chapter 22

Back to Harry, Hermione and Ron walking together.

Harry is rubbing his forehead.

"My scar is hurting - it's happened before, but never as often as this", said Harry.

"Go to Madam Pomfrey", Hermione suggested.

"I think it's a warning… it means danger's coming…" Harry figured out.

"Harry, relax, Hermione's right, the Stone's safe as long as Dumbledore's around. Anyway, we've never had any proof Snape found out how to get past Fluffy. He nearly had his leg ripped off once, he's not going to try it again in a hurry. And Neville will play Quidditch for England before Hagrid lets Dumbledore down".

Harry nodded, but he couldn't shake off a lurking feeling that there was something he'd forgotten to do, something important.

When he tried to explain this, Hermione said "That's just the exams. I woke up last night and was halfway through my Transfiguration notes before I remembered we'd done that one".

Harry was quite sure the unsettled feeling didn't have anything to do with work, though. He watched an owl flutter toward the school across the bright blue sky, a note clamped in its mouth. Hagrid was the only one who ever sent him letters. Hagrid would never betray Dumbledore. Hagrid would never tell anyone how to get past Fluffy… never… but -

Harry suddenly jumped to his feet.

"Where are you going?" said Ron, sleepily.

Key catches up to Harry.

"Key!" Hermione smiles.

"What's going on?" asked Key.

"Good timing, Key you are good at observing things, Don't you think it's odd that what Hagrid wants more than anything is a dragon, and a stranger turns up who just happens to have an dragon eggs if it's against wizard law", Harry pointed out.

"That makes sense, not many would carry something so risky, that means that the person Hagrid met", Key agreed with Harry.

"What are you two talking about?" asked Ron.

"It makes perfect sense", Harry and Key snap their fingers.

Hagrid was sitting in an armchair outside his house; his trousers and sleeves were rolled up, and he was shelling peas into a large bowl.

"Hullo, " he said, smiling. "Finished yer exams? Got time fer a drink?"

"Yes, please, " said Ron, but Harry cut him off. 

"No, we're in a hurry", said Harry 

"You know that night you won Norbert? What Did the stranger you were playing cards with look like?" asked Key.

"Dunno, " said Hagrid casually, "he wouldn' take his cloak off. 

Hagrid saw the four of them look stunned and raised his eyebrows. 

"It's not that unusual, yeh get a lot o' funny folk in the Hog's Head - that's the pub down in the village. Mighta bin a dragon dealer, mightn' he? I never saw his face, he kept his hood up. " Hagrid pointed out.

Harry sank down next to the bowl of peas and says "What did you talk to him about, Hagrid? Did you mention Hogwarts at all?"

"Mighta come up, " said Hagrid, frowning as he tried to remember. "Yeah... He asked what I did, an' I told him I was gamekeeper here... He asked a bit about the sorta creatures I took after... So I told him... An' I said what I'd always really wanted was a dragon... An' then... I can' remember too well, 'cause he kept buyin' me drinks... Let's see... Yeah, then he said he had the dragon egg an' we could play cards fer it if I Wanted... But he had ter be sure I could handle it, he didn' want it ter go ter any old home... So I told him, after Fluffy, a dragon would be easy... "

"And did he - did he seem interested in Fluffy?" Harry asked, trying to keep his voice calm.

 "Well - yeah - how many three-headed dogs d'yeh meet, even around Hogwarts? So I told him, Fluffy's piece o' cake if yeh know how to calm him down, jus' play him a bit o' music an' he'll go straight off tersleep - - "Hagrid suddenly looked horrified. "I shouldn'ta told yeh that!" he blurted out. "Forget I said it! Hey - where're yeh goin'?"

Harry, Key, Ron, and Hermione didn't speak to each other at all until they came to a halt in the entrance hall, which seemed very cold and gloomy after the grounds.