A Web Of Magic - Volume 1 Chapter 96 Hunted

Magnus and the Gryffindor trio visited Hagrid occasionally to see how the dragon was faring up. They couldn’t say no to Hagrid when he asked them to feed Norbert once in a while. He said that it would help build character in the baby dragon and help him get used to people. Magnus agreed because he had his own agenda. Hagrid would help him procure some of the harder to find ingredients for him in return for looking after the baby dragon. He’s like a personal doctor to the little thing. What ingredients would’ve been a hassle to find for Magnus were very easy to procure for the half-giant. It’s just more efficient this way as most creatures in the forest give way to Hagrid.

The baby dragon always acted unruly. It would spit out fire occasionally just for fun which turned into a nightmare for the Gryffindor trio as they didn’t know any spells to extinguish fire yet. It was manageable with Hagrid around as whatever the dragon did was child’s play to the giant man. They could see the dragon become more affectionate towards the friendly half-giant. But it was surprisingly calm whenever Magnus was around.

“Come on Magnus. Tell me how you are doing it. The blasted thing will eat me for lunch if I try to feed it anymore,” Ron m.o.a.ned one day to Magnus. Harry, Ron and Hermione gathered in Hagrid’s hut once again to fulfill their novice dragon caretaker duties. Magnus was just there to pick up his stock of ingredients. The baby dragon was lying down calmly as he patted its head. There was no trace of the temperamental beast that would usually grace the trio.

“It’s just pure charisma Ron. There’s nothing more to it. You just have to convey your feelings calmly to it,” Magnus told him some nonsense. He was of course using the Mind arts to calm and communicate with the baby dragon. While he cannot speak the dragon language, he can send his thoughts to the baby dragon. Norbert was resistant at first, but he was no match for Magnus’s mind. Maybe it would have been challenging if it was a fully grown dragon, but a newborn going against his trained mind could easily be subdued. Not to mention Magnus would bring it the tastiest of steaks whenever he came to feed the little dragon.

Of course, Magnus would add some nutrient potions to the steak that were beneficial to the dragon, so it liked him subconsciously. It was a version of a potion that he made for himself which he would take occasionally to ensure proper nutrition to his body. As a result, the baby dragon was now the size of a large dog. Anymore and it would surpass Fang soon. Magnus also took plenty of blood samples from the baby dragon in the process but he always made sure it wasn’t harmful to it and fed it Blood Replenishing potions every time. It was a mutually beneficial relationship between the both of them.

“It must be some kind of a spell, right? I know it is. But I just can’t seem to find it anywhere,” Hermione complained from the side. Harry for his part while awed, didn’t care much for it. If Magnus could take the dragon for them then all the better. He wasn’t obsessed with seeking spells like Hermione. He had plenty of work to do in the form of homework already.

“Shall I tell you what it is?” Magnus asked in a teasing voice.

“Yes,” Ron replied enthusiastically. He could imagine himself become a better Dragon Keeper than Charlie and ride on his own dragon. Of course, in his daydreams his dragon was much more gracious and good looking than the little temperamental dragon that was all bones and spikes.

“No. I’ll find it on my own,” Hermione replied competitively. Magnus knew she would react that way if he teased her. That’d get her off from asking any questions for a while. He knew it would be futile in the end. While there were spells that claimed to be able to tame dragons, most of their creators ended up as food to those very dragons. If it were so easy to tame dragons, every wizard worth their salt would have one already.

A few days later, Ron’s fears came true as he was led to the infirmary by a worried Harry. Hermione was away reading in the library. Thankfully Magnus was present there in the infirmary at that time. Madam Pomfrey took a look from afar and gestured for Magnus to take care of it. Ron was grateful for it as he wouldn’t know what to say if she asked any questions. He wasn’t the best liar even under normal circ.u.mstances.

“What happened?” Magnus asked Harry. Ron was m.o.a.ning on the side, so he knew asking him wouldn’t be very helpful. Harry gave him a rundown of the events. Apparently, Ron tried to replicate Magnus’s feat of petting the baby dragon. Unsurprisingly, Norbert took a bite out of his finger. He tried to pass it off as a normal wound in order to not reveal anything to anyone but it was now swollen and unbearable.

“Honestly Ron, don’t go hiding things related to your health. Norbert is a Norwegian Ridgeback. They have venom in their fangs. You could be dead,” Magnus chided him. Ron looked down in embarrassment. Right now, he’s only worried if the word would reach his mum. He would be dead then.

“Don’t worry. I’ll not tell your mum. Be more careful next time,” Magnus assured him. Telling his mum would only raise all sorts of questions about the source of the injury. Magnus quickly removed the venom and healed him back up, but Madam Pomfrey insisted he remain there for the night for further observation. Magnus only shrugged and patted him on his back as he went about his own way. He had some dragon experiments to conduct.

The next evening, Hagrid found Magnus in a hurry. He wanted him to provide some emergency healing services. Madam Pomfrey cannot leave the castle as easily as she had a duty to take care of the students at all times. Magnus had no such obligations. He followed behind Hagrid as they swiftly reached the Forbidden forest and entered it. Hagrid gave him the details on the way. Apparently, something was hunting the unicorns in the forest. This got the unicorns and even the centaurs worried and they sought help from Hagrid. Despite their investigation, they still couldn’t find the culprit. It was likely some dark creature as the wounds do not heal despite their best efforts. Anything that was strong enough to hunt a unicorn, can also easily hunt the other denizens of the forest. Unicorns aren’t some easy prey after all. It was only their strong life force that kept them alive for some time after the attacks. They will still die due to blood loss over time.

Magnus and Hagrid finally stopped when they reached their destination. It was a clearing at the center of which lay a heavily injured unicorn. It lay there bleeding profusely as its silvery blood flowed onto the forest floor without ebbing. Beside it were the centaurs Firenze and Bane. Firenze was trying to stop the bleeding using some herbs and centaur healing magic. Unfortunately, centaur healing magic was slow acting and it didn’t seem to be effective here. The two centaurs noticed Hagrid as soon as he came near the clearing. It was hard not to notice one such as him.

“Firenze, Bane,” Hagrid and Magnus greeted them. Magnus was no stranger to them by now. He met them occasionally whenever he ventured into the forest. He even provided some healing to them occasionally whenever there was an emergency and their own healing cannot offer timely assistance.

“Greetings to you too. I see you brought the Gifted One, Hagrid. Let us hope he’ll be more helpful than me,” Firenze said solemnly. Bane just grunted in greeting. ‘This guy is as aggressive as always. Never mind, now is not the time for that. Let’s see what do we have here,’ Magnus walked towards the injured unicorn with his wand drawn out.