Chapter 80: 80- Let's exchange the local specialties from the Forbidden Forest
"What's wrong? The book says to do it this way," Hagrid replied, a bit nervous.
Rhys demonstrated through his actions that he was indeed the expert in dragon care. Hagrid took Rhys's advice seriously, determined not to miss a single word.
"A three-week-old dragon can already start eating meat, raw or cooked. Chicken blood is just a transitional food for when their teeth haven't fully developed," Rhys pointed to Ron's hand. The fact that Norberta had bitten Ron that badly indicated she was more than ready to eat meat.
"Also, your ratio is off," Rhys said, frowning as he looked at the mixture in the bottle.
"The purpose of mixing brandy with chicken blood is to knock out the newly hatched dragon, making it easier to transport. So you need to choose a high-proof brandy, and the ratio to chicken blood should be at least three to one. The amount of brandy you have in there will only make her tipsy—though it does help her breathe fire."
Hagrid suddenly realized, "So that's why they mix it that way, to make transportation easier!"
In medieval times, dragon traders would give young dragons large amounts of high-proof alcohol, sometimes even sleeping potions, to keep them docile in boxes, making them easier to transport and sell.
Hagrid didn't need to do that.
Norberta's irritable behavior could be related to being perpetually tipsy.
Following Rhys's advice, Hagrid cut up some chicken meat and tossed it under the bed for Norberta.
She sniffed at the chicken, then started gobbling it up, clearly enjoying her meal.
"Ha, she even roasts the meat herself!"
Hagrid watched his little dragon eat with the joy of a child. Ron and Daphne couldn't resist joining him, taking chicken strips from Hagrid and tossing them toward Norberta.
When Norberta was full, Hagrid's stew was ready as well.
The combination of chicken and vegetables filled the air with a mouth-watering aroma.
Not a drop of water had been added to the pot; the ingredients' juices alone made the broth exceptionally flavorful.
Hagrid wasn't wrong; the chicken he raised tasted excellent, so much so that even Daphne ate several large pieces without concern for her image.
Even better, the rock-hard scones softened after being soaked in the stew for a while, making them chewable!
Hagrid, Rhys, Ron, and Daphne finished off the entire pot of stew, along with the plate of scones.
"Norberta's diet seems a bit unbalanced, eating only these things," Rhys said suddenly while Hagrid was gnawing on a large drumstick.
"Oh?" Hagrid immediately put down his drumstick. He couldn't be careless about Norberta's healthy growth.
"For a dragon, just eating chicken isn't enough. Also, the environment here is very different from a dragon's lair. Living here might be fine for a short while, but over time, it's not ideal."
Rhys wasn't exaggerating; it was the truth. In the wild, baby dragons would be well-fed by their mothers. Their diet wouldn't consist solely of chicken, and a dragon's nest would have much higher temperatures and higher concentrations of substances like sulfur. For a dragon raised in captivity, the caretaker needs to artificially provide these conditions to ensure healthy growth.
"I'll get some wild rabbits, boars, ferrets, and other things to feed her," Hagrid suggested with a wave of his large hand.
"Not bad, but how do you plan to solve the temperature problem, Hagrid? Just lighting the stove won't be enough," Rhys gently prompted, encouraging Hagrid to think more deeply.
"Ah, what should I do about that?" A hint of anxiety flashed across Hagrid's face. "Do you have any good ideas?"
Hagrid instinctively turned to Rhys for help.
"Of course, there's an old potion recipe recorded in one of the ancient books in my collection. It can serve as a nutritional supplement for raising dragons," Rhys revealed his plan.
Daphne narrowed her eyes: this time it wasn't an ancient wizard's letter?
"Oh? Can... you provide me with the recipe? I'll find someone to make it," Hagrid asked, feeling quite embarrassed—after all, this was a family heirloom potion recipe, and asking for it directly felt inappropriate.
But this was all for Norberta's healthy growth!
Hagrid was genuinely concerned about his dragon.
"Hagrid, you don't need to find someone else. Rhys is an excellent potion maker himself," Ron said, swallowing the food in his mouth and introducing Rhys's prowess in potion-making to Hagrid in a muffled voice.
"That impressive!" Hearing that Rhys could single-handedly make a potion to treat dragon bites, Hagrid's eyes widened even more.
"Not really, not really, just a bit of talent in potion-making."
Listening to Rhys's modesty, Daphne struggled to resist the urge to roll her eyes—this guy clearly had ulterior motives!
Amid Hagrid's heartfelt thanks, Rhys agreed to provide Norberta's nutritional supplement.
However, in exchange, he needed Hagrid to prepare some "specialties" from the Forbidden Forest—such as unicorn tail hair and other rare items.
As the sun set, Rhys left Hagrid's hut carrying a bag filled with Hagrid's collections from the Forbidden Forest over the years. The bag even contained a vial of fresh dragon blood!
"A substantial harvest!" Daphne couldn't help but comment as she looked at the bag in Rhys's hand.
"It's mutually beneficial, isn't it?" Rhys's lips curved into a slight smile. "These items would just gather dust in his place, but in my hands, they can be turned into valuable potions—even if Gryffindor himself rose from the grave, he couldn't blame me."
In Rhys's view, Hagrid hanging valuable potion ingredients alongside smoked meat was a clear waste of resources.
Rather than letting them gather dust and rot in a corner, it was better to give them to him, allowing them to be used to their full potential.
With Rhys's knowledge and supplements, Norberta grew up healthy and strong, but this didn't change the fact that she had to be sent away—a consensus reached by everyone, including Hagrid.
Ron sent a letter to his brother Charlie, arranging a time for the handover.
The day finally arrived.
Under Hagrid's reluctant gaze, Norberta was given the sleeping potion Rhys had prepared, placed into a large wooden crate, and then taken by Harry, Ron, and Daphne to the agreed-upon meeting place mentioned in the letter.
Daphne's involvement in this was due to the bond she had formed with Norberta during the rearing process. On the day Norberta was to be sent away, she felt quite reluctant to see her go.
Rhys, on the other hand, had less emotional attachment to Norberta. Before she left, he collected some more of her blood. As for the farewell, he left that to Daphne and the others; he had other matters to attend to.
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