CHAPTER 66 – Surprise, surprise!
After being deceived by the movie’s plot, Logan started paying close attention to the golden trio, after all, if there was someone, trying his best not to get distracted from his French classes with Lisandra and his normal duties inside the school, plus still studying runes and how to write stronger and better runes.
“Mate, how is it that you’re so occupied and still have the energy to train that hard?” During one of their breakfasts Roger, who was trying his best not to bend over from tiredness, asked Logan, who was eating his breakfast normally, glancing from time to time towards Gryffindor’s table at the far side of the Great Hall. “Seriously… I feel like I don’t even have arms…”
“Beats me.” Logan shrugged. It’s not like he could tell them that he had a different physique because of his Arcanist class. “Maybe it’s because I’m already accustomed to it?” After rubbing his chin for a little bit, he shook his head and started taking more food to his plate.
William and Jake, who just recently got to the table, joined the conversation, laughing at the tired Roger from time to time. As the group chatted about the upcoming classes they had today, owls started to rush into the Great Hall, and as usual, they started leaving letters and packages to the students of the hall.
In one of those, a long package fell in the middle of Roger, Logan, William, and Jake, almost throwing some of the food Roger still had on his plate around. Shocked, Jake and William almost jumped back, but barely held themselves, while Logan simply looked at the package in surprise, and curiosity, his senses slightly honed by practice and experience, he wasn’t that surprised by the sudden arrival of the package.
Roger, on the other hand, sat still, looking at the package for a moment, before his eyes widened, remembering that he was, indeed, waiting for a package. Whether he didn’t react because the recent training gave him a better awareness, or simply because he was too tired to react, was something that Logan couldn’t figure out.
“That almost gave me a stroke!” Jake said as he patted his chest.
“Yeah, mate. What is that?” William who sighed deeply, asked as he turned his attention back to the package.
“Oh, that’s a new broomstick.” Roger said. “My mother and brother somehow managed to convince my father to get me a new one, seeing that I’m serious with quidditch and all that.” Roger said as he quickly opened the package, to find a Nimbus 2000 in there. “Whoa… They went above and beyond…” He muttered.
“Mate… that’s a Nimbus 2000!” William exclaimed. “Your mother and brother sure love you a lot.”
Roger snorted. “Of course they do. I’m the most handsome and most talented in the family.”
“Right, right.” Jake nodded while rolling his eyes. “I can only pray for the future of his family.” Before he leaned towards Logan, whispering.
Hearing his friend’s mocking comment, Logan could only chuckle before shaking his head. “Well, I guess now our House has a way to surpass the other teams, huh?” He said, looking at Roger.
“You’re damn right!” Roger said with a grin. While their team isn’t bad at all, they were still slightly behind Gryffindor. The good thing is, they managed to surpass Slytherin, which was a surprise no other House expected. “Just wait! I’ll show those damn lions why the eagles are top predators in the sky!”
“Well said, Davies!” From behind Roger, Rose Miller got close and patted Roger’s shoulder, looking at the broom that lay on the table.
“Yes! After so long!” Randolph Burrow, another Chaser in the team said. ”We finally have a chance!”
While the Ravenclaw quidditch team surrounded Davies, including Cho, Logan couldn’t help but noticed a trio of students somehow whispering among themselves. Lifting his eyebrow, Logan tried to read Ron’s lips, but without luck. They were simply too far, and Hufflepuff’s students covered them from time to time.
‘Suspicious…’ He thought with a frown, before turning to look at Jake. “Do we have any shared class this morning?”
“Mm?” Jake, who was paying attention to the quidditch team, was surprised by Logan’s question, but registering the question again, he thought for a moment, before shaking his head. “No, we’re quite free today. Our classes start in the afternoon, well, I have Divination in a couple of hours though.” He shrugged.
Logan nodded. “Right.”
“Why the question? Did you forget to do your homework for some class?” Jake tilted his head.
“Nah, just wanted to see if I could go visit Madam Pomfrey, I have some questions regarding healing magic.”
“Oh, right. How is your development in that area?” Jake asked.
“Quite good actually, I’m focusing more on some healing spells.” Logan shrugged. “Madam Pomfrey say I have more talent in that than in the concoction of healing potions. Can’t say she’s wrong haha.”
After a while, the group dispersed, and some of them had to look for their books, as Jake had Divination while Roger and William shared Arithmancy. Logan, on the other hand, decided to become a temporary stalker, following the golden trio around, only to find out that they had Herbology right after breakfast time.
‘Ha…’ He sighed, looking at the three first-years walking with their group towards the greenhouse. ‘I guess it was just a bad hunch…’ With a sigh, Logan turned around towards the castle again, but before he even took the first step, a thought invaded his mind. ‘Why not just check with the big guy? I mean… There’s still the chance that they’re going there later…’ Logan thought for a second, before turning back once again, this time in the direction of Hagrid’s hut.
Knocking on the door of the still completely covered hut, Logan waited, still invisible. He couldn’t help but notice how the chimney was letting out even more smoke than the last time.
Soon after he knocked, the door to the hut opened slightly, and Hagrid slightly showed his face from the inside.
“Huh…? Did I imagine it?” Hagrid muttered, looking outside from the small breach of the door. He then stopped outside, looking to see if there was someone slightly far from the door, but again there was no one in sight. So after scratching his head for a moment, the half-giant went back inside. “Now, now… Soon!” He excitedly said as he put more wood into the fire, blowing air into it to keep the fire going.
“You know… I could help you with that.”
“WHA!?” Shocked, and surprised by the sudden voice, Hagrid shot up from where he was, stumbling around the place and throwing some stuff around.
“Calm down, Hagrid!” Logan, who gave the giant the scare of his life, soon appeared in front of Hagrid, trying to calm him down.
“What are yeh doin’ here, Logan!?” Hagrid exclaimed, patting his chest while trying to calm down.
“Oh well, you know, I just came to say hi?” Logan said, awkwardly smiling as he scratched the back of his head. Since he often helped Hagrid take care of the hippogriffs and the thestrals, it wasn’t that far-fetched for him to consider Hagrid a friend.
“For Merlin’s beard, Logan! Yeh scared me!” Hagrid said while still taking deep breaths. “How did yeh even enter here?”
“Well, you kind of opened the door, and I let myself in.” Logan shrugged, turning to look at the egg. “Anyways, do you need help with it?”
“Huh?” Hagrid stopped for a moment, before following Logan’s stare. Freezing once he saw what Logan was staring at. “Oh…”
“Oh… indeed.” Logan nodded, not keeping his stare from the egg.
“Logan…” Hagrid suddenly called to him. Fear was evident in his voice. “Yeh are my friend, righ’?”
“Yeah, I guess so.” Logan nodded.
“You wouldn’... let’s say… snitch me… Righ’?” Hagrid asked, and Logan could swear he could see sweat practically raining from his hand as he turned to the giant.
“Why would I?” He asked, trying to calm the big bundle of nerves that Hagrid currently was. He pretty much know that this bold move he did would cause fear and nerves in the big-hearted half-giant, but seeing the chance to help hatch a dragon’s egg, he couldn’t help but subconsciously offer his help before. “You know how much I like magical creatures, and you have a freaking dragon’s egg here! Why would I snitch on you?”
Letting out a deep sigh, Hagrid let himself drop on the chair behind him. “You scared me, Logan… Why are yeh here anyways?”
“Well, I kind of wanted to ask you some things about… Salamanders…” Logan quickly lied.
“Why just not ask any other time?” Hagrid sighed.
“Wanted to clarify my doubts earlier.” Logan coughed. “Anyways, as I said, I can help you keep the egg warm. Or well, more like keep it hot.”
“So yeh want to help hatch it?” Hagrid asked, a little excited tone could be heard in his voice.
“Yes, it’s dragon’s egg, Hagrid! How many people outside of a sanctuary could realistically say they helped hatch a dragon?” Logan said, his eyes sparkling as he looked at the egg.
“Well, Logan! Yeh go ahea’!” Hagrid laughed, as just like Logan, he too wanted to hatch a dragon, or well, more like own a dragon.
“Thanks, friend.” Logan grinned as he took out his wand. “You might want to step back just a little bit.” He said to Hagrid, who nodded and stepped back. Just a little bit. Not wanting to be that far from the egg. ‘Exevo Flam Hur’ holding tight on his wand, Logan send a controlled fire wave that, after reaching the egg, increased the fire around the egg, making the inside of the hut to become even hotter than before. He kept using a controlled fire that, while small in comparison to what he was able to normally do, was constant for the egg. After all the time he spent training his spells in previous years, doing this wasn’t that hard at all.
“Fantastic!” Hagrid exclaimed as he clapped at Logan’s idea and control over magic. A slight regret could be seen in Hagrid’s eyes, but it disappeared as quickly as it made it to the half-giant’s eyes.
After a little while, and under Hagrid’s teachings about hatching a dragon, Logan decided that it would be better if he used sporadic waves of fire, keeping it under control, while still keeping the egg as hot as possible. He wasn’t really sure how hot the thing had to be, as according to Hagrid, the mothers would always bathe them in their fifer, so Logan thought that it would have to be quite hot, after all, some dragons were able to turn bones to ashes in seconds with their flames.
Time passed, and while Logan and Hagrid spoke about Salamanders, to Logan’s dismay as he already knew pretty much everything he needed, the egg started to show movement, making the both of them squeal with excitement, something that Logan would take to his grave.
But just as the egg started to move, a knock could be heard on the door, making both Hagrid and Logan stop, and look at each other.
“Were you expecting someone?” Logan asked.
“No… Oh, wait. Yes! I almos’ forgo’” Hagrid quickly stood up, and rushed towards the door, while Logan got towards the egg, grabbing it directly from the fire, focusing his magic shield on his hands to avoid burning himself in the process. And so, with a constantly depleting mana pool, he took the egg towards the table, and let it rest. Seeing the small thing tremble more and more.
“It’s nearly out.” Hagrid said from the door, guiding three first-years to the table. “Oh, I see yeh took it from the fire already!” The excited and flushed Hagrid said as he looked at the dragon’s egg, while the three students froze in their spot, not only because of the trembling egg but because they didn’t expect someone else here.
“Oh, it’s you three.” Logan nodded at the golden trio that ‘surprisingly’ came here. “Are you here to see the dragon hatch?”
“Yes…” Ron and Harry answered at the same time, while Hermione looked at Logan, a slight panic could be seen in her eyes for a moment, but it quickly went away.
‘Probably figure out that there shouldn’t be any problem, well, taking out the illegality of hatching a dragon in these conditions.’ Logan thought for a moment before a clicking sound from the egg caught our attention. “Come closer! It’s hatching soon!”
At Logan’s insistency, Harry, Ron, and Hermione got close, sitting on any chair they could find, while Hagrid sat too, close to the egg. For a while, the small group sat around the egg, as it started to make more and more noise, while its movement increased. Soon, a scrapping noise came from the egg and the next moment the egg split open.
From it, a small lizard-like creature came out, it looked crumpled, covered in its spiny black wings that were huge when compared to its skinny-jet body, with what looked to be a small developing ridge that traversed most of his back. Its snout was long, and at the end, two wide nostrils rested.
The small black dragon stood on its four legs and shook its body, sneezing, letting a few sparks fly out of its snout. Extending and folding its wings, it started to look around, not wasting more than a few seconds on all three first-years, who were slightly leaning back after the sparks. It quickly turned to Hagrid whose eyes opened wide, but after a moment, and after another sneeze that sent some sparks to Hagrid’s beard the dragon once again turned its eyes... ‘Mm?’ resting them on Logan, and for a moment, Logan saw something in those eyes.
Logan tilted his head, and so did the dragon, leaving the rest of the room confused. With a couple of clumsy steps, the dragon came closer to Logan, locking its eyes on Logan, who also returned the stare. The others, including the excited Hagrid, kept their mouth shut, not making any noise. And soon enough, Logan’s focus was broken by a notification.
[The newly hatched dragoness has imprinted with you, and your magical signature. Do you wish to accept her as your first familiar?]
‘...What?’ It left to be said, but Logan was stupified by the sudden development.