”ive just thought of something,” said harry. he had turned
white. ”weve got to go and see hagrid, now.”
”why?” panted hermi to keep up.
”dont you think its a bit odd,” said harry, sg up the
grassy slope, ”that what hagrid wahan anything else is a
dragon, and a straurns up who just happens to have an egg in
his poany people wander around with dragos
against wizard law? lucky they found hagrid, dont you think? why
didnt i see it before?”
”what are you talking about?” said ron, but harry, sprinting
across the grounds toward the forest, didnt answer.
hagrid was sitting in an armchair outside his house; his
trousers and sleeves were rolled up, and he was shellio
a large bowl.
”hullo,” he said, smiling. ”finished yer exams? got time fer
a drink?”
”yes, please,” said ron, but harry cut him off.
”no, were in a hurry. hagrid, ive got to ask you something. you
know that night you wo did the stranger you were
playing cards with look like?”
”dunno,” said hagrid casually, ”he wouldn take his cloak off.”
he saw the three of them look stunned and raised his eyebrows.
”its not that u a lot o funny folk in the hogs
head -- thats the pub down in the village. mighta bin a dragon
dealer, mightn he? i never saw his face, he kept his hood up.”
harry sahe bowl of peas. ”what did you talk
to him about, hagrid? did you mention hogwarts at all?”
”mighta e up,” said hagrid, frowo
remember. ”yeah... he asked what i did, an i told him i was
gamekeeper here.... he asked a bit about the sorta creatures i took
after... so i told him... an i said what id always really wanted
was a dragon... an then... i remember too well, cause he
kept buyin me dris see... yeah, then he said he had
the dragon egg an we could play cards fer it if i wa he
had ter be sure