When the Hogwarts Express once again pulled into Hogsmeade Station, it signified the end of another Christmas holiday.
Soon, the once-quiet Hogwarts campus was bustling with life again.
"Did you buy all of this?"
Harry, Ron, and Hermione stared in astonishment at the towering pile of sweets in front of them, their mouths agape.
Ron, pouting, muttered, "Show-off!"
Despite his words, his eyes betrayed undisguised envy.
Draco, on the other hand, waved a hand grandly and said, "Take whatever you like! My father is planning to open a new Gringotts vault for me in Hogsmeade, so from now on, I'll never be short of money!"
Hearing this, the three of them showed no restraint and eagerly began picking out treats from the mountain of sweets.
Before long, the four of them sat together, enjoying their snacks while chatting about their holiday experiences.
However, since Harry already knew about Nicolas Flamel and the Philosopher's Stone, he hadn't spent his break sneaking into the library with his newly acquired Invisibility Cloak, nor had he discovered the Mirror of Erised, unlike in the original timeline.
As a result, their holiday had been considerably uneventful.
But soon, Hermione spoke up, "I've been thinking a lot over the break. I believe we need to tell Hagrid about the Philosopher's Stone as soon as possible. Now that Snape knows about the three-headed dog, the next time he makes a move, he'll surely have figured out a way to get past it!"
Ron dismissed her concerns. "A magical creature that big? There's no way to get past it without attracting attention!"
Draco, however, habitually contradicted him. "Every magical creature has a weakness! If Professor Snape truly wanted to get past a three-headed dog, he'd find a way."
Just as Ron was about to retort, Hermione silenced them both by waving her hands. "Regardless, telling Hagrid is better than keeping it to ourselves!"
That evening, as dusk settled over the castle, the four of them made their way to Hagrid's hut and knocked on the door.
Hagrid opened it, took one look at them, and immediately said, "Alright, I've got no interest in whatever detective game you lot are playing, and I don't wanna hear it! I'm busy!"
He made to shut the door, but Hermione quickly interjected, "Hagrid, we already know about Nicolas Flamel and the Philosopher's Stone!"
Hagrid froze, then sighed deeply. "Oh, fine. Come in, then."
As soon as they stepped inside, Draco wrinkled his nose and complained, "Merlin's beard! What is that smell? Hagrid, do you ever clean in here?"
The others ignored him. Harry got straight to the point: "Hagrid, listen to me—Professor Snape is after the Philosopher's Stone! He tried to get past the three-headed dog on Halloween but was stopped!"
"If he tries again, he'll have figured out how to bypass it. That corridor isn't safe anymore, Hagrid. You have to tell Dumbledore!"
But Hagrid seemed distracted and waved them off. "Alright, Harry, you lot need to stop worryin' about things that aren't your concern! You'd be better off studying more spells! Look at Wentworth—he hasn't even left Hogwarts yet, and he's already becoming a household name!"
The four of them were stunned into silence.
Just then, a strange noise drew everyone's attention.
Hagrid hastily said, "Oh, look at the time—you lot should be headin' back to the castle!"
But Harry and the others ignored him and followed the sound to its source. Inside the hut, a large iron bucket sat atop the fire, rattling violently.
They turned to Hagrid, who sighed, then reached into the bucket and pulled out a massive egg.
Staring at the egg—about the size of a rugby ball—Harry and the others widened their eyes in disbelief. "Hagrid, what on earth is that?"
Hagrid hesitated, but Ron answered for him, "I know what it is! Hagrid, where did you get this?"
Hagrid admitted sheepishly, "I won it off a stranger in a pub."
Just then, the egg cracked. A tiny foot emerged, followed by more cracks splintering across the shell. Moments later, the egg shattered completely, revealing a small dragon.
Hermione gasped, "Is that… a dragon?"
Ron added, "Not just any dragon—it's a Norwegian Ridgeback! My brother studies them in Romania!"
Draco's eyes gleamed with excitement. "This is incredible! Hagrid, name your price—I'll buy it!"
Hagrid didn't even spare Draco a glance. His entire focus was on the tiny creature. "I'm not selling him! He's like my own child. Would a mother sell her baby? Look at 'im—he knows his mum!"
Hagrid reached out to stroke the hatchling.
At that moment, the wooden door suddenly burst open, and a voice called from the entrance, "I don't know if he recognizes his mother—but he certainly knows his food!"
Hagrid and the others whirled around in alarm, fear flashing across their faces. After all, keeping a dragon was illegal, and it certainly wasn't allowed under Hogwarts' rules!
Though Hogwarts encouraged students to care for magical creatures, dragons were definitely not on the approved list.
But when they saw the familiar figure standing in the doorway, Hagrid and the others let out a collective sigh of relief.
Hagrid, in particular, beamed. "Wentworth! Come in and meet Norbert!"
His warmth toward Wentworth was a stark contrast to his earlier brusqueness with Harry and the others.
After all, what school groundskeeper wouldn't favor a model student who even remembered to bring him a Christmas gift?
Faced with Hagrid's enthusiasm, Wentworth simply pointed at Hagrid's chin and asked, "Don't you feel hot?"
Hagrid looked down—only to realize that his beard had caught fire!
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