The clamor of the Quidditch match had yet to fade, and the corridors of Hogwarts were already flooded with talk about dragons.
Baelon came out of the Great Hall clutching his textbooks and was immediately surrounded by several groups of students from his year.
Some poked their heads out to watch curiously, while others timidly approached, their voices laced with cautious probing.
“Baelon, is what they’re saying true?
Are you really raising a dragon in the Forbidden Forest?”
“Can it breathe fire?
Is it very fierce?”
Taiwan Novel Network is super smooth, read as you wish.
“Weasley said the dragon is bigger than a pony, is that true?”
Everyone knew the source of the news.
Earlier, the Weasley twins had gotten excited and let the secret slip, quietly telling Ron about Baelon and the dragon.
They thought Ron could keep a secret just like them, but Ron’s mouth had never been one to hide things.
Looking at Baelon’s retreating back that day, he felt both regretful and uneasy, but in the end, he couldn’t hold it in and spread the secret as soon as he turned around.
Overnight, the news that “Baelon, a first-year Ravenclaw, is raising a dragon in the Forbidden Forest” flew throughout the entire school.
Baelon kept his head down and didn’t stop walking.
His face was calm, showing no emotion, as he replied faintly, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
He could handle things on his end, but he worried that this storm whipped up by curiosity would eventually involve someone who shouldn’t be involved.
That evening, the sky grew dark.
The wind at the edge of the Forbidden Forest carried a chill, and a faint wisp of blue smoke rose from the chimney of Hagrid’s hut.
Malfoy, with Goyle and Crabbe in tow, sneakily circled the edge of the Forbidden Forest.
He had intended to follow the rumors to find where Baelon was hiding the dragon, but as he passed Hagrid’s hut, he was drawn by a strange sound.
Faint, squeaky cries, accompanied by weak sparks, drifted out from the tightly closed door of the wooden hut.
Draco Malfoy’s eyes lit up.
He immediately signaled the two beside him to be quiet, tiptoed to the window, dabbed a bit of saliva on his fingertip, gently poked a hole in the window paper, and peeked inside.
This one look caused the corners of his mouth to instantly curl up.
In the fireplace, a pile of ashes trembled slightly.
A patterned dragon egg had already cracked open, and a bright red dragon with shining eyes and tiny wings was shakily lifting its head, puffing out a few weak sparks.
Hagrid crouched nearby, his rough palms gently protecting the little dragon.
His face was filled with hidden tension and joy as he whispered, “Slowly…
come out slowly, Norbert…
don’t be afraid…”
Malfoy took a sudden step back and lowered his voice, a mean and triumphant smile playing on his lips.
“So the dragon isn’t in the Forbidden Forest; it’s here with Hagrid.” He sneered.
“This half-Giant actually dares to hide a dragon egg.”
He didn’t hesitate any longer, raising his foot and kicking the wooden door of Hagrid’s hut with a bang.
“Hagrid!
Get out here!”
The wooden door shook from the impact.
Hagrid jumped in fright, hurriedly covered the little dragon with a blanket, turned around, and pulled the door open with a wary expression.
Seeing it was Malfoy, his face immediately darkened.
His massive frame blocked the doorway like a thick wall.
“Malfoy!
What are you doing here?”
“What am I doing?” Draco crossed his arms and tilted his chin, his tone biting and arrogant.
“I saw everything clearly just now, Hagrid.
That thing in your fireplace—it’s a dragon, isn’t it?”
Hagrid’s face instantly turned bright red.
His eyes were panicked, yet he still feigned composure.
“What nonsense are you talking about!
That’s…
that’s a lizard I’m raising!”
“A lizard?” Malfoy sneered as if he had heard a joke.
“A lizard that spits sparks?
You can’t be unaware that the Ministry of Magic forbids the private keeping of dragons, can you?”
He took a step forward, his eyes sinister.
“I’m going to tell Professor Snape right now, and my father.
He’ll certainly be very ‘interested’.”
Hagrid panicked, his massive hand gripping the doorframe as his voice trembled.
“Malfoy, don’t do anything rash!
This dragon is very small; it won’t hurt anyone!”
“Whether it hurts anyone isn’t for you to decide.” Draco gave him a cold glance.
“Just wait, Hagrid.
You’ll be kicked out of Hogwarts soon enough.”
With that, he turned and ran toward the Castle with Goyle and Crabbe.
Hagrid stood at the door, helpless and stomping his feet in frustration, his entire face turning purple with anxiety.
That night, Hagrid hardly closed his eyes.
The fire flickered, and every tiny cry from the little dragon, Norbert, made his heart skip a beat.
He stayed by the fireplace, stroking Norbert’s scales over and over, fearing both the Ministry of Magic suddenly showing up and Malfoy playing dirty tricks.
Baelon came by once quietly during the night, only leaving a Stealth Leaf outside the window.
He whispered for Hagrid to stay calm before retreating back into the Forbidden Forest.
A day passed, and the afternoon wind grew even colder.
The heavy sound of hooves crushed the silence of the woods.
The Malfoy family’s ornate carriage pulled up right in front of Hagrid’s hut, splashing dust onto the wooden planks.
Lucius Malfoy stepped out of the carriage.
His grayish-green robes were spotless, and his cane struck the ground heavily, every step carrying a crushing arrogance.
He didn’t even look at Hagrid, his gaze sweeping directly over the small wooden hut as if sizing up a possession of his own.
“Hagrid,” he began, his voice as cold as the wind in a dungeon.
“I heard you’ve hatched a dragon.”
Hagrid clenched his fists, his knuckles turning white as he stood blocking the door.
“That’s my business.
It has nothing to do with you.”
“Nothing to do with me?” Lucius took a step forward, nearly pressing against Hagrid’s face, an overwhelming pressure radiating from him.
“I’ve already sent word to the Ministry of Magic.
In an hour, they’ll be here to arrest you.
For keeping a dragon illegally, Azkaban would be enough for you to stay for several years.”
Hagrid’s face instantly turned pale.
“I’ll give you a way out.” Lucius tilted his chin slightly, his tone one of non-negotiable coercion.
“Sell the dragon to me.
My dragon sanctuary in Romania just happens to be missing a hatchling.
Give it to me, and I’ll withdraw the report, acting as if this never happened.”
“I’m not selling!” Hagrid growled.
“Not selling?” Lucius smiled, a smile devoid of any warmth.
“You are in no position to say no.
The dragon will be confiscated, you will be expelled, and I will still be able to ‘legally’ take it from the Ministry’s hands.
Choose—give it to me obediently, or lose everything.”
Just then, the shadows of the trees shifted, and Baelon stepped out from the edge of the Forbidden Forest.
He was only a first-year student, and standing before the tall Lucius, his figure seemed slight, yet he didn’t back down in the least.
Lucius turned his head and scanned him up and down, a curl of contempt on his lips.
“You’re the brat hiding a golden dragon in the Forbidden Forest?
Draco told me about you.”
Draco immediately leaned in toward his father, pointing at Baelon with a sinister grin.
“Father, that golden dragon of his is a new species never seen before.”
Lucius’s eyes immediately lit up, his greed unconcealed.
“Perfect.
Give me your golden dragon along with Hagrid’s hatchling.
I’ll pay you extra.
If you know what’s good for you, I can have Snape look after you more at Hogwarts.
If you don’t…”
He paused, planting his cane firmly on the ground, his voice dropping very low and full of threat:
“It’s quite normal for a first-year Wizard to have an ‘accident’ in the Forbidden Forest.”
A blatant threat.
Hagrid immediately stepped forward, shielding Baelon behind him.
“Don’t touch him!
If you have a problem, take it out on me!”
“Take it out on you?” Lucius sneered.
“Are you even worthy?”
Baelon gently pressed down on Hagrid’s arm and stepped out himself.
His face remained calm as he simply said:
“We aren’t selling.”
Lucius’s face darkened completely, his eyes terrifyingly vicious.
“Very well.
Then wait for the Ministry of Magic to come and make arrests.
I’d like to see how long you can keep being stubborn.”
No sooner had he spoken than two figures in Ministry of Magic uniforms walked over quickly, holding enforcement documents with serious expressions.
“Rubeus Hagrid, we have received a report that you are illegally keeping a dragon.
We are now taking you into custody for investigation, and the dragon is to be confiscated immediately!”
The official stepped forward, his wand pointed directly at Hagrid, his tone leaving no room for discussion.
“Step aside!
Or we will use force!”
Hagrid’s face was deathly pale, yet he stood firmly in front of the door, not budging an inch.
Draco crossed his arms and sneered, while Lucius stood by, waiting to see them completely collapse.
At the very moment the official’s wand lit up.
Baelon finally moved.
He slowly took a folded piece of parchment from his pocket and unfolded it unhurriedly.
The sunlight fell upon the paper, where the bright red seal of the Ministry of Magic’s Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures was clearly visible.
Below it was the personal signature of Cornelius Fudge, the Minister for Magic, and on the side was a handwritten guarantee from Albus Dumbledore himself.
The document stated with authoritative phrasing:
Keeper: Baelon Targaryen.
Granted official special permission from the Ministry of Magic to raise dragons.
All procedures are complete, legal, and compliant, protected under the laws of the Ministry of Magic.
“Hagrid was not keeping a dragon illegally.” His voice was steady, carrying clearly to everyone’s ears.
“This dragon is mine; I entrusted him with its care.
I hold a complete and legal dragon-keeping permit.”
The Ministry officials were stunned and hurried forward to check.
The more they checked, the paler their faces became.
Finally, they hurriedly tucked away their wands and apologized repeatedly, “So sorry, so sorry!
The report was incorrect!
We’ll leave at once!”
The triumph on Lucius’s face froze instantly, then turned a livid iron-blue.
He stared intently at that permit, his chest heaving violently, yet he couldn’t say a single word.
His carefully planned coercion, threats, and pressure were shattered into a mess before an official document signed by Fudge and guaranteed by Dumbledore.
“Let’s go!” He ground his teeth, snapped his robes around him, and turned to leave in humiliation with Draco.
Watching the figures of the Malfoys completely disappear at the end of the path, Hagrid’s tense body suddenly slumped.
He gasped for breath, his forehead covered in cold sweat.
Baelon stepped forward and gently patted his thick arm, his voice softening:
“Don’t be afraid, they’re gone now.
It’s okay.”
Hagrid wiped his face, his hands still trembling slightly, his voice thick and raspy.
“I…
I really thought just now…
I was going to be taken away, and Norbert was going to be taken too…
Baelon, if it weren’t for you, I really don’t know what I would have done.”
“It wouldn’t have happened.” Baelon’s tone was calm, yet exceptionally reassuring.
“With the permit, they can’t do anything to us.”
Hagrid nodded heavily, the heaving of his chest slowly subsiding.
His eyes were full of gratitude and trust as he looked at Baelon.
Baelon looked down at the little dragon and said softly, “I’ve seen the ‘Illustrated Guide to European Dragons’ in the library.
This is a Norwegian Ridgeback.
And I can tell it’s a female.”
Hagrid was stunned.
He looked down and studied the little dragon carefully for a long while before scratching his head and laughing sheepishly.
“So it’s a female…
then the name ‘Norbert’ isn’t quite right.”
He thought for a moment and gave the little dragon a new name in his gruff voice:
“Then we’ll call her Norberta.”
The little dragon let out a soft huff, as if accepting the name.
Only then did Baelon look down, carefully fold the permit, and slowly put it back in his pocket.
Hagrid looked at the little dragon, then at Baelon, his expression becoming serious:
“Baelon, you…
you should take Norberta with you.
With that permit of yours, she can be truly safe and have a legal status.
I can’t let her get you in trouble again, or herself.”
Baelon was taken aback by the words, then laughed softly, his tone relaxed and frank:
“I thought it was something serious.
There’s nothing to worry about.”
He paused and looked at Hagrid, saying seriously:
“It’ll be just like before.
You help me look after her and keep her company, and I’ll handle the legalities and safekeeping.
She’ll be mine in name, but in reality, you’ll still be the one watching her grow up.
That way, she’s safe, and you’re at ease.
Isn’t that good?”
Hagrid looked up sharply, his eyes suddenly reddening as he took a heavy breath:
“You…
you’re really willing to do that?”
“Of course.” Baelon nodded, his tone gentle.
“Norberta is happiest when she has you with her.”
Hagrid nodded vigorously, unable to say another word, just constantly wiping his eyes.
But deep in Baelon’s eyes, a very faint cold light flickered.
He wasn’t one of those children in Hogwarts who hadn’t seen the world.
Court intrigues, human calculations, and the oppression of power—he had experienced them countless times.
Lucius Malfoy’s threats, coercion, and vicious methods from just now—he remembered every word.
If others showed him an inch of respect, he would return a yard.
If others wanted to harm him, oppress him, or plot against him…
Then he needn’t be polite.
Baelon looked up toward where the Malfoys’ carriage had disappeared, his fingertip gently rubbing the edge of his pocket.
A thought slowly took shape in his mind.
The Malfoy family’s most fragile, most easily overlooked, yet most potentially fatal weakness—
It wasn’t wealth, nor status, nor power.
It was the House-elf who had been oppressed by them for years, bound by contract, without a shred of freedom.
He remained composed, his face still calm as he said softly to Hagrid, “I’ll take Norberta away first.
I’ll come find you once she’s settled.
After that, things will be as they were.”
Hagrid nodded repeatedly, filled with gratitude.
Baelon, holding the little dragon Norberta, turned and walked into the Forbidden Forest.
Sunlight filtered through the leaves, falling upon his retreating back.
No one knew that this seemingly gentle and quiet first-year had already placed a small chess piece—one enough to make the Malfoys ache to their bones.
Rescue the Malfoy family’s House-elf.
Let it break free from its shackles as a free being.
And then have it, in turn, personally “plot” against the Malfoys.
And the elf, once free, would willingly become his companion and stay by his side.
This time, it wasn’t Malfoy who would be doing the coercing.
It was he who would take the initiative to return the malice.
Deep in the Forbidden Forest, the breeze rustled softly.
In the depths of Baelon’s eyes, for the first time, there flashed a very faint but incredibly sharp coldness.
The show has only just begun.