Chapter 142, Chapter 139. Is This the Dragon You Lost?
A few days had passed since Malfoy discovered Hagrid's dragon-keeping scheme.
Ron contacted his brother Charlie, who was researching dragons in Romania.
Charlie's colleagues would be arriving at Hogwarts that evening to help take Hagrid's little dragon, Norbert, away.
Hagrid looked like a mother giving her child away, very reluctant to part with him.
But Norbert had to be sent away because keeping dragons was illegal in the wizarding world, and since Malfoy had discovered it, he would definitely report them.
This time, only Harry and Hermione would be sending Norbert away.
Ron had recently been bitten by the little dragon and was currently lying immobile in the school infirmary.
"Hermione, don't forget to close the cage door properly," Harry reminded her.
"Ah, oh, okay,"
Hermione replied, snapping out of her reverie.
She had been staring at a pair of crows fighting in a branch, and for some reason, she felt one of them looked a lot like Lynn.
One of the crows was indeed Lynn.
Lynn was extremely annoyed. Every time he came to keep watch near Hagrid's hut, this female crow would always come back to harass him, even saying the same thing every time.
"Caw caw caw! (Hey handsome, let's party!)"
Party my ass!
Lynn wanted nothing more than to smash that crow's head in.
Unfortunately, after turning into a crow, his fighting ability became quite ordinary. He swatted the female crow away many times, but it always returned persistently.
Fortunately, Harry and Hermione were ready to set off.
After swatting the crow away again with a wing, Lynn quietly flew behind them.
After the incident where Quirrell bought unicorn blood, Lynn dared not be blindly confident that the plot would develop the same way as before.
Fortunately, he had just completed his Animagus transformation that day and was lucky enough to discover the deviation on Quirrell's side; otherwise, who knows what the consequences would have been.
Now, the time for him to begin his plan is drawing ever closer, and Lynn doesn't want any more accidents to happen, so he's keeping a close eye on Quirrell and Harry every day.
Harry and Hermione each carried one side of the wooden box containing Norbert. Before entering the castle, they put on their Invisibility Cloaks, which were thankfully large enough to cover Harry, Hermione, and the boxes.
Lynn also transformed back into human form before entering the castle and used the Illusion Charm on himself, becoming invisible as well, and quietly following behind Harry and the others.
Although Harry and his friends were wearing invisibility cloaks, Norbert was quite heavy, and their footsteps, carrying the cage, were clearly audible in the quiet castle.
Lynn used their footsteps to pinpoint their location and prevent losing them.
Harry and his friends were extremely nervous because Ron's mistake of hiding Charlie's reply in the book had led Malfoy to learn of their actions that evening, and they were terrified that Malfoy would be waiting for them on the tower's rooftop with Snape.
But luck seemed to be on their side today; on the last flight of stairs before the rooftop, they heard the sound of Professor McGonagall grabbing Malfoy below.
"Great, we finally don't have to worry about Malfoy anymore," Harry said with a sigh of relief.
Hermione was also relieved, saying, "He's about to be put in solitary confinement by Professor McGonagall. Professor McGonagall deducted twenty points from his Slytherin grade, which Lynn worked so hard to earn."
"Don't talk, Hermione, let's talk on the rooftop."
"Wait! Harry!" Hermione suddenly whispered in alarm, "Don't you feel that Norbert is much lighter?"
Harry also noticed something was wrong; compared to before, they now felt like they were carrying an empty cage.
They checked the wooden chest that had contained Norbert and were horrified to find that the door had been opened sometime during the night, and Norbert was gone!
"Oh no! I forgot, I didn't lock the door properly," Hermione said guiltily.
She had been distracted watching the crows that looked a lot like Lynn fighting, and had only closed the door, not locked it.
Harry, trying to suppress his panic, said, "We have to get it back before Professor McGonagall and Felch find it!"
They donned their Invisibility Cloaks and retraced their steps, attempting to find the missing dragon.
Lynn had noticed something was wrong the moment Norbert ran out.
The little dragon peeked out from behind the Invisibility Cloak, revealing half its head, but Harry and Hermione didn't notice it at all.
Norbert, like a mischievous child escaped its parents' control, frolicked happily in the castle corridors. Lynn was extremely glad he had cautiously followed; otherwise, who knows what chaos would have ensued.
But what he didn't know was that even without his presence, Hermione wouldn't have forgotten to lock the chest, and Norbert wouldn't have accidentally escaped.
He followed behind the little dragon, who seemed completely oblivious to him, excitedly breathing fire at the Hogwarts walls, seemingly enjoying the sensation of blackening them.
"Alright, you disobedient little rascal, come with me obediently."
Lynn revealed himself in front of Nober, attempting to grab it by the scruff of its neck and carry it away.
However, Nober wasn't about to surrender easily. It opened its large mouth full of sharp teeth, trying to bite Lynn's outstretched hand.
Seeing its intention, Lynn immediately clenched his right fist and delivered an uppercut to Nober's chin!
Lynn's punch was no joke; it sent the little dragon flying. Nober lay in the corner like a pitiful puppy, whimpering.
This time, Lynn finally managed to grab it by the scruff of its neck, and he sneered at Nober.
"You think I'd spoil you like Hagrid did? Disobedient kids deserve a beating!"
Just then, footsteps came from around the corner. The dragon's magic resistance was too high; Lynn was afraid his Disillusionment Charm wouldn't work, so he quickly pulled Norbert into an empty classroom nearby, also using a Transformation Charm to conjure an apple to gag it.
"You've got some nerve, Malfoy!"
"Harry! Harry's coming with a dragon!"
"Utter nonsense! How dare you make up such a lie!"
It was Professor McGonagall, who was grabbing Malfoy by the ear, preparing to put him in solitary confinement.
Hearing Malfoy call for a dragon, the gagged Norbert thought he was being called and shook his head, preparing to go out.
Lynn slapped him back down.
"You idiots, what are you trying to do?"
Not long after Professor McGonagall left, hurried footsteps echoed down the corridor again.
This time it was Harry and Hermione.
Lynn, carrying Norbert, emerged from the classroom, smiling and waving at the two dumbfounded students.
"Is this the dragon you lost?"
________________________________________
Can't wait for the next chapter?
30+ advanced chapters are already available on Patreon!
👉 patreon.com/Horizons685
______________________________________
(End of Chapter)