บท 100: 100
Chapter 100: Infirmary
Madam Pomfrey's healing magic was exceptional, and the medical supplies in the infirmary were extensive. After administering several bottles of magical potions, the fire dragon and unicorn, who had been suffering from their wounds, calmed down and soon fell into a deep slumber.
Professor McGonagall prepared to temporarily house the fire dragon on the Quidditch pitch. She busily erected a protective barrier with spells to prevent students from inadvertently stumbling upon the dragon and getting hurt. The unicorn found respite near Professor Sprout's greenhouse, where the cheerful witch prepared a feast of berries and fresh oat grass for the creature.
Other professors arrived swiftly upon hearing the news, making it one of the liveliest nights Hogwarts had seen in a while.
"Fire dragon!"
A peculiar elderly man hurried over to Norbert's side with gleaming eyes. His body bore numerous scars, and both legs plus one arm were replaced with wooden prosthetics. Using his remaining hand, he stroked Norbert's black wings excitedly and exclaimed, "Hagrid, you should have told me you were raising a dragon!"
Professor McGonagall, who had just finished setting up the barrier, approached with a stern expression. "Professor Kettleburn, breeding dragons privately is a serious offense!"
The severe tone from everyone at Hogwarts seemed to have little effect on the elderly man. He grinned mischievously and retorted, "Don't be so rigid, Minerva! Who said anything about illegal dragon rearing? This dragon clearly lives in the Forbidden Forest. A wild baby dragon wandered into Hogwarts out of hunger, and our kind gamekeeper simply gave it some food! There's nothing illegal about that..."
"Oh... is that so?" Hagrid smacked his forehead in realization.
"Please refrain from encouraging illegal activities, Professor Kettleburn! Remember, you're still on probation!" Professor McGonagall's tone softened, almost amused.
"Yes, yes, my sixty-second probation. But no worries, retirement beckons," Professor Kettleburn shrugged, approaching Norbert again. "Does this little one have a name, Hagrid?"
"His name is Norbert!" Hagrid declared proudly. "I watched him hatch with my own eyes!"
"—Him?" Professor Kettleburn paused, scrutinizing Norbert closely before smiling. "It seems more like a 'her'... This is a little girl!"
"What?" Hagrid was taken aback, stepping forward as Professor Kettleburn began to explain how to determine the gender of a young dragon.
"In that case, wouldn't calling her Norbert be a bit odd?" Hagrid slipped into 'concerned parent' mode, worried that his baby dragon might face discrimination because of her name.
"I suggest Norberta instead," Professor Kettleburn proposed. "It sounds more feminine and adorable."
"Oh, you two! You make it tough for me to find you!" Madam Pomfrey's sudden appearance cut their conversation short. She fixed Wade and Harry with a hurried gaze and said, "Come with me—Dumbledore mentioned you might need a calming Potion?"
"No, we're fine, not scared," Wade replied.
Madam Pomfrey paid no heed, ushering them into the school infirmary, placing a bottle of potion into each of their hands without explanation, and urged, "Drink up, then get some rest. Dawn is approaching."
Upon seeing the bottles, Wade recognized them as the potions he had brewed himself!
"Is Dumbledore back?" Harry inquired anxiously as she prepared to leave.
"How should I know, child?" Madam Pomfrey replied.
"But you said—Dumbledore sent his Patronus to alert you."
"What's a Patronus—"
"Drink your potion and get some rest, dear."
Under Madam Pomfrey's watchful, slightly amused gaze, they had little choice but to gulp down the potion and swiftly succumb to sleep.
...
The following morning, though no deliberate announcement was made, it seemed the entire school knew of the previous night's events. Students flocked to see the fire dragon and unicorn. Among them, members of the SSC learned of Wade and Harry's involvement and hurried to the infirmary to find them.
"I heard someone attacked the fire dragon!" Hermione burst in, visibly concerned. "Are you both okay? Did you encounter the assailant?"
"Forget about the fire dragon for a moment—I—" Harry glanced around cautiously before confiding, "I have a secret about last night's attacker—"
"Wait, Harry," Michael interrupted abruptly, striding to the door to peer outside before shutting it firmly.
Ryan followed suit, checking the window to ensure no one was eavesdropping.
Wade inquired, "Did you see the attacker?"
"Yes, I arrived a bit earlier than you. I saw who it was—it was..." Harry shuddered involuntarily. "Professor Quirrell."
Silence descended upon the room.
Harry felt a pang of anxiety and rushed to clarify, "You might think I'm making this up—but I'm not! I overheard it weeks ago—in the woods! It was during the Quidditch match when Gryffindor won! I heard Snape threatening Quirrell to cooperate in stealing the Philosopher's Stone hidden on the fourth floor! They were the first ones at the Forbidden Forest too!"
Theo chimed in, "Wasn't Professor McGonagall there first?"
"You weren't there, so you wouldn't know—Professor McGonagall was still in her nightclothes when she arrived! Clearly, she was awakened by the dragon!" Harry tried to bolster his argument. "But Snape and Quirrell... they were dressed properly, suggesting they had been in the Forbidden Forest before, possibly attacking Norbert and the unicorn! Only when Hagrid showed up did they flee, pretending to have just woken up and rushed over, but they didn't have time to change into suitable attire!"
Silence greeted his words.
Neville, trying to break the tension, glanced around and attempted to lighten the mood. "Harry, I thought you really liked Professor Quirrell..."
"I thought he was against Snape!" Harry retorted in frustration. "I wanted to support his courage! I didn't expect him to side with Snape so quickly!"
Observing the complex expressions around him, Harry grew increasingly agitated and raised his voice. "Are you all suggesting that because they're professors, trusted by Dumbledore, they wouldn't do this? But I—"
"Harry, calm down."
Wade's interruption was like a sudden gust of cold wind, extinguishing Harry's fervor. He glanced at Wade, who was looking at the others.
"Tell him about it," Wade continued calmly. "Harry has uncovered this much; revealing the truth doesn't necessarily mean breaking our agreement with Dumbledore."
Harry was taken aback.
"Tell me... about what?"
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