This could slow down their studies, of course, but what mattered most was keeping their strength on par with Malfoy's. After all, Harry had even beaten Malfoy last time. Whether he sought another opportunity to defeat him or merely wanted to prevent Malfoy's revenge, he could not afford to stop practicing spells.
Speaking of Neville, Harry also remembered that he had taught Neville Longbottom a few things.
But as George had said, it is the person who chooses "spirit," and "spirit" that chooses the person. While George believed he could eventually teach Neville the true meaning of "spirit," deep down, he still felt uncertain.
Hermione watched as George easily persuaded Harry and Ron, realizing that the idea of reducing training was simply out of the question.
Fortunately, Hermione had some teaching experience, so managing these matters was far easier than dealing with Harry and Ron, and she didn't mind much. But the mention of Malfoy immediately reminded her of another matter.
"By the way, the dragon Hagrid keeps in his hut was discovered by Malfoy," Hermione said. At that point, there was no hope of reducing training. She had mentioned Malfoy, and now more news about him arrived.
"Also, George, I still can't understand why you've never wanted to see Hagrid's dragon," Hermione added, looking at George, curious to hear his reasoning. She wondered why he had absolutely no interest in dragons.
Ever since learning that Hagrid had hidden a dragon egg and hatched it, Hermione, Harry, and the others had devoted considerable time and effort to studying this famous magical creature.
"I'm not interested in dragons, nor in animals that are difficult to control," George said helplessly, seeing their curious expressions.
George had always been someone who lacked a sense of security. He had never kept a pet before, though he had observed others caring for them.
This did not prevent others from having pets, nor would he stop anyone else, but if it were up to him, he would refuse without hesitation. One must start with plants, then consider fish, birds, or other caged animals. Only after that would one think about small pets like cats or larger animals.
Even now, upon hearing the incredible news that Hagrid had a famous and mysterious dragon, he could not summon any interest.
Of course, part of it might be because he had read in many books that dragons are extremely difficult to tame and of limited practical help. Considering the dragon's enormous appetite and unimpressive abilities, he saw little point in spending more time studying it.
"George, aren't you afraid of dogs?" Hermione suddenly asked, eyes wide and mouth agape in a comically exaggerated expression.
Harry and Ron were stunned. George afraid of dogs?
A wizard capable of so many spells, a formidable and awe-inspiring wizard, a walking weapon, a tall, incredibly strong man resembling a demigod—he afraid of dogs?
The thought drove Harry and Ron nearly mad: "George might actually be afraid of dogs!"
George looked embarrassed, unsure how to respond. As a child, he had been chased by a dog once, but he wasn't truly afraid. By now, he had the ability to fight back.
Moreover, even if thousands of dogs surrounded him, they couldn't stop him from performing magic. Yet, to this day, he still preferred not to have large dogs passing near him.
"Malfoy didn't report Hagrid's dragon. He must be worried Hagrid is hiding it. But dragons grow quickly and can't stay hidden for long. If Hagrid doesn't plan to deal with it, you shouldn't hide either, or you might get trapped," George suggested, thinking Hermione's question was a tricky one and offering instead that they go see Hagrid's dragon.
Ron, eager to continue George's training, didn't dare argue and replied obediently: "We've convinced Hagrid. He agreed to send the dragon away. We also heard back from Charlie. The dragon will be sent from the tower."
Seeing George's displeased expression, Harry and the others quickly left the Dumbledore's Army activity room.
"George afraid of dogs? No wonder he never wanted to meet Lu Wei and didn't care about the Philosopher's Stone," Harry thought, still looking striking as ever after leaving the room.
"He shouldn't be afraid. George also doesn't like dragons. He can easily defeat a giant, so there's no reason to fear dogs. He probably just doesn't like animals," Hermione reasoned, cooling down after being the first to guess George's fear of dogs.
"That seems more likely. George doesn't really like Hagrid," Ron added after some thought, agreeing with Hermione's new deduction.
"By the way, what does George actually like, besides reading and magic?" Harry asked.
"I don't think I've ever seen George have a particular preference for anything. His tastes are very adult-like," Hermione said, covering her cheeks as she thought.
"Yes, just like an adult," Harry and Ron exchanged a glance and agreed with her analogy.
"But that annoyed expression of his doesn't seem adult at all," she added, and the three of them laughed together.
George didn't like dragons, and taming them was difficult—a fact that didn't need further discussion. UU Reading noted that dragons have huge appetites but limited abilities, greatly reducing their practical value.
Soon, events proved George's judgment correct.
Ron was bitten by Hagrid's Norwegian Ridgeback, Norbert.
Harry and the others didn't even dare go to the hospital or see Madam Pomfrey, but George could handle such injuries. Ron still had to go to the hospital to recover, but the wounds George treated were barely noticeable.
Dragons were not toys. Later, even Hagrid and his hunting dogs were bitten, though they were far stronger than Ron. Harry and Hermione desperately wanted to be rid of the Norwegian Ridgeback named Norbert.
But that wasn't the only trouble. Malfoy seemed to have discovered Harry and the others' plan. He would certainly try to make life difficult for them, forcing Harry and Hermione to seek George's help.
One Saturday night that month, under a pitch-black sky and howling winds, they went to Hagrid's hut. Hagrid had prepared everything.
He placed Norbert, the Norwegian Ridgeback, into a large wooden crate, along with plenty of mice and brandy for the journey. He even put in a teddy bear, though from the rattling sounds inside the box, it was clear that Norbert did not get along with it.
After Hagrid and the dragon said their goodbyes, George cast a levitation charm on the crate. It worked perfectly—Norbert couldn't touch the box while weightless. For extra safety, George also added a silencing charm.
Harry and Hermione placed the box under the invisibility cloak, then slipped under it themselves, gently lifting the crate.
"Everyone, be sure to give this story a Powerstone! Also, 30 advanced chapters of this story are uploaded on my Patreon—you can go there and read them.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
for 30 advanced chapter, visit my patreon
'patreon.com/fatimasoomro123'
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"