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HP Chapter 19: Discussion
🕑 Added 2025-08-01 17:27:06 +0000 UTCWhen Hermione, Ron, and Harry finally made it through Herbology class, hearts pounding the entire time, they rushed straight to Hagrid’s hut the moment class ended.
As they pushed open the wooden door, they froze.
Anne was curled up in a large, fur-covered armchair by Hagrid’s fireplace, knees tucked up, head lowered. A silver Sickle spun nimbly in her fingers, occasionally tossed in the air and caught again. Already petite, she looked even smaller wrapped in her black wizard robes, especially nestled in Hagrid’s oversized chair. The firelight flickered across half her face.
Hagrid stood at the table in the middle of the room, bent over an open wooden box, coaxing the baby dragon to eat. The room was silent.
Anne lifted her head only when she felt the cold wind from the open door. She swung her legs down, still idly spinning the Sickle in one hand, shifted to sit upright, and gave the trio a polite smile.
“You're here. Sit down, please, and shut the door, it's chilly outside. Hagrid!”
Hagrid finally looked away from the dragon and gave the trio a nod, then carried the baby dragon toward the center of the room and squatted to feed it.
Ron, bringing up the rear, closed the door. Hermione and Harry sat in the only two chairs, while Ron looked around awkwardly and chose to sit on a wooden crate.
Once everyone was settled, all eyes turned to Anne. She flicked the Sickle into her palm and glanced at her watch before speaking slowly.
“Let’s set a few ground rules for this talk, so we don’t waste time arguing. I’d like to get back to the castle for dinner.
First: Thanks to you three, I’m now officially in the same boat as you, at least when it comes to this dragon. So, for now, don’t think of me as just a Slytherin, and don’t bring up house affiliations during this conversation.
Second: I know now that you’ve calmed down, you probably have a lot of questions. Let’s ask them one at a time, raise your hand if you have to. No shouting over each other. Keep calm.”
“Any objections to these rules?” Anne asked.
Everyone shook their heads.
Anne nodded back. “Good. Let’s begin. I’ll ask first, just how serious is it to be raising a dragon?”
Harry and Hermione immediately turned to Ron. “Ron, you explain.”
Ron cleared his throat. “Keeping a dragon is illegal! The Ministry passed a law back in 1709 at the International Confederation of Wizards, it’s strictly forbidden. Dragons are dangerous and nearly impossible to train. My brother Charlie works with dragons in Romania. So yeah, keeping one is a big deal.”
“Got it. Now, your question?” Anne asked.
“I want to know, what should we actually do with the dragon?”
Hagrid cut in, “It’s Norbert! I gave him a name.”
Anne glanced at Hagrid, tone mildly exasperated. “Hagrid, remember the rules? Ron, go on.”
“We have to get rid of Norbert. He can’t stay here,” Ron said firmly.
Hagrid glared but said nothing. Anne nodded. “Does anyone disagree with Ron? Because I agree. Norbert really shouldn’t stay here.”
Hermione and Harry exchanged a look. “I agree,” they both said.
Hagrid raised his hand. Anne gave him a nod.
With tears in his eyes, Hagrid hugged the box holding Norbert. “But where could we send him? He’s just a baby, he only just hatched! He might die…”
Harry raised his hand. “Harry, go ahead,” Anne said.
“Charlie! Ron’s brother Charlie is working with dragons in Romania. Maybe he could take Norbert!”
Anne, Hermione, and Ron all lit up.
“Great idea!”
“Harry, you’re brilliant!” Hermione and Ron said in unison.
Anne turned to Hagrid. “What do you think, Hagrid? I bet Charlie would be more than happy to take Norbert and care for him properly.”
“I’ll write to Charlie right away!” Ron added excitedly. “I should get a reply in two days!”
Hagrid looked down at Norbert with a hint of sadness, but nodded.
“Alright, one problem solved,” Anne said with some relief. “Now, next issue, who’s got one?”
Hermione raised her hand.
Anne nodded. “Go ahead.”
“What about Malfoy? Sure, maybe none of the professors would believe him, but what if he spreads rumors? What if he tells Dumbledore? What do we do if we run into him later? And you, Anne, what if he uses this to threaten you? He’ll probably badmouth you in Slytherin too.”
All eyes turned to Anne.
“Yeah. Thanks to you three dragging me into this…” Anne muttered with some irritation. The trio looked sheepishly at one another.
“But,” Anne stood, slipping the Sickle into her robe pocket, “this one’s actually the easiest to handle.”
The others stared in confusion.
“We pretend none of this ever happened. I wasn’t here. You weren’t here. No dragon. Nothing.”
“But… we were here!” Ron said, confused.
Hermione’s eyes lit up, she got it. “I see! You mean, since only the five of us and Malfoy know what happened, and no one else saw anything, as long as we don’t talk about it, it’ll be like it never happened!”
Anne nodded.
“But what if Malfoy does tell people?” Harry asked.
Anne gave a mischievous smile. “Then it gets even better. Just admit it! Tell them yes, we were totally in Hagrid’s hut with a huge dragon, one with three wings! And Malfoy just happened to be lurking nearby and saw it! I mean, I’m a Slytherin, right? And he hates me. What better rumor for him to spread?”
Harry’s eyes widened as he imagined the scene. “Hah! No one would believe him. They’ll just think he made it up to get us in trouble.”
Only Ron and Hagrid still looked confused.
“Exactly.” Anne walked to the door and checked the time. “It’s getting late. I’m going to dinner. You lot should stay here for a while, Gryffindors and Slytherins can’t be seen together too often. And one more thing, next time you drag me into something like this, I will draw my wand.”
She pulled up her hood, tucked her hands into her sleeves, and slipped out the door.
Hermione watched her leave and turned to Harry with a grin. “She’s something else, isn’t she?”
Harry nodded. “She’s brilliant.”
Ron still looked dazed. Hagrid just sat quietly feeding Norbert.
Anne jogged all the way to the dining hall, caught her breath, adjusted her robes, and stepped inside. As usual, she sat beside Fanny. But the moment she entered, she noticed Malfoy watching her with that smug, scheming look.
She ignored him, grabbed a custard tart, and ate it in two bites. Then she nudged Fanny with her chin. “What’s with Malfoy? He’s been staring since I walked in.”
Fanny took a sip of milk tea, then glanced at Malfoy. “He’s been going on all afternoon about some big secret he uncovered.”
“Oh?” Anne said as she helped herself to a plate of perfectly roasted, boneless chicken. “Nice. This is good.”
Just as she was about to go grab some pudding, Malfoy marched over with his two sidekicks. Everyone near her quickly scooted away.
Anne didn’t even glance at him. She stood up, reaching for the pudding. Malfoy blocked her with a hand.
Anne frowned. “Hello, Mr. Malfoy. I see you. May I get my pudding, please? I’m starving.”
Now everyone at the Slytherin table was watching. Even a few nearby tables were paying attention.
Malfoy, clearly enjoying the attention, raised his voice. “Hmph! Anne Reeve! Don’t think I don’t know. I’ve uncovered your biggest secret, and once it’s out, you’ll be expelled for sure!”
Now everyone in the hall turned to look. Fanny stood beside Anne, food forgotten.
Anne sighed. “Malfoy, I’m not in the mood for your games. I’m just hungry.”
Fanny added, “Draco, what are you doing?”
Malfoy ignored her, staring only at Anne. “I’m going to expose your secret! Don’t blame me when the school kicks you out!”
Fanny opened her mouth, but Anne tugged her sleeve.
The hall fell silent.
Anne looked around, annoyed. “Alright then. Let’s hear it. What’s this huge secret that’s going to get me expelled?”
Malfoy puffed up. “This afternoon! Anne Reeve was with Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley, and Harry Potter in Hagrid’s hut, raising a dragon!”
Gasps and whispers erupted.
Anne rubbed her ear. “Malfoy, could you keep it down a bit?”
Malfoy sneered. “Too late to regret it now!”
“Regret what? Your shouting is giving me a headache. By the way, this Hagrid, who is he again?”
Someone nearby snorted with laughter.
Malfoy gaped. “Don’t play dumb! The big oaf in the hut by the Forbidden Forest, the one who met us at the train!”
“Ohhh, him. Why were you near the forest? We’re not supposed to go there.”
“I wasn’t in the forest, it was beside it!”
“Right, right. And what were you doing there?”
“Trying to uncover Harry Potter’s secrets and get him expelled!”
“But you said I had a big secret?”
“You were there too!”
“Right, so I was there too. And then?”
“You were raising a dragon with that stinky oaf!”
“Ooooh, a dragon! Cool! What did it look like? Did you get a good look?”
“A hideous little black dragon with wings!”
“Little? That’s lame. I’d rather have a huge one. Bigger than a hut.”
“Anne Reeve! Don’t deny it! I saw you!”
“Fine, fine, I confess. I was with the Gryffindor trio, in a hut near the forest, with a giant and a tiny black dragon. Can I get my pudding now? I’ve only had one chicken leg.”
Anne sat down, pulled over her pudding, and grabbed a sausage.
Malfoy froze. “…You’re admitting it?”
Anne nodded mid-bite.
He glanced around, only to realize no one was paying attention anymore. “She admitted it! She said it!”
He stormed off, flustered, with his cronies behind him.
Fanny chewed slowly, then wiped her mouth with a napkin. “That felt like watching you tease a child.”
Anne sipped her tea. “I’m not here to babysit. I just want to eat in peace.”
As she left the hall, she passed the trio on their way in. Their eyes met briefly, then went their separate ways.
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A/N: Crisis averted, perfectly! Haha
