Chapter 91: Male Mom, Get Out!
After a busy Tuesday, Ethan went to Hagrid's hut on Wednesday afternoon.
The hut wasn't very warm now, but the doors and windows were still shut tight; the curtains were drawn.
"Who?"
"It's me, Ethan."
Hagrid opened the door, poked his head out to check for anyone behind him, then pulled Ethan inside and quickly closed the door.
As soon as he entered, Ethan saw the Norwegian Ridgeback on the table, black and skinny with a long snout.
Perhaps drawn to him because of his bloodline, the day-old hatchling hobbled across the table toward him.
Hagrid quickly stepped forward and blocked it with his arm, afraid it would fall off.
But the hatchling didn't appreciate that. It bared its fangs and bit Hagrid's arm.
Oh, my baby, so naughty, Hagrid thought, assuming it was playing with him. He stroked the horned bumps on its head with his other hand.
The little dragon tried to get around him, but Hagrid blocked it again.
Sparks sprayed from its nostrils.
"Let me do it, Hagrid." Ethan walked behind Hagrid and gestured for him to move his arm.
"Be careful. Its bite stings a little. Of course, I can't feel a thing. It's just playing." Hagrid looked very proud.
Ethan didn't speak. He sat in the chair, watching the black dragon inch toward him, rubbing against his finger, no different from a cat or a dog.
He remembered Cyril saying his bloodline could deter dragons and snakes, but Cyril hadn't explained how to use it.
Ethan intended to practice on this rare dragon.
He stared straight at the dragon that wasn't looking at him, thinking: Submit! Submit!
At first, nothing happened, though Hagrid was shocked that this little dragon, so fierce with Harry and the others, was so docile with Ethan.
But as Ethan silently repeated the command, his eyes glowed faintly red, and the little dragon that had been rubbing his finger went still.
The red light intensified. The dragon, previously motionless, began to tremble, its legs shaking.
Seeing that something was wrong, Hagrid quickly stepped onto the table and cradled it in his hands.
"Baby, what's wrong? Why are you shaking? Mum's here."
Ethan pushed the thoughts out of his mind and the red light faded from his eyes. Now only one thought remained: Put it down! Put it down!
Hagrid thought it was hungry again, so he quickly fed it brandy mixed with chicken blood, but it only took a few sips before stopping.
"That was probably nothing. It's fine, Hagrid." Ethan stopped experimenting with the little dragon. He planned to go to the Forbidden Forest to find some snakes.
Hagrid held it in his arms a while longer. Seeing it start to spew sparks again, he placed it on the table, relieved.
"Ethan, I see it likes you quite a bit. You can take care of it for a while. I'll grab a few bites first." Seeing the little dragon rub against Ethan's hand again, Hagrid finally turned back to his own meal, relieved.
Ethan tapped its head. "You forget the second you turn around. No memory at all."
When Hagrid finished eating and sat back down at the table, he looked at the pitch-black little dragon with love.
"Have you named it yet?" he asked.
"Not yet. I'll name it when it gets bigger. It's still too small, a baby."
"Name it now; otherwise it'll be hard to refer to him. How about Norbert?" Ethan suggested, with his usual terrible taste.
"Um... alright, Norbert. Do you like this name?" Hagrid hoped the hatchling would show some dislike so he could pick a different name.
However, to Hagrid's disappointment, the little dragon had no reaction at all. It simply rested its head in Ethan's hand, enjoying his touch.
"Silence means consent. It's Norbert." Ethan seized the moment to make it official.
"Norbert! Stand up," he called out, lifting the dragon from his hand and setting it on the table.
"Look, he likes it." Ethan deliberately ignored Hagrid's disappointed expression, continuing to pet the hatchling.
"What gender is Norbert? Male or female?"
"Our Norbert is a little girl. Look at her, she's beautiful," Hagrid said, finally accepting the name.
"A female dragon?" Ethan hadn't expected Norbert to be female.
He tried to flip the little dragon over to examine its sexual characteristics.
"Hey, hey, what are you doing?" Hagrid snatched Norbert back.
"I just want to examine the sexual characteristics of dragons," Ethan insisted. He was just curious to see if dragons and snakes shared similar traits.
Hagrid tossed him a book.
He caught it and looked at the title: Dragon Breeding for Pleasure and Profit.
Hagrid was a bit angry. "Read it yourself! Everything's in the book."
Ethan held the book, listening to Hagrid coo and carry on, calling the dragon 'mommy this' and 'mommy that,' and felt nauseous.
"It's a bit stuffy in here. I'll go read outside," he said, making an excuse, grabbed a stool, and took the book out.
He found the sections he was looking for, read through them quickly, and soon figured out the topic he was interested in.
He carried the stool back inside. "Hagrid, I heard from Hermione that Draco found out you're raising a dragon?"
Hagrid's face went pale. He said uneasily, "Yes, when Norbert hatched, that boy saw it. I know he's never been friendly. I... I don't know what to do."
"Temporarily release Norbert into the Forbidden Forest? Send it away? Or ask Dumbledore for help? Those are probably your only options if you don't want to end up in Azkaban because of this." Ethan listed every possibility he could think of.
"It's still too small. Releasing it into the Forbidden Forest or sending it away will kill it. I can't..." Hagrid, the burly half-giant, broke down in tears, snot dripping from his nose.
"Then find Dumbledore. There's no other way."
"No, I can't trouble him anymore. He already fought tooth and nail to keep me at Hogwarts." Hagrid shook his head.
Ethan was speechless. When he finally spoke, his tone was stern. "So you're choosing to get yourself thrown into Azkaban and let Norbert become a wild dragon?!"
"No, I can't get caught, and I can't let my baby end up as a wild dragon." Hagrid shook his head.
"So go find Dumbledore. It's the only plan." Ethan's voice softened.
Hagrid hesitated for a long moment, then nodded. "Mmm."
"I'd better get going. I have things to do tonight. You'd better go find Dumbledore tonight."
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2.Marvel: Cosmic Forger of Infinity = CHAPTER 163
3.Harry Potter: Beyond Good and Evil in the Wizarding World = CHAPTER 236
4.Harry Potter: Reborn as Draco Black = CHAPTER 90
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