Days passed, and the Dragon egg in Hagrid's hut neared its hatching. Finally, at breakfast, Harry received a letter from Hagrid.
Harry tore it open, skimmed the lines, then leaned over to whisper to Hermione and Ron.
'Hagrid says the Dragon's about to hatch. He wants us to come this afternoon.'
Hermione, still eating, swallowed a mouthful of pumpkin juice to wash down her sandwich. 'Fine, we'll go after classes.'
Ron nodded. Hermione set down her pumpkin juice cup and glanced toward the Ravenclaw Table. As expected, Lynn had already finished and left.
She sighed, turned back to her breakfast, and decided to tell Lynn at lunch.
After Charms that morning Hermione dragged Harry and Ron at a dead run to the Great Hall. Even so, they only just caught up with Lynn, who had been delivered to the entrance by Hogwarts's ever-helpful staircases.
'Lynn—good noon,' Hermione panted, hand on her chest.
Lynn heard her full name, stopped, and swivelled mechanically to face Hermione.
'Good noon, Hermione. What is it?'
Hermione caught her breath, smiled gently, and stepped closer.
'Hagrid says the baby Dragon's hatching. We're going this afternoon.'
Lynn listened, expressionless. 'All right. I understand.'
Hermione lowered her eyes, thinking. 'Your afternoon class is Transfiguration with Professor McGonagall, isn't it?'
'Yes.'
'We'll come for you afterwards.' Hermione's eyes sparkled.
Lynn met that sparkle without reaction. 'Mm. Thank you.'
Inside the Hall she sat at the Ravenclaw Table, eating rapidly while her mind replayed Hermione's shining gaze.
The remembered brightness still seemed to warm her skin.
Lunch over, Lynn headed straight to the Transfiguration classroom. Head bent over her book, she tuned out the world as usual.
Professor McGonagall entered, saw her reading, and sighed. In all her years of teaching, only this student made her want to say: stop studying—rest.
She said nothing. A student eager to learn was hardly a problem. By the end of the lesson Lynn had earned Ravenclaw another ten points; the House now led the others by more than four hundred, a distance that could only be called crushing.
Bag slung over her shoulder, she stepped into the corridor to find the other three still catching their breath.
'Hard work,' Lynn intoned, extracting three tissues from her bag and handing them over.
'Thanks,' they chorused, mopping sweat. Hermione slipped a hand through Lynn's arm.
'Let's go.'
'Mm.' Lynn nodded mechanically and walked with them toward Hagrid's hut.
At the door Harry knocked. 'Hagrid, it's us.'
The door flew open; Hagrid beamed, eyes alight. 'Perfect timing—any moment now! Come in!'
The instant they crossed the threshold he slammed it shut.
The hut sweltered. In the kettle over the fire the egg rocked violently—hatching seconds away.
'Wow...' Hermione, Harry and Ron breathed, crowding closer.
Lynn studied the egg, mind ticking: clear signs of imminent hatch—estimated three minutes.
Analysis complete, she pulled the curtain across an unshaded window.
Keeping a Dragon was illegal; therefore everything here must be hidden.
An uncovered window was an unacceptable risk, so she had acted.
Curtain drawn, she returned to Hermione's side and began a silent countdown.
Five, four, three, two, one—time. The thought had barely formed when a tiny head punched through the shell.
Hermione and Harry stared at the hatchling, expressions unreadable.
'Er... is it just me, or is it kind of ugly?' Hermione whispered.
Harry nodded vigorously. 'Same here.'
To Lynn the creature was simply a life-form—no aesthetic judgment attached.
'It's brilliant!' Ron glowed. Hagrid lifted the baby Dragon in his huge hands.
'Oh, the little darling—look, it knows I'm Mummy.'
The dragonet hiccupped; sparks ignited Hagrid's beard.
'Yikes!' He slapped the flames out.
Harry and Hermione exchanged a look: this Dragon had to leave—fast.
'Norbert—you'll be Norbert,' Hagrid laughed.
Ron, recovering, face-palmed. Outside, a platinum-blond head bobbed at the window, hunting in vain for a gap.
Draco Malfoy stalked off, scowling. Wherever Potter went, trouble followed; he would keep watching until he caught them.
'Hagrid, you promised—after it hatched you'd send... Norbert away,' Hermione reminded gently.
Hagrid froze, gazing down at the hatchling with heartbreaking reluctance.
'But he's so small... he can't leave Mummy...'
'You're not its mother, Hagrid,' Ron sighed.
Lynn stood nearby, mind racing, then spoke in a flat, matter-of-fact voice.
"Hagrid, you can't raise Norbert properly—you can't provide everything a Dragon needs to grow. It'll leave him weak, worse off than any Dragon his age."
Lynn's words carried no emotion; she couldn't spare a thought for Hagrid's feelings. Her cold analysis struck straight at the heart of the matter, and Hagrid began to sob loudly.
He knew she was right. He really couldn't give Norbert the space or conditions he needed to grow.
"A-all right... we'll send him away."
The other three—Hermione, Harry, and Ron—exhaled in relief, then turned to Lynn and, as one, gave her a silent thumbs-up.
Lynn's expression never changed; she had simply analyzed the facts and spoken them aloud.
Over the next few days Ron owled his brother Charlie to confirm the final pick-up time for Norbert, while he, Harry, and Hermione took turns helping Hagrid care for the Dragon in his hut.
As for Lynn, the trio deliberately kept her out of it—she was swamped with studying anyway. On Thursday afternoon, as she sat reading in the Library, Hermione and Harry arrived supporting Ron, whose right hand was wrapped like a ball.
Hermione dropped her bag beside Lynn and sat down, staring gravely at Ron across the table.
"So... Malfoy knows we're sending Norbert away—and exactly when?"
Ron slumped in his seat. "Yeah... it's my fault. He came to the Hospital Wing to gloat; I got mad and wasn't thinking. I let him take the book—Charlie's letter was inside."
Hermione sighed soundlessly but shook her head. "It's all right. Don't blame yourself. Harry and I will just have to be extra careful when we take Norbert."
"Exactly," Harry agreed, nodding.
Hermione pulled out her notebook and, the moment Lynn turned a page, quickly asked the question she'd jotted down.
Lynn lowered her eyes to the notebook, her gaze vacant, and answered in a mechanical voice.
Hermione nodded repeatedly, scribbling down the explanation, while opposite her Harry and Ron felt their heads spin as the knowledge drilled its way in.
Once she understood, Hermione thanked Lynn softly, then huddled with Harry and Ron to discuss the Saturday-night hand-off.
Time, place—every detail reached the ears of Lynn, who hadn't yet slipped into her usual study trance.
"The invisibility cloak can cover both of us, right? Malfoy's bound to bring a Professor."
Hermione whispered to Harry, who nodded. "Should be fine—as long as we move slowly.
Lynn dropped her gaze back to her book while several thoughts flashed through her mind.
Hermione and Harry plan to take Norbert to the Astronomy Tower at midnight Saturday. That's against school rules—and Wizarding law.
Malfoy knows; he might report them, so they could be caught.
If they're caught breaking both school rules and Wizarding law, they'll be punished.
A dull ache pulsed in her head. She ought to help Hermione—mustn't let a Professor catch her.
Lynn flexed her stiff fingers, fixing the task in her mind.
Near curfew she packed up, slung her bag over her shoulder, and left the Library.
After saying good-bye to the trio, she set off for Ravenclaw Tower.
Walking back, she tallied the infractions: leaving the dorm after curfew—violation; helping them move a Dragon—violation; evading Professors—violation.
Three violations flashed across her mind without hesitation. She pinched her own thigh three times.
She stood still until the muscle spasms passed, then hurried into the Ravenclaw Common Room.
A little before midnight Saturday, Lynn rose expressionlessly from her desk and headed for the Dormitory door.
On their beds, Maranhao and Marietta had been drifting off; they blinked awake, stunned to see Lynn about to leave.
"Lynn, where... are you going?" Maranhao asked blankly.
Lynn turned; her eyes were lifeless pools. "Night stroll."
Night stroll!!! The two prefects stared, unable to reconcile the word with the perfect student they knew.
Yet... if it was Lynn, maybe a bit of rule-breaking would do her good.
Maranhao smiled gently, rose barefoot, and straightened Lynn's collar. "Wear your cloak properly; don't catch cold."
"If you meet a Professor, don't worry—you've earned Ravenclaw enough points; lose a few, no one will mind."
Marietta stepped up, tapped Lynn's shoulder with her wand, and murmured a warming charm.
"You could visit the kitchens downstairs; the House-elves will love feeding you. Have fun."
Looking at her two seniors, Lynn suddenly recalled the Christmas feast—her head throbbed, her chest burned. Slowly she nodded.
"All right. Thank you, Senior Cho Chang, Senior Marietta."
"You're welcome—go enjoy yourself!"
Maranhao waved cheerily; together she and Marietta watched Lynn slip out.
"Good—she's finally doing something outside studying, even outside the rules."
Maranhao winked at Marietta, who beamed back.
"Yes, she's not so rigid anymore."
As her roommates and prefects, they knew better than anyone how lifeless she'd been when she first arrived—mechanical, day after day, nothing but study.
Back then, anything they said as outsiders simply hadn't reached her.
Later... thanks to Hermione, Lynn had begun to connect with the world.
Now she was sneaking out for night walks! So they'd encouraged her, told her where to go, given their support.
All they hoped was that, even if it was mischief, something—anything—would animate her face.
That night their guess missed the mark, yet their kindness struck sparks against the dark, lifeless rock of her world.
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