowardly Professor Quirrell was the true mastermind. Furthermore, even if he just outright told them, no one would likely believe him.
Just then, the faint crunching of footsteps on snow sounded outside the hut. The sound was soft, but it instantly put everyone inside on high alert.
Hagrid quickly grabbed a cardboard box and threw it over the baby dragon. Julien, his expression unchanging, slipped his hand into the hidden pocket of his robes and gripped his wand.
The footsteps stopped right outside the door. A silhouette flashed past the window, and a glimpse of platinum-blonde hair could be seen.
A few seconds later, the hurried sound of retreating footsteps echoed away.
"Oh, this is bad," Hagrid muttered.
---
The night wind, carrying fine grains of snow, whipped against the young wizards' exposed cheeks.
The warm glow of Hagrid's hut had long been left behind. Harry looked toward the Forbidden Forest beside them. Its silhouette undulated in the moonlight like the spine of a massive beast, making him shiver involuntarily.
"This is all your fault, Ron," Hermione complained in a low voice as she jogged to keep up with the group. "You were making such a racket when we came out. Now look what's happened! That foul skunk Malfoy must have had his eye on us!"
"Haha, Hermione, you've even learned how to name-call since you started hanging out with Harry and Ron," Julien laughed carelessly.
"How was I supposed to know he was following us?" Ron defended himself, sounding wronged. "That bloke is worse than Peeves; he never leaves us alone!"
Harry walked silently at the front of the group, his hand gripping his wand tightly.
He knew better than anyone that the platinum-haired boy would never pass up an opportunity to get them into trouble. That jerk had already tricked them plenty of times; how could he have been so careless?
Julien and Liriya trailed at the back of the group. Liriya's cloak flapped wildly in the wind. Her ice-blue eyes kept darting toward the depths of the Forbidden Forest, as if sensing something.
"Have you seen dragons before? You seemed pretty familiar with them," Julien asked.
Liriya gave a small nod, then shook her head. A silvery-blonde braid slipped out from beneath her hood. She paused before answering. "I've only ever seen Frostblade Dragons in the North. I've never seen a Norwegian Ridgeback like that one."
"Frostblade Dragons? That's the first time I've ever heard of them."
"They're unique to where I'm from," Liriya said, tucking her hair behind her ear. "The town I live in is called Winterspring. Just north of the town, there's a spring that never freezes over. Quite a few Frostblade Dragons live around there."
Never freezes over? Julien immediately thought of the magical leyline node in northern Scandinavia.
"Yeah," Liriya continued, catching Julien's train of thought. "Frostblade Dragons aren't very big. They have white bodies with blue stripes."
"Do they attack people?"
"Attack people? Why would they do that?" Liriya gave Julien a strange look. "They eat Shattertooth Bears. As long as you don't actively try to hurt them, they don't hurt humans."
She sighed. "There's this one little dragon named Shilotam—hehe, I gave him a name too—and we're good friends. As long as I leave a piece of meat on a specific rock, he'll come out to see me."
"I'd really love to go see those magical creatures with you sometime," Julien sighed wistfully.
"That's easy. I'll take you there during the holidays."
"It's a promise, then! Pinky swear!"
What Julien couldn't have known was that by the time he actually reached Winterspring, a completely different kind of danger would be waiting for them.