The hatching of the dragon egg was much quicker than Kael expected. Just a few days after the Easter holidays, he received a letter from Hagrid.
It only had four words: "Almost out of shell."
The handwriting was more scribbled than ever, and it was crooked. Kael could bet that even while writing the note, Hagrid definitely never looked away from the dragon egg.
If he had glanced at the parchment, the writing wouldn't be so crooked.
But it was understandable. After all, raising dragons had always been Hagrid's wish, and now at this critical moment of the egg hatching, it was already quite remarkable that he managed to write a letter at all.
Kael hastily ate a few bites of sausage and rushed to Hagrid's hut.
"You're here just in time, it's about to come out."
Hagrid opened the door and said excitedly, "I was so nervous I didn't sleep a wink last night."
The egg had left the fireplace and was now placed on the table, occasionally wobbling a bit.
But to Kael's disappointment, he didn't see any cracks on the dragon egg.
"Judging by the frequency of the rocking, it'll probably take another two hours before it hatches," Kael sighed.
The dragon egg was expected to hatch around ten in the morning, and he would likely be in the castle's third-floor Transfiguration Class at that time.
If only it was a day earlier. Yesterday morning was Herbology Class, and the third greenhouse they visited was near the site. He could have easily gone to take a peek during the break.
But today wasn't an option.
After Transfiguration Class, there was Defence Against the Dark Arts, and if possible, Kael didn't want to be late.
...
Back at the castle, Kael was still thinking about the matter.
The first three days after a Fire Dragon hatches are the best moments to bond. The young dragons, like waking from a deep sleep, are still adjusting their bodies, with their aggressive and combative instincts suppressed to the minimum. They naturally feel close to any creatures they see.
If missed, it would be much harder to foster a good relationship with them later.
It seems these three days would require a few more trips to Hagrid's place.
Of course, gifts are a must, though no special preparation is needed. Dried meat and fish snacks will suffice.
These are things Norwegian Ridgebacks love; perfect for boosting affinity.
In some ways, raising dragons isn't much different from raising cats.
In Transfiguration Class, Kael absent-mindedly listened to Professor McGonagall and then raised his wand to turn the rabbit in front of him into a shiny, exquisite trophy.
"The shape is perfect, and no fur remains. A month ago, I would have given you five points for this…"
At this moment, Professor McGonagall's voice suddenly came from beside him.
"I understand your determination to win the competition, but I must remind you, in this class, we're supposed to be transforming slippers… You can't go around wearing a Quidditch trophy, right?"
"Sorry, professor…"
Kael's face flushed, and he quickly waved his wand once more, transforming the trophy into a pair of fuzzy slippers with cat ears.
Only then did Professor McGonagall show a satisfied expression.
"Don't let your mind wander in the next class."
"Hufflepuff scores three points."
...
Finally, when noon arrived, Kael hurriedly left the classroom as soon as class ended, eager to get acquainted with the newborn young dragon.
While passing the auditorium doors, he spotted Harry and Malfoy.
However, Kael didn't find it strange. As long as it wasn't class time, you could always find Malfoy near Harry. It's common knowledge…
But today, they seemed somewhat different.
Malfoy was beside Crabbe and Goyle, laughing loudly and smugly.
Meanwhile, Harry was looking at them with a tense expression, as if some leverage against him had been discovered.
Moreover, their eyes were only on each other, neither noticing Kael briefly walking past them.
Tsk tsk… Has Malfoy successfully ousted Ron for a higher position?
Curiously, Kael glanced back at them.
However, ten minutes later, he figured out what was going on.
"So, Malfoy also saw the Norwegian Ridgeback?"
"I, I'm not sure." Hagrid said a bit dejectedly, "I only saw him pressed against the window but didn't notice when he arrived."
Kael glanced at the window Hagrid was pointing to, frowned slightly, and said:
"I think Malfoy may have just seen something on the table, but didn't know it was a Fire Dragon."
"Really?" Hagrid asked excitedly.
If Malfoy didn't see, that means he wouldn't have to send Norbert away?
"I'm just guessing." Kael said.
The window's position wasn't high, and most of it was covered by a curtain, only leaving a small gap. If someone was standing in front of the table, they could block the other person's view.
But it's hard to say how much could be blocked, given Kael wasn't present and didn't know Harry and the others' positions.
However, as far as he knew, Malfoy never missed an opportunity to trouble Harry. If he really saw the Fire Dragon, he wouldn't be in the auditorium just now, but in Snape's office.
Kael comforted Hagrid with a few words before taking out a piece of fish snack and teasing the newborn young dragon.
Truly, the little one was unmistakably a Fire Dragon; though it had just hatched and was no bigger than a kettle, its teeth were already very sharp, easily biting the fish snack in half.
"Kael… you're sure it's okay to feed it this?"
Hagrid asked nervously, "I remember the book saying it should be fed chicken blood brandy at this time, and solid food a week later."
As he said this, Hagrid pulled out the book he kept under his pillow, "Raising Fire Dragons for Fun and Profit".
He'd been reading this lately; although some of the content was outdated, it was very comprehensive, including the entire process of raising fire dragons.
"What you mentioned is just the standard for artificial feeding. For wild Fire Dragons, they can't find chicken blood brandy either."
Kael brought out another fish snack and said, "In fact, for certain Fire Dragons, like Norwegian Ridgebacks and Hungarian Horntails, they can start eating normally right after hatching… Those sharp teeth are not just for show."
"Really?" Hagrid blinked confusedly.
But seeing Norbert happily eating the fish snack, he chose to trust Kael's words.
Whether it's brandy or fish snacks, as long as it likes it.
Soon, a packet of fish snacks ran out, and the little creature burped contentedly, spewing a small tuft of flame from its mouth.
"Seems Norbert likes fish…" Hagrid said blissfully, "Oh right, you probably don't know yet, Norbert is the name I gave it."
...…