In fact, Hermione still didn't understand Kael very well.
Never mind just an inconsequential end-of-term exam; even if the O.W.Ls were tomorrow, he would never miss the Quidditch match.
This time, the reason he didn't attend the match was entirely due to receiving something special.
Five minutes ago, an owl suddenly burst into the locker room and tossed a chipped teacup in front of Kael.
"Kael, someone sent you trash!" Keeper Fello said grimly as he saw the teacup, "The match is about to start, who would do such a thing, could it be those Slytherins again..."
Kael didn't speak, just stared blankly at the teacup.
He recognized it immediately as belonging to Hagrid. He had advised Hagrid to throw it away before, so it made a deep impression on him.
"Sorry, Captain, I have something to do and might not make it to the rest of the match," Kael said.
Without any hesitation, Kael mounted his broom and rushed out of the locker room, without even taking off his team uniform.
Everyone stood there in a daze, and by the time they came to their senses, Kael was already gone.
"Uh... it's the first time I've seen Kael so serious," Fello clicked his tongue, "Do you think he knows who sent it and has gone to settle the score?"
"Probably not..." Cedric shook his head.
Compared to anger, Kael's expression earlier seemed more like he was worried about something.
"But what about the match?" Beater Will said, "We're supposed to go on soon."
"No worries, there's still time to switch players, I'll go find Madam Hooch," Harris left the locker room without looking back.
Meanwhile, having left the locker room, Kael flew swiftly across the field on his broom and arrived at Hagrid's wooden hut.
He had just dismounted from his broom when he heard heavy and urgent breathing.
Inside the room, Hagrid was holding Norbert tightly, desperately covering its mouth and wings.
But Norbert had already grown to be about the size of a Three-Headed Dog, and its strength was astonishing. Even for Hagrid, it was extremely difficult to control.
His arm muscles bulged, and his face was flushed red.
Kael hurried forward, coaxing and coddling, and finally managed to calm the irritable Norbert by offering all his little dried fish.
"Phew... luckily you came..." Hagrid sat on the ground, panting heavily.
"What game are you playing?" Kael frowned, "If I had come any later, this house would have been destroyed by you guys."
"It's all my fault..." Hagrid muttered, lowering his head. "Norbert has been getting more and more irritable recently. Today, it insisted on going out, and when I tried to stop it, it threw a tantrum."
A few minutes later, Kael roughly understood the situation.
In simple terms, Norbert was no longer as obedient as it was when it first hatched. It was becoming increasingly active, and as its body grew rapidly, Hagrid's little hut gradually seemed like a "cage" to it.
It was desperate to leave this place for somewhere bigger, and today it finally exploded. Of course, Hagrid didn't dare let it out, so he tried his best to stop it.
Kael understood. Anyone confined to a space as big as themselves would feel uncomfortable, let alone Norbert, who was a temperamental Fire Dragon. It was already giving Hagrid face by tolerating it until now.
"You should've written to me earlier!" Kael rubbed his forehead.
Because he had been busy making a new batch of Exam Pass Charms, and with Quidditch matters, he hadn't had much time to visit recently.
As a result, Hagrid had created such a big surprise.
Sure enough, he shouldn't have trusted Hagrid's promise, who said he would write once Norbert grew as big as Fang. Now it's almost a full circle bigger than Fluffy!
Hagrid recognized the seriousness of the situation and said with great reluctance, "You'd best take it away tomorrow."
"Why wait until tomorrow, let's do it now," Kael suggested, "It could flare up again at any time, and it'll be more troublesome then."
"Now?" Hagrid frowned, "But how are you going to transport it out? The Quidditch Pitch is right next door; if Norbert leaves the house, lots of people will see it... Oh right, we can put it in a crate, wait for me here!"
Hagrid got up and ran out of the hut.
After he left, Kael approached Norbert and took out a crate from the Transfiguration Lizard Skin Bag, opening it and placing it on the ground.
"Get in... though it's a bit simple, it's surely better than here."
Norbert flapped its wings, not fully understanding, but trusting Kael, it still stuck its head into the crate.
The next second, Norbert found itself in a wide-open space.
After Kael's efforts over time, and with increasing proficiency in the Undetectable Extension Charm, the space inside the box was nearly big enough to fit two Hogwarts Schools...not just the castle, but the entire school excluding the Forbidden Forest.
Though still far from the ultimate goal, it's barely enough to keep a Fire Dragon.
Then, Kael instructed Norbert to be careful and not bully the Trolls or the plants.
Norbert continued flying in the sky, letting out a dismissive burst of Dragon Flame as if agreeing.
When Kael emerged from the crate, Hagrid had just returned.
He was carrying a large and long wooden crate, with Fang whining loudly at his heels.
Hagrid had taken its favorite plush toy just now, and it wanted it back.
"Kael, how about this crate? It should be able to fit Norbert... Um, where's Norbert?"
Hagrid suddenly noticed that only Kael was in the room, and Norbert, who had been in the corner, was nowhere to be seen.
"It's... it's not flown away, has it..."
Hagrid's face turned white, and the wooden crate in his hands fell to the ground.
The thing he feared most had happened: Norbert had escaped...
There weren't just young wizards watching the match, there were professors, too. If they saw a sudden Fire Dragon appearing near the Forbidden Forest...
"Hagrid, Norbert didn't run away,"
Kael calmly closed the crate and placed it back in the Transfiguration Lizard Skin Bag. "You were just outside the house. Did you see it leave?"
Hagrid shook his head instinctively, feeling relieved.
He indeed hadn't seen Norbert leave the house.
"Rest assured, I've already settled it," Kael said.
"Settled?"
Hagrid's eyes widened, "But this...how did you do it?"
That was a Fire Dragon, one that could move and throw tantrums, yet it just disappeared?
"A minor trick," Kael grinned, "All right, crisis averted; I need to rush back to watch the match. Do you want to come along?"