Chapter 61: Norbert Recalled a Message

The news of the dragon hatching made the afternoon's first Charms lesson feel lackluster—even though Professor Flitwick was teaching them a new spell to conjure flames, Harry and Ron couldn't muster much enthusiasm to learn it.

Cohen, on the other hand, had mastered it long ago. He spent the class flipping through his system shop, searching for tools that might help him manage wild magical creatures.

But there didn't seem to be anything like a "succubus collar" to make animals obey him…

Guess he'd just have to rely on his own charisma.

After Charms, they quickly packed their bags and dashed across the grounds to Hagrid's hut.

Hagrid eagerly ushered them inside.

The temperature here was even higher than last time—Hagrid had poured all his passion into keeping the dragon egg warm. It was hard to imagine the pampered life the little dragon would lead once it hatched.

"If human meat were on a dragon's menu, I bet Hagrid would feed himself to it without a second thought…" Harry whispered uneasily to Cohen.

"You should be glad we're not the backup rations," Cohen reassured him. "Hagrid's got enough meat to last a dragon days."

"It's almost here!" Hagrid said, his face flushed with excitement, oblivious to their conversation.

The egg sat on the table, a deep crack running across its dark shell. Every now and then, a clicking sound came from within, accompanied by the faint wobbling of the baby dragon inside.

[*Soul Strength: 20*]

Even fresh out of the egg, this dragon had an impressively resilient soul. Dragons really were formidable creatures—physically and mentally.

Still, it was weaker than Cohen, so Cohen won.

"Will it breathe fire right after hatching?" Harry asked, swallowing hard as he noticed sparks flickering from the crack.

"I reckon it might—" Hagrid said uncertainly. "But—hold on, it's pushing against the shell—shh…"

Another ring of fine cracks spread from the original split, as if a tiny creature were hammering its way out with a nail.

Everyone held their breath, watching the egg intently—Cohen's eyes were fixed on the new web of cracks.

Suddenly, he knew what was coming.

*Crack—*

The shell broke open into an irregular circular hole, and a small, dark head poked out. In its first second out of the egg, it yawned widely, but when it opened its eyes after the yawn, its gaze locked with Cohen's directly across from it.

Cohen sensed fear radiating from it—perhaps that's why it froze.

The air fell into an eerie stillness. It wasn't just Cohen and the dragon; even Hagrid and the others nearby stood motionless.

*Snap—*

The little dragon silently pulled its head back inside the shell. Then, through the hole, it extended a tiny claw and yanked the broken piece—still attached to the shell—back into place, sealing the opening shut.

Norbert had recalled a message.

"?"

Hagrid certainly hadn't read about *this* in any of his dragon-rearing books.

"Maybe there are too many of us, and it got scared," Cohen improvised. "Or maybe it needs a little help hatching…"

With that, Cohen reached out to assist the dragon—hiding in there forever would just waste time. They still had one more class that afternoon and had only snuck over during the break to watch it hatch.

[*Ding! Sin Value +10*] 

[*Note: You won't even spare a dragon, huh?*]

As Cohen pried open the shell, the dragon inside whimpered with a pitiful grunt.

"Resisting? Resistance is futile!" Cohen felt its reluctance—but no amount of defiance could stop him from cracking it open!

The dragon couldn't sense any kindness from Cohen and desperately tried to block the jagged hole with its body, hoping to keep him from shattering the shell.

But it was no use. It was up against a magic-wielding hybrid Dementor.

"Careful!" Hagrid yelped as Cohen cast *Diffindo* on the egg.

When the shell crumbled into pieces, there was nowhere left to hide.

Now fully exposed to the air, the little dragon looked like a crumpled black umbrella. Its spiky wings and dark, wrinkled membranes were several times larger than its body. Horned bumps sprouted from its head, its nostrils were pale, and its bulging orange-red eyes stared outward.

Even with the shell reduced to rubble, it tried to bury itself in the pile of fragments that had once sheltered it, tucking its head under its wings—

It looked rather pathetic, making Cohen seem downright villainous.

"It's beautiful…" Hagrid said, tears welling in his eyes.

He reached out a hand and brushed its wing.

The dragon instinctively bit him—not because it recognized Hagrid, but because it peeked through the gap under its wing and saw that the one touching it *wasn't* the terrifying monster.

"Blimey! It knows its mum!" Hagrid said, deeply moved.

"I think it's just a stress reaction," Cohen reasoned sensibly.

"Want to pet it? It's so gorgeous—and feels great too," Hagrid invited enthusiastically.

But Harry and the others noticed the shallow tooth mark left on Hagrid's finger and instinctively stepped back in unison.

If it could leave a mark on Hagrid, a bite on their hands might mean an amputation…

Cohen, however, didn't retreat. He reached out toward the dragon.

Harry and the others shot him looks of respect.

Unlike with Hagrid, when Cohen touched the dragon's back, it trembled violently but didn't turn to bite him.

The moment Cohen's hand made contact, the dragon shook so hard it looked like an ostrich trying to burrow its head into the wooden table through its wings, as if it could dig into the wood.

But after Cohen petted it a few more times, it seemed shocked to realize it was still alive—the terrifying monster hadn't harmed it.

"It doesn't feel *that* great…" Cohen said, pulling his hand back. The dragon's skin was cold and hard, like touching a jagged metal block.

"But it seems pretty obedient so far."

"Maybe it thinks you're its mum too!" Hagrid said excitedly. "You were the first thing it saw!"

"Then it'd have five mums," Ron pointed out the flaw. "We were all here, Hagrid—and none of us look like a dragon."

"I'm naming it Norbert!" Hagrid declared, conveniently ignoring Ron's comment. "Found it in a book—that little Norwegian Ridgeback in *Dragon Breeding for Pleasure and Profit* was called Norbert."

Once Norbert confirmed Cohen wasn't going to hurt it—for now—it finally lifted the wings covering its head. Facing Cohen, it pressed its head nearly flat against the table, raising its spine and tail high and wagging them, as if trying to please him.

"It kinda looks like…" Harry said, sounding a bit weirded out.

"A dog," Cohen finished.

(End of Chapter)